172 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[August i, 1882. 



most economical and efifectual use on the large scale 

 remain, of course, to be worked out by practice." 



Tlie method of applying pyrethrum in either of the 

 thrie last-mentioned forms is evidently far more eco- 

 nomical in the open held, and on a large scale, than 

 the application of the dry powder, and, moreover, 

 gives us more chance of reaching every insect living 

 upon the plant to which the Huid is applied. The 

 relative merits of the three methods can be established 

 only by future experience. — American Naturalist. 



THE VEGETABLE PKODUCTS OF PARAGUAY. 



The following notes, gathered from a recent report 

 by Mi. E. H. Egerton, on the above subject, will 

 give an idea of the character of the economic plants 

 of that country. Paraguay, we are reminded, is but 

 very slowly recovering from total collapse, the result 

 of tlie depopulation and financial ruin caused by its 

 great war. Two suga,r-mills are reporied to have started 

 work. The Paraguayan sugar cane is said to contain 

 more saccharine matter than the Tucuman cane. On 

 this subject, however, Mr. Egerton says: — "Though 

 my opinioa is not worth anything, tlie rich alluvial 

 Boil of Tucuman seemed to me more suitable for the 

 cane, which certainly gioi\3 thicker.and more luxuriaut- 

 ly there than in the Paraguayan red sandj soil, fertile 

 though the latter be. 



" Paraguay will find it hard to find a market for 

 hei- sugars, as in Monte Video and the Argentine Re- 

 public there are heavy import duties, so that I 

 cannot believe much production of sugar, beyond that 

 for home consumption, will take place in Paraguay." 



Tobacco is grown everywhere, but the better quality 

 comes from near Villa Rica. Cigars prepared like 

 Havanas are made there, and there may b« consider- 

 able increase in the export of these. The taste of 

 nearly all Paraguayan Tobacco is somewhat strong anci 

 bitter, which will prevent it fetcliing high prices. 

 Of undressed Tobacco large quantities are sent to 

 Bremen and other ports of Europe from Asuncion, 

 via Buenos Ayres and Monte Video. 



Of oil from the iudigeuOLis Coco Palm a fair quantity 

 is made. There might be a considerable increase in 

 this article, as there are vast quantities of this tree 

 in the neighbourhood of Asuncion. A quiititity of 

 groundnut oil is produced. It is known as "Mani." 

 It is used as a substitute for Olive oil. The Castor-oil 

 plant, which grows well in Paraguay, is recommended 

 for more extended cultivation in consequence of the 

 oil being valuable for lubricating purposes. 



Enormous quantities of Oranges are sent from Asuncion 

 to Buenos Ayres, Paraguay havirg a reputatinn for 

 the excellence of its Oranges, which are much superior 

 to those of Coirientes. Most of tlie gardens Oiintuiu 

 Banana trees, and there is some export of the fruit. 

 Coffee is grown on a small scale on the northern 

 side of the hills; its flavour is very good, though 

 somewhat strong 'ud bitter. No Wheat seems to be 

 grown, but the na'ive I read, made from the Mandiocca 

 root (Manihi)t utilissima), is an excellent and whole- 

 some substitute. At present, the newer valuable pro- 

 duce of the coumry is the Yuba Mate (Ilex Paraguay ensi-^), 

 of which increasing quanlities are y-arly i-X|iorted. 

 The Paraguayan Mate, though better thii i thr) Br.iziHaii, 

 IS not equal to that uf the Upper Ar,'cntine Mjsinnes. 

 The wealth of timber is immense, all the hills — 

 and the whole country is hilly — being covered with 

 splendid trees, and all ilie marshy shores of the 

 Paraguay are a vast fore-t. When more Basques 

 and Italians arrive the limb i- trade may become 

 important, ;\nd barges full of valuable hard woods 

 mny be floati d or towed down the river for cxpoit. 

