Miscellaneous Products. 



126 



fAuGUST, 1908. 



informed me that the crop yielded him 

 a better return than Para rubber 'could 

 do at os. a lb. For good fruit he could 

 always find a local and ready sale from 

 Rs. 3 toRs. 5 per 100. A crop averaging 

 1,000 fruits per tree (with 100 trees to the 

 acre) would thus give a return of 

 Rs. 5,000 per acre. 



Oriental people are very partial to 

 mangoes ; the rich eat only good kinds, 

 bnt the poorer classes will eat or chew 

 anything in the shape of a mango. The 

 mango fruit enters very largely in the 

 preparation of chutney s and other 

 numerous preserves. As to the economic 

 use of the fruit, it has been said that had 

 mangoes not been so plentiful in Cuba, 

 the Spaniards might still be in posses- 

 sion of that colony, for the insurgents 

 were able to live on mangoes when there 

 was nothing else for them to eat. 



[See Frontispiece for Illustration.] 



AUSTRALIAN CALABASH. 



An Interesting Industry. 



The Colonial Botanist of Queensland, 

 Mr. F. M. Bailey, lately received from 

 Messrs. Field and Villars, of the Aus- 

 tralian Calabash Pipe Factory, Pitt 

 Street, Sydney, two calabash pipe 

 bowls — one, silver-mounted, ready for 

 use ; and one prepared, ready for mount- 

 ing — also a pipe head made of the seed 

 capsule of one of the gum-trees ttucalip- 

 tus mineata) ; the latter, however, is, 

 as the makers say, not likely to come 

 into favour with the public, being too 



clumsy. The calabash pipe is, on the 

 contrary, very handsome, looking much 

 like a meerschaum, and equally light. 

 The firm named announced that they 

 will buy large quantities of these little 

 gourds (Lagevaria vulgaris) at £12 per 

 1,000 f.o. b , Brisbane. A very small plot 

 of ground will grow thousands of them, 

 and, on good soil, they thrive as well as 

 pumpkins, melons, or chokos in Queens- 

 land. They must be without flaw, and, 

 when ripe, expossd to the sun until they 

 bleach to a very light yellow-colour. 

 Whlist growing, the gourd, when possi- 

 ble, must be placed with the large end 

 downwards, in order to secure the 

 shape. After being cut, and during the 

 bleaching process, care must be taken 

 not to leave them exposed to rain or 

 dew. Before shipping the gourds, the 

 thick end must be cut off, as it is not 

 used. If growers send three or four 

 gourds to Sydney, they will there be cut 

 as required, and returned to the sender 

 as a guide. Only the stem portion is 

 used for pipe bowls. At present these 

 gourds are imported from South Africa. 

 Queensland farmers, gardeners, and 

 others could easily capture the trade, 

 and, seeing with what little trouble the 

 gourds can be produced in large quan- 

 tities, the price of £12 per 1,000 should be 

 very remunerative. Mr. Bailey is of 

 opinion that this kind of gourd will do 

 best, for pipe-making purposes at least, 

 on the tableland from Toowoomba to 

 Warick. The warmer coast land, he 

 thinks, would produce gourds too large 

 for the purpose required,— Journal of 

 the Department of Agriculture, Went Aus- 

 tralia, Vol. XVI.', Part 4, April, 1908. 



