November i, 1882.! THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



4?,r 



Coca Leaf vs. Kola Nut.— A Maskeliya planter en- 

 quired yesterday as to the "nut" which is used as 

 a great stimulant by the American Indians or Africans. 

 We mentioned in leply the coca (crytliroxylon coca) 

 but we should have corrected nttl to leaf. The leaves 

 of the coca are specially used as stimulants by the Peru- 

 vian Indians. Perhaps, though our correspondent meant 

 the kola nut {cola acuminata), the seeds or nuts of which 

 are nsed as a sort of condiment by the natives of 

 tropical Africa. 



C'liARCOAL AND Its Uses. — Charcoal laid flat on a 

 burn will cause the pain to abate ; tainted meat, sur- 

 rounded with it, is .sweetened ; strewn over heap.s of 

 decomposed pelts, or over dead animals, it prevents 

 any unpleasant odour ; foul water is purified by it ; it 

 sweetens offensive air if placed in shallovv trays around 

 apartments. It is so porous that it absorbs and con- 

 denses gases most rapidly. One cubic inch of fresh 

 charcoal will absorb nearly 100 cubic inches of gaseous 

 ammonia. Charcoal forms an unrivalled poultice for 

 malignant wounds and sores. In cases of what is 

 called "proud flesh" it is invaluable. It hurts 

 no tc.-cture, injures no colour, and is a simple and safe 

 sweetener and d{sinfecta,nt.—Que6nslander, 



Insects and Tobacco Juice : worth a tkial.^A 

 suggestion (based on actual experiment has been made 

 to the French Horticultural Society by M. Boizard, 

 which is worth listening to and proving by all those 

 who have conservatories and delight in them. If a 

 solution of tobacco-juice is vapourized by boiling on 

 a small lire until the liquid has disappeared, it will 

 destroy every insect without harming the tenderest 

 plant. The plants thus rid of insects are exempt 

 from their attacks for six months, with the excep- 

 tion of aphides and thrips. The temperature of the 

 hot-house should bi as low as possible whilst the 

 operation ia going on. In the open air the tobacco 

 vapour might be applied through a tube. 



New Remedies. — A correspondent writes : — I en- 

 close yon some extracts from " A Record of New 

 .Remedies" (published by Burgoyue's), dated June 

 1S82, which may possess some interest to many of 

 your readers. I am aware you have often referred 

 to the papaw, but cannot recollect it being mentioned 

 as a remedy for tapesvorra before, or for diphtheria. 

 The notes on eucalyptus and bulby tree gum you 

 will find interesting." The extracts are aa follows : — 

 Papuin.—Ihe soluble firment o( carica papaya possesses 

 remarkable properties of digestiuf? animal substances, beint; 

 iu fact, a valuable pepsiiie. Touch meat is rendered tender 

 and easy of digestion when boiled in water to which a small 

 quantity of the jnice has been added. Hard-boiled eggs soilked 

 iu the water are rendered soft and friable. In Quito the jnice 

 is used to smear over meat before cooking. In Java, Guiana, 

 and the Mascerine islands, newly killed meat is wrapped in 

 leaves of the tree to render it tender. Papayatiue, the .active 

 principle, has been obtained from the fruit, seeds, and milk 

 of the tree, and is a white amorphous substance. As a vermi- 

 fuge papain has proved successful, beiug very active iu digest- 

 ing and expelling tapeworm. Dr. Bruchut, of the Academy of 

 Science of Paris, has expurimeuted with the juice iu dip- 

 theria. ;ipplied externally to the diphtheritic deposit, it dis- 

 soberit, aud gives good hope of being a serviceable remedy 

 ill that disease. 



Comiiil {Remedy for tapeworm).— Ivi the Antilles the coconut 

 is a popular remedy in taenia.. Dr. Martiali, chief of the 

 medical service iu Bengal, reports that it is most efficacious 

 A coconut is opened the meat removed, scraped, aud three, 

 hours after being administered a dose of castor oil is given, 

 the success being most complete. 



Alstonia Constricta, or Queensland feror bark, is in com- 

 mon use in Australia as an antiperiodlc. It has been used 

 as a substitute for hops to make beer bitter, aud as a 

 domestic remedy for malarial fevers. It is sometimes called 

 native quinine. Alstouia ooustncta contains several alkaloids, 

 one of which, alstonidino, is said to combine the properties 

 of quinine and uuxvonica. 



