386 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Dec. I, 1885. 



CE LLl'LOID. 



The application.s of celluloid are legion, and only 

 the more prominent can now be mentioned. It is 

 best known as a substitute for ivory. In Ibis cap- 

 acity it has been very successfully employed. So 

 perfect is the resemblance that a close inspection is 

 required to distinguish the counterfeit from the 

 genuine. The absence of *' grain" is, perhaps, tlie 

 readiest peculiarity by which celluloid goods may be 

 detected, but for all practical purposes it is not 

 only as good as ivory, but, in some respects, better 

 than that material. It possesses the strength and 

 elasticity of ivory, but it does not warp or discolour 

 with age. On these accounts it is now largely 

 used instead of ivory in making piano and organ 

 keys, and billiard balls, combs, backs of brushes 

 and h.and mirrors, frames, handles, &c. Not the 

 least of its advantages is the fact that it can be 

 niouldeil so that the most delicate and elaborate 

 decoration can be produced at a fraction of the 

 cost of the same ornamentation executed in ivory. 

 For most purposes hard rubber, on account of its 

 cheaimess. can hol<l its own against celluloid very 

 well ; but trotoise-sbell, malachite, amber, pink coral 

 and other costly and elegant materials are so success- 

 fully imitated that an e.\pert must look sharply 

 to tell the original from the copy. In imitation of 

 tortoise-shell it is made in such articles as combs, 

 card cases, cigar cases, match boxes, napkin rings, 

 &c. The pink coral, so popular for jewellery, is ad- 

 mirably imitated and sold at low prices, as are also 

 the imitation of malachite and amb(,-r. It is a very 

 common substitute for tLc last-named material in 

 the mouthpieces of pipes, cigar holders, &c. As a 

 substitute for porcelain in dolls' beads, celluloid stands 

 any amount of hard usage. It is used instead of 

 hard rubber in many spectacle and eyeglaass 

 frames ; and also for shoe tips, emoi-y wheels, 

 knife sharpeners, &c. In combination with lineUj 

 cotton, or paper, it is manufactured into shirt bosoms, 

 cuffs, and collars, which are at once elastic, strong 

 and durable, anil wbfii soiled only need to be wiped 

 over with a damj) .sponge to restore them to their 

 orginal lustre. — Iiidiaruhber and Giitlaperiha Joui-nul. 



UIUNGE CULTUEE AND SOIL. 

 Corre-spondents have written to us respecting the 

 analysis of soil suited for orange trees in our issue 

 of ilth instant, saying tlKit it was tantamount to 

 pure siiic;i, in which nothing will grow; also point- 

 ing out an error in the fayures, making the sum 

 total 104 instead of 100. This error arose through 

 the quantity of coarse sand being printed 78 parts 

 iusteatl of 74 parts, but it makes no dilference to 

 the assertion that such soil must be almost pure 

 silica, and consequently as barren as soil can be. 

 Nevertheless the fact is as stated in our issue. It 

 is a fair analysis of the soil of the celebrated orangery 

 belonging to the late Mr. Pye, of the Parianiatta 

 Kiver. Of course it must be imderstood that we 

 state this upon the authority of the work from 

 which we quoted the analysis, and which we again 

 mention to be a book published by the authority 

 of the New Zealand (Jovernment, and entitled 

 "Orange Culture in New Zealand." by Geo. E. 

 Alderton. In writing of this matter the author 

 (iays (1 age 17);— "In Australia, Sir. Pye, the oldest 

 orange iiianter, finds that a suitable soil, well takea 

 care of iind lu'pt free from weeds, is all that is 

 heeded ; and j'ays further that artificial stimulants 

 iiidy spoil the fruit. And one thing is very certain, 

 that there can be very Utile organic matter in his 

 light sandy soil ; the mulch of forest leaves he uses 

 supplying the sole vegetable matter for his fine 

 trues. In another place it will be seen by the 

 anil lysis made of Iiis soil by Mr. Skey. of the Well- 

 ington Museum, that it consists of nearly pure sand. 

