August r, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



129 



cochineal, 1 oz.; subcarbonate of potash, 1 oz. ; potash 

 alum, 1 oz. ; citric acid, h oz. ; sugar, 4 oz. ; water, quantity 

 sufficient. Boil the cochineal bruised in a glass or copper 

 vessel of suitable capacity in 8 oz. water, to which the 

 subcarbonate of potash has been added. Mix loosely the 

 potash alum and citric acid in powder, and add gradually 

 to the boiling liquid, and continue to boil until effervescence 

 has entirely ceased. While still hot filter on to the sugar, 

 and wash the filter with hot water sufficient to make the 

 whole measure 12 oz. This gives a beautiful and per- 

 manent crimson with a slightly alkaline reaction, but should 

 a darker red be requirid the citric acid may be increased 

 by one-third. — Chemist and Druggist. 



Japanese Plum. — The curator of Rosalind Park at Sand- 

 hurst has succeeded in bringing to maturity a variety of 

 the Japanese plum, a fruit which ripens in winter when 

 most other fruits are out of season. The Bendigo Advertiser 

 says that about two years ago Mr. Gadd obtained from 

 Japan seven varieties of the Persimons or Japanese plum, 

 four of which he planted in the nursery in the park. The 

 trees have thriven remarkably well, and one of them, known 

 as the Kurokomo variety, is now bearing fruit. When ripe 

 the plums are of a deep reddish orange color, smooth skin, 

 in size and shape like an orange, with a most delicious 

 flavor resembling the rock melon. One of the plums weighed 

 nearly 12 oz., and measured over 11 inches in circumference. 

 Similar trees have been planted in the Melbourne public 

 gardens, but they hive not borne ripe fruit yet. — Leader. 



Eucalyptus Globulus. — Considerable attention is again 

 being directed to this plant as to whether or not it is 

 sufficiently hardy to survive our winters. That it is not, 

 was, I thought, clearly enough proved some half-a-dozen 

 years ago, when nearly every specimen in the country was 

 killed to the ground. In the Gardeners' Chronicle of May 

 31 the Eucalyptus is again brought under notice, and 

 spoken of as being hardy and passing unscathed through 

 a Cornish winter. This may be true, still its half-hardy 

 nature and non-suitability for our climate generally is well 

 known, and the fact established beyond a doubt. In some 

 warm, well-sheltered, maritime situations in the south of 

 England it may and does succeed, but further north it is 

 in most cases quite a failure, and has long since been ex- 

 pelled from the Arboretum. There a number of these trees 

 were planted out experimentally over the park, but although 

 they did well for several years, and in niauy cases had 

 attained a height of from 12 to 15 feet, yet during a severe 

 winter, some five years ago they were killed to the ground 

 — not even one tree being left. If I remember rightly the 

 Eucalyptus met a similar fate in Ireland at the same time. 

 — [Yes. See p. 678.] — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Worms ix Floweb-pots. — 1. The presence of worms in 

 pots is injurious, inasmuch as their casts are not discharged 

 only on the surface but into the drainage, which is event- 

 ually closed thereby to the passage of water. Great care 

 is therefore taken to get rid of them. 2, They do not 

 exhaust the soil, but they destroy its mechanical condition. 

 3. We assume that the pots are standing on the ground, 

 otherwise the worms must have been in the soil before 

 potting. The ground within cold frames should always be 

 surfaced with a thick layer of coal ashes or rather fine cind- 

 ers well rammed together, so that no worm can pass 

 through. If the soil were first moistened with tar-water, 

 and left to dry for a day before laying the ashes, the 

 efficiency of the protection would be decidely enhanced. 

 In the case of small pots, which are not too heavy to be 

 inverted on the hand, worms may usually be removed by 

 that process ; their casts may also be taken from the drain- 

 ing material. Where the ball is large worms may be 

 brought to the surface by watering once with lime-water. 

 The use of this must, however, be restricted to plants 

 which do not object to lime in the soil. Fuchsias, pelar- 

 goniums, roses, cinerarias, calceolarias, primulas, myrtles, 

 and their congeners are of this class. Heaths, and all other 

 plants which naturally grow in peat, cannot withstand lime. 

 Rhododendrons also object to it, and to azaleas it is in- 

 jurious in only a slightly less degree. Before applying the 

 lime remedy a passage should be secured through the 

 drainage by probing it with a small stick through the 

 hole in the bottom of the pot, — Australasian. 



17 



To Keep Milk Sweet. — Milk may be kept sweet for a 

 short time by scalding, but that does not improve its flavour. 

