September i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



231 



Cinchona in Victoria.— Says the Australasian of 

 5th July:—" Mr. Busisto, M. L. A., has handed over to 

 the Agricultural department a quantity of the seed 

 of the cinchona or Peruvian-bark tree, which he ob- 

 tained during his stay in India. The intention is to 

 cultivate the plant in this colony, if possible, Mr. 

 Bosieto believiug that in the colder parts of Victoria 

 it can be grown and made remunerative to the cul- 

 tivator. The first experiments are to be made at the 

 Mount Macedon nursery. It iB from the cinchona tree 

 that quinine is made." 



New Industry in Madras. —There is a vast field 

 for new industry in Madras. For months past enough 

 has been said about the value of fibre materials. 

 Wild plants called "moorwa" and other kinds grow 

 extensively in Madras. Dr. Forbes has beon urging 

 in Loudon their manufacture for commercial purposes, 

 but very little heed is paid. The difficulty of separ- 

 ating the gluish sticky portion from the fibre, has 

 now been solved by patents of Kllwood and Smith. 

 Dr. Forbes says these raw fibres can give four crops 

 a year, and a ton of finished produce would leave, 

 after all cost of production and charges on Side, an 

 average profit of 20 per cent. We accept this by no 

 means exaggerated estimate of profit. Now this is just 

 oue of tho3e industries which, if developed by capital- 

 ists, is likely to enrich Madras as cotton mills have 

 enriched Bombay. May we call upon some enter- 

 prizing Bombay mill-owners to embark on this new 

 concern ? It will be as profitable as tbo manufacture of 

 cotton, — Indian Spectator. 



Mammoth TRfcES. — A correspondent wriies to the 

 Bombay Gazette :— Your Edinburgh correspondent is 

 quite right in supposing that a " mammoth tree " of 

 41 feet in circumference need not consternate an 

 Anglo-Indian. The tree in question, of which the 

 rind is in the Amerioan section of the Forest 

 Exhibition, is presumably a Californian conifer, prob- 

 ably a sequoia, and no great wonder in its own 

 country. We have in Western India only one 

 indigenous conifer, a tree of no great size, rare and 

 altogether a mere botanist's curosity ; and on looking 

 into Dr. Brandis's valuable Forest Flora I find the 

 largest conifer recorded to be a deodar at " Kurasi in 

 the Ravi basin,' 1 ' 44 feet 2 inches in girth at 2 feet 

 from the ground, and 36 feet 4 inches at 6 feet. The 

 following are a few measurements of trees in Western 

 India : — Adamsonia Digitata, the African baobab, 

 called in Maratha Gorakhchinch and in Hindustani 

 Gorak-imli. One at Junnar, in the Pooua district, 47 

 feet G inches, 1871. One at Kijapur (one of the famous 

 " trees of blood ") 54 feet, 1877. These measure- 

 menti were taken at 5 feet from the ground. Tamar- 

 ind,— one near Sirpur in Khandesb, 45 feet at the 

 same height, 18f>9. Pimpal tree (Ficus KelUjiosa). — At 

 Akloli, in the Bhiwandi taluka of Tauna, 45 feet at 

 the same height, 1875. This Akloli is not that 

 where the hot springs are, but one march south of it. 

 The tree was the noblest vegetable I ever saw, per- 

 fect in form, and as healthy a4 a sapling. The Adaui- 

 sonias, like tkye-terriers, are beautiful according to 

 their ugliness. There is one misshapen monster of this 

 species in the Satara district, said to be 100 feet in 



circumference Mango or ncein trees over 18 



feet in circumference are not common ; but I have one 

 recorded measurement of a neem tree in the Ahmedabad 

 district, 22 feet round at 5 feet from the ground. — Pion- 

 eer. [It would be interesting in this connection to know 

 what is the size of the largest of the baobab trees at 

 Mantota, near Mannar, recently visited by Sir Arthur 

 Gordon. They were first described in British times, we 

 believe, by Major General MacDowall, at the beginning 

 of this century. When ' ' the giant tamarind tree " at 

 Unlaw fell, the late Mr. Casie Chetty wrote an 

 interesting notice of the tree to the Observer. — Ed] 



