6l2 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1886. 



little if at all inferior to the peat, which is obtained 

 from the bogs of Eogland, Scotland or Ireland. But 

 of this good quality (here is, so tor as my investigations 

 have gone, a very limited quantity. 



HOW TO TEACH HORTICULTURE. 



" What has he dime ') " was the criterion of the great 

 Napoleon when the merits of a great unknown general 

 were laid before him. When much theory is being 

 talked and written about the lii^'lier forestry teaching, 

 it may be interesting to know what Professor Lazen''y, 

 of the State Tniversity, Ohio, has done in the Horti- 

 cultural Department of which he is in charge. Observ- 

 ation and practice are required to supplement and 

 emphasize the instruction of the class-ruoni. 



Th.i t'ollowiug is a brief sumnin-y of the means 

 of illustration and instruction at thu disposal of 

 stuueuts; — 



1. A mu.seum, cotaiuing specimens of nearly every 

 plant found in the State, and fairly representing the 

 flora of the United States, A large collection of grasses, 

 seeds of wt-eds and various economic products of the 

 Vegetable kuigdom. 



2. An orchard, contaming numerous well-selected 

 vaiieti.-s of tbis apple, pe;iv, cherry, plum, and quince. 



3. A garden of small fruits, "containing nearly all 

 the gouil varieti es of the strawberry, raspberry, black- 

 berry, currant, and goaseberry. 



4. A vegetable g irden, with hot-beds, cold frames, 

 exp'-rirnent plots, conveniences for irrigation, etc. 



5. .Var.s;ry uid ' » e^r tre>:;-plantatioii, with praclico 

 rows, budding, grafting, pruning etc. 



('•. Oi'niim,-nt:il ^roaiids, pi inted with a large variety 

 of ever-gieens and di-eiduous trees and shrubs. 



7. A well-ljuilt and convfuiantly-airanged green- 

 house, fui nislied with a good collection of native and 

 exotc plants. 



In America, compact teaching power seems preferred 

 to that va'^ue grasp after the unapproachably magni- 

 ficent so wi 11 known in British Universities. — Journal 

 of Forntry. 



♦ 



OEAMGES IN PALESTINE. 



Consul Merrill, of Jerusalem, states, in his last report 

 ou f'uit cultivation in Palestine, that the oiange groves 

 in that country are confined chiefly to Jatfa and Gaza, 

 and are situated near the sea coast. The trees appear 

 to tloui ish best near the sea, the beach sand mingled 

 wiih alluvial soil being best adapted to their growth. 

 There are, in Jaffa alone, no less than 5(X) different 

 g'rdens, containing, altogether, about 8Uo,000 trees, 

 both large and small. Of these gardens, 150 are ranked 

 as fir>' -class, while the others are ranketl as second and 

 thi d rate in size and pri>duction. The trees are planted 

 about 15 feet apart, although there is no regularity or 

 exactness on the part of the natives in planting them. 

 In July or August, cuttings are made from the sweet 

 lemon trees each about 18 inches long, and these are 

 planted in beds and watered twice a day. They grow 

 rapiiUy and in the second year they are buddetl. When 

 the bud has taken, the lemon .stalk is cut off, a few 

 inches above the bud, and the new shoots begin to 

 bear in the third or fourth year. The trees continue 

 bearing for twenty or thirty years. During the summer 

 every tree is watered once a week, and in some cultiv- 

 ations it is a rule to water the trees every fifth day. 