 Nevertheless, I feel that most iieople will persist 

 that they know better, niid will go on using strong j 

 manures, to the great detriment of the industry, j 

 ,i"y oue who will study the matter closely will fi'jd 1 



that the orange tree succeeds best not so much 

 from any inherent fertility of the soil as from an 

 abundance of moi,sture and heat; in fact, it lives on 

 the heated humidity of the atmosphere." Om- readers 

 ^ nuist not argue from this that thev can plant 

 orange trees in sand and get good crops without 

 fui-ther trouble, but that if they possess sandy soil 

 and heat and moisture, then by keeping it free from 

 weeds and applying annually a' light dressing of or- 

 ganic matter in the. form of mulching— old forest 

 leaves for instance— then they may e.xpect to get 

 the best of oranges.— Qiiemdandei: 



EUCALYPTUS. 



You publish from time to time in the Gm-deners' 

 Chronicle notes on Eucalyptus, which greatly interest 

 me. I have not only studied the numerous species, 

 but I also interest myself in propagating them wher- 

 ever there is a chance of success. This explains the 

 interest that I have in reading in your journal of 

 the attempts that are made in England. The greater 

 part of the experimenters only work with E. globulus, 

 which is not the one th.at succeeds best in Northern 

 climes. There are species much more hardy, such as, 

 for example, E. viminaHs, E. Gunnii, E. poiyauthema, 

 E. coriacea, and E. coceifera. It is believed, more- 

 over, that E. globulus is the quickest grower, and 

 certainly it is clas.sic under this head; but I possess 

 another undetermined species which grows at least 

 twice as quickly. My tree at the present time, five 

 and a-half years old since the sowing of the seed, 

 is over 12 metres (more than 37 feet) in height, and 

 more than 1 m. in circumference at the base. It 

 is a very handsome tree, and of regular pyramidal 

 form. _ Moreover, it is about to flower, and probably 

 will yield seeds; so that the species may lie pro- 

 pagated. I have reason to believe that this remark- 

 able tree has not yet been described or recognised 

 among other species of similar appearance, for here 

 the confusion of species is easy and frequent when 

 there has been no opportunity of examining the young 

 plants. If it is really new — and that is extremely 

 probable— I will publish it under the name of E. 

 Muellcri to commemorate the labours of the great 

 Australian Eucalyptographer, who has contributed more 

 than any one else to the propagation of Eucalyptus 

 in the South of Europe and Algeria. The services 

 which he has rendered us are iuestimable, although 

 the public is too prone to forget them. It is an in- 

 justice to be repaireil. The Gunlc nri-/ Chioiiicli: has 

 frequently noticed the ICiicah/jitoi/mjjIiio, which con- 

 tains a detailed description of a hundred .species. To 

 properly understand the difficulty of such a work it 

 is necessary to be occupied specially with Eucalyptus, 

 the incredible variability of which seems to defy the 

 perspicacity of the most skilled botanists. Bentham 

 himself, with the information supplied to him by F. 

 Blueller, declared this difficulty "almost insuperable," 

 and this assertion is not exaggerated. I have now 

 hundreds of young Eucalyptus obtained from seeds, 

 where individuals vary from germination to such an 

 extent as not to be recognisable. It is said that the 

 same species take different characters according to 

 the locality whence the seeds are collected, and the 

 (luestion is presented, "Are there truly fixed species 

 iu the genus Eucalyptus?'' Acacia aiid Melaleuca 

 seem to mo every bit as difficult to unravel, but that is 

 a matter I leave to others.— Cli. N.vuDijj,— Co/UeHCT**' 

 Chrotiit'h. 



DisiNiKCTANTS.— A gfeat deal of disappointment 

 may be experienced if people do not realize ihat 

 deodorizing .snbslnnces, and even anlisejitics like green 

 vitriol, are not true disinfectants. Tiiey have their 

 advantage in removing evil odour, or checking pu I re- 

 faction, but they do not necessarily kill the germs 

 on whose life and activity many "epi.lenuc diseases 

 depend. Destruction by fire of infiited m.-itcrial, and, 

 where that is not pr.icticable. chloride of lime is the 

 best germicide for geueral use, — Gardeners' Chreniele, 



