548 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 18S3. 



OoCA. — In the Jfedical Times and Gazette (p. 1G5), appears 

 an official report from Surgeon-Major T. EJmonston Chides, 

 of the Indian army, recommending the use of coca for 

 assuaging thirst during great exertion iu hot countries. He 

 is so sati^find as to its thirst-<issuaging powers that he remarlcs, 

 "Had our tro:>ps been provided with this ]eaf iu Afglianistau, 

 inste id of the dis ister after Maiwand, our military historians 

 would have had to chronicle a strategic movemeut to the 

 rear on Candahar. Had the Russian detachment possessed 

 this leaf they would have reached Khiva over the route 

 they were -sent to cross instead of haviug been forced to 

 relinquish the attempt and retire demoralized with their 

 ranks thinned by death in consequence of want of water." 

 He states also that he h.as seen an iufusion of coca relieve 

 the intense headache of nervous exhaustion, ward off the 

 failure of nerve power during prolonged fever, and enable 

 patients to struggle through other exhausting diseases. 

 That coca does possess valuable properties in the fresh 

 state there can be but little doubt, or it would not be so 

 extensively used in Bolivia and Peru, but the leaves as 

 imported into this country do not generally seem to possess 

 the activity with which they are credited by Dr. Charles. 

 Even in Bolivia ** coca f resca " is always used, the leaves, 

 as the writer is assured by a resident in Bolivia, being 

 never kept for more than three months. How far the 

 activity of the drug may be due to a volatile oil, as in 

 coif ee, has yet to he determined, but a tincture prepared 

 from the fresh leaves by a careful ijharmncist would be 

 Jitter for experiment than the dried leaves. The coca plant 

 is now being cultivated in Oeylon, and if the experiment 

 had been tried, as Dr. Charles suggested, with the Indian 

 contingent sent to Egypt, some interesting results might 

 have been obtained. — Phannacentical Journal. 



Veget.ible Fibkes. — Ekman's Process for the separation 

 of vegetable fibres, which seems likely to exercise an impor- 

 tant influence upon the future at least of papi^r-making. It 

 consists in boiling the substance containing the fibre under 

 pressure in water containing sufficient magnesium or other 

 soluble alkaline sulphite to prevent oxidation of the organic 

 matter. The treatment completely dissolves the incrusted 

 substances and the cellulose is said to be thus separated 

 in a practically pure condition, retaining its fibrous form 

 and uuinjured in strength, whilst the dissolved incrusting 

 substances form a by-product that should possess some value. 

 The success of the; process in the preparation of wood pulp 

 for paper-maklnjj renters it useless, in Mr. Christy's opinion, 

 to search for vegetable fibres to compete with it for that 

 purpose. The reader has, however, an ojiportunity of forming 

 an independent judgment, as the different sheets of the 

 number are printed on varieties of paper made entirely from 

 wood prepared by this process — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



On Planting Fbuit Trees. — If success in hardy fruit 

 culture is to be attained, the cultivator must, as in other 

 branches of horticulture where the same object is aimed at, 

 commence at the beginning, and give the young trees a 

 proper start, aud this is not to be done in a haphazard 

 way. Instead of digging out holes barely large enough to 

 squeeze the roots of the tree into make them for wall 

 trees half the size of a 10-feet circle Cthe wall forming 

 the division of the latter), and 4 feet deep, including 1 

 foot of brick-bats finely brokeu on the top for drainage: this 

 should be covered with turves, grassy side down, and the 

 hole then filled, if to be had, with good loam, to which 

 may be added one-fourth of old lime "rubble, making the 

 soil into a convex mound and sufficieutlv high to allow of 

 it subsiding to the proper level later on. Then plant the trees 

 in the ordinary way, spreading the roots out in every 

 direction, and at the same time cutting away the points 

 of any damaged or strong-growing ones, and when the tree 

 is partly planted take hold of it by the stem and give it 

 a gentle pull and shake upwards, in order to let the soil 

 well among the roots, and complete the planting process 

 ((3 inches of soil over the roots will be ample) by putting 

 a couple of barrowfuls of rotten dung around each tree 

 as a mulching, which will not only prevent frost from 

 reaching the roots but also maintain the latter in a more 

 equable condition. Thus planted, and with judicious after 

 treatment, success is almost sure to follow. I need scarcely 

 add that the li ading shoots of the individual triMs should, 

 for the present, until the soil has subsided, only be tacked 

 with nails and shreds loosely to the walls, and that these 

 remarks are made on the assumption that the natural soil 



and dr.ainage are unsuitable for the growth of fruit trees. 

