November i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



387 



in rich pastures. Still better content are the Greenlauilers ; 

 for, when their last mouthful of meat and tlieir last drop 

 of train oil are gone, they dig: up and rob the provident 

 little beetle of its carefully-hoarded treasures, and, by its aid, 

 manage to live until another season. — Scientijic American. 



THE OLOVE AND PEPPER CEOP OF ZAJ^ZIBAE. 



The only products of the island of Zanzibar are cloves, 

 peppers and cocoa nuts. United States Consul Bachelder 

 writes as follows ; — 



The clove crop the last season, commencing in September 

 and ending in .June, can only be given from what my 

 own knowledge enables me to say, as no statistics whatever 

 are kept by tlic Sultan or any of his oiScers. From actual 

 in.spcction, and information obtained from the natives, I 

 estimate the last season's crop at 1,400,000 pounds ; which 

 sold at an average of S9 pe"" 35 pounds, or 1S36,000. This 

 crop was the largest gathered since the hurricane in 1872 ; 

 and each year now, for some years to come, the crop 

 will continue to increase, as new trees are coutinually being 

 planted and beginning to bear. In this estimate it must 

 not be understood is included the entire quantity of 

 cloves exported from this place, as the entire product of 

 the island of Peraba is brought to this market for sale 

 and export. This crop is much larger, and was estimated 

 the last year at 3,500,000 pounds, valued at S900,000 ; so 

 that the entire clove crop of this island and Pemba reached 

 the large quantity of 4,900,000 pounds, and brought the 

 good sum of §1,260,000. Of this quantity there were ex- 

 ported to the United States l,206,12u pounds, valued at 

 »344,541. 



Pepper, owing to the great advance in price abroad, 

 fully equaling 100 per cent, has received a great deal more 

 attention than formerly, and in consequence a large crop 

 has been grown, which I estimate at 315,000 pounds, valued 

 at S36,000. Of this, 37,000 pounds were exported to the 

 United States, valued at 83,251. 



The cocoanut growth is not of much importance, and 

 no statement can be given of the amount or value. None 

 are exported to America, but most all go to France, and 

 are used in making soap. 



The revenue of the island is from the customs, which 

 are farmed out to private parties, and which might be 

 estimated at §500,000. From an extra tax. on all cloves 

 and rubber the Sultan obtains a further sum of about 

 §400,000. This, with a moderate revenue derived from his 

 own clove plantations, gives him an average income yearly 

 of, probably, $1,200,000.-0(7 and Sruy News. 



DETERMINATION OF POTiVSH IN POTASSIUM 

 SALTS jVND POTA>SSIO MANURES. 



According to the nature of the salt there may have to 

 be determiued potash, soda, magnesia, chlorine, sulphuric 

 acid, nitric acid, moistiure, insoluble matter, &c. The author, 

 W. A. Rousselot, treats here merely of potash. 



A. Dissolve 10 grms. in water, and make up to a htre. 

 Take, according to the natiu*e of the salt, 125 or 250 c.c., 

 and introduce into ahalf-htre flask. Boil for a few moments, 

 and add 2o c.c. baryta-water at l-20th in case of a chloride, 

 or 50 c.c. if a sulpliate. Pass in a current of carbonic 

 acid, boil for half an hour, let settle for some hours, filter 

 into a flask marked at 500 c.c, and make up this volmne 

 with the washing-waters. 



B. Take in tluplicate 200 c.c. if a sulphate, or 100 c.c. 

 if any other salt ; x>ut the portions into two porcelain capsules 

 of 10 centimetres iu diameter, add h3'drochloric acid, aiid 

 then 40 c.c.=2 grms. platiuic chloride at l-20th. Evaporate 

 to dryness in the water-bath, and take up iu alcohol at 

 69° mixed with 1-lOth ether; wash by decautation with 

 the same liquiil, so as to have about 200 c.c. of filtrate. 



0. Put the filter and its contents into a J litre flask, 

 pour upon it boiling water in small quantities by means 

 of a washing-bottle, until the platinum salt is completely 

 dissolved. Heat in a large porcelain capsuie (16 to 18 

 centimetres iu diameter) about ^ Utre of distilled water, 

 and add 20 c.c.=2 grms. sodium formiate solution at 1-lOth), 

 and heat to a boil. Pour then into the capsule the solution 

 likewise boiling, of the potassium chloro-pla'iuate. Keep 

 up the ebullition for a quarter of an hour, and until all 

 escape of gas has ceased. AATien the liquid is clear and 

 quite cold, filter, wash the precipitate with hot water 



acidulated with hydrochloric acid, and pour it finally upon 

 the filter. Clean the sides of the capsule with a glass 

 rofl tipped with a small caoutchouc stopper, still using 

 the acidulated water, and finally finish washing the filter 

 with hot distilled water. The filter and its contents are 

 dried, calcined iu a small tared platinum capsule, and weighed. 

