78 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1884. 



Our population is steadily increasing, and the difficulties of 

 gaining a livelihood are growing with it. On the other 

 hand, there is an abundance of suitable material for lubric- 

 ating with mineral oils. Our food supply would be greatly 

 extended, either directly, by appropriating large quantities 

 of fat and oils for the maintenance of the people, or in- 

 directly, by restoring the areas now used for the cultivation 

 of oil-producing seeds for raising cereals. It is highly ne- 

 cessary in the economy of nations that there should be, not 

 only a division of labor, but also a classification of the work 

 to be done. Let the inferior materials, as far as they can, 

 be used for inferior objects, whilst the more valuable pro- 

 ducts are reserved for a higher purpose. — Independent Jour- 

 nal. 



INDIA:— CROP AND WEATHER REPORT. 

 Fob the Week ending the 11th June 1884. 



General Remarks. — Rain has fallen more or less gen- 

 erally in the Madras Presidency, Mysore, British Burma, 

 Assam, and the North-Western Provinces and Oudb. In 

 Bengal the fall was heavy in many districts. There have 

 also been showers in parts of Bombay, Punjab, Central 

 India and Rajputana. 



Harvesting has been completed in parts of the Madras 

 Presidency. .Standing crops are generally in good or fair 

 condition, except in Malabar where they have been much 

 injured by want of rain. Locusts still exist in parts of 

 Kurnool, where they are injuring the fruit gardens. In 

 Mysore agricultural prospects continue favourable, but rain 

 is greatly needed in Coorg for the rabi crop, for plough- 

 ing, and also for coffee. In the Bombay Presidency kharif 

 sowings continue in several districts though rain is wanted 

 to facilitate operations. Preparations for kharif in Berar. 

 and for rabi in the Nizam's territories are in progress. 

 Ploughing for kharif has commenced in Central India and 

 in Rajputana, where agricultural prospects are generally 

 good. In the Punjab kbaiif ploughings and sowings are 

 in progress. In the North-Western Provinces and Oiu'h 

 ploughiug is commencing in anticipation of the rains, and 

 showers have already benefited the cane crops. Scarcity 

 of fodder and water is felt in some districts, but the cond- 

 ition of cattle remains good. Preparations for kharif are 

 in active progress in the Central Provinces. In Bengal 

 sowing of aus and amun crops still continues, and paddy, 

 til, and mung — the last in Bhagalpur — are being reaped, 

 with good outturn. Jute, sugar-cane, early paddy, ami 

 eheena (millet) are doing well. Sowings continue in Assam, 

 and ploughing has commenced in British Burma. 



Smallpox ^nd cholera are generally prevalent, but are 

 abating in the North-Western Provinces, Punjab and Brit- 

 ish Burma. 



Prices are rising in parts of Bengal, the North-Western 

 Provinces and Oudh, and Punjab; elsewhere they are gen- 

 erally stationary. 



Madkas. — General prospects fair. 



Mysore and Uooeg. — Rain has also fallen in paits of 

 the province in Simoga district; more rain is required. 

 Agricultural operations in progress ; prospects favourabl e 

 Public health good. 



Assam. — Weather warm, with occasional rain ; more rain 

 wanted. Smallpox still reported from Shastra Barpetla, 

 Prospects of aus good; sugar-cane doing well. Public 

 health fair. — Fionetr. 



Pickled Pealhes. — The Revue Sorticolt recommends the 

 yoimg Peaches removed at thinning time to be put into 

 vinegar and pickled like Gheikins. Our contemporary is 

 usually sober in his praises, hut he emphasises the pickle 

 as excellent.— Gardener* 7 Chronicle. 



Grape Seed Oil.— Grape seed oil is (according to the 

 Corps Gras Industriels) used in Italy for purposes of illum- 

 ination. The extraction is principally effected at Modena. 

 It has also long been used for similar purposes in Ger- 

 many and the Levant. Thirty-three pounds of seed yield 

 about 13 quarts of oil (or about 18 per cent). The seeds 

 of white grapes yield less oil than those of the dark 

 variety, and young vines aie said to be more fruitful in 

 this respect than older ones. As to the French varieties, 

 the Rossillar, Aube and Herault seeds yield 2 per cent 

 more than Bordeaux seeds. The colour is a golden yel- 

 low, and the oil loses about 25 per cent in purification. 

