March i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



717 



(though an insect) in the vine. Henceforward it 

 will take a good deal more than exhortation, testi- 

 mony to success elsewhere, or temporary success 

 on a limited spot herf, to induce outlay in experi- 

 ments such as have bei-n so freely tried during the 

 past ten years in Ceylun. The destruction of afiected 

 leaves, more especially BO soon as the piuspots ap- 

 pear, is a work which stands ou a different footing 

 altogether, nnd we should like to see an attempt 

 made to tight the enemy in this way especially on 

 a manageable field of Liberian coffee planted at a 

 distance from other coffei plantations. Perhaps Mr. 

 Jardine may yit attempt something of this kind. 

 Meantime what he says about the beans of Liberian 

 coilee being attacked is worthy the attention of our 

 scientists : a few of the atfectfd beans should be 

 sent to Dr. Trimeu and to Mr. Marshall Ward. 



Since writing the above, " W." 's letter has come 

 to hand informing us of the very interesting ex- 

 periments in stripping leaves, carried on under his 

 directions. We awiiit the result, but we should like 

 to learn that a few trees were deprived merely of the 

 piuspot leaves, so that a comparison might be instituted. 



ANNUAL REPORT ON THE ROYAL GARDENS 

 AT KEW. . 



The report ou the progress and condition of the Royal 

 Gardens at Kew, dm'tng the year 1881, has just been 

 issued. In the present report, there is much interesting 

 information respecting cinchona cultivation. We learn 

 that a gi'eat deal of attention has been attracted, in India 

 and Ceylon, to a cinchona which is supposed to be a 

 hybrid between C. officinalis and C. succiruhra, and to 

 which reference has already been made in this journal. 

 Next to the Ledgeriana variety it is considered to be one 

 ol the most promising kinds. In Darjeeliug it gi'ows 

 splendidly at an elevation where C. aucciruhra does not 

 do well, and where C. officinalis will not gi-ow at all, 

 and it yields a bark which chemically resembles that of 

 C. officinalis. In habit of gi'owth this plant resembles C. 

 succiruhra, though at a distance it has more the appear- 

 ance of C. officinalis ; it never comes true to seed, the 

 seedlings resembling as a nUe nearly piu'e C. officinalis. 

 The valuable cinchona associated with the name of Mr. 

 Ledger, which has recently been described as a distinct 

 species by Dr. Ti-imen under the name Cmc/ioHa Ledgeri- 

 ana, Moens, and a figm-eof which accompanies the re- 

 port, is now being cultivated in Intlia, Ceylon and 

 Jamaica. As the bai-k yielded by this species is so rich 

 in alkaloid it is satisfactory to read that, after a visit to 

 the Dutch plantations in .Java, Dr. King is satisfied that 

 the plants cidtivated under this name at Darjeeling, seeds 

 from which have also been sent to Jamaica, are tiiie 

 Ledyerianas. Satisfactory information has been received 

 also respecting the Santa Fe plants, yielding "Colum- 

 bian bark," which were sent to the NLIgiiis in ISSO. 

 The present financial success of cinchona cultivation is 

 illustrated by the fact that England now takes all the 

 Jamaica bark that can be shipped and at remimerative 

 prices, whilst it is thought probable another market for 

 the bark will be found at no distant date in the United 

 States. A paragiaph is devoted to the Sikhim febrifuge, 

 and, according to a quotation from a report by Dr. 

 King, the quantity used as a substitute for quinine in 

 Government hospitals and dispensaries dm-ing the year 

 ending May, 18S1, was so great as to rej)reseut a 

 saving of more than fom- and a half lacs of rupees, or a 

 sum nearly equal to half the total expenditm-e on the 

 Darjeeling plantations, including compound interest at i 

 per cent, since theii' commencement. 



