August i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



147 



Cocaine, the new ana?sthetic, is a colorless fluid 

 not unlike glycerine. Under its effects a patient at a 

 hospital the other day submitted to the ball of his 

 eye being punctured by a delicate spear-head knife, 

 and in its place a small suction pump inserted, which 

 brought out some pU3 from a sac which the knife had 

 punctured, aud all the while the patient, mentally 

 conscious, chatted pleasantly with the operator, as in- 

 sensible of the operation as though it were being per- 

 formed on his hat band. — Ariierican Cullivator, 



Tea. — The report of the Central Tea Industrys Asoci- 

 ation indicates a disastrous diminution of the pro- 

 duct, this year, and announces that the total yield 

 will not exceed one-half the amount of ordinary sea- 

 sons. The chief causes of the decline are said to be 

 the exceptionally severe winter and spring, and the 

 inability of the ten-growers, — through poverty, — to 

 provide manure and proper protection tor the plants. — 

 Japan Weekly Mail. 



The experiment of Mr. J, 0. Douglas, the naturalist, 

 with imported Itklian bees, has been crowned with 

 complete success. The bees seem to thrive perfectly 

 in Calcutta, and have yielded during the seasou, up 

 to date, eighty pounds of splendid honej'. The 

 honey is taken straight from the centrifugal extractor, 

 and without being strained or manipulated in any 

 way, is pure, cbar, fragrant and delightful to the taste. 

 — Madras Alai/. 



Mexican Coffee. — In Mexico, in the isthmus, on 

 the Banks of the Coatza Coaloos, wild cofi'ee is found 

 in great abundance, the quality of which is said to 

 be superior. It is chaimed by a writer for the 

 Mexican press that the actual cost of raising coffee 

 under favourable circumstances is not less than §8 

 per one hundred pounds. Adding 82 for interest 

 on capital invested, the outlay will be §8. The 

 inaccessibility to market makes the general cost of 

 production average from §10 to §10 to place one 

 hundred pounds in market. — Atncrican Grocer. 



JrxGLE Tea and the True Tea : Differenxe in 

 Serkatlre ofLeaf. — Masks-liya, 9th July. — Anent Mr. 

 Hay's letter on " Jung'.e Tea," the difference between it 

 and the real Simon Pure is that the jungle tea leaf is 

 "seriated" from top to bottom and the real article 

 stops about j of an inch from the bottom of the leaf. 

 This was pointed out to me by a friend who knows 

 a little abuut plants and their habits. Ha also told 

 me the two could not hybridize : their seeds are so 

 different. By the bye I see in your London Letter of a 

 Mr. Gow bringiug out a tea witherer and drier, aud I 

 see in a home paper a ilr. Dick has taken a patent 

 out of a machine for withering and drying tea leaf, 

 and stme one or two planters here are off their food 

 and sleep inventing a witheier ; so we will be well 

 to the front by-and-bye. — Cor. 



Sqcirrels and Helopeltis in Cacao. — Raugala, 

 10th July. — In the T. A. for July, page 4G, you make 

 the following remarks on "Squirrels and their Habits": 

 — "We have seen the palm squirrels at Colombo not 

 only pilfering grain meant for poultry but acluaUij 

 feedirxj on whileanU which had climbed up the root 

 stem of coconut trees, so that the amusing little crial- 

 ure ffems to l>e omnivorous." Now, ie it not just 

 possible that cacao planters have been doing harm by 

 destroying the pretty little things? Perhaps the squirrels 

 were the means of keeping down helopeltis, gobbling 

 up the horrid insects aa they gambolled from twig 

 to twig. 1 would suggest that a few equirn la be shot 

 near spots where helopeltis is bad and the contents 

 of their stomachs bo carefully examined tn find cut 

 if they preyed on the insects. I believe immense 

 numbers of squirrels have been destroyed on cacao 

 plant aliions.* 



* We fear it is beyond question that they are very 

 destructive to young nuts. — Gd. 



