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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 1883 



gienic qualities these species (which are all natives 

 of the hot parts of Australia), will be found valu- 

 able introductions into West Africa, if only for their 

 accommodating dii-position in respect to the conditions 

 of i_rowth and for the value of their timber." 

 We can only say that we trust West Africa may 

 be spared a repetition of our later experience of the 

 effects of excessive wet on these plants and their 

 ai^parent reaction on other vegetation. As fodder 

 plants the Mesquit bean and Tagasta [Cytistis proli- 

 ferous, my.) are mentioned, and we hear for the first 

 time of 



" Gakcinia indica.— This little known plant yields 

 the kokum oil of Western India. Deputy-In.spector- 

 General Balfour gives the following account of it : — 

 'This tree grows on tiie western cost of pi-uiusuUr of 

 India, and in ravines of the Konkau. Its fruit yields 

 a solid vegetable oil, which melts at a temperature 

 95°. It now forms an article of export. Tlie seeds 

 are first sun-dried, and then pounded and boiled in 

 water ; the oil collects on the surface, and on cooling 

 concretes into a solid cake. When puritied from ex- 

 traneous matter, the product is of a rather brittle 

 quality, of a ijale yellowish hue, inclining to greenish, 

 and mild to the taste.' Plants have been sent from 

 Kew to Dominica, Jamaica, and Trinidad." 

 The economic uses of the oil are not mentioned, and 

 either Ceylon already possesses the plant or it was 

 not deemed suitable for our climate. 



Under the heading of " indiarubbers," Dr. Trimen's 

 account of the progi'ess of Castilloa and Ceara are 

 quoted, and Mr. Cross's sanguine estimate, thus : — 



" Modms.—IAr. Cross writes, March 6tb, ISSl :— 

 "Castilloa elastica, of which there are only three plants, 

 has evidently found a home on the banks of the 

 Nilambur river .... A Castilloa tree, if care- 

 fully and judiciously tapped, with diameter of IJ to 

 2 feet, m.-iy be expected to yield about 12 pounds of 

 rubber per" annum. Of all the different species of 

 rubliei-produoing trees, the Castilloa should prove, un- 

 der cultivation, the most remunerative." 

 In view of the encouraging nature of Dr. Trinicu's 

 latest publication on the subject of the rubber trees 

 and their valuable produce, we feel justified in ratlicr 

 copious extracts : — 



■' Madras. — The india-rubber trees at Nilambur have 

 been planted in an open space of teak forest land, 

 on the bank of the Nilambur river. 'The plants" 

 writes Mr. Cross, March 6th, ISSl, 'have in the 

 brief sp&ce of two years shot up in the most surpris- 

 ino manner, the highest upwards of 30 feet in height, 

 and are now yielding an abundant crop of seeds. I 

 was shown one strong rank sapling, which in five 

 months from the time of planting had srowu up 

 and produced flowers. This region is without doubt 

 admirably adapted for the growth of the tree. . . . 

 At the same time, I would confine the general plant- 

 ing of the Ceara rubber to rather dry arid situation 

 anil poor soils. . . . Mr. Ferguson was desirous 

 of proof of the actual existence of rubber in his Ceara 

 saplings, and, although these were too young to yield 

 this product, I resolved to make an attempt to satisfy 

 him. The natives at Ceara in bleeding this sort simply 

 slice off the outer portion of the bark on one side 

 of the tree from the base to a height of 4 or 5 feet. 

 The milk exudes from the pared portions of ihe 

 trunk and runs down in little courses. By the fol- 

 lowing morning the milky juice of these courses is 

 sufficiently solidified to be pulled from the trees in 

 strings, which arc rolled up into balls as the work 

 of collection proceeds. When this process was tried 

 ou one tree tl e milk exuded freely, but next day 

 on examination it was foutid tliat the greater por- 

 tion had evaporated, shewing the watery and 

 immature state in which the milk exists in young- 



growing plants. However, on making incisions on 

 the collar and largest roots of the plants milk of 

 good quality was obtained, which next day was found 

 coagulated, Fr-nn the collars of five saplings about 

 an ounce of rubber was obtained, which, in appear- 

 ance, elasticity, and odi ur, could not have been dis- 

 tinguished from Ceara scrap as seen in commerce. 

