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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[February 2, 1885. 



tea ou " scientific principles." In a certain sense scientific 

 principles are involved in almost any operations, but this 

 is not what is generally meant by conducting a simple 

 operation like that of the curing or drying of tea, which 

 requires a good deal of care and attention and the exercise 

 of a great deal more common sense than some scientific 

 men, who write and talk about things of which they know 

 little or nothing, appear to possess. — (Sd.) Aug. "Voelcker. 

 ♦— 



The Japanese Manufactured Exhibits.— We clip the 

 following full and appreciative notice by Mr. M. 'Williams 

 in the Gentleman** Mayazine for October: — "Many of the 

 Japanese exbibiis — barrels, for example — are polished, and 

 one of their polishing tools is the bark of a species of 

 Equisetum. My readers may remember that, in March 

 last. I described the little-known uses of the siliceous coat 

 of mail of the dried equisetum stems that are sold in some 

 obscure by-streets of London under the name of ' Dutch rush.' 

 " The Japanese use another natural sand-paper which 

 they find prepared for them in the leaves of Apkananthe 

 aspera. I have no practical acquaintance with these, and 

 therefore can say nothing concerning their practical merits 

 as compared with our glass-paper, sand-paper, and emery- 

 paper. As a 'wrinkle' for the uninitiated, I may add, 

 by the way, that glass-paper is ihe most suitable for 

 polishing soft wood, sand-paper for very hard wood, bone, 

 ivory, etc., and emery-paper for metals. Dutch rush will 

 cut either, following the smoother of these papers for a 

 higher polish; but it is specially applicable to plaster of 

 Paris and other similar soft material that would show ugly 

 scratches after either of the above-mentioned papers."— 

 Journal of Forestry. 



In an African Forest. — Stanley noted down the following 

 measurements of individual monarchs of this forest. The 

 largest of eight specimens of ihe Bassia Parkii, or Shea 

 butter-tree, measured 12 feet round; height of unbranched 

 stem, 55 feet: others measured 10, 11,9, 10, and 10J feet 

 in circumference. There were also specimens of the African 

 6ilver beech, African ash, wild olive (Zygia sp. or Mkundi), 

 the largest 2-1 feet circumferential measurement; whilst 

 creepers, euphorbias, orchids, and other types of a strictly 

 African vegetation added to the beauty of the scene. The 

 tree chosen out of which to form one canoe was a species 

 of the Burseraceze Boswellia, or gum-frankincense tree, 

 10 feet round at the base, and with 40 feet of branch- 

 less stem, growing about a hundred yards from the camp. 

 Ou permission being granted by the chief, a fine genial 

 old man, the first blow of the axe was struck, and in two 

 hours, with a roaring crash awakeniug the echoes through 

 the deep gorge of the river, the tree fell across a high 

 granite rock, about 30 feet square. When placed length- 

 ways along the ground, the log measured 37 feet 5 inches ; 

 depth, 2 feet; breadth, 2 feet 8 inches. Each of the crew 

 then became a shipbuilder, 3^ feet being allotted as one 

 man's share; and in eight days the canoe was completed. 

 — Journal of forestry. 



Medical Uses for Eggs. — Among the colonists who have 

 recently come to this country from South Russia, the 

 chief remedy for cuts, bruises, scalds, and burns is oil of 

 eggs, and extraordinary stories are told of its efficacy and 

 healing power. It is easily made from the yolk of hens' 

 eggs. The eggs are first boiled hard, the yolk removed, 

 crushed, and placed over a fire, where they are watched 

 and stirred until the whole mass is ou the point of catch- 

 ing fire. At this moment the oil separates, and may be 

 easily decanted. One yolk yields about two drachms of oil. 

 For burns and scalds there is nothing more soothing than 

 the white of an egg, which may be poured over the 

 wound. It is softer as a varnish for a burn than collodion, 

 and being always on hand, can be applied immediately. 

 It is also more cooling than the "sweet oil and cotton," 

 which was formally supposed to be the surest application 

 to allay the smarting pain. It is the contact with the 

 air which gives the extreme discomfort experienced from 

 ordinary accidents of this kind; and anything which excludes 

 air and prevents inflammation is the best thing to be at 

 once applied. The egg is also considered one of the very 

 best remedies for dysentery. Beaten up lightly, with or 

 without sugar, and swallowed at a gulp, it tends, by its 

 emollient qualities, to lessen the inflammation of the stomach 

 and intestnaes, and by forming a transient costing on these 

 organs to enable nature to assume her healthful sway over 

 the diseased body, — Industrial South. 



