Uhc, 1, me:] 



THE TROPICAL AGHICUL 



TURiST. 



45* 



thing of the same kind might he done in Coorg, and' 

 in fact, in connection with the coffee industry generally, 

 for the purpose of providing Railway communic- 

 ation. The Province, however, suffers from being 

 governed from Bengal. It is too remote to have the 

 attention given to its affairs that it deserves, and so 

 long as its contribution to the Imperial revenue is 

 regularly forthcoming, it excites little or no interest. 

 It is high time for this state of things to be put an 

 end to. Coorg is, geographically, an integral part of 

 Madras, and it should be ceded to Madras. The ad- 

 ministration of "Wynaad by the Madras Governmeut 

 is by no means all that can be reasonably desired ; 

 but, when AVjoiaad, Coorg and the Nilgiris present an 

 united front, the local Government may be persuaded 

 to do more than it has yet done to emulate the able 

 broad-minded attitude of the Ceylon Government 

 towards private enterpise. — Jladras Mail. 



A New Method of Glazing Sash. — It is well known 

 that all glass (now both in portable sashes and infixed 

 greenhouses), is simply imbedded in putty, and kept 

 in place by glazier's points, no putty being now used 

 en top, as was formerly done. It has been found that 

 when the glass lays on the sash-bar thus imbedded 

 the putty soon rots or wears out, and water gets in 

 and not only loosens the glass but rots the bar as well. 

 A most simple plan to obviate this is to pour along 

 the junction of the bar with the glass a thin line 

 of white lead in oil, over which is shaken dry, white 

 sand. This hardens and makes a cement that 

 effectually checks all leakage. It is quickly done. I 

 have seen glass, so cemented, that has stood for ten 

 years, still in perfect order, and it looked as if it 

 would stand fur ten j-ears more without further 

 repair. This plan, which is but little known as yet, 

 is of the greatest importance ; had I known of it 

 thirty years ago I would have saved manj' thousands 

 of dollars iu repairing, besides having the plants under 

 this water-tight glazing in better condition, — Peter 

 Henderson in Amei-ican AyricidUtrist. 



CoMJiERciAL CopA]>. — The copal from which varnish 

 is made is found in a fossil state, chiefly on the 

 east coast of Africa, and consists of the exudation 

 of former forests long since submerged. It is never 

 found far inland. Copal varies in quality according 

 to the vicinity where it is obtained ; sometimes two 

 descriptions are unearthed iu the same district, varying 

 in quality, structure, and shape. The young copal of 

 Sierra Leone is globular, or tear-like, brownish and 

 slightly odorous ; the "pebble" copal obtained there 

 is more or less white, with thick opaque crust, and 

 is odourless. That of Gaboon is in flat pieces, with 

 a crust of branching striie, and the fracture is 

 conchoidal. The copal of Lango takes the form of 

 broken sticks, of which there are two kinds, one white 

 to yellow grain, the other reddish or browuisli, and 

 iu irregular fragments. The latter, which is trans- 

 parent, homogeneous, and fragrant, is the best. Of 

 Angola copal one kind is globular, and of uniform 

 quality throughout; another is in the form of sticks, 

 mostly cracked, and found in common with air- 

 bubbles and bark ; it is yellow, red, or brownish. 

 Slightly coloured copal has a dull appearance, aud is 

 not so imiform or transparent as the strong coloured. 

 The copals of Manila, New Zealand, and South America 

 are softer than other descriptions. —C7;e)/((.v< & Dntgaist. 



BRrcK-TKA does not excite much attention in this 

 country, beyond the fact that there is a large trade 

 between China and the countries bordering it in this 

 article. Some attempts have been made to develope, 

 a trade in Indian manufactured brick-tea between 

 this country and Thibet but so far without any practi- 

 cal results. The composition of brick-tea has also 

 been a subject of some speculation, and erroneous im- 

 pressions would appear to be extant regirdiug it. 

 But a Eussian savant, Professor A. P. Bjrodiu, 

 of St, Petersburg, has been turning his attention to 

 tb« subject; auU Li»9 Aualy»t;d 96Vt;fal gp^cinieus o[ a 



kind for which there is a very large demand. The 

 Kussian name for these 'bricks' is k!r/ntchvt/i tchnij 

 and that of the Chinese makers is Shun-Fan. The 

 name, however, throws no light upon the composition 

 of the bricks, which are extensively used in Eastern 

 Siberia, as well as in the East of European Russia. 

