5«56 



THE TROPICAL AGRICt/LTURlST. [Fuk i, 1886. 



Iceland Moss Ooioa. — Attention should be direct- 

 ed to the excellent preparation of cocoa in combination 

 with Iceland moss {hiclirn Idandi iis) manufactured 

 by Blessrs. Dunn k Hewrtt. I'tntonville, T,ondou, N. 

 The moss acts not only as a mild tonic — being in 

 itself an easily-digested and nutritious aliment — but 

 also as a neutraliser of any excess of fatty matter 

 which may be in the cocoa itself. It is contended 

 by the makers on high authority that to eliminate 

 the butyraceous matter of the coconut — commonly 

 called cocoa butter — is to deprive it of the constituent 

 upon which tbe chief value of cocoa as an ai-ticle 

 of foot depends. The moss, in assisting the digestion 

 and assimilation of these oily particles, renders 

 cocoa prepared in combination with it a valuable 

 article of diet to those suffering from pulmonary 

 complaints. — Jii-itish Trade Joirnml. 



CoPRA-CDTTiNG. — With reference to the machine in- 

 quired for from Fiji for cutting out the kernels of the 

 coconut for copra-makmg, a firm of machinery 

 manufacturers in Eugland sends us tbe following : — 

 " Coconut husks are stubborn and tough. They can, 

 we believe, be cut down by a powerful lever, with 

 three blades, to rip dowu three sides of the husk 

 at one blow. Then, we think, a vertical saw, with 

 from three to six parallel blades, would slice the 

 coconut into regular rings, and the kernel can then 

 be easily got out. This saw can be worked by foot. 

 The coconuts would be held in a suitable holder, 

 jrorkiug in a groove, so it would not cut the man's 

 hand. Or we would suggest a rapid-striking ham- 

 mer, like a steam-hammer, but worked by foot 

 power, giving, say, 1,500 blows per minute, just 

 hard enough to loosen the outer shell, and then, 

 of course, the kernel can be cut into any required 

 shape, either by a lever-knife or with several blades 

 on one lever, or in fancy shapes by a cutter-punch. 

 Those who make any special tool have a considerable 

 amount of experimenting to do, which is best done 

 on the spot, to see if theory and practice agree. 

 We should require some nuts in about the same con- 

 dition as in Fiji before offering any machine for 

 the piu'pose described.'' — /iritish Trade Journal. 



Tambeacuekky Estates Company (Limited). — Mr. 

 William'Abbott states that " the position and pro- 

 spects of this undertaking have been steadily improving 

 while the shares have fallen during the long period 

 of depression, investors on the look-out for a 

 neglected security being in ignorance of their real 

 value. This Company was originally started as a 

 coffee Company only, and extensive gold reefs arc 

 known to exist upon the property ; but instead of 

 expending all the capital upon ' experimental min- 

 ing,' attention has been mainly directed to the 

 cultivation of coffee and cinchona (quinine). While 

 both tliese important products were steadily grow- 

 ing into value the shares were declining. Until 

 recenl-lj the whole capital of the Company, which 

 had been reduced from ICiO.OOO in .tl shares to 

 £100,000 in fully paid and limited shares of 12s (id 

 each, was selling for .£35,000. This Company owns 

 an estate of G.OOO to 7,000 acres, about '2,000 of 

 which are planted with coffee and cinchona, and 

 to give some idea of the extent of the latter cultiv- 

 ation, the number of cinchona trees planted to 

 date is over 8,000, and these plantings will be 

 extended until they reach 1,000,000 trees. It is 

 expected to realise from these at least 7s lid to 

 lOs per tree, or, at a moderate estimate, £350,000. 

 Apart, however, from this large and valuable area 

 under cultivation, there are the gold deposits in 

 reserve to be utilised later on, should the value 

 of the gold reefs in this district be more clearly 

 demonstrated. This is a sound and lionestly- 

 managed Company. The I>irectors, being all 

 largely interested as shareholders, take only half 

 their foes, preferring to wait for their full re- 

 muneration until the Company is again paying 

 dividends." — Madras Mail. 



