May 22, 1878. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



417 



part of the nut left after the successive additions and abstrac- 

 tions of water was nearly tasteless and completely devoid of 

 all bitterness, and showed a resemblance in chemical compo- 

 sition to the insoluble part of hazel nuts. 



The competence of either of the processes used by the 

 Maories (baking or washing), in the preparation of the nut, 

 for the decomposition or removal of the bitter part of it being 

 thus shown, it naturally occurred to me that this bitter might 

 be the poisonous part of the nut. I therefore made the iso- 

 lation of this principle for the present my first object. The 

 bitter part in question was soon found to be capable of ab- 

 sorption by animal charcoal, and of removal therefrom by hot 

 alcohol. I therefore took advantage of this deportment to 

 obtain it in a pure state for examination. The details of this 

 process are as follows : — 



The kernels are well crushed and triturated with successive 

 quantities of water (cold) tiU their bitter taste is gone. The 

 solutions thus obtained are rendered distinctly acid to the 

 taste by acetic acid, by which the casein and emulsiu present 

 are precipitated, and the filtrate therefrom agitated with animal 

 charcoal till the bitter substance is removed. The charcoal 

 is then collected and mixed with boiling alcohol, and the pure 

 alcoholic solution of the bitter substance thus obtained is 

 allowed to remain for two or three days at common tempera- 

 tures, when the bitter part crystallises out in beautifully radi- 

 ating acicular forms. 



The character of these crystals is as follows : — Intensely 

 bitter ; colour, white ; lustre, pearly ; feebly acid ; at 212° Fahr. 

 melts ; gives a dark rose coloration with warm sulphuric acid ; 

 soluble in hot water, and feebly so in cold water ; soluble in 

 alcohol, also in hydrochloric and acetic acids ; soluble in am- 

 monia and potash ; insoluble in ether and chloroform ; does 

 not give any precipitate with tannic acid, nor with potasso- 

 iodide of mercury, nor potasso-sulpho-cyauide of zinc ; does 

 not contain nitrogen. 



The evidence as submitted above shows that the principle is 

 not of an alkaloidal nature. Its deportment with sulphate of 

 copper and potash is strikingly similar to that of digitaline to 

 the same tests. Both give green precipitates of a tint very 

 similar to arsenite of copper. This property of either of these 

 vegetable principles to give green precipitates with copper 

 under these circumstances seems characteristic of them, as, 

 among the numerous substances the most likely of any I know 

 to give this reaction, not one has on experiment been ascer- 

 tained to deport itself in this manner. Thus either of these 

 principles is readily distinguishable in this way from pierotoxia, 

 resins generally (including common resin), soaps, gums, and 

 the bitter principle of Phormium tenax. 



The green precipitates formed in this way by the bitter of 

 the Karaka and digitaUne respectively are, however, readily 

 distinguished from each other by subjecting them to a rise of 

 temperature (120° to 212° Fahr.). That containing the digi- 

 taline is unaffected, while the other precipitate speedily changes 

 its colour to yellow, the copper being reduced to the sub-oxide, 

 as if grape sugar were present. Further, if the proportion of 

 the Karaka bitter to the copper and potash is not properly 

 adjusted, reduction commences at once. It appears, however, 

 that if the solution of digitaline is boiled with acid prior to 

 the mixing with copper aud potash, a great reduction of the 

 copper will take place on raising their temperature to 200° Fahr. 



Taking all these facts into consideration, I am inclined to 

 beheve that the bitter of the Karaka nut ia a glucoeide, and 

 that digitaline falls into the same class, though I have not 

 known this character imputed to it before. An appropriate 

 name for this bitter principle of the Karaka will be, I think, 

 karaldue, and this name, therefore, I propose to give it. 



Having failed, after a careful examination of the nut for 

 vegetable alkaloids, to find any principle having the characters 

 of these bodies, I conclude that the bitter substance here 

 treated of fkarakiue) is the poisonous part of it ; but not 

 having sufficient of this principle separated to allow of a proper 

 trial of its effects upon the animal system, I am unable to 

 confirm or disprove the correctness of these surmises ; but 

 I hope at an early date to be able to supplement this paper by 

 a statement of results of experiments undertaken to settle the 

 question. 



As being connected with this subject, I may state in con- 

 clusion that the inner bark of the tree is also bitter, probably 

 from the presence of karakine. The outer bark is not bitter, 

 but astringent from the presence of tannin ; whUe the sap, the 

 wood, and the leaf, which is, I hear, wholesome to cattle, taste 

 sweet (sugar) , with not the least bitterness. These observa*- 



tions were taken in July. — {Communicated by W. Swale, Avon- 

 side Botanic Gardois, Canterbury, N.Z.) 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN OiRDEN. 