Bidbij Tree G«m.— This gum, the hardened juice of sapota 

 Mueller Bt., also known by the names of balata or tunoguna, 

 or leche-de-popa, is coming into general use as a substitute 

 for India-rubber and giitta-purcha. It seems to be an inter- 

 mediary between caoutchouc and gutta-percha, and is being 

 successfully employed iu the manufacture of submarine cables 

 and for other porijoses. When properly prepared, the gum 

 lu'esenta a white, dry aud hard appearance. 



The question of Tea Cultivation seems to be at- 

 tracting more attention than ever in Ceylon. A 

 suggestion is made that worn-out anri abandoned coffee 

 land should bo planted with the hardy shrub, the cost 

 of which would be comparatively smr.ll. Tho question 

 of labour, upon which the depression in the coffee enter- 

 prize has acted so adversely, has, however, to be rec- 

 koned with. But, with the introduction of improved 

 machinery, Ceylon quite expects to be able to compete 

 with India in the tea industry. — British Trade Journal. 

 Tropical Fruits and Veoetaeles : .Jamaica with 

 ITS Flower and Fruits how beating Ceylon. — We 

 have been favoured by our occasion.al correspondent, 

 Mr. J. Hart, Superintendent of the Cinchona Plant- 

 ations at Gordon Town, Jamaica, withphotogra phs of 

 a (lower show held in Kin;,'ston, Jamaica, in June last, 

 and of a group of tro|>ical fruits and vegetables exhibited 

 on that occasion. The latter we have had engraved, 

 aud now present it to our readers (fig. 58). The group, 

 which was arranged by Mr. Hart, included in the 

 centre a plant of the Calaln, Phytolacca icosandra, 

 a oommoa subject in the West Indian Islands ; in 

 front of it pine-apples .and artichokes, .and on the 

 right bananas, m.angoes (Mangifera indica), the fruit 

 of the naseberry (Achras Sapota), Seville oranges, 

 carrots, the coconut (Cocos nnoifera), vegetable mar- 

 row, celery, turnips, plantains (Musa paradisiaca), 

 and rice Oryzi sativa). On tho left are the jack 

 fruit (Fruit Artoc.arpus intergrifolia), large beans, 

 potatos, Indian corn, gourds, yams, Colooasia eecu- 

 lenta, pumpkins, cucumber.^, cabbage, Muscat grapes, 

 the manimee apple (Mammea amerioaaa), the Shad- 

 dock (Citrus decumana), and above these is a comb 

 of honey. The exliibition on the whole appears to 

 have been a great improvement on th<at of the pre- 

 vious year, aud included a considerable number of 

 plants of a decorative character, sent from the various 

 public gardens, &c., under the supervision of Mr. D. 

 Morris, aud many admirably-grown specimen plants ex- 

 hibited by residents in Kingston. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 Dlseases of Plants. —It is proposed to form an 

 internationil Association of those botanists and ento- 

 mologists most competent to deal with this import- 

 ant subject, and for the purpose of studying the na- 

 tural history of plant diseases, and the investigation 

 of the means whereby they may be obviated or cured. 

 The main objects proposed are :— 1. Recognition and 

 speedy communication of information as to the various 

 forms of diseases of plants of all kinds, the spread of 

 epidemics, and the prevention of the same. 2. The 

 collection of statistics respecting diseases in various 

 localities and observation of the influences of situa- 

 tion, soil, climate, &c. 3. Investigations as to the 

 power of particular varieties to resist disturbing in- 

 fluences, and especially frost, and also the making of 

 various cultural experiments with a view to discover 

 the best varieties of plants to be cultivated in different 

 localities. Co-operation of members in different coun- 

 tries is indispensable, and they should be chosen from 

 among the most able men having sound knowledge of 

 the variations, &c. , of plants. Scientific investigation 

 of new forms of plant diseases will be conducted both 

 anatomically and chemically. For the furtherance of 

 the object of the Society it is advisable to issue an 

 appeal to the members, the appeal to take the form 

 of questions and tables to be filled up with notes on 

 the weather, and other remarks. The growth of seeds 

 is aleo to be studied with regard to locality, climate, 

 &o. : as also the cultivation of fruit, forest, and garden 

 trees. The nature of the soil is to be t.aken into con- 

 sideration, and the power of different plants to with- 

 stand we.ather, especi.ally frost. Dr. Paul .Sorauer, of 

 Pro^kau, Silesia, is the secretary and originator of 

 the proposed Society, and in eacli countrj special re- 

 presentatives are to be appointed to collect informa- 

 tion. — Planters' Oazetle. 