Tea.— A Company has been started in London for the 

 sale of Indian tea, a fact, says a London corre- 

 spondent, which will rejoice all those who know how 

 thoroughly superior Indian tea is to Chinese or at 

 least to the Chinese tea that we get in England, and 

 who have experienced the usual difficulty in obtaining 

 pure Indian tea. "Nearly all that is imported has 

 hitherto been bought up by dealers to mix with the 

 Chinese and give it llavoiir. Most of the persons with 

 whom one talks on the subject will say : ' Oh ! but 

 Indian tea requires to be mixed with Chinese before 

 it is drinkable.' There never, of course, was a greater 

 mistake. Had they reversed the proposition, it would 

 have been true enough, for Chinesj tea is hardly 

 drinkable without a certain admixture of Indian. The 

 new company hails from Koymer's in Whitefriars- 

 street. They receive their teas direct from the Kangra 

 Valley, Darjeeling, Assam, Kuraaon, Neilghornes, 

 and Cachar. They are sold here in tins contaiuing 

 five pounds and upwards, at 33 and 2s Gd per lb.— 

 Madras Times, June 10th. 



Mandfacture of Cinchona Alkaloids in Madras. 

 —Hitherto Madras was dependent upon Bengpd for 

 its supply of cinchona alkaloids ; but since the 

 appointment of Mr. Hooper, as Government Quino- 

 logist in Madras, it has been considered desirable that 

 the manufacture should be carried out in the Medical 

 Store Depot. For that purpose Mr. Hooper recently 

 visited theMetli.-al Store Depot, and, after an inspec- 

 tion of the laboratories, found that the appliances 

 there could be adapted to the manufacture of the 

 liquid cinchona on a large scale. The coat of the 

 manufacturo, taking the bark at the rate of the re- 

 cent sales at Madras, and allowing the usual per- 

 centage for fuel, labor, &c., was estimated at Rl-0-9, 

 per fluid pound. This will enable is to be issued at 

 a price some .30 pL-r cent, lower than the febrifuge 

 now obtained from the Gov. rnment factory in Bengal 

 for use in hospitals and dispensaries at this Presidency. 

 Government, we learn, have now directeti Mr. Hooper 

 to arrange at once for the manufacture in Madras 

 of 1,000 lb. of the iiuid extract at 40 grs. to the 

 ounce, and to personally superintoud the operations. 

 He has been asked to arrange, in communication 

 with the Medical Storekeeper, for the association with 

 himself and instruction of a competent person for the 

 immediate superiuteudence of all future operations in 

 Madras. — Madras Times, June 10th. 



The Siluet Tea District.— Arrived at Silhetthe 

 visitor from Calcutta or Dukka will notice a diminished 

 temperature. The hot westerly winds have given place 

 to cool moisture-laden breezes, whilst the mercury 

 stands at a figure some ten degrees less than that 

 he has been accustomed to in Bengal. The approach 

 to Silhet, as seen from the river on a fine day, is 

 striking and pretty. With the great blue barrier of 

 the Khasia Hills looming in the distance, groups of 

 low junglo.clad hilU in the foreground and' near at 

 hand, clusters of the beautiful feathery foliaged 

 bamboo, mingled with the tall slender stems and 

 swaying crests of the graceful botel-uut palm, combine 

 with the bright green stretches of the rice (Icl.ls and 

 sheets of sun lit water, to form a picture worthy of 

 the artist. But to the outer world, Silhet will be 

 known not so much for the picture.squeness of its 

 scenery as for the fact of its being a district in 

 which the cultivation of tea is extending inoro rapidly, 

 ^probably, than in any other part of tlio Indian 

 mpire. Year by year there is an increase of the 

 European community engaged in the industry ; year 

 by yoar Largo tracts of virgiu forests give piaco to 

 tlie neat rows upon rows ot tea bushes, and if, as 

 appears to be the case, the cultivation can be carried 

 on at a cost with which less favourably situated 

 districts cannot compete, then its future shonld bo 

 indeed a prosperous one. — Calcutta ICngliiihman, 



