278 The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



them over Copper-plates kept on the lire, which 

 dries them by degrees, till they grow brown, 

 and rowl up of themselves in that manner we 

 see them. If the Chinese were not such great 

 Cheats, their Thee wuuld be better ; but they 

 often-tiraes mix other Herbs with it, to swell 

 the size at a small charge, and so get more 

 money by it; so that it is a rare thing to meet 

 with any purely without mixture. 



It commonly grows in valleys, and at the foot 

 of mountains ; the choicest grows in stony soils; 

 that which is planted in light grounds holds the 

 second rank. The least valuable of all is found 

 in yellow earth ; but in what place soever it is 

 cultivated care must betaken to expose it to the 

 South ; it gets more strength by that, and bears 

 three years after being sowen. Its root resem- 

 bles that of a peach tree, and its flowers re- 

 semble white wild roses. The trees grow of all 

 sizu8, from two foot to a hundred, and eome are 

 to be met with that two men can scarce grasp 

 in their arms ; this is what the Chinese Heibal 

 relates. But from my own Observation I can 

 give you the following account 



Eutring upon the Province of Fokien, they 

 first made me observe Thee upon the declining 

 of a little Hill; it was not above five or six foot 

 high, several Stalks, each of which was an inch 

 thick, joyned together, and divided at the top 

 into a many small Branches, composed a kind of 

 Cluster, much what like our Myrtle. The Trunk, 

 tho' seemingly dry, yet bore very green Bran- 

 ches and Leaves. These Leaves were drawn out 

 in length at the point, pretty strait, an inch, or 

 an inch and a half long, and indented in their 

 whole Ui> cumference. The oldest seemed some- 

 what white without, they were hard, brittle, and 

 bitter. The new ones, on the contrary, were 

 soft, plyable, reddish, smooth, transparent, and 

 pretty sweet to the Taste, especially after they 

 had been a little chewed. 



It being the Month of September, 1 found 

 three sorts of Fruit. In the new Branches there 

 were little slimy Pease, green without, and full 

 of yellow Grains within. In others, the Fruit is 

 as big as Beans, but of different Figures ; some 

 round, containing a Pea ; others drawn out in 

 length, that contained two ; some others of a 

 Triangular Figure, bore three, very like to those 

 that bear the Tallow-grain, so famous in China. 

 The first Membrane or Skin wherein these 

 Grains are infolded, is green, very thick, and 

 somewhat even. The second is white, and thin- 

 ner ; under which a third very fine Pellicle 

 covers a kind of Gland, or small Nut perfectly 

 round, that sticks to the Bark by a little Fibre, 

 from whence it derives its nourishment. When 

 this Fruit is young, it hath bitterness in it; but 

 a day or two after it has been gathered, it with- 

 ers, grow* long and yellow, and wrinkles like an 

 old Hazel-Nut ; at length it becomes unctions 

 and very bitter. Besides that, I found a third 

 sort of hard, old Fruits, the first Skin of which, 

 between open and shut, shewed within a hard 

 bark, brittle, and altogether resembling that of 

 a Chesnut. After I had broken it, scarce did I 

 find any sign of Fruit, so dry and flat was it 

 grown. In some others the same Fruit was pul- 

 verized in others was found a little Nut quite 

 dried up, aad covered with its first Pellicle. 



Amongst these Fruits,a great number of them 

 have no Germ or Bud, which they call Females ; 

 those that have any may be sown, and produce 

 Trees : but the Chinese do commonly make use 

 of Grases to plant. The better to understand 

 the nature of this Tree, I had the Curiosity to 

 taste the Bark of the Trunk and Branches. I 

 chiewed likewise some of the Wood ami Fibres ; 

 both of them seemed to me not at all bitter, so 

 far from it, they left a relish sweet like that of 

 Liquorish, which yet one does not taste till some 

 time after the chewing. Altho' this particu- 

 Jar Account may displease those that are not 

 concerned in the knowledge of Plants, yet I am 

 sure that the more curious could with a more 

 nice and exact Account, as to the delicate mix- 

 ture of Colours in the Flower, the orderly dis- 

 position of their Fibres, the conformation of the 

 small Branches and Roots, and a thousond other 

 particulars relating to the Anatomy of them ; 

 but that is the business of time and leisure: I 

 had but a quarter of an hour to examine the 

 Tree of which I havj the honour to write to you. 



COCONUTS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



A great many coconut trees have been planted 

 the last few years because of the advancing price 

 of and seemingly assured market for copra and 

 the lower prices prevailing for hemp, So far cor- 

 respondents have reported the total number of 

 trees only, without separating those in bearing 

 and those which have not yet come into bearing. 

 It is roughly estimated that about 22,000,000 

 coconut trees are now in bearing. Correspond- 

 ents have in large part failed to fully understand 

 the data desired as to coconut productions, so 

 the following figures are an estimate based on 

 insufficient information. Formerly trees were 

 planted much nearer together than at present, 

 it having been demonstrated that trees planted 

 at intervals of 7i meters or even more give much 

 better results than those planted closer together. 

 It is because of the wide differences in the den- 

 sity of growth and irregularity of the surfaces 

 they occupy that coconut trees are reported by 

 number instead of the hectares they cover. 



Trees.— 32,838,544. 



Nuts Gathered.— 937,927,927. 



Nuts Consumed for Food.— 311,609,148. 



Copra.— Kilos— 125,140,822. 



Oil.— Liters— 6,993,513. 



Tuba.— 174,483,484. 



—Philippine Agricultural Review for July. 



CEARA RUBBER. 



Ceara rubber is being successfully cultivated 

 about six miles from Bangalore, where just 

 above a large natural reservoir, 16,000 plants 

 have reached the tapping stage over an area of 

 320 acres. It is interplanted with mango. The 

 ages of the plants vary somewhat, beoauae they 

 were put down according to the personal conven. 

 ience of the owner, who is a European coffee 

 planter residing about 200 utiles off. He first 

 planted Oeara in 1907, so that the oldest trees are 

 from 20 to 23 in. in girth. An experimental tap- 

 ping shows that the liquid flows freely. No 

 disease has been located. 



