632 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1 B87, 



noticed that the non-albumonoid nitrogen is almost 

 wholly absent during the l-iter stages of growth, being 

 found as theine. Connecting this with the fact that 

 albumin has increased, and that no theine is found 

 in the seeds, the author believes that positive proof 

 is afiforded that the aliialoid, lilte glutamine and 

 asparagine, is a decomposition product of albumin, 

 and ia capable of again forming albumin. 



" As regards tbe ash, we have here a regular in- 

 crease, whilst I a deciduous trees is found both 

 diminution and increase." 



Tables are given showing the constituents of 

 the leaves gathered at different seasons of the 

 year, from which we gather that the preceutages 

 in dry leaves vary largely at different dates. 

 For instance, theine give in May 2'85 and 2-80, 

 going down steadily to 1 30 and l-OO in November. 

 Tannin, on the other hand, which showed only 

 9-67 and 8-3 in Mdy ro^e to 11-34 and 12 16 in 

 November. The am mnt of ash rose from 4 69 in 

 May to 5'11 in September, going down to 5-00 in 

 November. "Etaereal Extract," on which, probably, 

 the aroma of tea chiefly depends, varied so enor- 

 miu-ily as from 6-42 in Miy to 2 .'■19 in November. 

 — Tae water in fre^h leaves, went doivn from 7(i"83 

 in May to n-dA6 in November. " Old ieav-s " (fresh) 

 gave 60'03 of water, in May against 76 83 in young 

 leaves (flmh, of course). Theine in the olJ leaves 

 was only 0-84 and tannin 11-11. Ash gave 514 

 and ethereal extract 14' 18. 



In 100 parts of ash, excluding carbonic acid, 

 potash showed 4906 in May, going gradually down 

 to 17"3l in November. Lime, on the other hand, 

 rose from 11-95 in May to 30-37 in November, 

 Magnesia likewise rose from 869 in May to 17-99 

 in November. Soda went up from 1*07 in May 

 to 2-76 in November. Peroxide of iron rose from 

 3-80 in May to 11-37 in November. On the other 

 hand phosphoric acid sunk from 15-63 in May to 

 10-70 in November. Sulphuric acid varied only 

 from 3-75 in May to 4-02 in November. Oxide of 

 manganese, silica and chlorine, we need not quote. 

 It is striking to note that the ash of old leave' in 

 May gave only 14-20 potash against 49-Ot) in young ; 

 lime in old leaves was nearly double ; magnesia more 

 than double ; peroxide of iron much more than 

 double, but phosphoric acid only 10-64 against 16-67 ; 

 sulphuric acid being 4-41 against 3-75. 



It thus appears that in the two important 

 constituents of potash and phosphoric acid, young 

 leaves (of ^hich we make tea) are far in advance 

 of old leaves while the latter contain a far larger 

 proportion of lime. 



But the changes in the constituents of the young 

 leaves from the hot summer month of May down 

 to the winter month of November (the experiments 

 having been, we presume, conducted in India), 

 are the most interesting results. Of course the 

 extremes of heat and cold in Ceylon are but slight 

 as compared with India ; but stiU they must 

 be operative, and we cannot doubt that much 

 of the tea now selling at low prices in London 

 was most injuriously affected by the bitterly cold 

 winds which swept over Ceylon in December. 



LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND. 



{By an ev-Ceijlnn Colonist ) 



South Eiverton, 1st Jan, 1887. 

 This is a quiet spot in the very South of New 

 Zealand where I have come from Invercargill to 

 spend a holiday. I have now been pretty well all 

 over the country and am quite a diit'erent man 

 in health to what I was latterly in Ceylon. The 

 question as to what one should eat and drin 

 never troubles one here, tbe food being goo 



and wholesome and stimulants not being required. 

 No flannel belts now ! You will be expecting an 

 account of the country and my d'fficulty is 

 where to begin. So for the moment I shall 

 try to imagine myself in Ceylon and then write 

 to you about the things a Ceylon man would 

 like to know about. 



Climate. — For health the climate of New Zealand 

 is very good. For comfort it is not so admir- 

 able, as taken all round it is much windier than 

 the Old Country and in some places — notably the 

 Canterbury Plains, hot winds come occasionally. 

 It can be very dusty too in dry weather. There 

 are great varieties of climate from wet Southland 

 and Otago to dry Hawkes Bay in the North 

 Island. Upon the whole it is warmer than the 

 British Isles. 



Soil is generally of a light clayey appearance, 

 and a stranger is astonished to see some of it 

 yield 20 tons of potatoes to the acre, and 75 

 bushels of oats to the acre. But it varies very 

 much in fertility. Hawkes Bay, the Canterbury 

 Plains, the Taen Plains near Dunedin and some 

 of the Southland Province, are considered the 

 crack districts, but there are many other places of 

 smaller extent that can cope with them. There 

 is plenty land yet to be taken up as good as any 

 now in cultivation. The South Island has been 

 most opened up. owing to the Maori troubles in the 

 north, and were I coming here to farm I think I 

 should select a spot in the North Island. Land can 

 be got there now that will by-and-bye carry 10 sheep 

 to the acre. 



ScENEKY. — The mountains and bays of the west 

 coast in the South Island are magnificent, but 

 as few people go there they are lost to view. 

 There are some views of bold scenery about 

 Dunedin, and lovely places of a quieter kind at 

 Auckland, but altogether the inhabited parts of 

 New Zealand are somewhat tame. As th« country 

 gets older, and English trees grow up it will look 

 better. The bush hfs the same appearance all 

 over the islands and it is so vast and dense that 

 no pretty peeps of waterfalls and glades can be 

 obtained as in Ceylon. 



Plants &c. --Despite the great variety of plants 

 there is monotony to the eye owing to the pre- 

 dominance of the Tea* tree so called, the fern, 

 and in the South Island the Tussack grass. At 

 the Bluff in Southland there is tea tree and fern, 

 and at the north of the North Island there ia tea 

 tree and fern. The stunted-looking palm called 

 the cabbage tree grows all over New Zealand, but 

 in the north there are several other palms and 

 the celebrated Kauri pine which does not grow in 

 the south. If a railway is anywhere made through 

 the densest bush, clover and English thistles at once 

 spring up on it sides. I was astonished to discover 

 in thick bush the homely old Musk which has 

 found here a congenial home. Docks and sorrel 

 abound, perhaps owing to careless fanning. 



Fecxt-growing in Kent. — In consequence of the 

 ruinously low prices obtained for last season's 

 fruit crop, a large number of growers in Kent 

 have grubbed their orchards. This has been done 

 even in casei where the crop of 1886 was the 

 most prolific on record, the growers stating that it 

 would not be worth their while to grow fruit and 

 Fcil it at the prices of last season, which, in hun- 

 dreds of instances, did not pay the cost of picking 

 and carriage. — St. James's Budget. 



* Properly Ti.— Ed. 



