474 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Jan. I, 1887 



JAEEAH AXD WHITE ANTS ; TANNIN 



IN PINE ; STAECH IN PLANTS. 



NOTES ON POPULAR SCIENCE. 



By Db. J E. Taylor, f.l.s. ,f.g.s., Editor of " Science 

 Gossip," &c. 



I understand that Mr. Bosisto, with cbaracteristic 

 energy and scientific aciniien, has been engaged in 

 investigating the reasons why the Jarrah wood (Euca- 

 lyptus marginata of Western Australia is enabled 

 to defy both the attacks of white ants on the land 

 and tliose of ship-worms, Ac, in the sea; and, fur- 

 ther, that he has discovered the chemical principle, 

 and is able to extract it. This is a most valuable 

 discovery, inasmuch as it will now doubtless be pos- 

 sible to "make a solution of the substance and im- 

 pregnate other woods with it, after the manner of 

 creosoting timber. Here is another new iudustrj for 

 Australia. By and by, in a ceutury or so, your des- 

 cendants will perhaps be sorry you have been in 

 such a hurry to ring-bark and destroy your cha- 

 racteristic gum-tree forests. How hopeless we are 

 to withstand the attacks of white ants is well in- 

 dicated by the reply of Professor Eiley, the well- 

 known American entomologist, who when asked for 

 a remedy against these insects, could only advise 

 his fiiuerist to "burn all the wood work above and 

 underground " in- his green-house. 



A discovery has just been made which may indi- 

 rectly affect you in Australia, wliere the wattle is 

 grown for the sake of the usefulness of its bark in 

 tauning. For some time past attempts have been 

 made in Sweden to extract tannin from a native 

 species of pine. This species is nearly related to 

 the American hemlock (Pinus canadensis). Hither^-o 

 these attempts have all turned out failures. During 

 the present year a Swedish chemist (Dr. Laudinj 

 visited America for the purpose of experimenting on 

 the hemlock, and he appears to have succeeded, for, 

 on his return to Sweden, he obtained tannin from 

 the Swedish pines by a chemicaljprocess. The tannin 

 is said to be equal to the American, but the leather 

 produced by it is yellower in colour. The Swedes 

 are in hopes that this new discovery will have the 

 effect of causing a great tanning industry to spring 

 up in their country. The character of tannin in plants 

 is now better understood than formerly. It is no 

 longer regarded as a purely waste or excrement! - 

 tious material, hut under some circumstances may 

 be converted into good material. 



It has been discovered that the leaves of plants 

 are able to form and store up starch, not only from 

 glucose and cane-sugar, but also from mannite, 

 and even glycerine. Potato-shoots growing in dark 

 rooms are also able to form starch out of glycerine, 

 as well as out. of glucose and saccharose. — .[uifrclasiaii. 



GAMPOLA-KADrGA>rx.A.wA, 20th Dec. — A good deal of 

 rain fell yesterday and last night. This morning 

 showery, and it looks as if it was going to con- 

 tinue, so I have put a few coolies to supply my 

 tea field with others following them with fern and 

 other shade to place over the young plants. What 

 destructive little creatures rats are, thoy have been 

 amusing themselves running over my[clearing, and 

 nipping the small tea plants in half. If it was not 

 for the dense lantaua, what a gloiious district this 

 would be for pig-hunting. 



The CcLTiviTioK of Tea in Albany, S. Africa. 

 --Lower Albany, which may be said to be a 

 suburb of Grahamstown, is anxious to make the 

 most of its resources, and has taken to the 

 cultivation of tea. This i.s an industry sure to 

 imy, because it gives little trouble, and tea is in 

 constant demand in the Colony, at good rates. 

 Moreover, the tea plant is well adapted to the 

 Climate, and is nothing dismayed at a stretch of 

 drought, or an occasional frost. As Mr. Cannell, 

 or Port Alfred, has seedling plants for sale, at a 

 small cost, it may be expected that many people 

 will take up this indvistry.— The Colonics and India. 



Tea Packing.— a buyer writes (sending us 

 a newspaper extract) : — " Y-^u would be doing 

 the trade a service if you drew planters' atten- 

 tion to the enclosed hints on the packing of tea. 

