THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Tune i, 1883. 



Beluchistau, a level plain of splendid, fertile, alluvial soil, 

 but hard, naked, and barren, like a threshing floor, without 

 shrub, herb, or grass, except in the vicinity of the canals, 

 where vegetation is rich and luxiu-iant. 



On the higher mountain ranges of this extensive moist 

 region, forests of pines and other conifers extend from the 

 north-west Himalaya southwards to the mountains of Burma. 

 The deodar has its eastern limit in Kumaon, but there are 

 other coniferous trees, which extend over the eastern part 

 of the Himalaya range. One of the finest of these is Finns 

 Kam/a, which is found as far south as the high moutains 

 between the Salween and .Sitang rivers in British Biu-ma. 

 These mountains are the seat of a numerous Karen popul- 

 ation, formerly an idle, drunken, and lawless race, which, 

 through the teaching of Chi-istianity, brought to them by 

 American missionaries, have become an industrious, sober, 

 and percetul people. Some of their villages are in the 

 midst of these splendid pine forests, and I have often, 

 when coming from the teak forests in the hot valleys 

 of the Salween and Sitang, been refreshed by the delight- 

 ful fragrance and cool shade of the pine trees on these 

 hills. But, as if to remind the botanist that, though in 

 a pleasant, cool mountain climate, he is within the tropics, 

 and only 19"= distant from the equator, there is an under- 

 wood of the sago palm (Ci/cas) under the pine trees, 

 and most of the Karen tillages are surrounded by the 

 gigantic bamboo, which yields the posts, rafters, walls and 

 floors of their houses. The joints of this bamboo are so 

 large that they are used as water pails and buckets. 

 There is another pine tree in Burma, nearly related to a 

 Japanese species, which grows at a lower elevation in the 

 midst efihe ilrv ^iid hot fjuM.-.-il deciduous forests. 



These tropical and sub-tropical pines, however, are not 

 yet of much practical importance. The production of teak 

 timber is the main object which the forester has in view 

 in thore parts of the country. The export of teak tim- 

 ber from Rangoon is of old date ; but. under the Burm- 

 ese rule, the quantity exported never come to any very 

 large amount. AVhen the I3ro^^nce of Tenasserim became 

 British in 182G, the Attaran forests, which are situated 

 south of the town of Mouhuein, were worked with great 

 energy, and yieldeil large cjuantities of excellent timber. 

 The supply from that soiu-ce, however, soon diminished, 

 and thus the atteution of timber traders was directed to 

 the extensive teak-producing forests beyond the British 

 frontier, on the Salween river and its tributaries, and 

 from that time the importation of foreign timber into 

 Moulmein has steadily mcreased mitil within the last few 

 years, when the quantity floated down decreased, mainly 

 because the stock of good timber in the vicinity of the 

 river and its tributaries had gradually become less. Soon 

 after the annexation of Pegu in 18.53. the forests of that 

 proviuce were placed under a regular system of adminis- 

 tration, and in 1858 this system was extended to the for- 

 ests in the prorince of Wartaban and Tenasserim. The 

 result has been, that without impairing "their productive- 

 ness, the outturn of the forests in British territory has 

 gradually been raised from an insigniiicant figure to a 

 very considerable amount; so that mthin the last five 

 years they have yielded between one-third and one-half of 

 the total quantity of teak timber brought to the principal 

 seaports. The timber trade of the Burma port is not 

 large as compared with that of Canada, yet it is of con- 

 siderable importance, the export amounting to about 

 100,000 tons annually, with a value of about £700,000. 

 The forests in the King of Burma's territory ; in Siam 

 and the Karenee country, are much more cxtens'ive and 

 rich in fine timber than those in onr territory ; yet, un- 

 less placed under a regular .system of management, they 

 will surely be exhausted before long, and on that account 

 we must, to a great extent, look to the forests within 

 British -territory for the maintenance of the supply in 

 future. It is .satisfactory that the efforts to jirotect and 

 improve the forests in British Bm-ma have also financially 

 been remunerative. Within the last four years the gross 

 revenue from these forests has fluctuated between £64,700 

 and £98.400, and the net annual surplus to the State 

 has been between £:n.n00 and £.56,500. The teak tree in 

 Burma, as elsewhere, is found in the dry deciduous woods 

 never forming pure forests, but always growing in com- 

 pany with a large number of bamboos and other trees. 