 The net weight found after deduction of the ash of the 

 filter is multiplied by 200^:0 4747. AVe have thus at once 

 the percentage proportion of KO in the salt analysed. This 

 method, though somewhat long, totally eliminates the 

 excess of barytic salt, and furnishes very accurate results. 

 For the determination of potash in manures the author 

 takes 10 grms. After having ground it up in a mortar, 

 and exhausted it completely with boiling water, he filters 

 and makes the solution up to 1 litre. He then operates 

 upon quantities of the liquid corresponding to 1*25 to 5 

 grms. of the manm-e, and treats with baryta-water Then 

 after a long boiling, at least half an hour, to expel ammonia 

 and eliminate phosphoric and sulphuric acids, a current 

 of carbonic acid is passed into it for half an hour. After 

 boiling, to decompose the bicarbonates, it is let settle, and 

 the analysis is completed by filtering as in the former case. 

 — Bulletin de la Societe Chiniiqirc de Paris. 



♦ 



GERMINATION OT SEEDS. 

 1 have lately read in the Gardeners' Chronicle some 

 papers on the germination of seeds ; may I be allowed 

 to note my experience in this matter? I do not find 

 Gentiana seeds take long to grow, nor do I find that 

 plants with whorled flowers diifer from each others in 

 their period of germination. What I do find is this ; — 

 Old seeds take longer to germinate than fresh ones ; that 

 soft or rain water is far superior to hard water, indeed 

 hard w.ater always impedes germination, and often stops 

 it altogether ; that lime to be beneficial must be in the 

 soil, and not in the water. There are some seeds which, 

 as everybody knows, take longer than others. I find, as 

 a rule, that the seeds whose embryos are more highly 

 developed germinate faster, some even germinate on the 

 mother plant, and the less developed the embryo the longer 

 is the time required to germinate. There are many seeds 

 whose embryos are quite indistinguishable from the albu- 

 men, these are the slowest to germinate ; witness some 

 Palms, which take so long to grow, whilst others, as 

 Phojnix dactylifera, whose embryo is visible, germinate 

 in a few days. Then there is the case of ripeness. All 

 seeds when fully ripened take longer than when sown 

 when just formed ; for example, if yon gather Schotia 

 pods when just turning colour the seeds germinate much 

 sooner than when the pod is allowed to tm-n black or 

 fully matm-ed. But then there are peculiarities; some 

 seeds will germinate with more vigour and make finer 

 _ plants when allowed to germinate in the fruit. T.ake, 

 ' for example, the Orange tribe, whose seeds grow with 

 other facility when allowed to germinate in the rotting 

 pulp. Elais guineensis is another example; these seeds 

 germinate better if allowed to remain in the oily fruit. 

 Other seeds taken from the same receptacle, some will 

 germinate at once, others take mouths ; for example, 

 Poiuciana regia, a beautiful African plant — most of the 

 seeds from one pod will germinate in a few days, others 

 take months, even a twelvemonth. Other seeds, sow them 

 how you like, and at whatever time of the .year, will 

 all germinate together at their proper season oven to a 

 day. There is also a circumstance to be noticed : a pan 

 of seeds will grow at the same time, yet there are one, 

 two, or more seedlings outstripping the others in theu- 

 development ; this is the case with some seed, and I 

 always retain these for seeding from, as they are evid- 

 ently of stronger constitution. Improper conditions of 

 soil, &c., will also impede germination. I find that 

 when a current of electricity is caused to run through 

 the soil, germination is impeded and not accelerated as 

 I supposed it might be ; but if you dip the two ends 

 in an aquarium, the plants seem to find a relish, and 

 show better colour. The rare section of Demersa which 

 throw down a stolon will often remain twelve months 

 before the plumule is developed ; this is the case with 

 some plants from the marshes of Jlozambique. I have only 

 founil this in another seed sent to me from the Brazils 

 without any designation of its habitat. — OuEV. D. G. de 

 Nauiei Montelbo, Almada, Portugal. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



