October i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



3W 



growing spfmtuneously out of "Laiitana" hedges 

 in aucl ai-ouiid Bangalore, and can endorse the opinion 

 of the writer of the above-mentioned arliole that 

 Lautana liedgea . are best adopted for growing sandal 

 in. The Government revenue would be conaiderfibly 

 enhanced were suudal planting by private enterprize 

 encouraged by a concession of say half the value of 

 the produce. PL4NTKR. 



SuGAK Cane Disease. — With reference to the sugar 

 cane disease existing in various parts of the empire, 

 the minister of agriculture reports that not eucuigli 

 data have yet been received to warrant a conclusion as 

 to its cause and remedv. from the examinations and 

 analysea of Mr. Daniel Henninger it is known that the 

 diseased canes contain a very small quantity oi pottssic 

 salts, enpecially phosphates, with relation to other salts, 

 while in the healthy canes this proportion of polassio 

 salts is very large, especially in phosphates. Mr. Hen- 

 ninger recommends deep cijtivatiou and the use of 

 potassio salts as fertilizers — Rio News. 



Black Peakls in California. — As an indication 

 of the interest taken by the United States in 

 fish culture, it may be mentioned that the Govem- 

 ment has voted a sum of £10,000 for the lutei'uational 

 Fish Exhibition, at which America will be fully re- 

 presented by a splendid collection of appliances and 

 models. — Diving for black pearls employs a large num- 

 ber of men and boats off' the coast of Lower Cali- 

 fornia. Traders supply the vessels and diving ap- 

 paratus upon the stipulation that the pearls that are 

 found are to be sold to them at specified rates. TheA 

 jewels are of much beauty and highly prized. 00 

 year's production is worth on an average from oOO.Ose 

 dols to 1,000,000 (loU.— Public Opinion. 



What Coffee will do. — Dr. Henry Seguer thus 

 enumerates the blessings which coffee can produce : 

 It is a mental and bodily stimulant, assisting to 

 convert the blood into nervous tissue, and thus recruit 

 the nervous, moving, and thinking faculties. It lessens 

 waste of tissue, and thus lessens the amount of food 

 necess.iry to support the system. It will often cut 

 short and cure attacks of intermittent fever. In typhus 

 fever it increases the excretion of urea, and so far puri- 

 fies the blood without increasing tissue metamorphosis. 

 It tends to lessen coma and low delirium. It is a 

 great reliance in yellow fever. It is useful in spasm- 

 odic asthma, in whooping cough, and hysterics. It 

 is a diuretic in cardiac dropsy. In oi^ium poisoning 

 its efficacy is well known. It relieves the sense of 

 oppression and helps digestion after a hearty meal. It 

 is a disinfectant and deodorizer. Habitual coffee drink- 

 ers generally enjoy good health and live to a good old 

 age. — Oil and Drug News. 



Quinine'.s Latest Rival, — The last new thing in 

 the way of a rival to quinine comes from Spain. To 

 the laud that the CounteBS del Cinchon was the firi>t 

 to import the famous Peruvian bark, we ai-e indebted 

 for the new product, which is simply spider's webs 

 washed, dried and ground to powder. These are reported 

 to possess many of the valuable properties of quinine. 

 Dr. Olive, after observing 119 cases, comes to the 

 following conclusions ; — 1. Spider's web taken in 

 powder cures malarial fevers when they are of the 

 daily or tierce charac'er. 2. Given in a doae of two 

 gra-ns to adults, and one gram to children, it curbs 

 any ordinary fever after the second attack. 3. Its 

 action is not fo rapid as that of sulphate of quinine, 

 and for this reason, until better informed, it should 

 not be employed in the case of pernicious intermit- 

 tent fevir. 4. The powder having no taste is more 

 easily taken tlian quinine. 5. The use of the remeily 

 is an iusurance against relapses, better than could 

 be inferred from the indications. Unfortunately the 

 doctor does not stale whether the webs of all classes 

 of sjjiders are efficacious, — Oil an<lPnig News. 



Coal m South Africa.— Mr. F. W. North's report 

 on the coal-field of Natal estimates that the field 

 in Klip River county covers about 1,350 square 

 miles, and contains over 2,000 million tons of work- 

 able coal. The quality is good.—Pufdic Oimiion. 



