May I, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



887 



NEW REMEDIES.* 



BY WILLIAM E L B O R N E. 



Ahnisprecatovin^. Nat, Ord.^ Leyuminoscs. — TUis plant, 

 (beai'ing the well-laiowii red seeds common in Ceylou. — Ed.) 

 was originally a n;itive of India, but is now found in the 

 "West Indie.s, th(^ Mauritius, and most tropical regions. It is 

 remarkable for its small nearly globose seeds, which are 

 of a brilliant scarlet colour, with a black scar indicating 

 the hilum or place of attachment to the pods. These 

 seeds are much used in I udiTi in the arts, for necklaces 

 and other ornamental purposes, and are employed as 

 a standard of weight umlerthe name ofRati. The weight 

 of the famous Koh-i-noor diamond was ascertained in 

 this way. From a medicinal point of view the roots are 

 made use of in the same manner as the roots of the liquorice 

 plant (Indian Pharm.) Au infusion of the curious scarlet 

 seeds has long been used in the ulterior of Brazil as a 

 popular remedy in the treatment of ophthalmic disorders. 

 In some experiments made by Dr. de Wecker to test the 

 action of this remedy, he found that a weak cold infu.sion 

 made from the powdered seeds, when appUed as a lotion, 

 rapidly produced a purulent ophthahuia, of intensity 

 corresponding to the nmnber of appHcations made. The 

 factitious ophthalmia thus produced disppeared in the 

 com-se of ten days or a fortnight without any therapeutic 

 intervention or danger to the cornea, and Dr. de Wecker 

 is of opinion that this property possessed by the seeds, of 

 provoking a very intense ophthalmia of short duration, could 

 be utilized in ocular therapeutics in the treatment of 

 granidations and conjunctival diphtheria. M. Silva Aranjo 

 having recently submittei-1 to microscopical examination the 

 infusion and maceration of the seed, together uith the 

 exudation produced by their use, attributes the cause of the 

 inflammation and the purulent condition which follows the 

 use of the drug, to the great number of goiiidia contamed 

 in both preparations of the seed developing abundantly on 

 the conjimctiva. — 2-'hat*>na(futical Joui-uu/. 



LIME JUICE. 



BY 1MICH.\EL CONEOY, F.C.S. 



Lime juce is the expressed juice of the fruit of Citnis 

 limiita, a member of the orange tribe (Aurautiacere). The 

 tree is a thorny bushy evergreen, with handsome dark 

 foliage of exquisite fragrance. The liowers are white, 

 resembling orange blossoms, and their perfume is equally 

 delicious. The tree floin-ishes best in a hght sandy soil 

 near the sea, and comes into full bearing in about seven 

 years after the seed is set. It grows wild in nearly all 

 tropical countries, hut is now larg-ly cultivated in the 

 island of Montserrat. The fruit is aljuut one-half the size 

 of the lemon, with a smoother and thinner rind, oval, 

 rounded at the extremities, and of a pale yellow or greenish- 

 yellow colour. The exterior of the rind possesses a fragrant 

 odour, and a warm aromatic, shghtly bitter taste, some- 

 what similar to that of lemon. The juice, when fresh 

 and sound, is sharply acid, with a peculiar refreshing and 

 grateful flavoiu'. In Jlontserrat the lime fruit harvest is 

 heaviest from Hepteinber to January, but a good supply 

 of fruit is yielded throughout the whole year. Here, where 

 the Ume tree is specially cultivated for the sake of the 

 juice, the work is done in a systematic manner with suit- 

 able machinery. The fruit, after collection, is taken to 

 two central factories, where it is sliced by water power, 

 and then squeezed in huge wooden presses, the juice being 

 run into puncheons ami quickly bunged up. This is a 

 most important point in prc'paring the juice in a tropical 

 climate, for if left cxiMsed it would rapidly, decompo.se. 

 I am also informed that the choice fruit is alone used, 

 and that only about two-thirds of the juice is pressed out, 

 thus ensuring greater freedom from mucilaginous and 

 pulpy matter. The further pressings, together with the 

 juice of the unsound fruit, is evaporated to the consistence 

 of treacle, and sent over to this country for the manu- 

 facture of citric acid. It is chiefly owing to these pre- 

 cautions that Montserrat lime juice is so much .superior to 

 that produced in Jamaica and elsewhere, where no care or 

 supervision is exercised in its jjreparation. — Pharmaceutiai/ 

 Journal. 



