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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1885. 



Phormium Tenax, or Bowstring Hemp.— The great 

 strength of this valuable fibre haa long been known 

 and appreciated, but comparatively few are aware of 

 the therapeutic qualities of the plant. Somewhere 

 about the year 1869 or 1?70, a letter appeared in 

 the Melabourne Argus, signed by Mr. Francis A. Monck- 

 ton, bering witness to the extraordinary healing- 

 properties of the Phormium. tenax, commonly known 

 as New Zealand Flax, from that time until the pre. 

 sent he has used it in hundreds of ca'ses, including 

 lacerations and amputations of every description, and 

 he has no hesitation in saying that there is nothing 

 known in the old world that can equal it in pro- 

 ducing healthy granulations. Mr. Monckton uses a 

 strong decoction — the stronger the better — made from 

 the roots and butts of the leaves, boiled for twelve 

 hours. At one time he had to make it fresh every 

 second day, as it readily ferments and deteriorates; 

 but since carbolic acid came into vogue, he keeps 

 it for any length of time by adding about an ounce 

 of equal parts of carbolic acid and glycerine to every 

 quart. Mr. Monckton says he requires no other anti- 

 septic precautions, but simply syringes the lesions 

 occasionally with it, and maintains cotton wool or 

 lint soaked in it, constantly to the parts affected. 

 If there are no foreign matters to be discharged 

 there will be no discharge, in support of which he 

 instances the case of a man whose forearm he lately 

 amputated after it had been shattered through dyn- 

 amite. The ligatures were thirty-two days in com- 

 ing away, and the amount of pus from the operation 

 up to that time would not amount to a tablespoon- 

 ful. The same patient had the soft parts of the 

 other arm torn and blown into such a mass of shreds 

 that the members of the staff thought it was hope- 

 lessly lost beyond repair. Mr. Monckton asserts that 

 with the same treatment it became as sound and as 

 useful as before, and exhibits only scars, showing 

 where new skin had been formed. — Planters' Gazette. 



Consumption op Commodities in Britain. — Mr. 

 Goschen in speaking at Manchester on depression in 

 great branches of trade, such 3,1 the iron and mining 

 industries, thus depicted the bright side :— I have 

 spoken of the profits, but profits and savings are 

 not the same things, and though there have been 

 comparatively, I believe, fewer profits among mer- 

 chants and manufacturers, the savings ot the 

 country seem still to be accumulating. Lord Derby 

 has pointed to the increase in the savings banks. 

 That is, doubtless, a most satisfactory point. There 

 is an increase both in the amount deposited by the 

 "'working classes in their savings banks and their friendly 

 societies. Well, then, what other tfsts are there of 

 the prosperity of the country ? There U one which 

 it is impoasiljle to pass by — and that is the question 

 of the consuming powers of the country. Now, with 

 regard to the consuming powers of the country, 

 the stalistics are decidedly satisfactory. We have 

 drunk more tea than in any year before ; we have 

 consumed more sugir, we have couf'unied more wool 

 in our manufantoriefl, we have consumed more cotton 

 in our manufactories, we have enjplnyed more servants, 

 we have taken out as many licences to shoot, we 

 have had as many carriages — in none of the great 

 departments of expenditure, whether touching these 

 working classes or the well-to-do claascs, was there any 

 sign of falling-off in consumption, except iu one, or 

 let me fay, in two. In the consumption of spirits a 

 decline is noticeiible. (Cheers ) We drink now ordy 

 ten glasses of spirits for every 1.3 that we drank in 

 the greatest drinking year, which was the year 1875 

 (cheers), and we have cut off one Ldass out ti ten 

 durinc the last four or five years. In tobncco, idso, there 

 is a vtry slight decrease ; we have cut oil' one pipe or one 

 cigar out of every 3.^>, and that is Bupposed to be due 

 partly to the higher duty,— London limes, June 26th. 