 It would be very desirable if standard weights 

 were adopted for each description of package, 40 

 and 45 lb. half-chests are the most expensive weights 

 to work in the London warehouse, besides the 

 heavy percentage of loss in weights by draft and 

 trade customs in mode of weighing the gross and 

 tare." The extract is as follows : — 



Packing. — It \touM seem from the vurioin net weights of 

 Ceylon packages received on this market that tlie reduc- 

 tion of freight and warehouse charges and loss iu weight 

 to the lowest possible point per lb. is not sufficiently 

 studied. I find on froing closely into the subject tliat the 

 most economicil weight for leaf tea to pack in a half- 

 chest is .o5 lb. of Broken tea and Dust tiO lb. might I 

 think be packed — care being taken that the tare of the latter 

 does not «xceed 19 lb. 



ForehesU, of a handy size, 9.5 1b. net or even 100 lb. in 

 Japan would is the most economical weight. Chests, 

 when practicable, should always be used wlieu a sampling 

 break can be made up so packed, as besides effecting a 

 saving of about 20 per cent, on tlie item of Warehouse 

 charges alone, freight and loss in weight are both less . 

 Boxes should not be used except for very choicest teas as 

 besides Warehouse charges aud freight per lb. being about 

 double that of chests, the loss in weight is invariably 

 very excessive 7 per cent not being at all uncommou. 

 Boxes, unless those imported from Japan, should neve 

 contain more than l.i lb. of tea, care beiug taken to ser 

 that the Gross is not over 28 iD. As the market for tease 

 in boxes is somewhat of a fancy nature it is very doubt 

 ful if the extra price generally paid is equilized by the 

 extra working expenses and loss in weight incurred. Care 

 should be taken to get the tares of all packages slightly 

 under the lb. with Gross weight a good 5 of a lb. over the 

 pound, so as to guard against Colombo sampling reducing 

 the gross weights to uuder the lb. entailing a loss fre- 

 queutlv of a lb. on every package, not difficult of at- 

 taiument if a full i of of a lb. extra tea is given iu with 

 each package. It. hooping packages oii the estate for local 

 sale the lid should be left «(ihooped to admit of ready sam- 

 pling without breaking or cuttiug the hooping, 



OoBEYPORE.— Mr. T. H. storey, the Superin- 

 tendent of the Gardens of the Maharana of 

 Oodeypore, forwards us a copy of his annual 

 report. Oodeypore is the only station in Eajpootana, 

 and one of the very few places in the native 

 states where the garden establishment is directed 

 by a professional gardener. Mr. Storey, we believe, 

 was trained in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. 

 The following extract will suffice to shew the 

 different conditions under which gardeners in In- 

 dia have to work from what obtain here : — 



"Flvi:*g I'oxes. — There has been a colony of 

 flying foxes, which had taken up their quarters here 

 for the past fifty years, aud were quite a nuisance. 

 They seemed to keep up all day a horrible scream- 

 ing noise. They were hanging ou to large Ficus, Mango, 

 aud other trees. There were also mauy swarms of 

 bees, aud the foxes had a very poor time of it. 

 The bees appeared to hate them, and used to chase 

 them all round the place. The trees were quite 

 leafless, and to all appearance half dead. On His 

 Highness coming one morning this waj', I took the 

 opportunity of speaking to him about them. He told 

 me, if possible, to have them hunted away, an under- 

 taking which, I am happy to say, was successful. I 

 collected all Biy men and boys, gave them old tiu 

 pots, tom-toms, &c., and made them get up ou the 

 trees to the very top. When they began beating 

 their tins, the whole of the foxes got on the wing, 

 and kept them for a few hours, when a few of 

 them took the lead, and the whole flock went off 

 three or four miles away. I expected them back 

 iu the morning, and I was not much disappointed, for 

 they were returning to their old place from their 

 night's feed ; they must have been disgusted at seeing 

 the men still perched in their quarters. The meu 

 went up the trees at '6 o'clock iu the moruiug, and 

 did not allow them to alight so off they went, aud 

 have not returned. The trees they were on are now 

 covered with leaves aud looking well." — Gardiner.^ 

 Chronicle. 