 ^\xch hard work as feeling or dressing trees is not 

 very congenial to Ihe native Paraguayan. 

 Of medicinal plants "Jaborandi" (Pilocarpus sp. ) 



is referred to as being one of the most important, 

 and a plant, of which the native name "Yambayu" 

 ahme i- known, is considered by the Indians as a cure 

 for asthma. Ipecacuanha is grown in large quantities, 

 but it is said to be distinct and inferior in quality 

 to that from the Brazilian province of Matto (^rosso. 



Of dyes that obtained from Kupatoriura tinctorium 

 is said to be very similar to indigo, though perhaps 

 a little darker. It is a very good dye, and is the 

 blue colour that hns long been in use by the Indians. 

 A small sample of this dye lately sent to France 

 for trial is stated to have realised 12 francs, when 

 Indian indigo was sold for 15 francs. The Central 

 American blue dyes have generally been b>-aleu frjin 

 the field by the Indian indigo ; it seems, however, 

 that this Paraguyan shrub is so remarkably prolific 

 and vigorous that it can be stripped of its leaves four 

 times a year without injury to the plants. As it re- 

 quires but little care or cultivation, this dye plant 

 may S'une day compete in the European market with 

 that of Indian indigo. 



Regarding fibre plants there are many that yield 

 large crops and fibre of good quality. "But," Mr. 

 Egerton says, "by far the best fibre of the country 

 is that of the Caragua'd iber.^, a Bromeliacea, which 

 is something like the Pine-apple plant, and which is 

 very abundant in Paraguay, the Misiones, and the 

 Chaco. It is very long and silky, and has long been 

 used by the Indians, and much money has already 

 been spent in endeavours to find some practical 

 machine for the economical preparing of this fibre. 

 I am assured that the desired result has now at 

 length, after a long series of experiments, been 

 attained by a French machine, invented for the purpose, 

 which has just been set up not very far from Asuncion, 

 the ijrocets being a simple one without previous 

 maceration. Should this invention prove a success the 

 CaragualA fibre will become an extremely important 

 article of export, and if half I hear of it be true 

 should compete with advantage against Jute. I am 

 assured, but I cannot vouch for the assertion, that 

 there is immense superiority in the quality of the 

 Paraguayan fibre over that of the Chaco and Misiones 

 Caraguatd " 



This plant is referred to in the Kew Report for 1877, 

 p. 37, as a paper material upon which Mr. Routledge 

 had remarked that "Fibre when abstracted no doubt 

 will make good paper." It is also stated in the report 

 to have been determined at Kew to be "one of the 

 singular South American species of Eryugium, which 

 have before flowering quite a Bromeliaceous habit." — 

 F. R. F. — Oardeners' Chronicle. 



NEW VARIETY OP SILK-MOTH. 



On behalf of both entomologists and sericulturists, 

 it seems desirable to make some further mention of 

 the fertile hybrid silk-moth — result of a cross between 

 the Yamma-mai of .Japan, and the Tusser moth of the 

 Deccan — first produced at Bombay about seven or eight 

 years ago (see ante, p. 349). It is not mentioned by 

 Mr. Wardle iu his valuable " Handbook of the Collection 

 Illustrative of the Wild Silks of India," "though that 

 bears date so late as July last year. Besides, this 

 new silkworm, though specially reared, comes under 

 the definition given by Mr. Wardle in his openmg 

 sentence : — " The term ' %rild silks of India ' must be 

 regarded as applying to all species of silk other than 

 that produced by the Bo)uhi/x mori, the worm which 

 feeds on the mulberry leaf." The primary advantage 

 of this new high-class silk-spinner is in its being able 

 to feed and tluive, not only on the bhair tree (Ziziiphus 

 jujiiba), as mentioned in my remarks the other" day, 

 but on ahuost every variety of the Jiciis — probably on 

 all the trees mentioned by Mr. Wardle (p. 15) as 

 furnishmg food to the "Tusser" worm. Thus the 



