86a 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June i, 1886. 



dti'p cultivation, after which sutEcieut hoeing should be 

 givi n t- prevent auj- exuberant growth of juiigle. As a 

 rule, if two or three good hoeings are given before 

 August, the trouble and expense of Iteeping down 

 jungle becomes infinitely less. It is not in every plant- 

 er's power to regulate his cidtivation, but it. is very 

 possible that nuiuy planters in their anxiety to extend 

 their area in the cold weather very often neglect cold 

 weather cultivation, and go on extending and allow 

 their old garden to get a little dirty. They are tkus 

 never able to catch np the jiinglo and frequently lose 

 a good deal in outturn. An idea is prevalent that 

 pruning and cold weather hoeing should go on side by 

 side; those who follow this course are not likely to 

 regret having done so. Cultivation in a large measure 

 dcterniiius the character of the flush, whether it will 

 be weakly, or a good healthy vigorous one likely to go 

 on increasing throughout the season. Some planters 

 are of opinion that deeji cultivation in the cold weather 

 causes great evaporation of moisture, but provided the 

 soil is well pulverised this will not happen. Again. 

 some are of ojiiidon that a great wastage of .soil t.akes 

 place on teelah land from deep cultivation, this is, 

 however, due more to frei|uent light hoeing than deep 

 cultivation. In fact, if deep hoeing is not resorted to 

 on teelah lands the wastage is something marvellous. 

 In the heavy downpours that occur iu .\ssam at the 

 first burst of the rains, if the hoe is only put in say 

 three or four inches, the result is, that the hard sub-soil 

 does not freely absorb the water, and the consequence 

 is that the loose soil .-diove saturated with rain simply 

 slides down to the foot of the teelahs. * The deeper 

 and looser the cold weather cultivation on the teelahs 

 the greater the jjrotection from wash. AVhen the soil is, 

 thoroughly loosened to a depth of HI to 12 inches the 

 rainfall iiercolates through it and descj^nds gradually 

 to the bottom of the teelah, taking very little soil with 

 it. t>f course, in most teelah gardens, terraces .are 

 reeogniseil as the correct system of, what may be called, 

 surlace drainage, and if terraees are establisheil then 

 any depth of cultivation can be imlulged in.— Indian 



FluiiUrs' GazeiU. 



^ 



METHOD OF PEESEBVINO TIMBER IN JAPAN. 



Now that we are getting tea bo.xes from Japan, the 

 following extract from the Journul of lorcHnj will be 

 interesting :— Be it noted, then, that the Japanese use 

 only wood previously preserved as follows ;— 



PKESER\AT10N PROCESS APPLIED TO TIMBEH STOH E. 



At a distance of 20 or .30 chos (1 cho=about 120 

 yards) from the sea, and near the mouth of a stream, 

 a large pond is dug, so that the sea may have free 

 access to it. This is called Kakoitori (or storing pond). 

 Its size is not fixed, but generally it contiins an 

 area of 14,000 or 15,000 tenbos (1 tenbo=about 3(> 

 square feet), and its owner keeps his office near by, so 

 that he may transact his business on the spot. The 

 circumference of the pond is built of stone or wooden 

 walls, and a canal is dug on one side to communicate 

 with the river and thence with the sea; the How of 

 (he tide being regulated by means of a sluice. The 

 |TOnd should not he deeper than 5 feet in the central 

 parts at full lileand not shadower than 2 fectin the 

 innrKin at ebb lide. The right jiroportion ot .<!alt and 

 fre.>.h Water for the pond is (j parts of the former 

 to 4 of the latter j for if the salt water exceeds this 

 proportion, timber becomes blackish in colour, and 

 is liable to be much eaten by Worms; if, on the 

 other hand, the proportion of oalt Water becomes 

 less, it is much sooner decayed than otherwise. The 

 Velocity of the How of tide should also be very 

 carefully legulated. for if the current is either too 

 tapid or too slow, timber is again very liable to be 

 luucb injured by worms. Hence, in those places where 

 there are two or three ponds near one another, their 

 mvner generally amalgamates them, on agreement, by 

 toeans of small canals, which arrangement regulates 

 the How of tide very considerably. Timber for storing 

 is usuallv piled in five layers according to its quality; 

 the lowest layer consistiug of midd le-class timber ; 