 Up to the present, it has been supposed that brick- 

 tea was prepared from a mixture of tea leaves and 

 a decoction of starch or rice, with various foreign 

 colouring substances. This seems to be quite erroneous. 

 Professor Borodin, in the specimens analysed by 

 him, found that it consisted of quite pure siftings 

 of black tea compressed after softening by steam. 

 It contained from 2-36 to 2-44 per cent of theine ; 

 from 7-yi to 796 per cent, of ashes ; 22-5 per cent 

 of soluble substances, and from G 72 to G'77 per cent 

 of tea tannic acid. But it contained no essential oil, 

 thus differing in that " particular from tablette-tea " 

 (Russian plitofchnt/i tchai] or ordinary compressed tea, 

 which is prepared by subjecting dri/ siftings of black 

 tea to the action of a powerful hydraulic press. The 

 price of brick-tea is only 40 copecks (about lid.) a 

 pound. The foregoing particulars are of some interest, 

 and suggest the propriety of Indian tea-grower.'< 

 developing an industry which opens a way to a trade 

 with Thibet, Yarkand, Chinese and Afghan Turkistan, 

 &c. Professor Borodin, moreover warmly recommends, 

 the use of brick-tea generally.— /nc/taH Agriculturist. 

 Pkoi'ESsok Wallace ON Agkiculture. — Mr. Robert 

 Wallace, Professor of Agriculture and Rural Economy 

 at the T'niversity of Edinburgh, delivered his introduc- 

 tory lecture to the agricultural class on Oct. 20th at 

 the opening of the session. In introducing the subject 

 Professor Wallace pointed out that even iu this great 

 manufacturing country the industry of agriculture 

 was the largest and most important of all, locking up 

 more capital and employing more labour than any 

 other. He had already shown that the appreciation of 

 gold, increasing for a number of years, had a tendency 

 to lower the prices of all commodities, agricultural and 

 other, and that those who were bound by leases 

 must suffer each year. He thougt it entirely illusory 

 to find in legislation alone a remedy for present or 

 future evils. Proprietors should meet and consult to- 

 gether as to what Avould be the best course to follow 

 in their own interests as well as those of the country. 

 The system adopted iu Scotland of leasing land 

 for a longer or shorter term of years was, he thought 

 doomed to vanish. All long lease contracts must come 

 to an end. Proprietors would consult their own in- 

 terests if they would at once, without waiting for 

 the termination of leases, adopt a sliding scale for 

 the fixing of rent, based on the average prices taken 

 iu the local markets. In fact this was an old custom 

 and many rents in the Lothians had been fixed 

 annually by the average yearly price of wheat. He 

 stated as a noteworthy fact, drawn from his own 

 personal experience, that the districts where systems 

 of mixed farming were followed had suffered less 

 than where one single crop or one single branch of 

 agriculture had been depended upon to meet all costs. 

 Mixed husbandry had many advantages. By dividing 

 risks among a number of crops or varieties of 



the 



stock the principle of an insurance company was to 

 a certain extent adopted. Further, the growth of a 

 variety of crops conferred on land all the advantages 

 of the improved systems of rotation, "^'ariety of live 

 stock was also a source of wealth as much as variety 

 of cropping, Turning to the connexion between agri- 

 culture and the University, he said that the degree 

 of Bachelor of Science in the department of Agricul- 

 ture, which would be opened for competition in a 

 few weeks, would give a grand stimulus to agricul- 

 tural education. He advocated Lectureships or Chairs 

 of Forestry and Agricultural Chemistry, and generally 

 upheld the advantages of education in the art. In 

 conc'u.sion, he urged them to prepare themselves for 

 any emergency that might arise in the future. For- 

 tune helped those who helped them.«elves, and no 

 oue could succeed who did not rely on his own 

 industry and perseverance. Success was inpossible 

 without application. He had no fear that Scotchuieu 

 would lag behind in the race— Lojidou Tivics, 



