gii 



tMB! fiWt'iCAL AGKICULTOldST. 



[At/ot/st t, ims4 



To Tkst Butteu. — Tbe Scientific Jmericaii recommends 

 this simple teat for oleomargarine : — Stir a little — half a 

 toaspoonful or less — of tlio suspected butter in enough 

 sulphuric ether to dissolve it. By the time the grease is 

 disBiilved the ether will have been evaporated, and the 

 residuum will show, to smell or taste, whether it is butter, 

 lard, or tallow. Five cents' worth of ether will suffice for 

 several tests. — Chemist and Itntgt/ist. 



A (,>UK'K Filter. — Take a clear piece of chamois-skin, 

 free from thin places ; cut it of the desired size ; wash 

 it in a weak solution of sal soda, or any alkali, to re- 

 move the grease ; and rinse thoroughly in cold water 

 before using. Tinctures, elixirs, syrups, and even umcil- 

 ages are filtere<l rapidly. A pint of the thickest syrup 

 will run through in four or five minutes. By washing 

 thoroughly after each time of using it will last a long 

 time. — 0. F, Nixon, in llriiciijists' Circular. 



(.■MJOAK Canb. — For the past three years the cane crop 

 in the Province, except in well favored localities has 

 been a poor one, owing to insuflicient falls of rain while 

 last year it may be said to have proved a failure. The 

 eeiscnable rains this year however will make the crop, if 

 all goes well, a good one, In many parts sugar cane 

 cultivation is being carried on vigorously and aa it is 

 usual to manure the cane with oil cake, the hongay seed 

 cake being especially used, the price of this cake, or 

 hindi as it is locally called, has risen considerably. 



Tea Planting in rKVLON.— Messrs. A. M. and .1. 

 Fergus n have just issued a little work of about 100 

 pages entitled " Tea and other Planting Industries in 

 Ceylon in 1885. A good field for Investment ; " a 

 copy of which they have been kind enough to send 

 us. This work has b'.en produced with the object of 

 showing what a magniticent field the isle of Rpioy 

 breezes offers for the fniplovment of British c:ipital 

 and euorgy, and the oninpilor has executed his task 

 with an euthu3ia<m and vigour which wdl convince 

 every reader of it that the author has the fullest confid- 

 ence and belief in the truth of his statements. 

 The claims of C.-ylon to consideration from enterpr z- 

 ing capitalists are set forth in such a forcible man- 

 oer that we are surprised they have not commanded 

 more general attention earlier. The first pirt of 

 the book consists of a letter written by Mr. 

 J. Ferguson, who has had an experience in Ceylon 

 of more than a quarter of a century, to the London 

 Times on the 2Ith August last year. * * * It is 

 estimated that eventually Ceylon should have 150,000 

 acres under tea, which should yield, calculated on the 

 basis of the amount realized from the present cult- 

 ivation, about 43 0110,000 lb. At the same time the 

 planters are carefully mixing the products in order 

 to avoid a revisit from the dreadful fungus or any 

 other equally deadly pest. All that is wanted are 

 young men of energy and intelligence with capital to 

 restore to Ceylon the prosperity she enjoyed some years 

 Rgo Chrap free labour there is in abundance. The 

 book under notice contains, besides Mr. Ferguson's 

 nble s^at'tnpnt oftheoi^e, r number of papers written 

 t^y plsntefs of fiXpefioDce, fully dieousBinij the lues- 

 tloa of tea cultivation, glvltig rules tor the guidanoe 

 of nay one embarking i.l ihs 6titer[jfi«6| and aqiinntity 

 of valuable figures cho"iilg the Cost of working estates 

 and the refill's ob'-alned. It goes without saying that 

 ttie Chinese tfade will be fiariotisly affaoted if'^the pro- 

 ,j<et-i Wiioh arH bidding falj' to be refill? d in CeJ-lon 

 lilf tlie growth of taeUcotjl, It haa already euSered 

 heavily by the competition of the Imli.in planters, 

 who are bestow ng uu their products an intelligence 

 which has aire idy gflinod for Ind-an taaS a reputation 

 second lo none. The eome intallig' nt cultivatoa will 

 no do bt take pi- 06 in Coylott, and thefe is, there- 

 fore, every probahilit-y that Chinese teas Will be less 

 rcqiiiied •'Tid less tl ought of. For a glowing though 

 unvarnished picture ■ f the brilliant pos^ibii'ties of the 

 tpa industry in Ceylon, we would commend our readers 

 to Mi'Mi*. Fcrgusou's liUU wotk,— tVtiHu lUuii, 



Toothache Remedies.— Dr. J. K. Irwin writes to the 

 Xoith Carolina Medical Journal that one of the most 

 pleasant remedies for toothache is chewing cinnamon bark. 