 By putting a teaspoouful of fine salt or horseradish in a 

 pan of milk it may be kept sweet for several days. -"Milk 

 can be kept a year or more as sweet as. when taken from 

 the cow by the following method : — Procure bottles, which 

 must be perfectly clean, sweet and dry; draw the milk 

 from the cow into the bottles, and as they are filled imme- 

 diately cork them tight and fasten them with a string 

 or wire; then spread a little straw in the bottom of the 

 boiler, on which place the bottles with straw between them, 

 until the boiler contains a sufficient quantity. Fill it up 

 with cold water, and as soon as it begins to boil draw 

 the fire and let the whole cool gradually. When quite cool, 

 take out the bottles and pack them in sawdust in hampers 

 and store away in the coolest part of the house. — Leader. 

 The Ginger Beer Plant. — There stands before me in 

 an ordinary white glass bottle that fungoid phenomenon, 

 the so-called Ginger Beer plant. I had heard much of this 

 very curious thing of late, but till now had not seen it. An 

 old neighbour, who is very enthusiastic about it, has brought 

 me, however, the bottle that is before me, and its contents 

 are water sweetened with sugar, some pieces of whole ginger, 

 and the " plant " — which in bulk is perhaps enough to fill an 

 ordinary teacup resembles most closely Tapioca as purchased 

 from the grocers. It is white, in many pieces and form ; and 

 when handled is found to be fairly firm, somewhat slippery, 

 and very light. Still its normal position seems to be at the 

 bottom of the bottle, until, in the process of change which 

 goes on within, the pieces ascend to the surface, and there 

 remain for a time, and presently return to the bottom, so 

 that whilst the contentsare said to be working these Tapioca- 

 like pieces of fungus are constantly ascending and descending. 

 It is evident that carbonic acid gas is also being fast formed 

 from the sugar, and this, too, is constantly ascending to the 

 surface in small globules. Even portions of the ginger at 

 times are affected with the motions going on, and ascend and 

 descend as do the lighter and more buoyant fungus. This 

 so-called plant certainly cannot be credited with the produc- 

 tion of ginger beer. It simply produces an aerated liquid in 

 this way, that the fungus seems to convert the sugar or 

 saccharine into [alcohol and water, accompanied by the emis- 

 sion of] carbonic acid gas ; and evidently as the pieces be- 

 come charged with the gas they become buoyaut and ascend, 

 falling again when the buoyancy is lost. In twenty-four 

 hours the sugar and water are converted into a ple-isant sub- 

 acid beverage, and either ginger or essence of lemon creates 

 a non-effervescent drink far more pleasant than is ordinal ily 

 manufactured. Fresh water and sugar should be added 

 about every twenty-four hours. — A.D. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 Climbing Palms.— The banks here begin to be most 

 markedly festooned and trellised with a curious Calamus, 

 or climbing Palm, the fronds of which are prolonged into a 

 bare creeping stalk, furnished with curiously reversed hooks, 

 so that once the frond falls against a branch it attaches 

 itself securely by means of these recurved thorns, and thus 

 climbs higher and higher, often fringing the top of the forest 

 with graceful heads of swaying fronds, which with their 

 waving whip-like terminations point straight skywards, as if 

 seeking for greater heights to climb. The motto of this 

 Palm should certainly be " Excelsior." and it might also be 

 taken as a vegetable type of ambition. Beginning in the 

 lowliest form, the young Pahn looks like a broad-leaved 

 Bamboo with divided leaves — suggesting strongly its poorer 

 and simpler relations; it soon begins to aspire, and from 

 being first a ground-growing shrub, it throws out a long flex- 

 ible stem, rising far above the first humble set of fronds, 

 and by means of its sharp hooks making use of every sup- 

 port in its way to climb higher and higher. Soon the leaves 

 or fronds become more elegant. They split up from their 

 previous bifid condition into many filaments, aud at length 

 the once lowly, feeble thing, by making use of everything 

 that comes in its way and can give it a lift, looks proudly 

 forth from the top of some giant tree, and for a while con- 

 tent with the attainment of its ambition, has time to pause 

 and throw out its flowers, which turn to bunches of scarlet 

 Dates. Its fruit has a thin, sw.it ish pulp around it. which 

 seems harmless, at any rati- to man, but I have never noticed 

 any bird i.r b -.-i-t devournlg it. The colour of the leaves is 

 a yellow-green, and it forms a decidedly bright oddition to 

 the rivr landscapes. "The River Congo," by II. H. John- 

 ston, F.Z.S. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



