266 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST., 



[October i, 1884. 



In the north-west transept, Messrs. Vilmorin-An- 



drieux exhibit a magnificent series of cones, fruits aud 

 seeds of forest trees, especially oaks, pines, firs, palms 

 and eucalypti. One cone of Pmus Lambertiaua is 

 15 in. long and 4 in. through at the base. They also 

 show from Autibes specimens of Eucalyptus globulus 

 and Acacia dealbata, each two years old, and respect- 

 ively 5 in. and 4 in. in diameter. An accurately-named 

 collection from MeesrB. James Veitch and others from 

 the Lawson Seed Company and Messrs. Little and 

 Ballantyne, render this department of the exhibition 

 very complete and well worthy of the attention of all 

 landowners and tbeir estate managers. 



In various parts of the building there are fine series 

 of microscopic sections of woods ; but except for some 

 live pine beetles from Balmoral, and some cas<s of 

 American insects from Dr. 0. V. Riley of Washington, 

 Dot yet displayed, the exhibition is weak in the de- 

 par ment ot forest entomology. 



Cyprus sends a small but interesting series of speci- 

 mens, which are carefully described in the catalogue 

 (which, by the way, even in the incompleteness of 

 a first edition, is a perfect mine of information) ; but 

 of more importance to those ab<>ut to emigrate, or 

 otherwise interested in our colonies, is the series from 

 Cape Colony. Amoug many species remarkable fen- 

 beauty, hardness aud durability, the yellow wood 

 (Podocarpue), the stinkwood (Oreodaphne bullala),the 

 sih >eze-wood (Pteioxylon utile) aud the black iiouwood 

 (Olealaurifolia)may be specially mentioned. A cheaper 

 supply of labour seems to be all that is required to 

 render the production of timber, for furniture and 

 perhaps engraving, at the Cape, an industry of first 

 rate importance. The sneeze-wood, locally used for 

 fencing, is remarkably durable, and the black iron wood 

 seems suitable for engraving. 



The Mauritius section is mainly remarkable for the 

 extensive series of fibres, produced from a great variety 

 of plants, which ii includes. Some of these seem 

 worthy of more attention than they have yet recuned. 

 Denmark sets a good example to Europe in the care 

 with which the statistical information contributed to 

 the catalogue by its government has been compiled, 

 aud in the excellence of the maps of its forests. 

 The chief trees grown in this country are beech, oak, 

 aud red spruce (Abies excelsa) and it exports hard 

 wood ; and, though importing more than 90 per cent 

 of the fir-wood used, shares with Norway and Swed«n 

 in the manufacture of paper pulp from piue-wood. This 

 last mentioned industry, one ol supreme importance, 

 is represeuted in the exhibition in a manner that has 

 never been seen before iu this country. 



British Guiana and St. Vincent make a very credit- 

 able show in the north-centre transept, the large logs 

 of greenhe'art (Nectandra rodisei), mora (Mora esoelsa) 

 and other valuable timbers, illustrating the importance 

 of forest conservation in the colony, as do also the 

 photographs showing the reckless methods of dealing 

 now in vogue ; but the gem of the exhibition is on 

 the other side of Messrs. Stuart's salmon ladder and 

 big central fountain — the Indian collection. The de- 

 scription of this, with an interesting historical preface 

 by Sir George Birdwood, occupies seventy pages iu the 

 catalogue, and includes not only a list of all the timber 

 trees and forest products of India, with their scientific 

 names, but also a detailed account of the more im- 

 portant «.f the modus operandi of the Forest Survey 

 Department, of the mode of preparing lurpentine and 

 resin from the Khasi-pine and of the use of sal 

 bark, a newly-discovered tanning material, with a 

 bibliography of Indian forest literature. The large 

 series of foiest maps, on scales varyiog from thirty- 

 two miles to the inch to eight inches to the mile, pre- 

 pared and anai ged by Major Bailey, add much to the 

 scientific value of the collection, which as a whole does 



credit to the hard work bestowed upon it by Col. 