Jabip is another di-ug the cultivation of which is said 

 to have given rise to some inquiries, and to answer these 

 an interesting account of the method adopted for the 

 propagation of the tubers in the Ootacamund gardens is 

 quoted from an official report. According to this, one 

 9\ 



acre of land should at the end of three years produce 

 five thonsand pounds of- green tubers, which will yield 

 when dried one thousand pounds of jalap powder. The 

 cost of cidtivation, collection and drying of the root during 

 the same period is said not to exceed three hundred 

 rupees, and it is therefore estimated that dried jalap 

 tuber can Ije produced at Ootacamund at a cost of 4 

 annas and 10 pies (about 6d.) per pound. 



A drug, knoi^-n under the name of "waras," is ex- 

 ported in considerable quantity from Aden, and is said 

 to be used as a substitute for kamala. Its origin being 

 unknown. Captain Hunter, Assistant-Resident at Aden'^ 

 obtained specimens of the plant said to yield it in Arabia, 

 and sent one to Kew, with a note stating that it had 

 been gathered at an elevation of six thousand feet, on 

 Jebel Dthubarah, sixty miles due north of Aden. The 

 plant was immediately identified with Flemingia congesta, 

 Roxb., a leguminous species, and of com-se, therefore, 

 having no aflinity mth Mallotus philippi)iensis. Kamala 

 yields to alcohol a splendid red colom\ whilst the name 

 "waras" signifies "safli'on ;" and it is mentioned in 

 support of the notion that a substance similar to kamala 

 is yielded in Arabia by perhaps one or more species of 

 Flemingia that dried specimens belonging to this genus 

 stain paper in the herbarium a liright yellow colour 

 when washed over with the alcholic solution of coiTosive 

 sublimate used to protect them from the attacks of iu- 

 •acts. Flemingia rhodocarpa. from the Mozambique 

 district, has its pods covered with a bright red resinous 

 pubescence. 



The cultivation of various medicinal plants in the Go- 

 vernment Botanical Gardens at Sahamnpore, and the 

 preparation from them of extracts for the use of the 

 Indian medical department, has been the subject of 

 some coiTespondeuce. Boots and seeds of English 

 taraxacum have been sent to the gardens, and samples 

 of extract have been prepared from plants raised. 



The foregoing represents the principal subjects in this 

 report which are directly allied with medicine but it 

 does not by any means include all the matter of eco- 

 nomic interest. The infoi-mation respecting the plants 

 yielding caoutchouc and gutta percha, for instance, is of 

 gi-eat importance, consideiing the fact that we are be- 

 lieved to be within measm-able distanceof the exhaustion 

 of the natm-al suppUes of the latter of these substances 

 at least. There is also good news for coffee drinkers 

 in connection with results obtained with the " wild 

 coflee" from Cassia occidentalis. But to these subjects 

 we hope to have another opportunity of referiing. — 

 Pluirmaceatical Journal. 



DIVI-DIVL 



To the Editor of the "Madras ifail." 

 Sir, — I have a small grove of about twenty-six divi- 

 divi trees growing in my garden here. They were 

 planted about forty years ago by Mr. Blackburn, the 

 then Collector of the district. They are from 30 to 35 

 feet in height, aud range from 40 to 36 inches in girth at 

 the stem. They resemble the babool in gem-ral ap. 

 pearanco. The primary division of the leaves varies 

 from 1 1 to 17 (always in odd numbers), each bearing 

 from 40 to 60 minute elliptical leaflets. The trees 

 flo«er tw;co a year, and shed Hat S. aud (j. -shaped 

 seed-poila ail the year round in immense quantities, 

 many of which take root, and if allowed to grow un- 

 disturbed would go ou covering all the land around 

 rapidly. They seem to require very little care and to 

 flourisii on the poorest soils. The tituber is very h'ird 

 and would answer the same purposes that babool wood 

 is applied t'l at present by the ryots. The tanners hi're 

 made some experiments with the sued-pods which 

 proved unnccessful. They probably did not know 

 how to manipulate them. The seed-pods make also 

 capital manure. 



Madura, 27th Jan. R, F. 