 But it is manifest that the trees ought to be allowed 

 to attain some size before being wrought.'" 



Mr. Jamicson reports from Ootacamund. October 25fch, 

 18S0 : — " Ceara rubber is going to be a decided suc- 

 cess at Barliyar ; tlie largest tree has now attained 

 a h'"ight of 17 fei^t, h.iving made a growth of over 

 14 feet in 12 mouths. After several uusuccessful at- 

 tempts to propagate this plant from cuttings, I have 

 succeeded in rooting tliree jrlants, which will be 

 grown in the hothouse in the Ootacamund Uardens 

 as stock plants, as I have found that tlie young ten- 

 der shoots grown under glass propagate more readily 

 than cuttings from trees grown in the open. The 

 largest tree flowered at Barliyar in May last, and 1 

 hope to get a quantity of seed from it for distribu- 

 tion. I sent five healthy Cfara rubber plants to the 

 Agri-Horticultural Society's Gardens, Madras, and tliey 

 arrived in good oriler." 



Mauritius. — Mr. Home writes, October 3rd, 1881 : 

 — " Mamhol CUaziovii grows remarkably well here, and 

 we propagate it Iry cuttings when it is leafless. These 

 strike like willows in the open ground, but they must 

 not be disturbed until the next season, when they 

 are at rest, as otherwise the cut rootlets bleed the 

 plant to death. From letters in some of the papers 

 the writers do not seem to be aware of this, or they 

 would not wait for their trees seeding to increase their 

 stock of them." 



We may remark that Dr. Trimen described as un- 

 suitable the method of paring the stem as described 

 by Mr. Cross. It is. on the face of it, the barbarous 

 expedient of semi-barbarians, who sacrifice the future 

 to the present. Dr. Trimen is quoted regarduig Hevea, 

 the species which grows in swamps and (we now 

 extract again) : — 



Madras. — Mr. Cross writes, March G, 1881: — "The 

 Para rubber has seemingly not found its proper habitat 

 at Nilambur. The young plants have shot up like 

 long whiphandles, with a bunch of leaves ou the top. 

 There is not, however-, the slightest reason to despair 

 of success." 



Landolphias. — A considerable distribution was made 

 of East African rubber-vines from the stock whicli 

 had been gradually worked up at Kew. The species 

 sent out were the four discussed in the Kew report 

 for last year {p\^. Z'd—i^), l, L. Kirlii ;2,L. florida ; 

 3, L. PeUriiiana ; 4 L. sp. The botanical institutions 

 of the following jrlaces were the recipieuts : — 



Total No. of Plants. 

 Adelaide ... ... 1, 3, 4 — 14 



Brisbaue ... ... 1, 3, 4 — 30 



Cambridge (United States) 1, 3, 4 — 6 



Ceylon ... .. 1, 2, 3, 4 — 58 



Fiji 1. 2, 3, 4 - 10 



Jamaica ... ■■• 1. 3, 4 — 36 



Siufiapore ... — 1> 3, 4 — 4 



Toronto ... ••• 1, 3, 4 — 3 



Total IGl 



Fiji.— Mr. Thurstou writes :—" The Landoli.hiaB 

 have been planted on the laud which, with the Go- 

 vernor's permission, I have selected for the botanic 

 gardens at Suva, and are at this date doing well." 

 There arc notices of the progress of Libcrian colfcc 

 in Dominica, .Jamaica, the Nilgiiis, Queensland and 

 the Seychelles, where we trust the plant may not 

 be affected by Nemilein rastatrix, although we scarcely 

 see how Queensland can escape what has reached 

 Fiji, or Seychelles what exists badly in ilauritius. 



