418 



Notices of Books, 



[Oct. 



in 1819, and may be seen fully described in works easily procurable ; 

 as Loudon's Encyclopedia of Agriculture, which gives, in an excellent 

 article, the cultivation in a variety of places ; and * The Tropical 

 Agriculturist,'' which includes the most valuable portions of f Tatham'a 

 Essay on Tobacco,' as well as the cultivation of Shiraz tobacco, from 

 the Hort. Trans, v. I. n. s. p. 205 ; it is hoped that the remarks in this 

 article on the necessity of paying attention to the strangely-neglected 

 subject of climate will not be without their use. It must never be lost 

 sight of, that the Americans pay equal care and attention to the soil, 

 the seedling nursery, the transplanting, earthing up, keeping the 

 ground clear, removing inferior leaves and side shoots, topping so as to 

 leave only eight to ten leaves on each plant, airing, fermenting, dry- 

 ing, prizing, and packing. It is to be wished, as recommended in the 

 case of Cotton, p. 89, that the effects of good culture and careful curing 

 should be tried upon seed produced from Bhilsa, Arracan, &c. as well 

 as upon that of foreign growth, but at first in situations as similar as pos- 

 sible to them, in climate, soil, and production. This, however, can 

 be hoped for to any extent only, when more attention is paid 

 to the inferences to be deduced from a comparison of scientific data ; 

 for the empirical attempts of purely practical people, though some- 

 times attended with success, are as frequently followed by failure. 

 It is to be hoped that my friend Mr. James Prinsep, will persevere 

 in getting good accounts of the climate of every part of India ; and it 

 is to be wished that good specimens of colonial produce could be sent 

 to the several parts of India, so that cultivators might get an idea of 

 what they had to rival, as well as of the prices which would reward 

 their successful exertions.*" Page 280 to 289. 



" The Convolvulacecs, are well known for the purgative properties of 

 the roots of many of the family, as of Jalap, Scammony, &c. Con- 

 volvulus panduratus is substituted in the United States for the former j 

 so, in India, Ipomcea Turpethum, toorbud of the Arabs, supposed to be 

 a corruption of the Sanscrit trivrit, Hindee nusot, is accounted a 

 powerful cathartic, and by Dr. Wallich an excellent substitute for 

 Jalap, (v. Gordon, in Roxb. Fl. Ind. ed. Wall. 2. p. 58); so the seeds 

 of IpomcBa ccerulea, hub-ool-nil, kala dana, are accounted purgative 

 in India, as are several others of this family. The annual shoots not 

 having secreted the due proportion of resin, are inert, and even edi- 

 ble; as the stalks of C. edulis and repens. The tubers of Batatas 

 edulis, or sweet potato, have long been employed as food. 



* " Having sent the foregoing remarks to Mr. W. Johnson for perusal, he has heen 

 good enough to send me the gratifying intelligence, while the previous sheet is passing 

 through the press, as a ' strong corroboration of my views respecting the capabilities of 

 the country,' that tobacco has actually arrived from India, and been sold in the 

 London market for 'H, a pound '." 



