APRIL I, tSSy.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



^75 



GiNGER-BEEB PowDERS — Mix J oz. of bfiused gia- 

 ger, I oz. cream of tartar, aud 4 drops of essence of 

 lemon with as much powdered sugar as will make the 

 packet a presentable size. Direct that the powder be 

 added to 1 gallon of boiling water, containing 1 lb. of 

 lump sugar. When nearly cold float a piece of toast 

 on the liquid, on which place 2 or 8 tablespoonfuls 

 of good yeast, and set in a moderately warm place to 

 ferment for a day or two ; strain and bottle. — Chemist 

 and Drvggist 



Preservation of Flowers. — The Chronique Indus- 

 trielle states that flowers may be preserved, with all 

 their brilliancy and freshness, in the following way : — 

 In a well-corked bottle, dissolve si.x drachms of 

 coarsely cracked, clear gum copal, mixed with the 

 same weight of broken gla.ss, in 15^ ounres (by 

 weight ) of pure ractified sulphuric ether. Soak the 

 flowers in this mixture, take them out slowly, and expose 

 them to the air for ten minutes ; then immerse them 

 anew, and again expose them to the action of the air. 

 Repeat this operation four or five time.s. The flower.s 

 thus treated will keep for a long time if care be takeu 

 not to handle them too much. — Journ. Roi/al Micros. S'oc. 

 The Saltpetre Solution is a well-known remedy for 

 the cut worm ; but not everybody knows how to 

 apply it. We therefore give in the following 

 method of a correspondent of the Uew England 

 Homestead, even if a little out of .season. We might 

 forget, you know. One year ago I had a patch of 

 beans entirely destroyed by cut worms. I planted it 

 over; as soon as they came up, the worms began 

 again. I dissolved half a pound of saltpetre in three 

 pints of water, mixed that thoroughly with one-half 

 bushel of dry ashes, and I sprinkled the ashes on 

 the beans just as there was a shower coming up, 

 and the rain washed the ashes all off into the 

 ground. I had no more trouble with the worms, 

 but had a good crop of beans. — Soutliern Planter. 



Pepper Adulteration. — A. Hilger, in the Arcliiv. 

 der Phurmacie, states that adulteration of ground pep- 

 per by means of broken pepper has lately been very 

 frequent. A sample of broken pepper was taken, and 

 on careful inspection was found to contain an admix- 

 ture of broken pericarps of chillies . The microscope 

 proved that pressed seeds of the oil palm {Elaeis (juin- 

 ensis, Jacq. ) were also present. Complete analysis 

 showed the so-called " broken pepper" to consist of. — 



Per Gent, 



Shells of pepper 50 



Flour of oil-palm seeds 30 



Dust of pepper 15 



Mineral substances ... ... 4 



Pericarps of chillies 1 



— Chemist and Druggist. 



Peach Growuvg in Ameuica. — As to pruuing, let 

 them alone the first year. Cut the lower limbs off 

 the second year, but not too much. Cut more in the 

 third year, and then direct the form of the tree; 

 but avoid, in all stages of tree, too much pruuing. 

 Let them grow low ; don't let the limbs crowd and 

 press each other; keep the tree erect, or inclining 

 a little to the south ; don't let the sun shine on the 

 bodies. Use judgment in pruning. Some trees require 

 it often; other sorts hardly at all. Prune iu latter 

 part of May or June, Don't cut your trees iu winter 

 or fall; it is ruinous to them, and there can be no 

 necessity for it. Save the soap-suds after clothes 

 washing, and wash down the bodies of your trees, 

 young and old, or get some other wash— carbolic soap, 

 or something else. Rub some axle-greaso on the 

 bodies of your young trees in the fall, to prevent 

 hares and mice from girdling them iu the winter. 

 For the first time in my memorj', the hares were 

 very destructive to young trees in this section dur- 

 ing the last winter. I had a lot of young apple 

 trees, one and two years from the nursery, and saw, 

 on the 1st of December, that somethins: was biting 

 them ; three were already girdled. I gave a man 

 a^ box of axle-grease, and had him rub it on with 

 his hands, "the whole lot, from the roots to the 

 limbs, and they were not touched afterwards, while 

 hutidreds were de.ttroyed at other places where they 

 were not tlui.s treated This is the first time that 



such a thing has occurred here that I know of, but 



it may not be the last. — Soxfltern Planter, 



Oejient W.\SH. — Take of fresli cement three parts, 

 clear sand one part, and mix them thoroughly with 

 fresh water. This will give a grey or granite colour, 

 dark or light, according to the colour of the cement. 

