January i, 18S5.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



S4I 



fine specimen of graphite, dug from the pits in the low- 

 country, sappanwood, the oils of lemon grass and cit- 

 ronelle, and cardamoms. The lastnamed is an article 

 of considerable cultivation in the island, being reckoned 

 by the planters as the fifth in importance, the others 

 being coffee, tea, cinchona and cocoa. 



The orchella weed exhibited appears to be the Iloccella 

 Montagnei. 



JOHOEE. 



Some interesting specimens are exhibited by the Maha- 

 rajah of Johore. The whole process of the manufacture 

 of gambier, or Terra japonica, is illustrated by photographs, 

 and various samples of the drug in different forms are 

 shown. Of these there are four qualities, one of which, 

 in the shape of parallelopipeds, is used instead of areca 

 nut for chewing with lime the betel pepper leaf. Some 

 very fine specimens of guttapercha are here exhibited, as 

 well as gutta taban, a similar but inferior article. Fine 

 specimens of art sin called damar dagang and three qualities 

 of the celebrated Baros camphor, the finest of these being 

 in remarkably large crystals; this product is often sold at 

 Singapore at as high a price as 10,000 guilders per picul 

 of liWJ lb., and eagerly purchased by the Chinese. A number 

 of medicinal roots are also exhibited, but information con- 

 cerning these was not obtainable. 



The soft elastic bark of Films lonyifolia is here shown 

 as a substitute for cork. 



JAPAN. 



This is decidedly one of the most interesting as it is 

 one of the largest exhibits in the building. The specimens 

 are arranged in the most practical and businesslike manner, 

 that enables the visitor to learn much concerning the con- 

 dition of the science and forestry and the forest products 

 of that singular country. The specimens of timbers are 

 arranged so as to exhibit a dried specimen of the foliage 

 and flowers, and a transverse and longitudinal section of 

 the trunk and the bark, and each specimen is accompanied 

 by a sheet of paper giving all useful details as to the value 

 of the timber and the products obtained from the tree. 

 The collection of drugs is a comparatively small one, thirty- 

 six in all, and although unnamed, the deficiency is amply 

 made up by the courtesy of the Commissioners (one of whom, 

 Mr. Okhubo, the brother of a late student in the Society's 

 laboratory, speaks English), who seem to have information 

 concerning every exhibit at their fingers' ends. 



Most of the drugs have been described already in the 

 pages of this Journal. Of those not yet noticed may be 

 mentioned the roots of bo-fu, Siler trilohum, Benth. ami 

 Hook.; wogon, Scutellaria lanceolata, Miq.; kudzu-no-ue, 

 Panax repens; sai-ko, Bupleurvm falcaium. L„auduodake, 

 Angelica decursira, Miq. Three specimens of starch are 

 shown, one obtained from the roots of a leguminous plant, 

 Pueraria Thunbergiana, Benth., another from those of 

 Erythroniiim grandiflorvm, Pursh., and a third from the 

 rhizomes of the common bracken, Pteris aqv.ilina, the latter 

 starch being of a yellowish tint. The beautiful insect wax 

 produced by Aphis sinensis on the branches of two Japanese 

 shrubs, Ligustrum lucidum and L. Ihotu, and hence known 

 aslbotu wax, forms anoticeable object; it resembles spermaceti 

 in appearance, but is much harder. 



The Japanese cedar, a most useful timber tree, well known 

 in this country under the name of Cryptomeria japonica, 

 appears to yield in Japan a turpentine of semi-solid resin, 

 which is shown herein small quantity. According to Siebold 

 this resin, which is called by the Japanese sugi-no-jaui, 

 is very aromatic and is used to make an incense, much 

 valued by the Buddhist priests. It is employed also in the 

 preparation of a plaster for wounds and ulcers. The resin 

 of Finns Thunbergii, Pari, called "kuro-matsu," is applied 

 to similar uses, and in powder is applied to recent wounds 

 to stop bleeding. Internally it is given as a resolvent and 

 pectoral, and is held as a specific in diseases of the lungs. 



The Japanese camphor is exhibited in the crude state. 

 Bird-lime is shown prepared from the bark of Troi liadt ndron 

 aralioides, Sieb. et Zucc, and Ilex Integra, Thumb.; this is 

 used by the Japanese for catching cockroaches, rats, mice 

 and other vermin, for which purpose it is spread upon pieces 

 of cardboard, etc. 



Some boxes containing cigarettes present a tempting 

 appearance, but the label indicates that they are madr. not 

 from Nicotiana Tabacum, but from the leaves of Sttrculia 



platan {folia. The foliage of Stvrax obassia, Sieb., is used 

 for the same purpose. 