' * Steep lands.- Kd, 



the next layer of first-class timber, the next layer above 

 again of middle-class timber ; the next layer of third- 

 class timber ; whilst the uppermost layer, which is 

 usually exposed above the surface of the water, 

 consists of very low quality, and by its weight the 

 lower four layers are kept sunk under water. Those 

 five layers are piled one upon another alternately at 

 right angles, so that the whole arrsngemeut presents 

 the appearance of a toothed cube. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, the pile consists of only tjo or three layers; 

 in that case they arc tied to a big timber (about 12 

 to ir> feet in length, and 7 or 8 inches in diameter) 

 standing near by, anil are thus prevented from floating 

 about freely ; sometimes also one or two separate 

 pieces of different kinds of timber are kept in the 

 pond for specimens. The durability of timber depends 

 greatly on the amount of car<^ bestowed on it, and 

 to this end the washing is the most important. Twice 

 in a year, generally in June or November, the cubi- 

 cal mass of timber above described is disengaged, 

 and each piece is well veashed by means of a straw 

 brush. The different pieces are then reconstructed 

 in a cube, but with the following alteration in the 

 arrangement; the middle-class timber which before 

 constituted the third layer, now forms the lowest 

 layer, and the middle-class timber which in the for- 

 mer case was at the very bottom, now occupies the 

 third layer. If washing caunot be done twice a year, 

 it must be performed once a year at least. In the 

 following table are shown (in the first column) the 

 names of ditTerent kinds of timber, in the second 

 column the nvunber of years for which they may 

 be preserved in the timber store, and in the third 

 column the period at which they are beat adopted 



'" "^"^ - 1. 11. III. 



Hinokai (Tlmiia ohtusa), ... for 8 after 3 

 Mut-ionoTMomHAbiexfrnia),... ,, 4 „ 1'5 

 Sugi {Oryjilumcria ■Uifmnica),... „ 5 „ 2 

 Tsuga (Tsiiga SieholO.ii), ... „ <) „ - 



Hiba {T!iu/a ilotohrata), ... „ 8 „ 3 

 Tawara i,Thu/a pisifera), ... „ 8 „ _3 

 Keyaki {Zelkoim Kti/aki), ... „ 8 „ « 

 Kashi, „ „ - ■, W >. 4 



(The number of years is calculated from the day 

 of felling, and the time which is s|)ent before timber 

 comes to the store is reckoned to be one year.) 



A pond of 15,000 tembo in area can, on the average, 



store up about 10,000 pieces of timber. They are of 



various lengths, as the following table shows:— 



Lengths of timber (in kens), 2, 3, 2-.5, 4, 3-5, 4-5, 5, 6 



Percentage number, ... 50,20,10, 5. 1 U, 5,p. ct 



Thus one-half of the whole timber in the pond is 



ot 2 kens in length, one-fifth is of 3 kens in length, 



etc. (1 ken=2 yards.) 



At ordinary times, only three or four men are 

 employed, who.se daily wage is 35 to 45 kus (?), but 

 at the washing season 15 men are employed daily 

 for a period of about half a month. 



MUSHROOMS. 

 The conditi^'UR mo«t favourable for the produc'ion 

 of fungi are warm showers descending on H heat«d 

 surface; these conditions e.sist in a pre-eminent degree 

 just now on the Nilgiris. The spring was unusually 

 prolonged, and proportionately hot and dry. Rain 

 in April and May held oft mo.st unaccountably, or 

 only descended in very slight showers, and the south- 

 west mou.«oon. accordingly, burst npou the hot soil, 

 abnormallv quickening vegetable life, more especially 

 that of a' fungoid character. Mushrooms have sprung 

 up in great abundance everywhere, and are gatbefed 

 and carrij'd about the stations for sale. Levers of 

 the esculent look forward to indulging to their heart's 

 content in their favorite vegetable, which is deservedly 

 popular, as an article of food, for delicacy of flavour, 

 and tisjhly nutritive iiualitie.s. But as the order of 

 fungi his many poisonous varieties, which, to an inex- 

 erii;nced eye, appear not to c'ilfer materially from 

 the wholesome sorts, some caution is necessary before 

 partaking of a lu.xury of "eh uncertsiu qualities 



