The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



PTEROCARPUS INDICUS. 



May 10th. 



Dear Sir, — If Plerocarpus Indicus, Willd, 

 the Andaman redwood, Padouk of Burmah and 

 the " Mess House tree," growing about the 

 town of Colombo and blossoming freely this 

 month and last, are one and the same, then 

 we have a useful timber which is not recog- 

 nised as such, but only as an ornamental and 

 shade tree. Mr William Forguson, in his list, 

 refers to \ the trees at the old Mess House 

 grounds in Slave Island as P. indicus, and he is 

 probably right ; but it is as well to have his find- 

 ing verified by the Botanical experts of today. 



The tree, according to Dr. Watt, is valuable 

 for two of its products, gum-kino and timber. 

 He mentions that a log sent to London some 

 years ago sold at the rate of £17 10s. per ton 

 or nearly R4 per cubic foot. Furniture made 

 from Padouk was exhibited at the Paris Exhi- 

 bition of 1878 and well reported on, while the 

 timber attracted much attention at the 'Colin- 

 deries' in 1886, where it was considered specially 

 suitable for cabinet-work and carriage building. 



The tree grows very freely, andean be raised 

 from branches as well as seed. 



The Forest Department might enquire about 

 the present value of the wood (which, I see 

 is advertised in "Hobbies' 1 as suitable for 

 carving and fret work), and, if good enough, 

 plant up Padouk in suitablo localities. _ The 

 Director of our Forest Department, coming as 

 he does from India, probably knows the tree. 

 —Yours truly, 



D. 



[Ptcrocarpus marsapium is the name Trimen 

 gives to this red-wood tree, which gives good 

 timber and the dark red gum resin, Kino. — 

 A. M. & J. F.] 



GRAPE FRUIT AND " POMELO." 



Mr. Drieberg, to whom we lately referred Mr 

 Donald Ferguson's letter — see page 410, 

 April number— says that the letter from the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington, advising the dispatch of the seed, 

 spoke of the fruit as "pumelo" and not "pemerlo" 

 which was a misprint that we much regret. 

 The real name for the fruit is "pampel- 

 mouse " (French), while it is also known as 

 "Shaddock" after the name of a military 

 officer who was instrumental in introducing 

 it into India. The former name is derived 

 from two French words " Pomam "--apple 

 and "melo,"=melon. "Pumelo'' is a corruption, 

 but is the name now by which the fruit is 

 widely known. Some of the names by which 

 Mr Ferguson says the fruit is called are not 

 known at all. The only reason why it is called 

 the "grape fruit" is that it grows on the stems 

 in clusters. Dr Willis, we understand, is of 

 opinion that the grape fruit is a diftinct and 

 improved variety of the native ; 'Jambola. In- 

 cidentally it might be mentioned that the 

 chief value of the Pumelo lies in the 

 anti-malarial properties of the juice of the 

 fruit which is the reason for its extensive culti- 



vation in America, The trial consignment of 

 seeds were put down in the Government Stock 

 Gardens and the seeds have germinated very 

 satisfactorily, Mr Drieberg being very pleased 

 with the growth for two months. The seeds 

 were received in three lots in order that differ- 

 ent modes of packing be tested and that the 

 most successful one be reported. A peculiarity 

 in connection with the citrus family may here be 

 mentioned. It seems that on Mr. Francis 

 Beven's estate, Franklands, Veyangoda, there 

 is growing a variety of the citrus which has 

 baffled identification. The fruit is the dze of a 

 large orange, and it has a smooth skin, but a 

 very unpleasant taste. It is neither an orange, 

 a lime, or any other known fruit of the citrus 

 family. It will surprise us if it is not shown in 

 Dr. Bonavia's very elaborate two volumes (one 

 wholly of illustrations) on the citrus and orange. 



SYNTHETIC RUBBER. 



In the course of the annual report of the 

 (Jhemische Fabrik (vorm. E. Sobering), Berlin, 

 it is stated the manufacture of synthetic cam- 

 phor isyielding satisfactoryresults,and although 

 the price of natural camphor has declined con- 

 siderably, yet by improved methods of produc- 

 tion the company hopes to still make the in- 

 dustry profitable. The capital of the company 

 is to be increased from £ 35u,000 to £100,000 for 

 the purpose of being able to deal*with the con- 

 ditions arising from foreign Customs regulations 

 and the operations of the English Patents Act. 

 — (_ homist and Druggist, April 25. 



STATE QUININE. 



Both the Ceylon and Indian Governments 

 may learn a lesson from the following: — 



In Italy, the State sells quinine to the pea- 

 sants in the malarious districts, and the profit 

 is used to combat the malaria. Referring to 

 the subject, Mr, Consul-General Neville-Rolfe 

 (Cd. 3727-42) says that the methods employed 

 in combating malaria are, first, the protection 

 of the peasants from mosquitoes. This .owing 

 to their ignorance, and their untidy habits, is 

 a difficult matter, as they will not take care 

 of the wire gauze whiuh is placed over their 

 doors and windows, nor will they adopt the 

 precaution of using veils and gloves when they 

 are obliged to go out at night. The second 

 means used in the contest, is the draining of 

 the land, and filling up the pools where the 

 insects breed ; and the third method, which is 

 very effectual, is what is called "bonificamento," 

 or improvement, which is affected by retrench- 

 ingthe land, adding tho silt of rivers when avail- 

 able and thus causing it to absorb more mois- 

 ture. Last year the State sold quinine to the 

 peasants, of a value of £70,204, the net profit 

 amounting to £18,515. 



MOSQUITOS AND MALARIA. 



West Indian Experience. 

 Mr. Herbert Bindley writes as follows to tho 

 Times from Barbados : — Any suggestion or 

 discovery that helps towards the destruction of 

 mosquitoes and other insect pests in their larva 



