September i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



239 



the demand ; and hence these supplies will require to be 

 supplemented, if not, indeed, to be replaced, as iu tho 

 case of cinchona barks, by the produce of trees under cult- 

 ivation. 



" The Toonu in British Houduras is found in most of 

 fche Oohune ridges of the country, and especially alongthe 

 banks and in the valleys bordering Mullin's River, Sittee 

 River, and the Rio Grande, in the south ; as well as along the 

 Sibira River and the upper waters of the Belize River iu the 

 west. 



" The tree is very abundant in some places, although daily 

 becoming scarcer in the immediate neighbourhood of settle- 

 ments. It grows to a height of about 40 to 50 ft. has a 

 thick clean stem, about * 2 ft. in diameter at the base, and 

 in habit of growth much resembles a breadfruit tree, to 

 which, indeed, as mentioned above, it is closely allied. The 

 leaves are large, oblong in shape and clothed, especially in 

 the young state, with a dense coat of hairs. The Mowers 

 appear in February or March : they are monoecious — that 

 is, have the male and female in different flowers in tho 

 same tree. The fruit of a brownish-green colour when ripe, 

 has very much tho appearance of a raspberry flattened or 

 depressed, about an inch iu diameter; the numerous seeds 

 being massed together and enclosed in papery capsules, 

 covered with a brown tomentum. When taken out of the 

 husk the seeds are of a whitish colour, about as large as 

 castor oil seeds, and evidently soon lose their vitality. The 

 best way to collect the seeds, which ripen in May or June, 

 would be to gather fruits just before they burst, and to 

 Spread them out for a few days under shade. 



" When intended to be shipped, the seed should be packed 

 in earth and carefully fastened down. To establish plant- 

 ations the seeds might, in the first instance, be planted 

 in open nurseries, or iu boxes or beds, raised some 4 or 5 

 feet above the ground, so as to be beyond the reach of 

 ants and mice. The plants thus raised might be trans- 

 planted at the end of twelve months, and put out in their 

 permanent places in the field. "Where, however, seed is 

 abundant and ants and mice are not likely to destroy them, 

 two or three seeds might be planted out at once, 'at 

 stake,' as it is called, in the same manner as recommended 

 for cacao. In the latter case, if all three grow, one strong 

 plant might be leftand the other two either transplanted 

 to supply vacancies or destroyed. 



" The Oastilloa rubber-tree is fit to be tapped for caou- 

 tchouc, or^the elastic gummy substance produced by its 

 milk, when about seven to ten years old. The milk is 

 obtained at present from trees growing wild, by men called 

 rubber-gatherers, who are well acquainted with all the 

 localities inhabited by the Toonu. 



" The proper season for tapping the trees is after the 

 autumn rains, which occur some months after the trees 

 have ripened their fruit, and before they put forth burls 

 for the next season. The flow of nrilk is most copious 

 during the mouths of October, November, December and 

 January. The rubber-gatherers commence operations on 

 an untapped tree by reaching with a ladder, or by means 

 of lianes, or tie-ties, the upper portions of its trunk, and 

 scoring the bark the whole length with deep cuts, which 

 extend all round. The cuts are sometimes made so as 

 to form a series of spirals all round the tree, at other 

 times they are shaped simply like the letter V with a 

 small piece of hoop iron, the blade of a cutlass, or the 

 leaf of a palm placed at the lower angle to form a 

 spout to lead the milk. into a receptacle below. 



"A number of trees are treated in this manner and 

 left to bleed for several hours. At the close of the day 

 the rubber-gatherer collects all the milk, washes it by 

 means of water, and leaves it standing till the next morn- 

 ing. He now procures a quantity of the stem of the 

 moon-plant (Oalonyction speciosum), pounds it into a 

 mass, and throws it into a buck- 1 of water. After this 

 decoction has been strained it is added to the rubber 

 milk, in the proportion of one pint to a gallon, or until 

 after brisk stirring, the whole of the milk is coagulated. 

 The masses of rubber floating on the surface are now- 

 strained from the liquid, kneaded into cakes and placed 

 under heavy weights to get rid of all watery particles. 

 When perfectly drained and dry, the rubber-cakes are fit 

 for the market, and exported generally in casks. In 

 Spainish Honduras, and other places in the Oeutral 

 America, instead of the juice of the moon plant, asolution 



of alum is used to coagulate the milk: but it is said 

 that I he injudicious use of alum tends to make the rubber 

 hard and brittle, and to depreciate its value." 



