5i8 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Feb. I, 1887. 



were capable of assanaing had the peculiar property 

 common to camphoraceous odours, aad no doui.t the 

 soap maker would be able to utilize them largely. 

 But it all pointed to the necessity there was for some 

 competeut authority in these subjects, and especially 

 of having a Museum where these things shoald be 

 distinctly and correctly labelled. He was not aware 

 that they derived their samples from Mr. Bosisto's 

 firm ; they had got them through the London broker.^, 

 and did not know where they came from. He knew 

 they had got very different things under the same 

 name, and that what they really wanted they could 

 not obtain at all. 



Mr. Hall (of Messrs, Edward Cook and Son) remark 

 that essential oils were of great interest to soap makers. 

 He was also interested in the beautiful specimens of 

 white coconut oil from Trinidad. It would be very 

 desirable to have a cocoaut oil without any scent, but 

 at the same time it should be of a wiiite colour. Most 

 of those oils could be used by soap makers, but they 

 only came into their hands when produced in such 

 large quantities as to be cheap. 



Mr. Holmes, in reply, said .he thought the gums 

 referred to by Captain Molony were resins, thoutrh 

 they were called gum in commerce. The gum Mr. 

 Christy alluded to was a gum soluble in water, and 

 thit was much wanted at present — one which possessed 

 adhesive properties and which would not darken when 

 a little iron of salt was added to it. There was no 

 question that the resins or gums to which Captain 

 Molony alluded were much more largely used than 

 adhesive gums, and were very important articles. 

 Mr. Shand had greatly excited his curiosity with 

 regard to the oils that cured him of rheumatism, 

 and he should be very glad to know what they were. 

 "With reference to the cinchona crispa, there was a 

 specimen in the Museum, sent from Madras and ana- 

 lysed by Dr. Paul, which gave very good results, 

 quite within the requirements of Pharmacopceia. He 

 merely alluded to that variety as exhibited to pharma- 

 cists because no one could make any mistake about 

 it. Mr. Howard's remark that sometimes specimens 

 came over without that peculiar corkiness interested 

 him very much from a botanical point of view; 

 because auynne who ha I ob-ierved the commnu birch 

 tree wo dd know that when youug it bad one of the 

 smoothest barks, though later on it dev. loped cork 

 abundantlj'. The same might be the case with the 

 cinchona crispa. At ail eveuts the corky form was 

 easily recognized, and there cou d be no mistake 

 about it, because no other cinchona was at hU like 

 it. With regard to thi^ coci leavts not being valued 

 when they first came over, he thought it arose in a 

 great degree io.a the fact that the leaves were of a 

 very bad quality. "When the price went up very 

 much bet er leaves came over. He would direct Mr. 

 Charles Christy's attention to the guras from 

 Wrtst Africa in the G.im )i* Court, which had very 

 much '^n;^ appHnfAnr-e "I i^mu ^^rubi!;, nud hiso to 

 some "f thosa from M xicj. Wi'.h re>peet to the 

 E. yldbii'tis he should be glad to show Mr. F.eld at 

 any iime the specimens uameil true to speci s which 

 Mr. Bosisto had kiudly presented to the Museum, 

 and he wouid be then able to ju I^e oi' the kiuil re- 

 quired. He believed that the E. glolndus \a theEig- 

 lish market had come to a certain extent from Nice, 

 and also from San Franci->do, but where else he did 

 not know .—Phannacttiticil Journal, 



WHAT THEY SAY IN "THE LANE." 



That thpy don't want such heavy sales of Indian tea 

 three days before Chiistmas. 



That since the 1st of June the-e have been about 

 100,000 packages more Indian and Ceylon tea printed 

 for public sale than in 1885. 



That according to reliable estimates this extra 

 quantity sold to date represents nearly the whole in- 

 crease in the crop over last season. 



That the necessary tasting and valuirg of such a 

 largely increased quantity has been extremely trying 

 and laborious to both brokers and dealers. 



