86 



" nut, and traiispurtc'd a distance of 4 miles, in an hour and a 

 '" «|uarer. witliout oiu-e takinoj it off' his hea<l." 



Signed: (iKonoi: Alex. Stevkxs, CorisuL 



One would he inclined to helieve tliat the pliilosophie's stone,, 

 or should I say the philosopher's nut, has at last been found, and 

 some of the tribes of far inland African appear to think so, for it 

 is said that the drv powder of the Cola nut is there sold for its 

 weight in gold dust. 



Any one wishing to form an idea of tlie physiological action 

 of Cola on the nervous system, on the digestive organs, on the 

 heart and on the muscular system, will read with j^rofit the ex- 

 haustive study thereon l)y Doctor G. W. Barr (Therapeutic Gazette 

 1S!)()) which is given at some length in Chevalier and Perrot's 

 work. 



Conclusions. 



The conclusions whicli T would draw from the fore-going notes^ 



on Cola, are the following: 



1st. Xine of the Cola trees growing in the Economic Gardens 

 belong to the species ' Cola nitida; which is recognised as 

 the best. 



2nd. Although the crop just ol)tained is a small one, there is reason 

 to hope for larger yields in the future. 



3rd. Fresh nuts offer very great advantages, for making Cola ex- 

 tract, over dried nuts such as are perforce used in Europe.. 



■ith. The Cola tree is not refractory to cultural treatment, and, 

 under systematic cultivation, and fair conditions, yields of 

 nuts can be looked forward to in a period of five years. 



5th. For the present, the outlook of Cola cultivation in these 

 countries, is limited, but native consumption might, con- 

 ceivably, gradually create a very large demand: the spread 

 of the use of the Cola nut through northern Mussulman 

 countries tends to show that possibilities exist that way. 



6th. Personal trials over a period of two montlis of the nut under 

 various forms, have convinced the writer that the nut, as 

 produced here, loses little, if at all, of the stimulating 

 properties of the African product. As was shown in the 

 body of this pa])er, its Caflfeine content is as high as that 

 of the African nut. 



E. Mathieu. 



SOME CULTIVATED YAMS FROM AFRICA, AND 

 ELSEWHERE. 



The purpose of this note is to illustrate some unfamiliar culti- 

 vated Dioscoreas, namely : — 



1. the white or eight months Guinea Yam. 



2. the yellow or twelve months Guinea Yam, — D. caj/-- 



enensis, Lamk. 



