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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



[January i, 1885. 



might be turned to account for lamps, and the Pennsylvania 

 Ruck Oil Company was formed to develop the idea, with 

 very small result, however, till, in the year 1859. Colonel 

 Drake's attention was attracted by the oil which oozed from 

 fissures of the rock all along the stream now known as 

 Oil Creek. He bethought him that since the rock was 

 apparently saturated with this oil, there must surely be 

 a reservoir, which, if it could be found and tapped, would 

 yield a far larger supply than that which was so carefully 

 collected by the Company. Little, however, did he dream, 

 when he first communicated to them his idea, and was by 

 theuj empowered to work it on their account what amazing 

 results would attend his experiment. 



He commenced sinking a shaft on the artesian-well 

 principal, and had bored to a depth of 600 feet, when to 

 his unspeakable delight, he found that he had indeed reached 

 the main supply, and oil was henceforth pumped up at 

 the rate of from 400 to 1,000 gallons daily. Very soon 

 he was able to rejoice his employers with about 2,000 barrels 

 of crude petroleum. New shafts were quickly sunk in every 

 direction, and in the following year 500,000 barrels rewarded 

 the lucky bor<=rs. The strike proved magical in another 

 sense, for at once the price of crude petroleum fell from 

 twenty-three cents per gallon to twelve cents, and that of 

 refined oil fell from forty-five to thirty-two cents. Very 

 soon this was further reduced to nine cents for crude oil 

 and nineteen for refined ! Already this precious "earth-oil" 

 asserted it' privilege of being a special boon to the poor.— 

 Royal Gazette. 



Kerosene as an Insect-killer. — It is maintained by 

 Mr. R. MeLachlan, F.B.S., that the most effective of all in- 

 secticides for fruit trees is "kerosene butter" diluted with 

 water to the extent of from twelve to twenty times its bulk. 

 This butter is prepared as follows: — Pure kerosene, 1 gallon; 

 condensed milk, 1J pint ; water, 3 pints. The milk and water 

 are mixed, the oil added, and the compound churned till it 

 forms a butter. The insecticide is applied by washing or 

 syringing as in the case .if similar compounds. But seeing 

 this remedy must be kept in constant agitation while using, 

 or else the kerosene rises to the surface, and that the butter 

 needs the churning process, I aminclined to think its practical 

 worth is overrated. — Entomologist. — Journal ofBorticvlture. 



Striking Oottlngs in Water.— Striking cuttings in 

 water is a very simple and certain operation. All that is 

 needed is some clear rain water, some pieces of charcoal, and 

 some clean bottles; pint champagne bottles arc; as good as 

 any, but others with Hat bottoms will do. Place in each a 

 few pieces of charcoal about the size of a walnut, then rill 

 the bottles with water, and stand where you intend them to 

 be whilst the cuttings are rooting, which is best where they 

 will be shaded from the direct rays of the sun. When the 

 bottles have been in the house twenty-four hours, by which 

 time the water will have become wanned to the mean tem- 

 perature of the hoiis:-, take the cuttings prepared as if they 

 were to be inserted in soil, cut transversely below a joint, 

 and remove only as many leaves as will allow of the stem 

 being put in the bottles to the extent of a couple of inches, 

 or at most three. The base of the cuttings should be in 

 the water, and be covered about half an inch, which will be 

 suitable for the first week, but in the second the cutting 

 may be pushed lower into the water, yet never deeper than 

 an inch. No shading is necessary, or anything different from 

 that in which the parent plants are grown, and the little at- 

 tention needed is to keep the bottles replenished with tepid 

 water as needed, and in due course roots will be emitted 

 plentifully, and when they have grown «o as to he of a length 

 and quantity that can be placed in a 3-inch pot, remove and 

 pot at once. Just a little shade may be needed until the pot- 

 ting is recovered from, and the plants in a few days are as 

 good as ever they will be for decorative purposes, provided, 

 of cou'se, they were in good condition to begin with, but if 

 small they may need growing. This mode of propagation 

 may be practised at any time of year. All that is necessary 

 in the case of Crotons and Dracaenas is to secure a little firm 

 wood to the base of the eattings, and not put them in when 

 they *re making young growth. How many other plants 

 can be propagated in the same way I am not prepare! 0. 

 state, but I have no doubt that m any could be so increased 

 It is a most interesting mode of propagation, and well de- 

 serving of more attention than has hitherto been bestowed 

 upon it. — G. X.— Journal of Horticvlturc. 



