30 



•THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[Dec. I, 1885. 



KUCALYPTDS GlOBULTJS IN FiOWER IN SCOTLAND. — 



Mr. Dunn, of the Dalkeith Gardeu-s, kindly forwards 

 a branch of this in iiower with the following note : — 

 *' The plant, or tree, was raised from seed I received 

 from Melbourne, Australia, in 1870, and sowu in 

 the early spring of 18S0, and grown under glass 

 for two years. In 18S2, when about .5 or 6 feet 

 high, it was planted out, in the month of June, in 

 the middle of a Kose bed in a sheltered spot in 

 the grounds, where it has grown freely and uninjured 

 since. It began to show its adult leaves last season, 

 and on the branches on which they were borne 

 the llower-buds appeared in Blay this year. The 

 first fiowers opened on the ICth inst., and they are 

 now opening freely, and present rather a striking 

 appearance on the young tree. The tree is about 

 18 feet high, and the flowers are produced on the 

 branches trom the middle upwards. I am not 

 aware that it has flowered out-of-doors in Scotland 

 previously. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Tea from Jamaica.— What a Colonial botanist 

 can do to stimulate flagging industry and develop 

 new resources is well exemplified by Mr. D. Morris, 

 the Director of the Botanical Department, Jamaica. 

 "We have before us the broker's report on the first 

 commercial sample of Jamaica-grown Tea, sent into the 

 market mainly through the energy and forethought of 

 Mr. Blorris : — " A\^e have carefully examined the sauiple 

 of Tea, and now beg to hand you our report on it. The 

 leaf is very fairly made, though if intended for our 

 market we think it would be well if the slight 

 glazy appearance it possesses could be avoided. After 

 infusion the leaf is liriglit, indicating good quality 

 and careful preparation ; while the liquor has fair 

 strength and good flavour, combining to a great 

 extent the peculiar characteristics of a fine China 

 black leaf, and a Oeylon Pekoe Souchong. AVe consider 

 the value of the Tea here to be from Is, 6d, to 

 Is. 8d. per pound (in bond), and if yuu could send 

 a fair-sized parcel, no doubt it would meet a good 

 reception from London buyers. If at any time we 

 can furnish you with information, or assist the de- 

 velopment of the Tea industry in your island, we 

 shall have much pleasure iu so doing. ^Ve beg in 

 the meantime to be permitted to congratulate you 

 upon the specimen of the manufactured article you 

 have now sent us, — (Signed) Geo ^ymTE & Oo." — 

 Gardeiie's' Chrouicle. 



BAJinoo. — In Burma, as in most tropical countries, 

 the Bamboo is in great demand, and to the mass 

 of the people is invaluale. Of Bamboo alone a com- 

 plete and comfortable house, absolutely proof against 

 the troijical downpour of rain, can be erected in an 

 incredibly short .space of time. A roof made of large 

 Bamboos split in half, and laid over and under, 

 like tiles, is absoluti'ly waterproof. The drawback, 

 however, of Bamboo as a house material is that it 

 lasts but a few years, and is, of course, simply swept 

 away by fire ; but to a native of a country abounding 

 ill Bamboos, from which iu three days he can re- 

 construct his dwelling, this is a trifle. Other every- 

 day uses are scaffolding, bridging, fencing, and de- 

 coration—carts, boats, fittings, malting and donn^stic 

 Htpnoils, and a variety ot indufitiial and economic 

 purposes too numerous to detail. A fine mat of 

 split Bsmbw forme the basis of the exquisite Burma 

 boxes, the one industrial specialty of I'ppt-r Burma. 

 The younj shootn of Bainb,jn« are edible, ami pickled 

 by the Chinese, wlitl.it (be softer wooded species 

 .Vield a highly l)i-oinising inatriial for the manufacture 

 of paper, .'■ilira is contiiiiied ill l.-irgc ((uanfity in 

 both the leaves and "tern of Bamboos, and in held 

 in solution in the Huid contained in the growing 

 etems of many species. This fluid is often limpid, 

 but as it dries u]) it become^ millty, and finally 

 deposits a cake of gelatinous opaline .silica at tho 

 tiottom of the .loinf. known as " (.abasheer," piisse-is- 

 lug curious o)>ticid propcrli(^s. These little discs of 

 " taliHsheer " may often bo picked up in a bamboo 

 forest after the bamb which yielded it has decayed ; 

 H11.I when a bamboo forest has been destroyed by 

 »,- tb.'.se white calcined di.scs form quite a feature j 



Vegetarianism. — Professor Gubler, iu his recent 

 researches as to the cau.ses of cretaceous degeneration 

 of the arteries, has made the very interesting dk- 

 covery that a principal cause lies iu a vegetable 

 diet, and thus explains the frequency of cretaceous 

 arteries among the French rural population at the 

 early age of forty. This is the more iniportaut, 

 because it is well understood that "a man is as old 

 as his arteries," nud that chalky degeiuratiou of the 

 arteries is the most fatal kind of premature ageing. 

