126 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1889 
While we are assured by those who ought to be good 
judges, that Lower Perak is bound before long to be a 
great agricultural district, it must be allowed that its 
present flourishing condition is owing chiefly to the 
fact that the navigable portion of the Perak river 
runs through it, and that Teluk Anson, the chief town, 
is the source from which Batang Padang and the rich 
mining district of Kima draw their supplies. In fact 
it is chiefly owing to the fortunate position of Teluk 
Anson as a port that Lower Perak flourishes and pro- 
gresses. For some years it was the habit to disparage 
Teluk Anson, to say that it would never be more than 
a mere village, aud that, when railways were intro- 
duced throughout the State, it would be bound to give 
place to the Dindings, and perhaps cease to exist. 
This was not the idea in Penaug only, but generally 
througout Perak. There were few who had any faith 
in Teluk Anson. Among those few, however, was 
fortunately the man principally interested in its 
progress. Mr. Denison believed in Taluk Anson. 
He 'thought it the proper outlet for the trade 
of all Lower Perak, Kinta and Batang Padang — 
the best source of supplies, the natural port. At 
first he stood almost alone in this. Officials and 
unofficials were almost all against him and in 
favor of the Dindings. With rare tenacity, how- 
ever, he stuck to bis point, and at last gained 
it. Those who were at first against him are now agreed 
with him : and we are therefore bound to take it for 
granted that he was right from the beginning. One 
of the most interesting parts of his despatch has re- 
ference to the projeoted railway, which we hope, ere 
long, will be an accomplished fact. At first Mr. Deni- 
son tells us it was only intended to be a light line 
from Teluk Anson to Tapah, a distance of some thirty- 
three miles. It has since developed into a plan for 
continuing it to Ipoh, about thirty miles further. As 
we said in a. recent issue, the scheme has received 
the sanction of the Secretary of State : surveys and 
plans are completed as far as Jungkor, aud by the 
end of August should be completed as far as Tapah. 
Mr. Denison expects great things from his railway. 
He expects the rapid development of Batang Padang, 
a country rich in mineral and agricultural resources, 
and that has remained so iong undeveloped owing solely 
to the want of proper means of transit and communi- 
cation. 
The railway is Mr. Denison's pet scheme, and has 
taken up much of his time and thought ; but it is 
quite evident that it has not done so to the neglect 
of other work. As keenly alive to the development 
of Lower Perak as to that of the districts beyond, he 
is doing his best to introduce pepper and padi planting 
on a large scale, and to induce Indian and Achinese 
planters to settle in his district. It is no easy matter 
evidently to deal with these people, and he has had 
trouble enough ; but he recoguizea the value of a 
settled agricultural population, and is not daunted by 
difficulties. In fact Lower Perak is agricultural or 
nothing. There are great forests and great swamps, 
and vast tracts of level country, containing, so far as 
we know, no minerals of value. So far, therefore, as 
the development of his own particular district is con- 
cerned, agriculture only can be looked to, and Mr. 
Denison is wise to encourage and foster it. With the 
splendid Perak river running through it, a railway in 
prospect, and roads opening up means of communica- 
tion, we believe he is right in anticipating its develop- 
ment at no distant date.— Fencing and Straits Chronicle, 
June 11th, 
* 
PLANTING IN DELI. 
(Prom the Straits Times, June 26th.) 
The firm of Lukwel and Tiel at Amsterdam do not 
make a rose-coloured view of tobacco enterprise m 
Deli last year. The quality of that article fell in 
many cases below the uverage, not only in the coast 
districts, but also in the more fertile inland estates. 
A* to the latter, the consequent misgivings as to the 
future have been removed by better tidings regard- 
ing this year's orop. The tobacco from the coast 
lands proved so inferior that it got very low prices 
in the market. Experience shows that this part of 
the country does not suit that line of cultivation. 
Any extension of planting enterprise in that section 
will only result in disappointment and failure. 
In fact planters would find it an advantage to strike 
their tents and move off to more promising fields 
betimes. This is specially applicable to Siak, 
where good tobacco grows on land whose produc- 
tiveness soon runs out. Ignorance of this fact has 
led many persons to embark in tobacco planting 
there with hopes that have never been realised. 
In Palembang, the estates are yet too recent to 
admit of crops finding their way to market at pre- 
sent. Deli and Langkat continue to supply the best 
brands of tobacco, those from Serdang being dis- 
tinctively inferior. 
ALISMA PLANTAGO : WATER PLANTAIN. 
The use of the root of Alisma Plantago or Water 
Plantain for hydrophobia appears by no means to be re- 
cent. Dr. Withering, in his ' British Plants' ; 7th 
Edition, Vol. II., gives the following interesting note : — 
" This acrimonious blistering plant is said to re- 
semble Crowsfoot in its general qualities. Cattle are 
sometimes much injured, if not killed by it, as atrophy 
and paralysis supervene. Gray states that the juice 
is used for drying up milk in the breast. The tubers 
are recommended in hydrophobia ; especially in Russia, 
where their use was fin 1820) sanctioned by the College 
of Physicians of Moscow. The practice was subse- 
quently made known in North America, and though 
specifics are not latterly in repute with the more 
enlightened of the medical faculty, it seems desir- 
able to afford publicity to whatever may possibly 
relieve so dreadful a disorder." It is reported that 
an antidote to the poison of a rattlesnake was pur- 
chased by the Assembly of South Carolina from a 
negro, by giving him his freedom and an annuity of 
£100 for life. This remedy was derived from Alisma 
Plantago. Cattle that have eaten the Alisma have 
frequently become so paralysed that they could not 
stand. As death ensues from excessive stimulant 
action of the poison of the rattlesnake, and of the 
saliva of a rabid auimal upon the muscular system, 
it is thought that a cure is effected by the peculiar 
sedative power of Alisma relaxing the spasms, and 
that it will be found effectual for the cure of these 
two dreadful maladies, as also of tetanus. The best 
mode of administering it, when the difficulty of 
•swallowing comes on, is to scrape about an ounce 
of the soiid root and let it be eaten between two 
slices of bread. The dose being repeated in an hour 
if spasms are not relieved. (Withering, Vol. II., 
page 404). Further investigation with regard to the active 
principles of the root might be useful. — Monthly 
Magazine of Pharmacy. 
BOERHAAVA DIFFUSA, 
BY W. A. JATE8INGHA, 
Surgeon to the Civil Hospital, Kurunegala, Ceylon. 
The Boerhaava diffusa is a common perennial 
procumbent weed, with opposite, more or less unequal, 
ovate or cordate leaves and loose pinacles of small 
red flowers, collected on small heads; it belongs to 
the natural order Nyctaginacex, and is known in 
Sinhalese as Pitta sudu pala, and in Tamil as Mooko- 
rota, aud was tried by me as a diuretic in the Govern- 
ment Civil Hospital, Kurunegala. 
According to Dutt, the root is regarded as a laxative 
and stomachic used in jaundice, ascites, anasarca, scanty 
urine and in internal inflammation. 
Sub-Assistant Surgeon B. M. Chatterjie reports 
having found it a very good expectorant, and that he 
has prescribed it in several cases of asthma, with 
marked success. He employed it in the form of powder, 