Tincture of Arnica a Remedy for Mosqoito Bites. 

 — I tried ineffectually aU manner of supposed remedies 

 in vain, luitU by accident — that is, through having no- 

 thing else within reach — I applied strong tinctm-e of arnica, 

 and almost instantaneously all the irritation was gone. 

 I have travelled very much in hot climates, and am 

 frequently still all over the south of Spain, and am now 

 retm-ning from Andalusia, where the mosquitoes are a 

 had nuisance; but I lind the tinctm-e of ai-iuca, freely 

 applied and undiluted, an aljsolute certainty. If applied 

 when you are bitten I find that the bite is absolutely 

 innocuous, and if the arnica is applied even hours after- 

 wards, still it takes away — at all events, with me — all 

 trace of the initatiou. I have now tested it for over 

 two years. — Inhlwati (Fonda Paris, Madrid). — Field. 



The Cannon-Ball Tree. — Mr. Jenmau, the colonial 

 botanist at British Guiana, sends us a photogi-aph of 

 the flowei-iug and fniitiug stem of a young Camion-baU 

 tree, taken in the Promenade Gardens, Georgetown, 

 British Guiana, which we have had engi-aved. This part- 

 icular tree, which, as will Ije seen, is well named, is 

 about 45 or 50 feet high, with a stem 18 inches thick, 

 free of branches, as shown, and with a handsome spread- 

 ing, hive-shaped • head of dense dark gi-een foliage. This 

 is a young tree. In its native forests it gi-ows to a 

 much greater size. Couroupita giuanensis inhabits the 

 mde-stretchiug aUmial lands skirting the rivers of Brit- 

 ish Guiana, where it is plentifid, attaining a height of 

 80 to 100 feet or more. It is of free growth, and quickly 

 fomis a fine featm'e as a spechnen plant in a tropical 

 garden. It sirddenly drops its leaves in March, and in 

 a few days is again clothed in fuUy developed foliage 

 of the i-ichest green. The flowers are large, freely pro- 

 duced, cmious in form, pink in colour, and highly scented. 

 The solid msty -coated liiiits are about 6 inches in dia- 

 meter, and contain a quantity of flat circular seeds, 

 rather larger than a sixpence, embedded in then- pulp. 

 The tree belongs to the Lecythis family, and it is stated 

 that the hard shells of the fniit are used as drinking 

 vessels. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Auction Sale of Cinchona Bark. — Messrs. Oakes 

 & Co., under instructions from the Deputy Conserv- 

 ator of Forests, in charge of the Government Cin- 

 chona Plantations, sold by public auction, at their 

 Sale Room.^, Exchange Hall, Madras, on Monday, 

 20,000 lb. "f Cinchoua crown and red barks in lots 

 of about 1001b. each. The attendance at the sale was 

 influential and the bidding brisk. The following table 

 shows the prices realized as compared with tliose of 

 the sale on the 11th January, from which it will be 

 seen that rates ruled cousiderablj- higher : — 



Description of Weight of Jan. 11. Sept. 4. 

 Bark. bales lb. R. R. 



Mossed Cro%vn» ... 104 to 108 343—345 353-360 

 Natural* ... 102 to 107 243 245-267 



Branch* ... 104 to 111 average 60 



Natmal red|- ... 102 111—120 121—120 



bale of 1001b. 

 Mossed redt ... 100 147—151 1=8—182 



Dot ... 102 none 1/0-172 



Branch redi - 102 73 73 



Do+ ... 102 81^ 80 



This result will, no doubt, be very satisfactory to 

 Government, and will induce them, as well as private 

 growers, to dispose of their produce in this market, rather 

 than run the risks and delays of consignment to England. 

 — AI. Mail. [The Madras Standard D.d(i3: — Thepurchasera 

 were Messrs. Arbuthnot & Co., Dymes,& Co., Mr. F. M. 

 Bowdeu, Mr. Croysdale, and Dr. Currie. The latter 

 purchased about one-third of the quantity. The sale 

 I'ealized about B35,000.] 