Ohoc-chou Pickle.— The recipe which I have proved 

 to be most trustworthy, is as follows : — " Take 2 lb. of 

 green tomatoes, bruise them, then add two or three medium 

 sixed onions, sliced according to size, and six chillies ; 

 scatter salt over it, letting it stand fifteen hours, then 

 strain away the moisture, and cover the remainder with 

 good vinegar. Bake this in an ovea for oae hour, and 

 then press the pulp into jars. Now take a dessert spoon 

 each ot mustard, pepper, mixed .spice, halt teaspoon each 

 of sugar and cloves, a little cinnamon, and four chillies, 

 adding sufficieut vinegar to make this quite thin. Boil it and 

 pour over contents of jars while boiling hot." Another 

 good recipe under the heading "Tomatoes for pies " may 

 also be acceptible to some of my readers who may have 

 a quantity of green fruit too backward to ripen. Pick 

 the tomatoes green ; scald them and take off the skius. 

 Put them into a preserving pan, and let them boil for 

 half-an-hour. Out them up, and put in 1 lb, of sugar to 

 3 lb. of tomatoes, and let them cook for balf-an-hour 

 longer. Season them with the juice and peel of lemon, 

 and put them away iu jars. These make very good pies 

 in the winter, and resemble gooseberries. — IHanter and 

 Farmer. 



Fiji. — An old Ceylon planter writes : — "I have often 

 regretted having come out here. Planting prospects 

 are poor in the extreme and have been steadily 

 gettmg worse ever siuee I arrived. One just exists, and 

 as for making money, it 's simply at present out of the 

 question. Those who posFess coconut plantations can, 

 by the greatest economy and hard work, supplement- 

 ing by food growing, &c., manage to keep their beads 

 above water. All the others, 1 may say almost with- 

 out exception, are in dibt and likely to remain so 

 unless things take a great changf. Labour is the great 

 bugbear. It is getting scarcer and dearer every year, 

 Polynesians will soon be a thing of the past 

 unless their immigration is facilitated and their 

 cost of introduction greatly reduced. By the 

 paper I see all Mr. VV. Pillini;hain Parr's 

 land is to be sold on account of the mortgagee. 

 I am sorry, as he has been some years out here and 

 has had a hard fight for it all along. This season 

 has passed over without a blow. After the lengthy 

 drouaht everjone predicted a hurricane, but fortun- 

 ately the prophecy turned out wrong. " 



OocoA in Dombaea. — One who has recently been through 

 the district of Dumbara wi'ites to us as follows : — " I was 

 very agreeably surprized to see how well all the Dumbara 

 estates were looking when I visited the tiistrict the other 

 day. All the effects of tielopeltis and tlrought have almost 

 diappeared. I am positive that, had the shade and shelter 

 trees not been ruthlessly cut down, ihe damage done would 

 have ahuost been imperceptible. The only places where it 

 can at present he seen are on ihe ridges ou which atone 

 time many shade trees were planted. I have been told 

 that the late Robt. Tj-tler would not allow his son to 

 plant up Pallekelly with cocoa until the shade trees were 

 well above the ground and would afford shelter to the 

 young plan':s ; and bow wise this was recent events have 

 proved. Rajah wella has, I suppose, suffered the most, be- 

 cause its shade trees were cut down at one fell swoop, 

 whereas those on Pallakelly were mostly " ringed "by the 

 superintendent and remained standing for a much longer 

 time. But planting shade is again being rapidij' proceeded 

 with, though it will be years before all traces of the damage 

 done can be repaired. The blossoms now set all over the 

 valley are most abundant, and Ihe crop to be picked to- 

 wards the end of the year will be heavy. Trees are in 

 splendid condition, this south-west monsoon having suited 

 Dumbara better than any other district. If one could always 

 rely upon such seasons, cocoa planting there woidd pay 

 twice as well as tea any where. Koudasala was looking 

 well as I passed through and Ambecotta is much better 

 than I expected. The liardworkiug manager is doing his 

 utmost to replace the shade and shelter he removed some 

 time ago under the impression that it Avas the best thing 

 for the estaies. Experience has proved the contrary iu 

 a most unmistakable manner and all that can now be 

 done is to wait till the time has replaced what was removed 

 iu grievous error. — Local ,, Times.." 



