Feb. 1, 1886.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



545 



THE PEARL OYSTKR. 



TO THE EDITOR 'OF THE •' COLONIES AND INDIA." 



Sir, — ^Vu interestiug article in the Standard of 

 Mouday, Nov. 23, reyarding the iliscovery of great 

 pearl-ojster banks in King .Sound, 'NVestem Australia, 

 induces me to draw attention to the faot that oyster 

 beds, which would seem to be inexhaustible, extend, 

 as far as I heard when in the Uoiony, ahuost con- 

 tinuously along the eastern shores of Southern Africa. 

 As early as 1829 Dr. Alexander Oowie, of Lower Albany, 

 and his friend, Mr. Benjamin Green, who travelled 

 through Kaffraria to Delagoa Bay, where they unfort- 

 uiiatt'ly both died of fever and exhaustion, left a re- 

 cord of the coast being abundantly supplied with oysters 

 of two descriptions; a'ld one place is mentioned, be- 

 tween IJnizimvooboo and the Umzimculu, as being 

 "twenty or thirty miles in extent, which v/&s littralli/ 

 n-liite" with these bivalves. I have two very fine 

 specimens of the pearl oyster shells which were brought 

 to me from Port Elizabeth last year, and which I 

 understood were gathered not far tiorth of that place. 

 There are great quantities of the edible oyster every- 

 where along the coast, and, as mention is made of 

 tiro kinds, the shells which I have doubtless belong 

 to the second variety. 



The Kev. Stephen Kay, an American missionary and 

 explorer, travelled through Kaffirland in 1S25-6, men- 

 tions in his visit to the Chief Daapa that he had 

 seen numbers of oyster shells scattered about the door 

 of the hut. The Kaffirs do not eat fish of any kind, 

 but Daapa's mother, Quma, was a white woman, who 

 had been wrecked on the coast and had been taken 

 by the Chief Daapa's father as his principal wife. 

 There are also, I have been told, great quantities of 

 oysters in and around Delagoa Bay. "Would it not 

 be worth while to inquire whether these immense beds ' 

 consist in a measure of pearl oysters, as, if the in- 

 dustry pays so well in Australia, why should it not 

 do the same in a country so much nearer the Home 

 market, and where labour ought to be plentiful? 

 — I am, kc, M. Caret-Houson. 



I instantly ensue. The same difficulty is experienced 

 when drying them ]ust as the stems are decaying ; 

 the watijr finds it way down the stems and settles 

 in the top, duing the mischief without being dis- 

 covered. In the event of the tubers having been 

 shaken out of soil in the autumn and stored away 

 they should be examined at once, and ascertain if 

 they are sound and plump. If so shallow hoses will 

 be found serviceable for starting them in. In this 

 caso either of the following ways or both may be 

 aiiopted — i.e., place them on coconut fibre or soils 

 and bury onc-hilf thi'ir d<'pth, or employing similar 

 material place the tubers ujiside down, and just cover 

 with soil. By adopting the last-named process there 

 is no fear of water settling in the liollow crown at 

 the top, and, what is more, the summit of thetuber is 

 kept more uniformly moist than where they are par- 

 tially exposed. A more uniform moisture might be 

 maintained were the tubers kept dark till they began 

 to start, when they may by degrees be gradually 

 inured to full light. This is more readily accomplished 

 where there are only a few dozens; where they are 

 in large numbers special attention will bo requisite, 

 and spe.ial quarters also for them. Those placed in 

 boxes with the crown downwards will need looking 

 at in about a fortnight, when the m.ajority will be found 

 to be Irraking freely. These may then be reserved, 

 for new roots soon will be emitted, potting them ac- 

 cortling to their requirements. Exercise forethought 

 at all limes iu the man.agement at starting, and es- 



"pecially so iu watering, for by injudicious watering 

 at this season many hundreds are anmially lost. A 

 temperature of .'>"" to 5.5'' at night, with a rise to 65" 

 by day, will suit them well, and if accompanied by 

 sliglit bottom heat so inucli the better, keeping the 

 atmosphere moist. — J. — Journal of Horticulture, 



TUBEROUS BEGONLVS. 