 If a brick colour is desired, add enough Venetian red 

 to the mixture to produce that colour. The cement, 

 saud, and colouring matter must be mixed together. 

 If white is desired, the walls, when new, should receive 

 two coats of cement wash, and then whitewash 

 After ttie work has received the first coat, a single 

 coat every three or four years wilt be sufficient. It 

 is best to thoroughly dampen the wall witli clean 

 fresh water, and follow immediately after with the 

 cement wash. This course will prevent the bricks 

 from absorbing the w.iter from wash too quickiy, 

 aud will give time for the cemuet^to set. Care must 

 be tiiken to keep all the ingredients of the cement 

 wash well stirred during the apiplicatiou of it. The 

 mixture must be made as thck as it will admit of 

 to be conveniently put on witih a whitewash brush, 

 — Rural Australian. 



The Future of the Date Palm in india. By E. 

 Bonavia, M. D., Brigade-Surgeon I. M. D. ( Thacker, 

 Spink, and Co., Calcutta.) A considerable experience 

 and study of the date palm has convinced Dr. Bonavia 

 that it is the best of all trees, " either for fuel or as a 

 help in times of famine, " in India, and he has done 

 well iu giving his views to the public on th'? subject 

 in this small volume. He has been at considerable 

 pains to collect information through Government and 

 private sources, aud gives some general rules for the 

 cultivation of the date palm in India, " aud a scheme 

 for exten.sive date-planting iu tracts where its presence 

 in large numbers would bo most desirable." There 

 are, as he points out, two objections to the planting of 

 date palms — viz., dampness of the atmosphere and soil 

 during ripening time, and the depre lations of wasps. 

 To meet the first objection he contends that, as he 

 proposes the date palm as a protection againts the failure 

 of ordinary crops through scarcity of rain, consequently 

 at the season when the dates would be most wanted the 

 dampness would not arise to run it. As to the wasps, 

 bethinks that there would be no difliculty in contriv- 

 ing a wasp-trap which would capture the bulk of them. 

 A« to the financial question, he says, " Any expenditure 

 on such a scheme, which would at the outside be ouly 

 required for ten or fifteen years, would be capital 

 well invested. Not only would the foundations of an 

 alternative ample supply of food bs laid, but moans 

 would be provided of pushi;ig population into tracts 

 of country which are no at lying waste for want of 

 labour, aud sufficient labour will not come without the 

 fruit of some tree which requires little labour and a 

 minimum of water. — Ho)ue IVetci. 



Ginger. — As a rule, spices grow above ground, but 

 this is not the case with ginger. This product is a 

 root, and grows beneath the surface. It is one of the 

 most valuable spices, aud its uses are more numerous 

 and varieil than anyone of the others. Ginger was first 

 found near the Red Sea, and very early found its waj- 

 to Greece and Rome. Like many other commodities, 

 ib was first used as a medicine, and held in high esteem. 

 Soon after the discovery of America the plant was 

 transferred from Asia to the West Indies and the 

 tropical regions of the Spanish possessions of the new 

 world. It is now cultivated as an article of commerce 

 in Cochin, Bengal, Africa and Jamaica, It can pro- 

 bably be successfully cultivated wherever the coffee tree 

 grows luxuriantly. The ginger of Jamaica has gained 

 so high a reputation that the impression is made 

 on many credulous minds that more ginger is grown, 

 cultivated and exported from that island than from 

 any other pirt of the world. In 1876 there were 

 exported from Jamaica more than l,(5()0,UO() pounds, 

 valued at 5)144, OUO, or nine cents per pomd ; but the 

 reports ot exports vary so greatly that it is not easy 

 to believe them correct. Iu 1867 the exports of giuger 

 from .Jamaica were reported at 1,728,675 pounds; in 

 1872, five years later, they fell off to 599,786 pounds, 

 aud then four years later, 1879, they again run up to 

 l,603,761i pouuds. — Grocer and Cnnner. 



