AniL X, 1887.] TOE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST* 



^53 



SPiCES. 



We can send eght kind.-, of spices as will be seen by 

 the 1 olio wing eiiUmeration: — 



1, Nutmegs. 



2. Mace, 

 a. Cloves. 



4. Cinnamon. 



5. Ginger — «. Unscraped. 



b. Scraped and cleaned. 



6. Vanilla. 



7. Biack-pepper. 



8. Pimento. 



Thus we see we have nearly' all the known spices 

 glowing in the island, and tnis will be a ujost im- 

 portant fact to impress on the vi.-icora to the txhibi- 

 tion — lor the bulk of the spices used come from ihc 

 EaSt Indies, and therefore tiiey cost more to piac 

 in the English and American markets. Nutmegs tiave 

 done much to heip on the p:o>peritj 01 Gienada, 

 and it is to be hoped that in a few years the bame 

 thing may be said of Dominica. Alrtady two of Lur 

 planters have commenced the cu.tivation in real 

 earnest, and other doubtless will soon follow in their 

 wake. 



Pimento, allspice, or .Jamacia pepper, is the fruit of 

 our " Bois d'lude " picked green and dried in the sui,. 

 It is a very important article of export from Jamaica. 

 Other Food Peoducts. 



Of these we have a large variety, and possibly our 

 readers will be able to add to ttie following, fiiteen 

 classes which we have made in the division : — 



1. Farine manioc. 



2. Frtrine s'.arch. 

 '3. Arrowroot. 



4. Tous-les-mois, 



5. Plantain starch. 



6. Yam starch. 



7. Tauia search. 



8. Bread-fruit starch. 



9. Sweet-potato starch. 



10. Tapiocii starch. 



11. Plantain meal. 



12. Dried shced plantain. 



13. Eice, 



14. Dried peppers (or capsicum) whole. 



15. Ground peppers, (or Cayenne pepper). 



]\Iost of the above articles can be exhibited by the 

 ladies, and we take this opportunity of pointing out 

 that the sterner sex are 1101, expected to carry off all 

 the honours. The Exhibition Committee will be very 

 glad to receive ad the help the ladies can give ii 

 making the Dominica Court at the Exhibition worthy 

 of the island, and their Honorary Secretary will only 

 be too happy to assist a(( intending exhibitors to the 

 best of his ability. 



AYe may remark that the true Cayenne pepper is 

 made from the bird pepper — a common Domiuica 

 wayside p ant of two kinds. One kind bears sma 1 

 round red berries, and the other has elongated pyra- 

 midal ones. 



Three quarts is the quantity fixed on for the meals 

 and starches, and the article may be exhibited in 

 boxes similar to those described above. It will be as 

 well to line the boxes with blue or white paper. — 

 H. A. A. N. — Dominica Dial. 



CINCHONA IN MEXICO. 

 Notwithstanding the discouraging state of the 

 Cinchona market fresh competitors in the industry 

 are entering the field, and the latest of these is 

 the Mexican Government. Cinchona was first intro- 

 duced in Mexico by the Emperor Maximilian, in 

 1866, upon the advice of Mr. Maury, a scientist and 

 lieutenant in the United States Nttvy, who had been 

 making a tour through the South American Andes, 

 and Was struck with the climatic similarity of those 

 regions to certain parts of Mexico. The Emperor 

 Maximilian applied for cinchona seed to Mr. Waltham, 

 who had introduced the plant in the East Indies, 

 and received from him a supply of three diflfeient 

 species, together with instructions regarding the treat- 

 ment of t' e seed. By the Emperor's orders the seeds 

 were handed to the Geographical and Statistical 



Society of Mex CO, who in turn, commissioned a 

 Mr. Jose A^jclint Nidto, of Oorduba, to plant them, 

 and supplied him witn the necessary funds for the 

 experiments. A German named Fiuck, c-irried on an 

 experiment with some Sied of the C condaminea 

 vaueiy, which planted and produced good seed at 

 the eud of four years. He afterwards planted a 

 number of seedlings on an estate at a height of 

 between 1,8.0 and 2,000 feet above the sea-ievel. 