 —Journal of tli$ (Socittp of Arts, 



The Blue Gum Tree in Ireland. — A question having 

 arisen as to the hardiness of Eucalyptus globulus in Ireland, 

 enquiries have been made on the subject, and we learn lhat 

 on Lord Maurice Fitzgerald's estate at Johnstown Cattle, 

 Co. Wexford, the recent hard winters have killed them 

 off, although they had attained GO feet in height, and had 

 been planted thirteen years. Lord Maurice Fitzgerald has 

 a good many young plants from last year's seed, but is 

 doubtful if they will survive any hard winters that may 

 be experienced in the future. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Native Phosphate of Limb. — In a recent paper before 

 the American Institute of Mining Engineers Dr. Sterry 

 Hunt called attention to the extent and importance of the 

 apatite deposits of Canada, existing in parts of the pro- 

 vinces of Ontario and Quebec. These areas have as yet 

 been but partially explored, and much, it is believed, re- 

 mains to be discovered within them and outlying districts. 

 In 1883 17,8405 tons of apatite were shipped from Mont- 

 real — 1,576 to Hamburg, 65U to Stockholm, and the rest 

 to Liverpool, London, and other British ports. This year 

 the shipments are estimated at 24,UOU tuns, and it is con- 

 sidered £hat regular mining operations, conducted with 

 skill and a judicious expenditure of capital, would soon 

 make the mining of apatite in these districts of Oanada 

 an important industry. — Overland Mail, 



Tkopical Products at Calcutta. — AVe are despatching 

 to the Secretary of the Planters' Association a small speci- 

 men of the work performed by the morticising machine 

 shown at the Exhibition, which is specially recommended 

 for tea boxes as being cheaper than hand work. Its work 

 is much neater. We also send a sample of Thibetan brick 

 tea and a small one of tea made in the Andaman Islands by 

 the Indian Guvemment prisoners. The Thibetan brick tea 

 appears to be a lot of course leaves wetted and pressed to- 

 gether into a hard dry cake with a smell resembling rank 

 hay rather than tea. The Andaman Island sample is al- 

 together different, being a fair sample of bulk, though very 

 broken. We also forward a tin ot Conroy's Malt Coffee, 

 which has a most attractive label attached to it, setting 

 forth its nutritive qualities, anil a guarantee that it con- 

 tains nothing but fine coffee and malt. The firm is a Liver- 

 pool one, and we believe exhibited at Calcutta, though we 

 do not know whether they took a prize for these adulter- 

 ated concoctions. Nothing is said of the precentage the 

 malt bears to the coffee ! All these we have but just re- 

 ceived from the C. P. A. Commissioner, Mr. Capper, who 

 will doubtless, on his arrival, give the Planters' Association 

 the benefits of what information he has been able to gather 

 in connection with these rival productions.— Local ''Times.'' 



Thk Eucalyptus in Cornwall. — The enclosed letter 

 relative to the cultivation of several varieties of Eucalyptus, 

 may interest some of the readers of your paper. I distrib- 

 uted the seed of nineteen varieties to about 5UO persons 

 some four or five years ago, for the purpose of ascertain- 

 ing whether other kinds than the E. globulus was fitted 

 to our climate. The subject is interesting as bearing on 

 the question of the reforesting of Ireland. .Several cuiru- 

 spondents have assured me that the Eucalyptus globulus 

 grows well and survives the winters in that part of the king- 

 dom. — 0. Roberts, F.R.C.S., 2, Bolton Row, Mayfair, A\', 



[See letter in our last issue, p. 678. — Ed. G. ('.] 



"Dear Mr, — Some time ago (four years, I think) you were 

 kind em ugh to send me some Eucalyptus seed. I think 

 I was nut successful in raising all the varieties, but found 

 the citiiodora, cinerea and sideroxylon grew readily. The 

 forniti is, I think, acknowledged to be a delicate kind, 

 and 1 have only allowed plants to remain out in the summer. 

 Then is little likelihood that they would stand a cold 

 winter. The cinerea I am inclined to think from my 

 obseivation is haidier than the moiecommon globulus, and 

 I am pleased to say I have a little tree from your seed 

 which has been out two winters, and is now in bloom. 

 I have hopes that with all the summer before it some of 

 the seed may ripen. The sideroxylon appears also to be 

 tolerably hardy. It has not grown very fast. One plant 

 was out last winter quite unhurt, but it must be said we 

 had very little frost. I have also the amygdalina and 

 globulus — the former out-of-doo s two years and the latter 

 three. In a garden near Falmouth. 7 miles from here, and 

 nearer the sea, the globulus has attained a large size, and 

 there are young trees grown from seed ripened three. 

 Geo. Hart Taylor. " — 6iir</uu>'i' Chronicle. 