An indigenous plant, known as the "Green withe" of 

 Jamaica yields excellent rubber, a specimen of which was 

 sent to me by the Rev. Bassett Key. 



This plant, probably a species of Echites, is found only 

 in the interior woods of Manchester and St. Elizabeth, 

 and, so far, I have been uuable to obtain specimens in 

 tlower or fruit. 



Dye Woods : — Of indigenous and natural dye woods the 

 chief are Fustic and Logwood. The exports of these dur- 

 ing the past year were :— Fustic 3,333 tons of the value 

 of £10,014 and Logwood 29,770 tons of the valuo of 

 £39,311. Logwood is not a native of Jamaica; it was 

 introduced from Honduras by Dr. Barham, the author 

 of Hortus Americauus in 1715. Since that, however, it 

 has so established itself in the lowlands, especially on 

 the lands in the neighbourhood of abandoned sugar est- 

 ates, that it affords the basis of a not inconsiderable 

 industry. 



Of other dye-woods the East Indian Sappan is fairly 

 common ami might be propagated largely by "seeds pro- 

 duced in the country. The Cam dye-wood from the "West 

 coast of Africa is rather scarce. 



Pimento aeris .-—This is the Bay-Rum tree of the West 

 Indies, the leaves of which are so largely used for the dis- 

 tillation of bay-oil — an ingredient of the favourite hair wash 

 (Bay-Rum) of America. It is also used as a refreshing 

 perfume in faintness or to springle about sick rooms. 

 These trees are very abundant in the Turks and Oaicos 

 Island's and a few plants have been raised at the Hope from 

 seed obtained from thence. 



JStth-r-iro'jd : — The demand for this wood (Picrama ex- 

 celsa) has greatly increased lately, owing, it is said, to its 

 utilization as a substitute for hops. The exports for 

 last year were 1,815 tons of the value of £2,631. 



The chips of this wood, known iu England as Jamaica 

 Quassia (to be distinguished, however, from Quassia amara, 

 a native of Surinam, cultivated in Jamaica) is much used 

 in cases of weak digestion where a simple bitter is required. 

 Bitter cups, in which water allowed to remain for a short 

 time acquire tonic properties, are also made from Picra?na 

 excelsa. 



Bitter Bush : — This plant (Eupatorium villosum) common 

 in many waste places in the islsnd has also come into pro- 

 minence as a substitute for hops. It has an agreeable 

 aroma and possesses a bitter principle which has long been 

 recognized by the negroes. A very neat and compact pre- 

 paration of this plant, made by an enterprizing planter 

 mto compressed cakes has been exported for experimental 

 purposes, samples of which may be seen at the Museums 

 of the Royal Garden, Kew, and of the Pharmaceutical 

 Society of Great Britain. 



Sag o Palm : — This is the name under which several 

 species of Cycads are known in the West Indies, one of 

 which (Zaniia pumila) is said to be indigenous to Jamaica. 

 So far, however, I have been unable to find plants truly 

 wild. One correspondent states that " Sago palms" are 

 found growing wild on the beach at Ward's Bay to the oast 

 of Alligator Pond ; whilst another gives Port Negril as a 

 probable locality. Possibly some of my correspondents in 

 the districts mentioned will be good enough to send me 

 a specimen frond or a description of the plant so as to 

 determine the question at issue. 



Yellow Water-Lily: — This rare and interesting water 

 plant (Nelumbium luteum) is £aid to have been found in 

 lagoons in the parish of St. Catherine, but diligent search 

 during the last three years has failed to discover it. Plants 

 of the same species found in the district of Vere were said 

 to produce rosy flowers. 



I may mention that this water lily when in fruit poss- 

 esses a long stalked torus or receptacle about three feet 

 high, in which the black seeds are immersed. Plants with 

 rosy flowers are established in the tank at the Parade 

 Garden, Kingston. 



The yellow-flowered form, which is much desired, was 

 last gathered by the late Dr. Macfadyen in St. Catherine 

 about 40 years ago. 



Monstera deliciosa .-—This plant fruited at Oastleton dur- 

 ing the past year. 



Tree tomato :— -This is the popular name of a fruit natur- 

 alized in Jamaica and found in many old gardens in the 



