2l8 
Supplement to the "Tropical Agriculturist." [September 2, 1889. 
The various adaptabilities of flowers for bringing about 
fertilisation form »r> interesting study in themselves. 
Mr. Martin Job:' Butt n. of the well-known firm of 
seedsmen, writing on pi .improvement says: — "Cross- 
fertilization ai>d selection bave done such wonders in 
this direction tba": it i difficult to condense the history, 
as it wouid be for Agriculturists of 1839 to believe 
their own ey s, if tbey could see the crops reeuiting 
from half a century's application to the subject of 
plant-improvement," 
* 
SOME USEFUL TREES. 
By H. D. Lewis. 
The Bael Tree (JEyle Marmelos). 
This, is a middling-sized tree, armed with sharp 
Bpines, commonly me- with in the warmer parts of 
the island. It belongs to the natural order Ru act ». 
Its Sinhalese name is Beli-grha, and its Tamil name 
is Vilva maram. The tree is considered to be very 
auspicious, and it is frequently alluded to in ancient 
Sanskrit poems as an emblem of increase and fertility. 
It is held sacred by fae H : adus, the leaves of it 
being used in the worship of f3iva. Its flowers are 
of a greenish white and are very fragrant. The 
fruit is a large berry composed of a smooth hard 
shell 2-4 iuches in diametsi, variable in shape and 
somewhat like an orange. The interior is divided into 
many cells containing woolly seeds covered with 
transparent glutinous matter. In India the tree is 
found cultivated everywhere in Hindu gardens. The 
fruit is also exported to Europe, principally from 
Bombay, to be used medicinally. The commercial article 
is principally the thin dried slices of the unripe fruit. 
The pulp of the Bael fruit is recommended as a 
remedy of much value in diarrhoea and dysentery, in 
irregularity of the bowels and in habitual constipation. 
The ripe fruit i3 considered as cooling and laxative. 
The pulp of the half-ripe fruit baked and mixed with 
sugar and rosewater when given on an empty stomach 
is said to be a good remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery. 
The bark of the root is given in compound decoctions 
in intermittent fevers, and the leaves made into 
pot ltices in ophthalmia. A decoction of the bark of 
the stem is given ia palpitation of the heart and a 
decoction of the leaves in asthma. Tne fresh juioe of 
the leaves is given with honey as a laxative and 
febrifuge. The rooi boiled with the seeds of Panicum 
Italicum (S. Tana-bal) is used in native Veterinary 
medicine in case of cattle murrain. 
The extract from the flower, ca'led in English 
rrarmel water, and known in Sinhalese as "Pinidiya," 
is used by the natives as scent on festive occasions. 
It i3 also sometimes added in the preparation of sweet- 
meats for flavouring them. During the flowering 
season boys and men in the villages surrounding 
Colombo may be seen plucking the flowers and bringing 
them in bai-kfts to the town for sale, where they are 
readily bought for distillation. An infusion of the flower 
is also used as a cooling rink. 
Coscinum Fenestratum. 
This is a medicinal creeper of the Merispermaceje 
order aving a cylindrical w>ody stem from 1-4 
inebes in diameter., corjimonly met with in jungles 
in the warmer parts of the island. Its Sinhalese 
name is Weni-wel-geta, Ban-wol-geta or Kaha- 
wel; It is known in English as Tree Turmeric, False 
Calumba or Knotted plant. The stem is covered with 
a pal" corky bam, and when cut is of a bright green- 
ish yellow colour. It is of a porous structure having no 
cone attic rings, but conspicuous medullary rays, 
The leaves are alternate, cordate, entire, 6-7 nerved, 
smooth and shiuiLg above, very houry underneath. 
In the young plants the leaves are frequently peltate. 
The flowers are in umbels and are of a greenish colour. 
The stem forms a bitter tonic w! ich is considered by 
the natives as an excellent stomachic and a popular 
remedy for fever, also as having the properties of 
promoting appetite and curing bloodshot eye*. It is 
also considered to bs a good medicine for tetanus. 
It is used at tne present time in tht hospital's of tho 
Madras Presidency as a bitter tonic. 
The plant aisc \ie;ds a strong cordage and a bright 
canary yellow dye. The dye is obtained by boiling 
th. chopped stems in water, and it is used by ihs 
catives for djeiog :u»hes &e., which they use for 
manufacturing omari>3ntal baskets &c. The freshly- 
cut stem of the creeper exudes a large quantity of 
liquid which the natives often sack for allaying thirst 
when they cannot find w»t--r ir. the jungle to drink. 
(To be continued.) 

NOTES ON SOUP, OF THE GEOLOGICAL 
FORMATIONS IN CEYLON. 
III. 
By C. Driebeeo, b.a., f.e.a.s. 
Before passing from tbe subject of limestone, I 
propose to notice briefly the modern minor limestone 
formations. 
Calc-cinter, — Water aloue has not the power of 
dissolving calcium carbonate, but water with car- 
bonic acid gas in solution easily di.-solves it; and 
since lime is one of the commonest constituents of 
rocks, underground water generady contains carbonate 
of lime in solution to some extent. In regions, how- 
ever, where limestone rock prevail.-', the springs and 
rivers and streams contain carbonate of lime in large 
proportion. Such waters are then sai 1 to be " hard," 
and are not suitable for domestic purposes owing to 
the difficulty with which they form a lather with 
soap. Now if such "hard" water be boiled the 
carbonic acid gas in it, which is the means of keep- 
ing the calcium carbonate in solution, ia driven off, 
and there is a deposition of calcium carbonate. In 
nature a sim : lar process goes on. Whea certain 
springs highly charged with calcium carbonate isaue 
out of a rook, part cf the carbonic aoid gas is 
evaporated, and of necessity part of the calcium car- 
bonate in solution is deposited in a solid form. 
Springs of this kind bave got the popular name of 
petrifying gpriues, for any substance p'ac^d within 
the reach of them, f.re, after a time, covered over 
with a coating of carbonate of lime, giving it the 
appearance of a stony structure. There is more- 
over a deposit of this substance continually being 
laid down at tLo point of issue of the spring, owing 
to the evaporttion of carboric acid gas. This is to 
be observed in Bintenna, where the deposit is col- 
lected by the natives, and is prepared for mixing 
with bettl-leaf for chewing purposes. 
The formation of Stalactites and Stalagmites also 
owe their origin to the property of water with car- 
bonic acid gas having the power of dissolving cal- 
cium carbonate and afterwards depositiog it on the 
evaporation of the ga*. Under old read budges small 
deposits of calcium carbonate may be observed. Tnis 
is due to the water soakic? through the bridge with 
calcium carbonate in solution and depositing it ere 
the water drops down below. In limestone regions 
this goes on to a large extent in underground caserns. 
The interstitial water percolates through the superin- 
cumbent rock till it issues at the top of the cavern ; 
here each drop banfjs for a while till it gathers 
bulk, during which time evaporation goes on and 
a deposit of a thin pellicle if calcium carbonate 
result". Eventually the drop of water falls to the 
bottom of the cavern, and there deposits the rert 
of the calcium carbonate owing to the loss of the 
remainder of the carbonic acid gas. The dripping of 
water continues, and each drop of water leaves its 
deposit behind. Thus, slowly there descends from the 
cavern-roof an icicle-looking structure, while from the 
cavern-floor there ascends a similar process. The 
former is the stalactite, the lat'er the stalagmite. By 
growth these processes of ten meet, and grow in circum- 
ference; and often a beautiful crystalline structure is 
mperinduced , reflecting various colourt , while a grotesque 