 But the mean temperature of these plantarians 75° 

 F. was found too warm, and the plauts did' not 

 succeed, alth 'Ugii ihej' attained a height of thirteen to 

 s.xieeuieet. lu 1873 ^.nl^ 115 ot ihe trees survived. Dr. 

 Fiuck, noL^vitn&tandiug this ci.-appoiutiug result, re- 

 mained a fi.m believer in the fi-asibility of sue^es-iful 

 cinchona-growiug in Mexico. In 1874 he male a 

 fiesn attempt, tnis time on a " raucho " about 2,900 

 icet above sea. eve), and had the satisfaction to see 

 nis efforts Ciowued with complete success and to 

 fiud other p.aniers fallowing ms example. At pre- 

 .•<ent 12,000 trees are tlourishiug on Dr. Fiuck's pla'uta- 

 ion, and it is ^ald that the to al uuaib-!r on the 

 plantations arv^und Cordoba is neany 2(>,0j0. A great 

 m.ny varieties have in course of time sprung up 

 tiom the original three species, and the alkaloidal 

 peicentage 01 tne Mexican cinchona is equal to that 

 of the best Bolivian bark. Nevertheless it would 

 seem that lor tne next few years, at any rare, there 

 is no probability ot cijchona being exported from 

 Mexico. All the bark which is grown in the republic 

 is cotisumed in the country, local wholesale druggists 

 buying it at prices ranging from 56Jc. to 75c. (2s. 

 4d. to 3s. Id.; per lb. It is not, tnerefore, worth 

 the while of growers to export their cinchona to 

 markets where, most likely, it Would realize less 

 than at home. Foreign cinchona has to pay aa 

 import duty of about 2d. per Jb. in Mexico, and 

 quiuine about l§d. per oz., wbile the shipping and 

 carrying expenses are very heavy. — Local " Times." 



RHEA IN MEXICO. 

 I notice from time to time an expression of opinion by 

 correspondents in jour columustothc eff ■ ct that, success- 

 ful as te^ has be< ome, Oeyion planters will do well to see 

 that they be not ag.iu caught, as was the case with coffee, 

 with all their eggs in one basket. With this in mind and 

 remeuj bering the nature of your climate m the low coun- 

 try, and iii mid-region bet ween it and the hill-ranges, I 

 have Ltely been taking notes in regard to the growth 

 of the rhea plant, trom which is made the well-kuo-va 

 and valuable China grass, aa well as ot its manufac- 

 ture into a great variety of fabrics. There is a Khea 

 Manufacturing Company in London with a fact iry 

 on the River Lea, a id a large extent of land in the 

 Madras teiritory, where the plant is being grown and 

 treated for handy shipment. During the currency of 

 the Oi-louial Exhibition, 1 had frequent opportunities 

 of examining the beautiful fibres and cloths shown 

 by the Company in the Indian Court. They have 

 already indeed manufacturers to take up the article, 

 but what IS wanted is a larger supply, for there is 

 very little doubt that many tuousands of tons of the 

 prep red fibre would be taken at paying prices. 

 Having had, whilst in India, some exp. rience in the 

 growth of the rhea plant, I do not hesitate to say 

 that it is most readily cultivatable in a moderately 

 good and light soil, in a climate such as exists in 

 the Ceylon maritime districts, and, even as high up 

 as Gampola and Kaduganuawa. In many parts of 

 India it is successluliy grown, but hitherto 

 the diflBculty has been in separating the fine long 

 fibres from the woody stalk, covered as it is with 

 resinuits matter. This, the Compmy declare, can be 

 easily and economically carried out by adopting a 

 very simple process which they have patented. 

 They are pr. pared to enter into engagements with 

 any ptrs /ns who will grow the pUnt and supply 

 them with the fibre in the raw sia e under their 

 patent. Ill placing beore you, for the lulorm tion 

 of your readors, a lew extracts from the Coaiptuy's 

 ia ely publishea pamphlet, I have in vie>v the pjssi- 

 bliity that the cultivation may find someone willing 

 to give it a, trial oft a small scale in soma moderately 