 It destroys the een.sibility of the nerves and suspends the 

 pain immediately, if the bark is of good quality. The 

 editor of the American Jtruyipst, quoting thifi, adds that 

 in many cases a teaspoouful of bicarbonate of sodium in 

 half a glassful of water, to be u,si;d at short intervals as 

 a mouth-wash, is equally serviceable in relieving the sens- 

 itiveness of the ttieWi&nAQnms.— Chemist and Uruytjist. 



Blister Blioiit.— A planter in the Dibrughar district, 

 writing on 7th instant, says:— Blister blight has made its 

 appearance here. I have n't seen any of it since 1871 or 

 1S72, when we were severely punished in the Jorehaut 

 district. It u.sed to be put down to shade, want of drain- 

 ing, heavy wet alternating with excessive heat. It so 

 happens that I have removed all shade from the garden 

 thi.s year ; one plot attacked would be the better of 

 draining, but another plot is very well drained. We have 

 certainly had a very wet spring, 1,5-89 inches of rain in 

 April, but wo have had no heat, in fact, blankets are 

 still in u.se at night. Doubtless the blight is a fungus and 

 possibly there is no remedy. I just mention the facts in 

 case the disease should be general this year, and other 



of your correspondents should note their observations." 



Indian Planters^ Gazette. 



Tea Drying.— Owing to excuses having been made 

 that the teas from certain gardens under one agency had 

 " gone off," " because Gibbs and Barry's dryers were 

 used," the following test was appHed. A certain taster, 

 who had purchased for the above agency a considerable 

 quantity of teas of various outside marks in Calcutta, 

 having recently arrived in London, was requested to ro- 

 taste and report upon these purchases on their arrival iu 

 1 London, and to be particular to note any signs of their 

 having "gone off." He did as instructed with the result 

 that he could find no such signs, yet the gardens of the 

 marks represented are known to employ the Gibbs and 

 Barry dryers. There is .■such a thing as use, and there is 

 also abuse. If people are told that ahorse can drag safely 

 25 cwt. and they thereupon compel him to drag 35 cwt. 

 they must blame themselves if the result is fatal. Mr. 

 Gibbs is against the excessive temperature used by many 

 in the G. and B. dryer, as also is, I believe, Mr. Karry. 

 Mr. Gibbs is .showing a new model at No. 1-A. Pater- 

 noster Row, in which it is said numerous radical im- 

 provements will be found. I have jet to see this latest 

 model. — London Cor., Indian Planters'' Gazette. 



Tobacco Paper— The American Tobacco Leaf says 

 that paper made of tobacco stalk is one of the lateit 

 claimants for public attention. Tobacco paper prodiiofs 

 a stronger paper than wood, at a much smaller cost. 

 Samples made under unfavourable circumstances shew 

 comparatively few defects. A great point in the 

 manufacture is the fact that only the ordinary machin- 

 ei-y found in every paper mill is rtquirtd. Tobacco 

 stalks reduced to a bone-dry pulp shew a waste of only 

 five Dfr cent. The paper produced is similar to that 

 found on every grocer's counter, There is no taste or 

 smell of tobacco left to ^hew the raw mateiial, A year 

 ago au pxperiment was made at the Jordan paper mill, 

 A oase of about 400 p 'unds of leaf tobacco, minus the 

 '•baokboDe/' wa? put through the regular treattnent 

 o( straw. A flie pulp »as the resulC, hut owing to 

 the lack of fibre the pulp was crumbly and stuc-li ob- 

 stinately to the roller, Howevor, several small pieces 

 Were removed, and after brooming dry preu-nted e.^6ry 

 appe.'ranoe of §traw paprr, besides being a mote pro- 

 nounced broWn. The idea of oonveriing the cuttln^js 

 and stems that aecUmulate in cigar fdotories in'o paper 

 htt9 occupied the mental Capacity of not a feW. The 

 lateat result is a smrOth sUrfaoed, fine teiiUied, toUgtl 

 sheet, frotn a plllp produced from the stems or " back- 

 bone" of leaf tobacco, and presenting artificial minute 

 veins all over thf snr'ace. The only defect now h ft is 

 the slight papery taste and sm> II, with wh oh defect the 

 inventor is at present labouring, with every indication 

 of overeorains tlie drftwb^tk. — f , T, /nurnal. 