Australian Botany.— You will remember I referred in 

 my former address to a valuable and extensive work on 

 the eucalypti of Australia, undertaken by our state botanist 

 aud fellow member, Baron von Mueller, and you will be 

 glad to hear that the 10th decade of the Eucaiyptoyrajihy 

 of Australia is now in the press, and, with the exception 

 of a few supplements, will complete this most important 

 botanical work. Baron von Mueller has also been closely 

 engaged in research concerning the regional distribution 

 of the 14,000 already known Australian plants preliminary 

 to further extension of his utilitarian inquiries into th- ir 

 structural characteristics as well as into their industrial 

 and therapeutic uses. He informs me that tlirough the 

 liberality of the Government he is now able to issue a 

 monography of the Myoporime, an extensive and important 

 order of Australian shrubs, for which he has SO plates 

 already prepared ; he proposes, also, shortly to prepare a 

 new edition of the Select Plants for Industrial Culture and 

 -\ iiti'ttdizatioii, and that at the instance of the Field 

 Naturalists' Club he hopes soon to issue a Dichotomous Krq 

 for the naming of Victorian plants — a work which will no 

 doubt be hailed with pleasure by all botanical students 

 among us. — Mr.Ellcry'sA ddress to the Royal Society of Victoria. 

 Tea in Ceylon: The Yield of Muuawatte. — Several of 

 our correspondents having expressed doubts as to the 

 authenticity of the figures given by us of the yield of this 

 estate, we think it is well that we should once more reiterate 

 what we previously stated. It has beeu suggested by more 

 than one correspondent that the yield of the younger fields 

 of Mariawatte has been added to that of the older tea in 

 order to swell the average out-turu per acre. We are in a 

 position to emphatically deny this. The estate consists of 

 100 acres of old tea, GO acres planted 'at stake in July and 

 August, 1S.S3, aud 140 acres just opened. The 60 acres, now 

 one year old, were only topped last month, so they could 

 hardly have added to the yield of the 100 acres, which is all 

 that there is on the estate from which to pluck. Up to 

 date, about 05,000 lb. of made-tea have been secured, ever// 

 pound of which came - off tlte original 100 acres. The whole 

 of the estate is planted 4 ft. M ft., and there are a good many 

 vacancies in the old 100 acres, as we can testify from personal 

 inspection. We believe the yield has been variable from 

 different portions of the estate, some it is estimated giving 

 as much as 1,400 lb. an acre, whilst other portions yielded 

 much less than the average. As an instance of what an 

 estate in a favorable situation can do in the way of an en- 

 ormous yield, we think this a wonderful example of most 

 encouraging significance to all of us. There can be no 

 doubt now that over 11,000 lb. of made-tea will be des- 

 patched from Mariawatte during this year, which we think 

 is likely to remain the cliampion yield for some time to 

 come. — Local " Times." 



Coxttjbe nv the Karens in British Bltimah. — The 

 Indian Agriculturist thus quotes from the Forest Report of 

 British Bnrinah: — Mr. Petley's report on the cultivation in 

 the Karen Hills has also been incorporated with the annual 

 report. Tea is reported upon favourably. Ho says: — "I 

 find a fair yield of flushes from the shrubs at maturity 

 and an excellent quality of tea turned out in the manu- 

 facture, supporting the credit of Darjeeling tea from whence 

 the original seed came." With improved instruction and 

 better knowledge among the labourers employed, he expects 

 the outturn to be double that of last season. The coffee 

 trees are also thriving. The mature trees are heavily laden, 

 and as matters stand at present a very fair crop may be 

 expected. Liberian coffee, however, thrives very slowly. 

 'the shoots from the coppiced stumps of last year's cin- 

 chona trees are coming on well ; in fact, they are now 

 quite young trees again. About 25,000 more plants and 

 shoots have been planted out, a 700 lb. of bai k prepared 

 by Karens alone, from trees grown by themselves, has 

 been sent to the London market, where it realized the 

 market rates in competition with bark from other coun- 

 tries. Among fruits trees, citrons and pears have grown 

 and increased in abundance. The potato crop has been 

 exceptionally good. The Karens are keeping up the cultiv- 

 ation with great energy. The yield last year was suffici- 

 ent to supply the troops of Touugoo and the bazaar; 

 the produce appears to have been four and five fold aud 

 of good sizes. The seed principally sown has been the 

 Bengal potato procured from Calcutta which, mixed with 

 the acclimatized hill seed, does well. 



