September i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



271 



The break iu the rains, however, continues in North-Westeni 

 India, where dry weatlier has set in. Atmospheric con- 

 ditions somewh&t resemble those of August 1880. 



Madeas. — General prospects fair. 



(Assam) Cacliar. — Weather cloudy; pro.spects of tea, 

 diimahi and miirali crop satisfactory; transplanting sn/i 

 crop continues ; common rice 25f seers per rupee ; public 

 health good ; death of 6 cows by cattle-disease rejiorted 

 from Lakhimpur. 



Mysore and Oooro. — Eain continues to fall generally 

 throughout the Mysore state, and at others excessive rain 

 has done some damage and is retarding the transplanting 

 of seedlings ; in Kolar the rain has been scanty ; crops 

 genei'ally in good condition and prospects are fa\oi;rable ; 

 small-pox, fever, and murrain prevail in many places ; 

 prices satisfactory. — Pioneer. 



Economic Peoducts of Peknameuco. — AVriting on the 

 trade of Pernambuco, Mr. Consul Bonham says the chief 

 products are sugar and cotton — the former being grown 

 on all the lower lying ground and in the valleys, while 

 the latter is chiefly grown in the distant interior. (Joffee 

 is grown in small quantities, and in former years a little 

 was exported, but it has not been found to answer since 

 owing to the climate. It does not produce fruit at any 

 regular season, but does so more or less all the year. 

 This is found to be a great hindrance to growing it in 

 large quantities, though for private consumption a fair 

 amount is produced. It is stated that there is laud in 

 the interior, where the climate is somewhat cooler, which 

 is well adapted for the cultivation of coffee. Eventually 

 when the interior is opened up, it m.ay be fouud to succ 

 ceed and become an important product. On the subjet,- 

 of cocoa it is stated that attempts are being made to 

 introduce its cultivation, and largo plantations are in course 

 of formation. It is probable that it could be cultivated 

 6ucces!5fully, and in future years it will most likely rank 

 amongst the staple products of the country. Large plant- 

 ations of the cocoa-nut palm exist near the sea, but the 

 nuts are not exported in any quantity ; some, however, 

 are sent to the south of the empire. A large trade might 

 be done in this article. Tobacco is grown in the province, 

 but not in a sufficient quantity to meet home require- 

 ments, since much is imported from Bahia. There is no 

 reason why the cultivation of this article should not be 

 immensely increased, as the country is well suited for its 

 growth, and it is very surprising that it is not more ex- 

 tensively planted, not only in sufEcient quantity to meet 

 home requirements, but also for export. The castor-oil 

 plant (Ricinus communis) is described as growing very 

 luxuriantly, but it is not cultivated to any extent ; some 

 of the oil is, however, prepared and used in lamps. — 

 Gardeners' Chronicle. 



JiU-iicA Crown Lands. — I should be much obliged if 

 you or some of your readers can afford me the following 

 information as to the' Government or Crown laiuls for sale 

 in Jamaica. I have been referred by the Colonial Office 

 to Edward Stanford and Co., the publishers of the "Co- 

 lonisation Circular, 1877," but Mr. Stauford writes to say 

 that the circular is out of print, and it is, at best, doubtful 

 if it contains what I want to know. I have tried Messrs. 

 Silver and Co. and several others, but without success. 

 The Colonial Office also|referred me to the Colonial Secret- 

 ary, Jamaica, but it takes six weeks to get an answer 

 back. As you published some very interesting letters re 

 Jamaica, perbaijs you can tell me: 1, the price; 2, the 

 locahty; 3, if any ar» for sale on the north side near the 

 sea; 4, if any special terms for taking a large lot. — H.K. 

 [We fear H. K. must be satisfied with doing as. others 

 have to do, viz., apply to the Director of Roads, Kingston, 

 Jamaica, who is the appointed officer for laud grants. The 

 upset price of Government land is 2s. per acre, subject 

 to terms as to plauting, timber, reservations of roads and 

 springs, aud incidental surveyor's fees, &c., and it is sold 

 by public auction. There are from 60,000 to 100,000 acres 

 of untouched virgin forest on the mothern slopes fit for 

 coffee, and a corresponding area of higher elevation available 

 for cinchona. The actual cost per acre varies, according 

 to accessibility and <'haracter, from 4s. to £3 per acre; 

 the average price of large tracts is seldom above £2 or 

 £,3 per acre. — Ed— iVrfrf.j 



Hint foe Seed-Growers. — Dr. Aitchison, in his paper 

 on the Flora of the Kuram Valley, tells us that the leaves 

 of Edwardsia mollis and of Adhatoda vesica are largely 

 collected and mixed with the grain in the rice nurseries 

 to hasten the process of germination by the heat generated 

 during then: decomposition.— Ga)-rfe;jfrs' Chronicle. 