The Cost of a Lead Pencil.—" What does it cost to 

 make a lead pencil?" queried a reporter of tin- New 

 i'ork Sun. " First let me tell you how we make a pen- 

 cil " said the manufacturer. " Do you see this fine black 

 powder ? That's graphite. It costs "25 cents a pound [50 

 cents Ceylon currency.] This white substance is German 

 clay. It comes across the Ocean as ballast in sailing 

 vessels and all it costs us is freight. We mix this clay 

 aud this powder together and grind them in a mill, 

 allowing moisture to be added during the process, 

 uutil the two are thoroughly assimilated aud are reduced 

 to a paste about the consistency of putty. This paste we 

 press into these dies, each one of which is the size of a 

 pencil lead, except iu length. There are four leads in one 

 of these. After they are pressed we cut them into tho 

 proper length, aud bake them in an oven kept at very 

 high heat. There we have the lead made. Its hardness is 

 regulated by the greater or less amouut of clay we mix with 

 the graphite — the more clay we put in, the harder the lead. 

 The cedar we use comes principally from the swamps of 

 Florida, and is obtained entirely from the fallen trees that 

 He there. The wood is delivered to us in blocks sawed 

 to pencil lengths, some thick to receive the lead, and 

 others thin, for the piece that is glued over the 

 lead. The blocks are sawed for four pencils each. They 

 are grooved by a saw, the groove being the place where 

 the lead is to be. The leads are kept in hot glue, and are 

 placed in the grooves as the blocks are ready. When 

 that is done, the thin block is glued fast to the thick one. 

 When dry, the blocks are run through a machine that cuts 

 the pencils apart. Then they are run through a machine 

 that shapes and burnishes them, and they are ready to 

 be tied in bunches, boxed, and put out. The different 

 grades in value are made by fine manipulation of the 

 graphite. Here is a pencil that is about the average quality 

 used in every day business. It costs a little more than 

 one quarter of a cent to get it ready for market. We 

 sell to dealers at one hundred per cent profit, and the 

 dealer makes much more than that. Of this grade an 

 operator and the machinery will easily make 2,500 a day.'' 

 — Scientific American. 



Croton* Planting.— Soak seed in water for about 0119 

 hour ; then plant in a nursery (any soil will do) with 

 mouth downwards 2 inches apait. Plant out same as 

 coffee-plants after plants ate 4 inch high. Make holes 

 1 foot deep by 6 or 9 inches wide — deeper will be 

 better. Plant so that top loots be well under surface. I 

 have trees at 20 feet apart which are 25 feet high and 

 join with their branches. As plants grow, cut off !ower 

 branches (always reserving eight of upper branches) 

 until you get the tree the height suitable for shade. 

 If for a hedge, fence, or wind-belt, stump the plant 

 at a certain height as may be required, and it will 

 become bushy and strong. Plant : eay feet apart and 

 one or two rows to support — the one most exposed to 

 the wind lowest, then higher and higher. The growth 

 being so rapid, if a tree is wanteel you mu=t stake well 

 for two years in windy places ; after that, no wind will 

 injure the tree. The plant will bear in second year, 

 aud continue to bear the whole year. Little boys should 

 be sent to pick the pods from the ground only once a 

 week. Dry the pods in the sun, crush th- m by hand or 

 a crusher and sift ; then dry seed again, when it is 

 ready for the market. The tree is always shedding ita 

 leaves, and twigs after bearing die back aud new twigs 

 with flowers and fruit can always be seen as well as 

 old dead twigs. The roots do not injure e>ther plants. 

 Shade is not dense, and cacao, cardamom and coffee are 

 thriving well under its shade. I think the croton will 

 grow well under Ceara. rubber. All trees from which 

 sap is extracted are as a rule growing straight and 

 tall ; if they throw out low branches, these should be 

 cut off as tree should not be allowed to bear seed 

 more than possible. To give good and plenty of sap, 

 therefore, croton as a shrub under Ceara rubber ought to 

 do good to protect stem of rubber trees and give fruit. 



* The croton-oil treo is meant, and the directions are 

 by Mr. Holloway. — Ed. 