 Michael. 



Burmah is represented by a magnificent beam of 

 teak, and by specimens showing its applicability to 

 parquetry, wooden pavements aud other uses in which 

 small pieces can be economically employed ; and the 

 neighbouring territory of the Maharajah of Johore 

 sends a very complete little collection of woods, fibres, 

 rattans, camphor, guttapercha, indiarubber and cate- 

 chu. This friendly state, affording plenty of large 

 sport, such as elephants and tigers, seem also to offer 

 considerable inducements to traders. 



New Brunswick, a colony whose attractions seem 

 to be mainly agricultural and mining, sends a small 

 series of native woods, including maples and others of 

 great beauty. There are forests of hemlock spruce in 

 this colony, which certainly demand conservation, and 

 it is much to be hoped that one of the results of 

 the conferences which it is proposed to hold at Edin- 

 burgh may be to arouse foreign and colonial govern- 

 ments to the wide-spread necessity for such precautions 

 agaiust wholesale disafforesting. 



Among miscellaneous exhibits at the east end of the 

 building, and in a north annexe, are series illustrating 

 the woods used iu coach building, shown by Messrs. 

 Oftord ; coconut products, from Messrs. Treloar ; india- 

 rubber in the crude, cleaned, vulcanized and manufact- 

 ured state, shown by the North British Rubber Com- 

 pany ; turpentine and other pine products from North 

 Carolina, exhibited by Messrs. Fleming, of Edinburgh ; 

 American white oak, as used for railway waggons from 

 Messrs. Kennedy of Glasgow ; bread platters, butter 

 prints, &c, iu the white wood of the sycamore, which 

 in Scotland is commonly' called " plane," made by 

 Messrs. J. and W. Gow of Glasgow and Edinburgh ; 

 ami several sets of furniture, and of carpenters' and 

 foresters' tools. An important object is the elastic 

 waterproof composition aud the liquid varnish shown 

 by Mr. Wells of Leith. These are preparations, the 

 one in paste and the other a liquid spirit, preparetl 

 mainly from marine glue and the fusel nil obtained 

 as a waste product in the manufacture i f whiskey. 

 The paste is recommended for filling wounds in trees 

 caused by accident or bad pruning, and the liquid, 

 which is a quick drier aud very penetrating, either 

 as a substitute for creosote — as which it is already 

 much used in ship building —or, when applied as a 

 waterproofing to stout paper, to protect trees from 

 rabbits. For a similar purpose Mr. Ahlbotta, of Leith, 

 exhibits a Tree Protective Composition, largely com- 

 posed of Archangel tar, paraffin and oil. »ith some 

 lime in it, which is applied to the bark itself. It has 

 beeu tested for some years, and is stated to be not 

 not only not injurious, but actually beneficial to the 

 tree. A case was also exhibited containing Mr. W. 

 Smith's insecticide, sent by the manufacturer, Edinburgh. 



In the exhibition grounds the centre of attraction 

 is the Queen's chalet from Balmoral, built of Scotch 

 fir, and ornamented with cones and moss. It con- 

 tains some very neat and ornamental furniture, made 

 on the estate from the same wood, and is flanked 

 by two large planks, as also by the butt of a Scotch 

 fir from Ballochbuie forest, 23a years old, containing 

 483 cubic ft. and giving over 23 ft. ol girth at the 

 base, though grown at an altitude of 1,500 ft. and by 

 another tree, which has lain for forty years on its side, 

 and is overgrown with heather and cranberries, and 

 yet retains its heart-wood perfectly sound. The pro- 

 portion of heart is very large and shows how good 

 a return can be got fn m this species, even in the 

 far north, and one of the poorest of soils, a fenugin- 

 ous gravelly sand. Round ihe cbalet the grounds are 

 tastefully planted by the Lawson Seed Company, 

 Messas. Little and Ballantyne (who show a fine serieB 

 of hollies and seedlings of forest- trees), and Messrs. 

 James Veitch, who only exhibit single specimens, but 