The tanning materials exhibited are comparatively few 

 and comprise the following: — Japanese galls, containing from 

 60-63 per cent of tannin, the catkins of Alnus Jirma, 25-27 

 per cent, the barks of Myrica rubra, 11-14 per cent, and 

 of Quercus dentata, 2-7 percent. Besides these, pomegranate 

 bark and an astrigent liquid called "kaki-no-shiba," pre- 

 pared from the fruits of the Persimmon, Diospyros KaJci, 

 is used for giving strength and durability to paper.* In 

 this connection the wood of Kadsura japonica may be 

 mentioned, which contains a quantity of mucilage and is 

 also used in paper making. 



As dyeing materials there are exhibited a yellow laminated 

 bark, which has been variously referred to Pterocarpus flavus 

 and Euodia glauca, but is here stated to be the inner bark of 

 Phellode nd ron amurense; Imperatora tinctoria, a grass yielding 

 a yellow dye, and gardenia fruits.jwhich give a saffron colour. 



A perusal of the descriptive sheets attached to each 

 exhibit of sections of trees, reveals some interesting inform- 

 ation. Thus we learn that maple sugar, a specimen of which 

 is exhibited, is obtained from Acer argutum and A.japonicum; 

 that oils are obtained from the fruits of Excmcaria japonica, 

 Elceococca cordata, Camellia japonica and C. Sasangua; and 

 waxes from the seeds of Cinnamomum pedunculatum and 

 0. Camphora, and from the fruits of Litscea glauca, Sapium 

 sebiferum and Rhus vernicif era, the strong wood of Zelkowa 

 Kaki being used for making oil presses. 



The leaves of A ndromeda japonica and the bark of Pici-asma 

 ailanthoides, of which fine specimens are exhibited, are 

 employed as vermifuges; the wooden toothcombs and hair- 

 combs which are exhibited, are manufactured from the wood 

 of Olea Aquifolium, Hovenia didcis, Pyrus Ussuriensis and 

 Buxus japonica, the lastnamed being hard enough to be 

 used in making seals, buttons and abacus counters. Some 

 of the woods used by the Japanese for eDgraving purposes 

 seem worthy of trial in this country. Of these may be 

 mentioned Magnolia hypolevca, which is employed also for 

 lead pencils, Primus pseudo-cerasus, Distylium racemosum 

 and Ilex crenata. The hard wood of the Japanese pepper 

 plant Xanthoxylum piperitum, is used for making pestles. 

 Toothbrushes are made in various forms out of a soft fibrous 

 wood, one end being generally frayed out and the other 

 sharpened off so as to answer as a toothpick. Some, how- 

 ever, are frayed out at both ends, the one end more so 

 than the other ; this is intended for washing out the mouth. 

 They are probably cheap enough to be used once and then 

 thrown away. Viburnum Opulus, a shrub which is also com- 

 mon in this country, and Popvlvs tremula, also an English 

 tree, afford the woods used for this purpose, as well as Lindera 

 triloba, a Japanese tree. 



A very ingenious chopstick made from the wood of 

 Xandina domestica is almost as good as a puzzle. It consists 

 of a piece of wood about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, 

 ! but with square edges instead of being cylindrical. It is 

 I evidently split only four-fifths of the distance, and when 

 | the two pieces are pulled apart, so as to form two chop- 

 sticks, a toothpick falls out of a hollow in one of them 

 which extends partly below the end of the split portion 

 into the solid wood. Like the apple in the dumpling, the 

 puzzle is to know how it got there. This is done when 

 the wood is wet, the toothpick being then inserted in a 

 cavity made for it by a tool used for the purpose. 



The Japanese lacquer tree is illustrated by a fine series 

 of specimens. A coloured drawing of the flowers and leaves 

 is shown, painted on the wood of the tree itself, and framed 

 with longitudinal sections of the branches. Thus the whole 

 of the plant, wood, bark, leaves and flowers are represented 

 within the space of a single foot square. A series of the 

 products of chemical analysis of the natural varnish, in- 

 cluding a good specimen of urushic acid, with the lacquer, 

 the berries and the wax obtained from them, and the natural 

 varnish in the dried state are also shown. These are 

 accompanied by an important essay. The ingenuity of the 

 Japanese is very evident in several other exhibits; thus 

 the hollowed out trunks of trees are made to serve as 

 drain pipes; the strong but thin fibrous paper is used, when 

 required, as string by merely rolling it between the finger 

 and thumb into a thread, and it is then amply strong enough 

 for the purpose. 



* See ante, December 25, 1880, p. 510-5 1 1 . 