 Water is brought to the surface from a depth of 

 tweiity-five or thirty feet, by means of horse power, j 

 the owner of the garden employing for this work horses, i 

 donkeyii, or camels. The cost ot" irrigation, with which 

 it is customary to reckon the other expenses that are 

 necessary to keep the ground in order, is estimated 

 at about one-fith of the value »f the crop in gardens 

 of the first cla.ss, while in the inf< iior,!;ari'eusitaniounts 

 to one-third, and sometimes one-half of the vahif of 

 the crop. The orange trees in l'ale^lille ilo not suH'er 

 from any noxious insects, fungus growth, or diseases 

 ot any kind, and both the climate and soil are admirably 

 adapted to produce healihy trees. In planting, the 

 ground between the trees is generally cultivated, small 



fruits, or vegetables being grown where the branches of 

 the tree? do not touch each other. Interspersed among 

 the orange trees are frequently seen palm trees, bananas, 

 the apple, peach, plum, pear, apricot, or fig, and 

 occasionally the mulberry and sycamore. The average 

 cost to the producer of 1,000 oranges is estimated to 

 be about 2Is., and capital invested in orange gardens 

 is expected to return between 12 and 15 per cent. 

 For 1,000 oranges it is customary to reckon 1,500, so 

 that after they are assorted, the purchaser will have, 

 out of 1,500, 1,000 that are fit for exportation. They 

 are con.signed in large quantities to Europe, and among 

 the different markets, that of Odessa is becoming the 

 most important for Jaffa oranges. Thousands of boxes 

 are also annually sent to London. Consul Merrill 

 says that besides the Jatfa orange proper, which is the 

 only description exported, and is of oval or lemom 

 shape, and very large, there is another kind cultivated 

 in Pab-stine. This grows upon trees that are grown 

 directly from the seed of the orange, without budding 

 or grafting. They are small, and of inferior quality, 

 and are all consumed at home.— Join aal of Ihf Societi/ 

 of Art.t. 



nto the 

 serve to 



EUCALYPTUS PRODUCTS. 



The introduction of the oil of eucaKptus 

 new British Pharmacopasia will doubile.ss 

 direct attention to the products of this important 

 genus of trees. The classical monograph of the genus 

 by Sir F. von Mueller, ot which ten decaiies are now 

 before the public, contains a large amount of inter- 

 es'iiig and valuable information concerning both the 

 oils of eucalyptus and the "kiuo" or inspissated 

 juice yielded by many of the species. This information 

 is, however, scattered throughout the body of the 

 work, and the absence of a general index renders it 

 by no means an easy task to piece it together. It 

 may therefore save some time aud trouble if a brief 

 summary of the more interesting facts concerning 

 these pharmaceutical products are presented in a 

 connected from in these pages. 



Encali/ptuH Oil. — In a genus, of which the members 

 ao closely resemble one another that it is no easy 

 matter to identify any given species, it might be 

 imagined that the products would not vary to any 

 great extent. This, however, is not the case, for not 

 only do the volatile oils differ in specific gravity, hut 

 in flavour, and in the yield afforded by different species. 

 The oil of A. piperita and K. hitma.-itoiiia have a 

 peppermint odour, that of E. litrioiloni a citron odour, 

 and that of K. Staiyeriaaa exactly resembles oil of 

 verbena. 



The percentage of oil in the different species will be 

 readily seen from the following table, as given by 

 Mr. Bosisto and Mr. Nitschke, as obtained from l.dOO 

 lb of about equal proportions of fresh leaves and 

 twigs : — 



E. amygdalina 



E. oleosa 



E. leucoxylon 



E. goniocalyx 



E. iucrassafa (dumova) . 



E. globulus ... 



E. oilorata ... ... ... ... — ll:i 



E' obliqua 60 — 



E. uncinata — 69 



E. gracilis — 51J 



E. rostrata 15 — 



E. melliodora ... 7 — 



E. viminalis ... ... ... ... 7 — 



The difference in yield of £. oUosa obtnined by 

 Mr. Nitschke probably depends upon the fact that 

 the {piantity obtninable varies according to the time 

 of y-'ar at wiiidi the leaves are distilled. 1\. oleosa 

 giv( s at one time *nily L' pints auo at others as much 

 ,as 1 gallon o.' v.ilatile oil per tou of leaves. In summer, 

 when the soil is hsrd and dry, it yields but little oil; 

 but in winter, when the moistened earth permits of 

 more vigorous vegetation aud development, the per- 



... — 140 



... 120 ■- 



