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be studied so as to separate by structure alone the various 
species of a genus. Analytical keys to the trees of each group 
will be worked out. These will be based on the arrangement 
and character of the pores discernible to the naked eye, or by 
a hand lens. 
The results will be published from time to time with good 
illustrations and placed at the disposal of lumber users. After 
all the important groups of wood, such as oaks, pines and firs, 
have been studied and the results published separately, the sev- 
eral monographs will be collected and published in one volume. 
A work of this character has long been in demand by archi- 
tects, builders and other u.sers of lumber. It will, in most 
cases, enable even a non-technically trained man to determine 
quite readily the wood he deals with by means of an ordinary 
hand lens and by comparing the wood in question with the 
photographs of cross and long sections given in these mono- 
graphs. 
TURMERIC AND RUBBER. 
The value of Turmeric ( Curcuma longa) as a valuable catch 
crop in young rubber clearings has been recently investigated 
in India, with good results. Turmeric has a well established 
place in the market and the demand for it should render its 
cultivation profitable. Its chief use is as an ingredient in cur- 
ries, into nearly all of which it enters in varying proportions. 
The medicinal properties of the plant are recognized by both 
oriental and occidental nations, and as a brilliant but not per- 
manent dye it has long been used. 
Regarding its cultivation among rubber trees a writer in the 
Madras Mail contributes the following : 
A plant which might very profitably be grown between 
young Para rubber trees is turmeric (Curcuma longa), which 
requires a good soil and a warm, moist climate. Some wild 
statements have been made as to the yields which have been 
obtained per acre, but it would appear that, under ordinary, cir- 
cumstances, 2,000 lbs. of roots may reasonably be expected 
from each acre planted, and this is calculated to bring in a 
return equal to that from sugar cane, viz., R300. The time for 
planting depends on the rains, but it is usually at the end of 
May, the crop being either lifted in the following March or 
April, or allowed to remain in the ground for twenty-one 
months. By the former method the produce is said to be less 
in quantity and inferior in quality. Good points about tur- 
meric cultivation are that the curing after harvesting is simple 
and a market at hand is always obtainable. The preparation 