How TO Send Oranges from India on Ceylon to 

 EuROPB. — Do each up .separately in paper if possible, 

 thin white paper, then put three of them iuto straw 

 bottli-cnvlopes. forcing the small ends out big i iiough 

 to hold the smaller oranges, &c., fixing all tight in 

 the wooden box. — y. Bugh. 



Mustard and Oress. — As other salad plants he- 

 come .scarce these will bo more wanted, and weekly 

 sowings should be made. We use shallow boxes, 15 

 inches wide and 3 feet in* length, for sowing in at 

 this season. Rich soil is put in to the depth of 2 

 inches or 3 inches, and tbe seed is simply put on the 

 surface and the box placed in a warm house. By 

 sowing one or two boxes a week a constant succes- 

 sion may be kept up, and as a box may be stood 

 here and there in any odd corner the expense of 

 culture is not great. — 'journal of Hortkultart. 



FuMiu.vnON j'OK Insect Tests is thus described in the 

 proceedings of the A. and Horticultural Society of 

 India: — Mr. Claude J. Dumaiue lately suggested that 

 fumigating with Mohwa Oil-cake, if done immediately 

 on the first appearance of Insect Pest-s, while still 

 affecting small areas, might be usefully tried by Tea 

 Planters and others. He was asked to communicate his 

 own experience and writes as follows: — "Koonri Oil-cake 

 is made from the seed of the Mowha (Bassia latifolia) 

 from which the oil has been expressed. I was given 

 to understand that the smoke from it when burned 

 in a house was sure death to all kinds of insecte. 

 This gave me the idea of trying it in the open air. 

 .Some of my Paddy, Eabar, and Moong dall, having 

 been attacked by blights, I gave it a fair trial, which 

 proved a success. I got a number of ordinary /«in(/iVs, 

 and filled them three-ijuarters full with dry cow-dung 

 cake, aud after firing filled up with Koovri Oil-cake, 

 The liandiis were then distributed on the wiurlward 

 side of the affected fields. The wind that day was 

 nominal and the smoke was very great, and I can 

 certify that none of the blights outlived the operation. 

 The plants were in no way affected. I fancy -0 seers 

 might be enough for a sijuare Bengal beegah. The 

 cost of tbe Oil-cake is K4-S a maund delivered at 

 Howrah Station, exclusive of bags, and it is only pro- 

 curable at a certain time of the year. I shall be 

 glad to procure some for any person wishing to give 

 it a trial." 



Pkuninu and Planting Fruit TkkEs. — Mr, O. H. 

 Richards says in the middle of his article on this 

 subject at p. 758 that '■ As to trees planted in 

 good and deep, well-draiued soil, and in favourable 

 localities, very few remarks are necessary as to thi:ir 

 ultim:ite management either in resiiect to pruning 

 root or brauch. Fdirous roots and firm wood well 

 set with Hower-buds will develope simultaneously," 

 adding, "aud only after several years' liarreimess 

 will it be necessary to sever a tew of the strongest 

 roots in onler to restore tlie balance of root and 

 brauch." But why allow an interval of ".several years' 

 barrenness" to elapse before taking steps to "restore 

 the balance of root and branch, and the fertility of 

 the trees"-' By way of supplementing Mr. Kichard.s' 

 remarks, I would advise that corrective measures be 

 takeu as soon as possible after any tree or trees, 

 indicate by scantiuess of crop not attributable to 

 meteorological influences, an unmistakable proof of 

 waning fruitfulness. And the earlier in tbe summer 

 that these remedial measures are carrieil out the 

 better chance will there be of securing a full crop of 

 fruit from the trees opi'rated on tho following year. 

 A trench should be opened on tlio dopib of 3 or 4 

 feet, aud a like distance from tbe trunk of tbe 

 trees more or less, according to the size of the latter- 

 working the soil partly out from nuderneatb the b:dl 

 of earth and roots, aud cutting all tbe latter that 

 the operator comes in coMtact with outside tbe pre- 

 scribed space witli :i sharp knife, afterwards rejilaciiig 

 the soil. The check thus given to the trees will 

 prevent them from making an over-luxuriant growth, 

 but on the contrary it will induce them to make 

 short consolidated wood thickly set with fruit-b'ids. — 

 jj. W. Ward, — Gardtners' Clironicle, 