The time has arrived for agiiin starting Tuberous 

 Begonias into growth, and as their culture is not so 

 generally known as it ought to be, a few plain pract- 

 ical remarks on this particular point might prove 

 of service. The season of rest with the Begonia is 

 practically at an eiul, and those tuber.s that have 

 sccurabed to injudicious management by either re- 

 ceiving too much water or not being sufficiently 

 moist will be easily detected now. Though the Be- 

 gonia can be wintered under conditions similar to 

 the Gloxinia, the former is injured more by extreme 

 dryness than the latter; not that the Begonia prefers 

 moisture when at rest, for such is not the case, as it is 

 natural for them to lose most of these roots annually. A 

 large percentage of annual lo.sses may, however, readily 

 be traced to insufficient care when drying tliein, which, 

 iu many instances is done far too rapidly ; tlie more 

 gradual the drying process the greater the chances 

 of retaining the tubers sound and plump during their 

 season of rest. Presuming the pots to still occupy 

 the pots in which th'-v flowered last- summer, the 

 first thing to be done is to clean off the surface 

 soil so as to bare the tuber, after which crefully re- 

 move the soil so as to form a gradual slope from the 

 apex of the tuber to the inside of the pot, leaving 

 the tuber thos partially exposed in the c<;ntre. This 

 is of great importance until growth has fairly com- 

 menced, when the danger is considerably lesscneil, and 

 water must be given somewhat sparingly. For the 

 first week or two it should be given round the side 

 of the pot, and on no account be allowed to reach 

 the summit of the tuber. Too much importance can- 

 not be attached to this, for at the summit of the 

 tuber, and in the p'isition occupied by the main 

 flowering stem of last year, will be found a large I 

 hollow cro\vn or receptacle; if the watcir gains a j 

 lodgment there and is not detected failure must 

 60 



THE OFFICIAL RED CINCHONA BARK. 



It may be useful as well as interesting to consider 

 the present position vvith regard to cinchona bark for 

 pharmaceutical preparations. 



The British Pharniacopreia, I8S5, directs that all the 

 ollieial preparations shall be made from red cinchona 

 bark, which it describes as occurring " in quills or more 

 or less incurved pieces, coated with the periderm, and 

 v.arying in length from usually .a few iiiches to a foot 

 or more." But for the restriction as to length this 

 description might be held to include shavings of bark 

 as well as what are generally known as quills. When 

 it is ■ considered that shavings, as recently etaterl by 

 jMi'. .Irthn Moss, constitute at least 95 per cent of the 

 total ir]q)orts of red bark into Loudon, the question 

 .'irises. Why is so large a proportion excluded ? It 

 wouUl be interesting to know what form of bark, shav- 

 ings or quill, was used by the operators whose results 

 hive rcciintly enriched (txperimental pharmacy. Pre- 

 suming that the experiments were made with a view 

 of testing the ofiicial process for liquid extract of 

 cinchona, we should conclude that i]uill-bark was 

 operated upon. Due operator, howevor, who removed 

 only 56 percent of the total alkaloids, admitted that he 

 hat! used shavings. IMr. iVIoss, using quill-h.irk, succeeded 

 in remf)ving 88^ p('r ctuit of total alkaloids; and, 

 during his remarks on this subject, iu the course of 

 the recent discussion on the Pharmacoptcia, the sugges- 

 tion was accepted by Professor licdw(>od that the 

 explanation of this dilVerenci; in result was to be found 

 in the difference in the form of bark. 



A hop(^ was indulgivl that Professor Kodwood would 

 have explained mor(! fully tbt^ cimseof the diffiereuce, 

 .and give the meetiiig tin: bcanjfit tpf his l.irgi; experience 

 on this point. He did not, lK»W(^ver, refer to it in his 

 remarks, and the explanation has still to bo found. 

 Professor Kedwood's view, when amplified, we take to 

 mean that red bark occurring iu (piilts is so constituted 

 that when reduced to ]towder and treated with water 

 containing free hydrochloric acid it yields up its alkaloids 

 more ejisily and freely than does red bark occurring 

 in shavings when similarly treated. It is difTieuIt to 

 conceive why this should be so. Suppose a proper 

 tree be selected, and the bark from half the trunk be 