Thb Broccoli season being now nearly over, the stumps should 

 be all cleared away and the ground dug, or if intended for Celery 

 trenches these may be prepared without digging the whole of 

 the ground. Keep all the salading crops well watered in dry 

 weather, or they lose much of their crispness. As soon as the 

 spring-grown Spinach is fit for use dig-in the autumn-sown. As 

 soon as the Bean pods begin to form at the lower part of the 

 stem, top the plants, which will greatly forward the cropping of 

 them. Earth-up the succesaional crops after a shower. Prick- 

 out the early sowing of liru.isels Sprouts to strengthen them 

 previous to planting-out finally. Sow Early Horn Carrot to 

 draw young during the summer. The early crop of Cauli/loioers 

 must now be Uberally supplied with water. If large heads are 

 required manure water may be given them, but for private 

 families those of a moderate size are generally preferred ; there- 

 fore, rnanure water may be dispensed with. As Cucumbers ad- 

 vance in growth under hand-glasses peg them down ; water them 

 in the morning when they require it, but this should only be 

 done when it is likely to be succeeded by a fine day. In prun- 

 iug-away any hi the shoots and leaves, cut close to the main 

 stem. This I am aware is contrary to the practice of some 

 good growers, nevertheless I believe it in no way injures the 

 plant ; in fact, I beUeve the wound heals more quickly than 

 if a piece of stalk remain until it has gradually rotted away. 

 Thiu-out the Parsley of the early sowing to inches apart. 

 More seed may now be sown. Continue to earth-up aud stick 

 the successional crops of Peas ; as soon as the earliest crop 

 begins to pod, supply it with plenty of water to forward the pro- 

 duce. At the time of sowing, during dry weather water the 

 drills after they are drawn and before the seed is sown. Sow 

 the Long Scarlet and Turnip Radishes, water every night during 

 clear dry weather. Prick-out some of the earUest sowing of 

 Savoys and Scotch Kale, shade with mats for a few days until 

 the plants take fresh roothold. Eemove the pots from Sea-hale, 

 also the covering as soon as done with, and afterwards dig be- 

 tween the plants. Thin the early crops of Spinach, and sow 

 again for succession. 



FRUIT GiBDEN. 



There is generally so much to do in other departments at pre- 

 sent that Pear aud Apple trees, itc, on walls are apt to be neg- 

 lected. How else can we account for the unsightly hedge-hke ap- 

 pearance which in a short time they will generally present ? Many- 

 imagine a Pear tree would be ruined if its shoots were removed 

 before they became sufficiently ripened so as to prevent any of 

 the buds left in the base of the shoot from starting. In such a 

 case the buds left have had little opportunity of concentrating 

 for themselves the elaborated juices, the fruit is often injured 

 by the simultaneous removal of shoots that previously shaded it 

 from the sun, the relative action going on between the root and 

 the top receives a sudden check, hut a check seldom to the 

 benefit of the cultivator, as already there will be a sufficiency of 

 crude sap in the branches and roots to cause those buds left at 

 the base of the shoots to break again into shoots next season 

 instead of those desirable small spurs, the precursors of fruit 

 buds. Others, again, with more reason and science advocate th& 

 partial breaking of the shoots so that they may be placed in a 

 pendant position, contending that thus the buds intended to be 

 left are not unnecessarily shaded, and that no sudden check is 

 given. But even in this case the buds left at the base of the 

 shoot will seldom become fruit buds until after another sum- 

 mer's maturation, while the pendant shoots shade from the in- 

 fluence of light those leaves upon the small spurs from which 

 you expect to obtain fruit buds next year. The existence of a 

 masB of breastwood indicates that the plant commands more 

 nourishment, such as it is, than the circumstances in which it 

 is placed will enable it to appropriate to fruitful purposes. In 

 checking this luxuriance, would it not be a preferable method to 

 limit at once the action of the shoots upon the roots by pinch- 

 ing-out their points when from 4 to G inches in length ? This 

 will require to be repeated during the season, but there will be 

 no danger of the lower buds breaking, no sudden check will be 

 given to the system, no unnecessary shade afforded to those 

 parts which ought to be fuUy exposed, and if persevered in and 

 the tree is favourably situated, there will be little occasion for 

 resorting to the modern panacea for most fruit-tree ills — root- 

 pruning. It must be adopted with caution in the case of weak 

 trees, and those new sorts which b«ar freely and chiefly on the 

 two or three-year-old wood. Keep an eye to the Gooseberry 

 bushes, for although they may be once cleared of insects, another 

 generation may soon make its appearance. Water Strawberries 

 ■where they are growing in dry situations. 



FLOAVER GARDEN, 



After planting out your beds make a reserve of a few plants of 