 And I would also remark that for young standard trees 

 I would make holes (circular ones) as above, and 5 feet 

 in diameter, and put a stiff stake to each tree when planted, 

 as recommended above, to prevent its swaying with the 

 wind. — H. 'W. "W". — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



The Value of Ashes. — Coal-ashes do not contain much 

 plant-food, and their value is mostly mechanical. Wood- 

 ashes are rich in potash, one of the three substances the 

 most frequently lacking in poor soils. This potash is very 

 soluble, so that fresh ashes is a quick-acting fertilizer. 

 Leached ashes has the larger part of the potash removed, 

 and they are of much less value. The following figures 

 express the percentage of valuable ingredients in uuleached 

 and leached ashes: — 



Phosphoric 



Acid. 

 2 per cent, 

 li 



Potash. Lime. 



Unleached ... 7 to 10 per cent. 32 per cent. 

 Leached ... 1 to 2 „ 25 



It will be seen that the loss of 6 to 8 lb. of potash per 

 hundred is the leading difference between the unleached 

 and leached ashes. — American Af/riculturist. 



Salt foe Weeds.—" S," Poplar Ridge, N. Y., says with 

 reference to the Bind-weed, described last July on page 

 292, that one of his neighbours finds this a most obstinate 

 weed, and proposes to apply salt very thickly. *■ S." says 

 that he has patches of the old Day-lily, and of Privet 

 in his grounds, aud asks our opinion as to the use of 

 salt to de.stroy them. That it is possible to so poison 

 the soil by applying salt, and other articles to prevent 

 the growth of weeds, we do not doubt. The trouble is, 

 that the soil will be unfitted for the growth of useful 

 plants also. So far as we are aware, nothing can be ap- 

 plied to the soil that will discriminate between weeds .and 

 useful plants. The plant we regard as undesirable, and 

 call a weed, follows the same laws of growth as the de- 

 sirable or crop plants. What will prevent the growth of 

 the one, will also unfit the soil for the other. We have 

 stated often, and repeat once more, that we have never 

 yet met with, or heard of a weed, that can grow with- 

 out leaves, and that we know that persistent cutting 

 away of all growth above ground, will exterminate the 

 most obstinate weeds. The trouble is that the cultivator gets 

 tired, and gives out before the weeds do. Let him persevere 

 iu his strife, and he will conquer. — American Agriculturist. 



Amateub Faeming. — Wishing to start farming, before 

 doing so I should be glad of getting a few hints from 

 some of your numerous readers. This is what I propose 

 doing : Being entirely ignorant of anything about farm- 

 ing, and an idle man, I wish to have a small farm, say 100 

 or 150 acres ; I do not want to make profit by it, nor 

 do I want to spend any of my private income on it 

 either. What would be the cost at starting, aud what 

 would be the annual expenditure? Woulil dairy farming 

 be best ? I think if one could get a trustworthy, honest 

 bailiff, and let him share the gainings for the first three 

 years, it would be a very good plan. I tru.st some of 

 your readers will be kind enough to answer this, as it 

 would a be great help to many more beside myself. — 

 Novice. [Whether or no "Novice" would get, from occupy- 

 ing a farm, an interest on his money, or a fund out of 

 which to p:iy a bailiff, would depend entirely upon his 

 suiting the live stock to the holding. Unless one knew 

 the nature of the soil, its distance from a station, the 

 proportion of pasture, &c., it would be impossible to ad- 

 vice him as to dairying. At present prices, both sheep 

 aud dairy farming oui/ht to pay a <;ompetcnt person hav- 

 ing sufficient capital to begin mth. The old e.stimate of 

 capital was £10 per acre ; but all expenses are increased, 

 and the buying in live stock would be exceedingly dear, 

 and it would probably be safer to have from £12 to £15. 

 If " Noricc " asks. " Am I likely to get any profit by 

 occupying a farm?" the answer must be "No." But a 

 profit is to be made ; aud an escape from an idle to a most 

 useful life is to be won . But it will require energy and 

 patience, and a willingness to learn a immbor of things 

 which to him would probably be found repulsive Pro- 

 Ijably the best thing for " Novice " to do would be to get 

 an introduction to some woi'king farmer upon a similar 

 occupation, and make an arrangement for seeing the de- 

 tails of the business for a year before attempting to 

 farm upon his ow account. — Ed. Field. 