* The subject of a Report on Materia Medica read before 

 the School of Pharmacy Students' Association, Jan 18 

 1883. 



OOW TREE. 

 The Palo do Vaca, or Cow tree of South America (Bro- 

 simum Galactodenth'on), grows in large forests in the 

 mountains near Oumana, and in other parts of the sea- 

 coast of Venezuela. It forms a tree frequently over 100 

 feet high, and often running to a height of CO or 70 feet 

 before branching. The milk, which is obtained by making 

 incisions in the trunk, is said to have an agreeable taste 

 "like that of sweet cream, with a slightly balsamic odour ; 

 it is .somewhat gluthious, but said to be nourishing and 

 perfectly wholesome. Accorduig to lioussingault the con- 

 stitution of the " milk " of the Cow tree approaches very 

 clgsely that of the genuine milk of the cow. At the re- 

 quest of the India Oflice we obtained from Venezuela a 

 supply of the seeds, through the kind assistance of Dr. 

 Ernst, Professor of Natural History in the University of 

 Caraccas. A case of germinating seeds was duly despatched ' 

 in October, 1880, to the superintendent of the Victoria 

 Gardens, Bombay. No information of any kind has since 

 reached Kew officially as to the result of the experiment. 

 I extract, however, the following account from Mr. Stor- 

 raout's report on the Khandesh Government Farm for 

 1881 : — " Six small healthy-looking plants of the Cow tree 

 (Brosiinum Galactodendron) were received from the super- 

 intendent of the Victoria Gardens, Bombay, in July. Of 

 these two were sent for trial in Dhulia, three others 

 planted out in ordinary garden soil, and one merely shifted 

 into a larger pot. The latter is doing well; but those 

 planted out have made no progi-ess — have even lost most 

 of the leaves they had. What they may do in the hot 

 weather remains to be seen." The home of the Cow tree 

 in Venezuela is in 10° N. lat., and in a doubtless very 

 damp climate. How it will fare II ° further north, with 

 a rainfall of imder 40 inches, is a not perhaps very hope- 

 ful prospect. A portion of the seeds retained at Kew germ- 

 inated, and plants were sent during the past year to the 

 botanic gardens of the following places; — Adelaide, Bris- 

 bane, Calcutta, Ceylon, Fiji, Java, and Singapore. In Cey- 

 lon the plants are reported as doing well, though slow in 

 their growth. — A'ew lieport for ISSl. 



STORING IMPORTED VEGETABLE AND 

 FLOWER SEEDS. 

 The following remarks are made with a view of tlraw- 

 ing forth an expression of opinion from those who have 

 had experience in keeping imported cold season vegetable 

 and flower -seeds in a germinative condition tlu-oughout 

 the rainy season. Complaints are frequently made that 

 certain seeds have not germinated, .and for that reason 

 have been classed as bad. There are many ways by which 

 seeds m.ay be brought to this condition, and I believe a 

 bad method of xjacking and storing to be one of the 

 most common. Seeds of vegetables and flowers, raised in 

 this country, do not require much care in storing. If 

 kept in a dry room and looked over occasionally, such 

 appliances as hermetically scaled boxes, bottles, &c., are 

 entirely unnecessary. It is very different however with 

 imported seeds. A few days' exposure to the damp atmo- 

 sphere of our rainy season is very fatal to their vitality. 

 Emxipean seedsmen usually send out their seeds to this 

 coimtry in hermetically sealed tin boxes. 'When sent by 

 a repeetable firm, so as to arrive just when required for 

 sowing, they will, as a ride, germinate freely. When 

 failure occiu"S under these circumstances, the gardener 

 who had charge of their management hiust be at fault. 

 On the other hand, if, as is often the case, they arrive 

 a month or two before the season for sowing, and have 

 been kept in the sealed tin boxes until that time .arrives, 

 no one should blame the gardener, or feel surprised it 

 they do not all come up. Pacldng seeds in hermetically 

 sealed tin boxes, is, without doubt, one of the best 

 methods for this country ; for I believe their vitaUty is 

 greatly injured if they remain in the boxes for a month 

 or two aftfr arrival. All good seeds contiiin a certain 

 percentage of moisture, and the natural heat of our chmate 

 causes this mnLsture to be continually given off, and when 

 confined within a sealed tin box it must condense and 

 thereby injure the seeds. I strongly ad\ise opening hermetic- 

 ally sealed boxes of seeds inmiediately on arrival, and 

 transferring the content-s to n well made wooden box. 