That two weeks cessation of business in the markets 

 whilst travellers were off work, and grocers too busy 

 to lo)k at tea, woa'd have afforded the overworked tea 

 tasters of Mincing Lane a chance of recruiting their 

 energies for the heavy trade of January and February. 



That the importers and the selling brokers in forcing 

 on such heavy sales, and thereby curtailing the holi- 

 days, have raised up a very unfriendly feeling which far 

 more than counterbalances any supposed gains. 



That in consequence of such heavy sales having taken 

 place just on the eve of the holidays, all the buying 

 brokers and dealers are full of stock ; and as they have 

 no chance of selling it till the second or third week ia 

 January, the new year bids fair to open flatly. 



That unless Ceylon planters pack their tea in larger 

 breaks there will soon come a deadlock in Mincing 

 Lane, and a considerable decline in value of Ceylon 

 tea by reason of buyers being unable to see all the 

 little lots. 



That those who divide up fairly large-seized breaks 

 in Cilcutta into three or four divisions, thereby neces- 

 sitating fourfold labour on the Loudon tasters when 

 the separate divisions have to be valued in Mincing 

 Lane, deserve condign punishment. 



That if the practice he not discontinued, a com- 

 mittee of buyers will be formed to trace all such 

 divided lots and refuse to bid for them. 



That the old motto of "Live and let live" has been 

 changed to " Every man for himself and devil take 

 the hindmost,"—^, # C. MaU, Dec. Slst. 



Tea in the Andaman's. — Ten years ago the 

 Government tea garden in the Andaman Islands 

 started with an area of 3§ acres, which last year 

 had extended to 288^ acres. The out-turn of tea 

 during the year amounted to 26,600 lb. and of 

 this quantity 23,273 lb. were sold. — Madras Mail. 



Granadilla and Tree Tomato.— In Covent Garden 

 Market may now he seen frui'S of the tre« Tomato, 

 C.vphomandra betacea, labelled as Granadilla, which 

 is an error, as that name applies to the fruit of the 

 Passion-fl >wer. The fruit of the tree Tomato is cooked 

 and made into a ki id of jelly. It was highly recom- 

 mended by Mr. Morris when in the West Indies 

 but it dots not find so much favour in In ia. We 

 believe 'he market is supplied from the Azores. — Gard- 

 eners^ Chronicle. 



Pearl Fishixg by Electric Light.— The steam 

 yacht " Chic," belonging to Messrs. Alley and Mc- 

 Lellan, engineers, Glasgow, which has been berthed 

 in the Greenock harbour for the past few weeks, 

 has b^en fitted up with a Brush dynamo for the 

 purpose of suiting her for the pearl fishing in 

 South Australian waters. The "Chic" left on Satur- 

 day for the Gareloch, where she will remain unlil 

 the arrangements are complete for fitting up the 

 electric lamp. — electrical Mevitw. 



Another Ceylon Tea Company. — Companies in- 

 terested directly or indirectly in Ceylon tea are 

 becoming numerous. The Ceyion Tea Growers 

 Limiied, is the name of a new undertaking regis- 

 tered a few days since, with a capital of £6,000, 

 divided into 600 shares of £10 each. It is formed 

 to carry on as principals, consignees, agents, or 

 otherwise, the business of importing and dealing 

 in tea, coffee, cocoa, cinchona, and spice, and other 

 produce grown in the island of Ceylon, and other 

 places, and to acquire the busine-s of Messrs. Del- 

 mege, Collinson and Whitham, of No. 1, St. Mic- 

 hael's House, Church Alley, E. C, and to acquire 

 certain trade marks. The first subscribers are :— 

 H. Whitham, planter, Ceylon, 1 share ; A. Delmege 

 17, St. Helens-place, E C, 1 ; J. B. Collinson, 

 planter, Ceylon, 1; R. Godfrey, planter, Ceylon, 

 1; A. H. Eeid. clerk, 17, St. Helens Place, E.G., 

 1 ; W. Hollick, 28, Barnsbury Park, N., 1 ; A. 

 Hntchinson, merchant, Chiugford, 1. — Home and 

 Colonial Mail 