Measuring. — There aredifferent ways of measuringbigtrees, 

 someclaimingpre-errmehcefor their altitude, and others for 

 their girth, some for their quantity of timber, and others 

 for the hospitality they are capable of affording to dining 

 parties, horsemen and pedestrians, in their hollow interiors. 

 The Sicilians claim for a chestnut near the foot of Mount 

 Etna that it is the oldest and largest in the world. It is 

 said that the circumference of its main trunk is 212 feet. 

 The decayed hollow is capacious enough to admit of two 

 carriages driving abreast through it. Its diameter is twice 

 as great as that of the Grizzly Giaut of Mariposa. The 

 Australian record for height stands unscathed, and we 

 can afford to give competitors a clear field for asserting 

 their right to some secondary consideration. — Lea er. 



Tka Cultivation in Ceylon. — After years of hard struggl- 

 ing Ceylon appears to have hit the nail on the head at 

 last in the snape of tea cultivation. For a long time the 

 planters earnestly worked against the failures in coffee 

 planting, and as their hopes appeared almost exhausted, 

 tea cultivation was experimentally tried with marked suc- 

 cess. The cultivation of tea has now passed the experi- 

 mental period and become an established industry. To 

 read of some of the successful plantation districts, which 

 only a few years ago were considered valueless, is more 

 like romance than reality. A hundred acres of land, for- 

 merly a coff>e plantation, recently purchased for $13,5005 

 was leased for half that much, and now brings in a profit 

 of about $3,000 a year, apart from the profit to the owner. 

 This is only one instance out of a number in all parts of 

 the island. It has been demonstrated that tea can be pro- 

 duced with a profit at an altitude of 4,800 to b',000 feet. 

 One feature that recommends itself to the consumer is 

 the excellence of the product, its freedom from any arti- 

 ficial manipulation in the shape of coloring matter or any 

 other injurious ingredient. The future of Ceylon tea is 

 most promising, and it is probable that it will restore to 

 the island the prosperity which for a long time has been 

 withheld from it. The industry and intelligence of the 

 colonists will reap their reward, for the consummation of 

 which they have our best wishes. — American Grocer. 



A Valuable Plant for Dry Regions. — Writing from 

 Wagga Wagga on the 18th instant our travelling reporter 

 says: — "Mr. R. B. Woocb, secretary of the local Pastoral 

 and Agricultural Society, has shown me a letter, dated 

 11th November, and just received from Messrs. Roth & 

 Oollingborne, seed merchants, of Port Elizabeth and Uiten- 

 hage, South Africa. They state that with the letter they 

 send some seeds of a plant capable of withstanding hot 

 weather, but no seeds reached Mr. Wood by the same 

 post as the letter. This may, however, be due to the 

 fact of the letter having been addressed to Mr. Wood as 

 ' Secretary of the Murrumbidgee "Wagga "Wagga Agricult- 

 ural Society, Brisbane.' The Post-office officials iu the latter 

 city placed ' Try N. S. W.' on the envelope, and the letter 

 finally reached its destination. Mr. "Wood intends writing 

 to Brisbane to know if the seeds are detained there. A 

 glance at the address and the letter will tend to show 

 that the mother country is not the only place where 

 hazy ideas exist regarding the geography of Australia. 

 Brisbane and South Australia are both mentioned, but 

 Sydney and New South "Wales are altogether ignored. 

 although this colony is the part ' tended to be benefited 

 by the introduction of what is evidently a valuable grass, 

 and for which, should it be found to grow well, Messrs. 

 Roth & Collingbourue deserve every praise. The letter 

 referred to runs as follows:— 'We have the pleasure to 

 offer you seeds of our native kurroo bush (Adenadrona 

 parrifolia), the only plant that makes sheep and ostrich 

 farming possible and a great success in this colony. It 

 grows on bare tracts of land where agriculture is imposs- 

 ible for want of depth of soil and rain. The fall of the 

 latter being only l'l inches per annum, still the merinos 

 and ostriches are doing well, feeding only on this plant. 

 We feel convinced that it would be a gnat acquisition to 

 the dry regions of South Australia, and that it would 

 thrive if once well established. AVe know of several Aus- 

 tralian colonists who have asked for seeds at our estab- 

 lishment after having seen the value of this plant here. 

 The seeds are exceedingly small, and keep their germin- 

 ating power a loug time. lib. would be sufficient for in 

 acres.' "Sydney Mail. 



