110 



Desiring to plant a shade tree in front of my house, I desire to ascertain whether 

 the Eucalyptus is likely to thrive well in this climate. 



Answer. The Eucalyptus globulus has not been planted in the puhlic grounds at 

 Washington. 



The tree is altogether too tender for this climate. It will not withstand more than 

 5 or 6 of frost, and has been killed by cold at Galveston, Tex., and in Florida as far 

 south as latitude 29. 



PERUVIAN TEA. 



E. H., North Carolina. Can you furnish me with any plants of the Peruvian tea 

 cr mate" for experiment here ? 



Answer. The plant which yields the leaves used as tea in Brazil and Peru is Ilex 

 paraguayensis, a large-sized tree, which would not grow in North Carolina. 



It seems unnecessary to ignore the Chinese tea-plant, Camellia thea, which will grow 

 well in most parts of North Carolina, and contains more theine than the Peruvian 

 plant. 



BLACK PEPPER. 



A. C. P., Portland, Oregon. If possible I should like to be supplied with seeds of 

 the Black pepper tree or vine from the most northern latitude where it nourishes. I 

 would try the experiment of raising it in the warm valleys of southern Oregon. 



Answer, The Black pepper vine, Piper nigrum, is a tropical plant, therefore it 

 would be futile to expect it to grow in any part of Oregon ; it requires even a warmer 

 climate than either the Pineapple or the Banana, neither of which can be cultivated 

 profitably in Oregon. 



RAMIE. 



B., New York. Can Ramie be successfully grown in this State ? 



Answer. Ramie can be grown in New York State by lifting the roots during the 

 fall and preserving them all winter, like potatoes. But for commercial purposes this 

 process would not be profitable, unless the profits on the crop were greater than they 

 are at present. South of Maryland the plant occupies the ground like clover, and 

 once planted no renewal is needed for many years. 



MAHWAH TREE. 



A. P., South Carolina. I send you a slip from a newspaper strongly advocating 

 the introduction of the Mahwah tree from Africa as a sugar-producing plant of more 

 value than any other sugar-plant now in cultivation. Please send me some seeds or 

 plants for trial here, or inform me where they can be procured. 



Answer. The Mahwah tree, Bassia latifolia, is a native of Bengal and other highly 

 tropical districts in the East Indies, and it is far from probable that it would flourish 

 anywhere in the United States, but certainly it could not stand the climate of South 

 Carolina. The flowers of this tree are sweet to the taste, and are eaten raw by the 

 natives of Guzerat and other places where the trees abound. A fiery kind of spirits 

 is distilled from the flowers. 



The sugar of these flowers is mainly uncrystallizable. Analysis of sun-dried flowers 

 yield 56 per cent of sugar and 15 per cent of water; further analysis showed that 

 sucrose (cane sugar) was only present in the proportion of 2 per cent while glucose 

 (Isevulose and dextrine) yielded 52 per cent. Hence it can not possibly be substi- 

 tuted for cane or beet sugars. Of nitrogenous matters the flowers contained 2 per 

 cent. The usual proportion of useful nitrogenous food should have one part of flesh 

 formers to five saccharine ; but in Mahwah flowers it was only two to fifty-five, hence 

 these have but little of nutritious value. 