 Further proof he finds iu the fact that the Trap- 

 pists, who live exclusively on vegetable food, very 

 soon show arterial degeneration. In districts where 

 chalky soils load the drinkiug-wafer with earthy 

 salts a vegetable diet acts more rapidly in all'ecting 

 the arteries than regions of siliceous formation. — 

 Bi-itiAli Jledical Journal, 



To Keep Down Worms in Pots.— There are few 

 who have gardens and pliints in pots who do not 

 require at some time or other to place the pots 

 out upon the ground — perhaps iu the shade during 

 summer, or plungid in ashes in winter. "Worms 

 in such cases,'' writes a correspondent of a garden- 

 ing contemporary, "are often troublesome, and to 

 keep them from entering pots is a desideratum. 

 Having during the past winter, to set a large 

 quantity of plauts iu small pots in a frame placed 

 on the ground, I first levelled and flattened down 

 the soil, and then strewed all over it fine slaked lime 

 to the thickness of about a qu.arter of an inch ; 

 over this again was placed half an inch of fine 

 ashes, and on this bed the pots were placed. As a 

 result, although three months have elapsed, not a 

 worm has given sign of its presence iu any of the 

 pots, aud I feel that the plan has proved entirely 

 successful." — Indian Gardener. 



Oompbessed Teak for Loom Shuttles. — A corre- 

 spondent in the Garden states that the increase in 

 the price ot Box-wood, largely used iu the manu- 

 facture of loom shuttles, has directed attention to 

 the possibility ot producing some cheaper material 

 equally suitable. It has been found that compressed 

 Teak will answer the purpose, aud a powerful hy- 

 draulic press has just been made by Sir Joseph 

 AVhitworth of Manchester for Mr. Eobert Pickles 

 of Burnley, to be used in compressing this class of 

 timber for the manufacture of loom shuttles. The 

 press consists of a strong cast iron top and bottom 

 steel cylinder, with a large ram. In the centre of 

 this ram is fitted a smaller one, with a rectangular 

 head fitting into a die which is placed on the top 

 of the large ram. The timber is put into this die 

 and a pressure of 14 tons per square inch applied. 

 The timber thus treated is made verj' dense, uuiform, 

 and close grained, and is capable of taking a very 

 high finish. — Indian Gardenrr. [Query; — whether sutiii- 

 wood, thus compressed, would not be equal to box for 

 wood engraving. — Ed.] 



PiiOKMiUM Tenax and othek Plants in Scotla.vd, 

 — The finest plant of Now Zealand Flax in this dis- 

 trict is growing in the garden of Mr. Wm. Walker, 

 Strathkiness, Some of the leaves aro nearly 8 feet 

 in length. At present there are two flower-steuis, 

 the tadest of which is feet. This bears e dozen 

 trusses of deep crimson flowers. (I kuow of one 

 catalogue and one dictionary in which white is given 

 as the colour.) Note was tiik'-u of the rale ot 

 growth, when at its quickest. This was found to 

 be 2j( ioehfcs in 24 hours — Ij during the day, aud 

 \ ini-h during the night. The soil is strong loam, 

 and there is Itut little shelter. This plant, which 

 hns flowered twice beforcj is a peeilliog froiu seed 

 ripened iu the open air by I^r. Traill, Orkney. In 

 the snmc plot is a &ne eSample of Veronica Tr»- 

 Ver.'ii, t feet in height, 5 feet acros.s, and completely 

 covered with bloom. In a small cool greeuhouso, 

 amongst luxuriant native iiiid hardier ev.otie Ferns, 

 is an Adiautum pedatum, with stems ^11 inches in 

 length, and leaves almost L' feet from tip to tip.-- 

 J. W., St. Andrews, N.B. [The usual colour of 

 I'hormtum temix is orange.— Ed.J— Oafi/£wr<' Chi'onielc, 