Cultivation of Medicinal Plants.— Great differences 

 are known to exist in different species or varieties of the 

 same genus as to their medicinal properties— a fact which 

 every one familiar with the varying qualities of Apples 

 and Pears will readily understand. The species of the 

 largs genus Aconite, for instance, differ very materiaUv 

 one from another in the quantity of aconitin they con- 

 tain, aud even in the quality and strength of that ino-redient 

 For medicinal pm-poses it is specially desirable thai., so far 

 as possible, uniformity of strength in this and other dru»s 

 should be attained. With a view, therefore, to ascertain 

 which p.,r!icular variety is best for the purpose, it is suggested 

 by tie rluirMa-entinil Journal that space should be afforded 

 at Kew for the cultivation on a sufficiently lar^e scale 

 of various species of Aconite and other medicinaf plants 

 which it is not possible to obtain free from other species' 

 in commerce, to allow of chemical investigation of the 

 quantity of the alkaloiils contained in the various organs 

 at different parts of the year. Such work is indeed q°uite 

 legitimate for a botanic garden, and formed one of the 

 duties of the old "physic gardens." The importance of 

 determining the right variety is exemplified iu the case 

 of the Cinchonas, where at one time much time and money 

 was lost in cultivating inferior varieties. It very often 

 happens that two varieties, scercely differing at all in 

 external appearance, yet vary so much in chemical con- 

 stitution that the one is practically useless, while the 

 other is rich in some particular secretion which renders 

 it of consequence for commercial purposes. — Gardeners' 

 Chronicle. 



The Potato \ Disease. — Potatos, generally, and early 

 varieties especially, must be nearly fully grown before the 

 disease will attack them virulently, and where cottagers 

 in particular often lose their crop is iu the disease com- 

 mencing iu the early ones, and spreading at once to the 

 late sorts, planted by the side of them. They would to 

 a great extent save their crops if they could only be in- 

 duced to remove the haulm off the early varieties, as soon 

 as the first sjiots are observed, and destroy it. [We have 

 often urged the necessity for this procedure.] Those who 

 take every precaution against the disease do not get aU 

 the reward they should, so long as their neighbours remain 

 indifferent in the matter, as a garden wall will not keep 

 the spores out. When the disease is not spreading rapidly 

 and the tubers have not attained a fair size ; it is a good 

 plan to go through the rows and remove all the affected 

 leaves. We saved a large patch of American and other 

 varieties, which are generally so badly affected by the 

 disease, in this manner last year. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Curiosities of Grafting.— The paragraph headed as 

 above, in your impression of July 1, reminds me of a success- 

 ful experiment which I made some twenty years since and 

 which I think is of sufficient importance to be again 

 brought before the lovers of conservatory climbers. Having 

 at that time a Passiflora edidis covering a large portion 

 of the back glass work of a warm house, I conceived the 

 idea of working (by inarching) a few varieties of showy 

 Passion-flowers and Tacsonia upon it, for the sake of variety 

 Consequently I procured the necessary growing shoots of 

 the current year, and at once performed the operation 

 of inarching them upon the P. edulis, allowing the end 

 of each scion to dip into a phial of water, suspended for 

 the piu-pose. yVhrn the operation was completed a garden 

 mat was susijended at a short distance in front of the 

 plant, as a shade, aud this was kept moist by heavy 

 .syringings. The number of scions inarched was about ten 

 or twelve, all of which grew and flourished imtil the 

 following winter, when, owing to some accident to the 

 stem, the old plant died. Had not this happened, I doubtless 

 should have liad, in the following spring. Passifloras, aud 

 Tacsonias of all colours mingling upon the same plant.— 

 H. H. [We have often urged the budding or graftiuo- of 

 various Passifloras and Tacsonias on a dardy stock, "ed 

 G, C] — Gardeners' Clironicle. 



