Miscellaneous* 



336 



[October, 1909, 



The optical rotation of the essential 

 oil of copaiba, do. 19. 10. 1997, p. 617. 



Copernicia. — 



The Carnauba tree. "T.A." Jan. 



1906, p. 814. 

 Die Wachspalme. Der Pflanzeer, 31. 



8. 1907, p. 191. 

 Carnauba wax. Agr, News, 6.1907, 



p. 375.. "T.A." Mar. 1908, p. 205. 

 The wax palm. " T. A.' Feb. 1908, 



p. 111. 



Carnauba wax. do. p. 113. 

 The wax palm. do. May 1908, p, 423. 

 Wax-excreting palms, Agr. News 

 8, 1908.. "T.A." Dec. 1908, p. 515. 



Coscinium. — 



Treatment of unknown vegetable 

 products. Gard. Chron. Aug, 1908. 

 "T.A." Dec. 1908, p. 520. 



Costus.— 



Costus speciosus. Agr. Ledger V.P. 

 Ser. 94, 1906. 



NOTES AND QUERIES, 



By O Drieberg. 



Coconut Beetle,— The Government 

 Entomologist reports: "The statement 

 that the grubs of the Rhinoceros beetle 

 attack the roots of adjacent plants re- 

 quires corroboration I am inclined to 

 believe that the idea has arisen from the 

 similarity of the grub of the rhinoceros 

 beetle to the root-eating larva of the 

 large Cockchafer {Lepidiota pinguis)" 



A. W. J.— The output of cassava roots, 

 on small areas, may be anything from 

 10 to 20 tons per acre. It would be 

 safe to take the lower figure as an aver- 

 age for extensive plantations. The 

 starch to be expected from this quan- 

 tity may be reckoned as 3 to 4 tons. 

 A good starch is worth in England from 

 £14 to £16 per ton. 



Beekeeper. — No, bees do not puncture 

 fruit. The structure of the bee's mouth 

 shews that it cannot do so, though they 

 will suck the juice liberated by the 

 puncture of the fruit fly. On the other 

 hand, they aid materially in the fertili- 

 sation of the flowers of fruit trees. 



Crotalaria Juncea.— Mr. Chelliah, 

 Agricultural Instructor, Northern Pro- 

 vince, writes : "Hemp is largely culti- 

 vated in the paddy-fields at Alaveddi 

 and other places, after the paddy crop 

 is reaped, and it is considered a restor- 

 ative crop. The pcds and leaves are 

 collected and preserved as fodder for 

 cattle, and the stems are sold for extract- 



ing fibre from. The cultivation is said 

 to yield a return of about Rs. 50 per acre 

 without much expense and trouble, 

 while it improves the soil for the suc- 

 ceeding crop." 



G. E. S.— The screwpine belongs to the 

 genus Pandanus. The material used for 

 hat-making in Manila is, I think, P. uti- 

 lis. In Ceylon we have a number of 

 species that ought to prove suitable for 

 the same purpose. " Rampeh" is P. lati- 

 folia. 



P. R — According to the Inspector- 

 General of the Indian Civil Veterinary 

 Department, "fowl-cholera," which is 

 such a trouble to poultry-keepers in 

 the East, is due to an organism intro- 

 duced into poultry by the common fowl 

 tick. As the ticks are found during 

 the day in the crevices about the fowl 

 house and only attack poultry at night, 

 it is advised that the buildings in which 

 the birds are housed should be periodi- 

 cally painted over with hot coal-tar. 



S. P.— -The following is recommended 

 as a suitable manure for sweet pota- 

 toes, in addition to the usual dressings 

 of cattle dung or green manure : 90 lbs- 

 each of sulphate of potash, high grade 

 superphosphate of lime, and nitrate of 

 soda, per acre. 



W. D.— The Queensland Agricultural 

 Journal states that the following dress- 

 ing is useful against ticks in dogs : Soft 

 soap 4 oz., kerosine 1 tea-cup, water 1 

 quart. Boil soap in water till dissolved, 

 and when cool add kerosine and mix 

 thoroughly in. Wash dog all over with 

 this mixture, and give internally 3 to 10 

 grains of iodide of potash in two table- 

 spoons of water. 



T. B.— It is not generally known what 

 difference, if any, there is between the 

 pumelo and the grape fruit. It would 

 appear, however, that it is not much 

 more than the difference between the 

 banana and the plantain. According to 

 Dr. Morris, the grape fruit is a good deal 

 smaller in size with a thin, pale yellow, 

 smooth skin. The centre is seldom 

 hollow and the seeds are generally well 

 developed. The colour of the flesh is, as a 

 rule, pale yellow but sometimes red. 

 The shape may be either round or pear- 

 shaped. In the ordinary pumelo the 

 skin is of considerable thickness, and the 

 fruit large with usually red pulp. There 

 is no doubt that we have both varieties 

 in the Island. In America the grape fruit 

 is highly valued not only owing to its 

 flavour, sweetness, and juiciness, but for 

 its supposed medicinal qualities— being 

 considered a specific against malaria. 