 Its growth is rapid while young, but slow at a more ad- 



vanced age. In 1862 I sent a few teak poles, 30 feet long 

 to the great London Exhibition; they had attained that 

 size in two years, in a moist part of the country, on rich 

 soil, and protected from fire. On the other hand, the 

 results of researches made regarding the age of mature 

 trees have led us to the conclusion that more than 100 

 years are required on an average for the teak tree to at- 

 tain a diameter of 2 feet. 



Mr. S. Tayloe, writing in reply to "Crux" relative to 

 Cocoa-nut Fibre and AYoodhce, says: — " I use the 

 refuse extensively for plunging Pines and other plants 

 in, and scarcely ever see an insect, and having used it 

 for nearly four years in the same houses, I can venture 

 to say it does not harbom' woodlice. AVe have another 

 house in which we use leaves for plunging plants in, and 

 the woodlice breed by the thousand in them; and unless 

 decayed leaves are wanted for soil, I should adNJse jour 

 correspondent to substitute the fibre instead of leaves 

 or manure. Nearly all kinds of cuttmgs strike rteadily 

 in it." — Journal, of Horticidttire. 



Zapallo Fbuit. — The fruit of the zapallo, a cucurbit- 

 aceous plant of Uruguay, appears to afford a most whole- 

 some . food. It is cut up with the saw, because the rind 

 is too hard for a knife to penetrate. It is fii-m, of a 

 yellow colom-, a sweet amylaceous flavom', and slight smell 

 resembhng that of the carrot. The most esteemed quality, 

 called rubango, has a Ugneous rind of a dark green colour, 

 with orange pulp, and white oily seeds. The relative pro- 

 portions are : — Seeds 4, pulp 59, and rind 57. According to 

 M. Sace, the chemical composition is as follows ; — Gum, 

 044 ; sugar, 2-52 ; starch, 13'73 ; fibrine, 0'47 ; lignose, 0-22 ; 

 ash, 0-81; water, 81-81 ; total, 1000. — Journal of the Societi/ 

 of Arts. 



Liability of Exotic Plants to Disease. — In a review 

 of a report of forest progress in Biu-ma by the Jinlian 

 Forester, we find the following passage : — " Mahorjan)/ would 

 do well if it were not for the attacks of insects, probatily 

 the larva of a beetle. It is stated that " some trees have 

 their terminal shoots eaten off, while others are attacked 

 just above the collar and simply girdled, others again 

 are bored along the whole length of their stem." This 

 hability to injury of introduced species is very curious, and 

 has caused great havoc amongst .Australian trees at the 

 Cape." It will thus be seen that our experience in some 

 parts of Ceylon is not singular as regards the Australian 

 plants, and it must be remembered that cinchonas are 

 introduced plants. 



The Catalpa Thee. — Captain Pogson offers some re- 

 marks in reference to the "Catalpa tree " — and the desirabiUty 

 of attempting its introduction into India: — I have enclosed 

 a cutting from the Tasmaiiian Mail of the 10th February 

 1883, which please sumbitto the Council of the Agricultural 

 and Horticultural Society, and if approved published in 

 the Proceechngs, so that steps may be taken by the Forest 

 Depai'tment, to introduce this valuable tree into India. 

 The Baron von Mueller mil no doubt on your requisition 

 send a supply of seeds, which could be tried by the members 

 of the Society, some information as to climate best suited 

 to the Catalpa tree, should be sent you. "Our lands 

 Department, urged by Sir John O'Shauuassy, says a Victorian 

 paper, is proposing to introduce the cultivation of the Catalpa 

 tree. Reports from Baron von Mueller and Mr. Guilfoyle 

 show that these trees are practically imperishable, an<l 

 are frequently 4.^ft. in diameter. Trees of this wood tested 

 after a centm-y of growth have been found to be perfectly 

 sound, railway rails of it have been used for 48 years 

 without exhibiting wear. Posts 20 years in ground show 

 no decay, and logs Ijnng in swamps, used as bridges for 

 a hundred years, remain unchanged. The wood is light, 

 of a greyish white colour, fine in texture, capable of receiv- 

 ing a brilliant polish, and the bark is tonic stimulant, 

 antiseptic, the honey from the flowers being poisonous. 

 It is recommended for forest glades in .sheltered situ- 

 ations, grows 60ft. in height, flowers beautifully, and for 

 mining purposes, especially below water, should prove in- 

 valuable. About 2.50 of these trees have been recently 

 grown at Longcrong State Nur.sei"y, and their acclimat- 

 isation will be watched as an event of national im- 

 portance." — Agricultural and JTortictiltural Societi/ of India. 



