§32 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 2, 1890 
tion from 3,000 or 3,500 feet downwards. I will 
write fully on this interesting subject when I hear 
further from Dr. Trimen. Meantime I owe an 
apology to the real Simon Pure — the true Cedrela 
toona— loi degrading it into a mere variety. 
Nantjoya, April 22. 
No further communication having reached me 
from Dr. Trimen respecting Cedrela toona, I feel 
bound to take it for granted that the receipt 
and examination of the specimens we sent him 
both of the red and the so-called " white toon " 
have but confirmed the conclusions announced in 
the letter he sent in response to our descriptions 
of the two, viz. that what wa in Ceylon have 
called " white toon" is the typioal Cedrela toona, 
and that it is the red which must be relegated 
to the rank of a mere variety, as C. toona vak 
serulata or serrata. It is rather curious that I 
should have lost sight of this distinction ; for I 
find that in writing on the subject in Feb. 1882 
I quoted the article on the Toon from Bal- 
four's Timber Trees, including a note by 
Dr. J. L. Stewart on Cedrela toona vak. ser- 
rata, whioh stated; — "The leaves of this are 
always saw-edged (serrated) in which alone 
it differs from C. toona, Roxb. Its wood is often 
red, but is of more open texture and lighter in 
colour than C. toona, and stands water well. In 
Kanawar it is used for bridges, and in some places 
the hoops of sieves are made from it. The wood 
has a foetid smell when fresh : an ordinary leaf 
is 30 inhes long." So far Dr. Stewart, and it is a 
surprise to hear that the wood of " the red toon" 
par excellence is lighter in colour than that of 
Cedrela toona, whioh, in calling " white " from its 
foliage, we naturally inferred would yield white, 
aud therefore inferior, timber. But let me now 
proceed to quote Dr. Trimen's letter, which I 
do, feeling assured that it is his desire that the 
exact truth about a matter so interesting should 
be known : — 
Peradeniya, April 16th. 
I am so much obliged to you for all the infor- 
mation about " White Toona." I never before knew to 
what plant it was referred. 
As to the botanical names, there can be no doubt 
that this " White Toon" is the real Cedrela Toona 
as described by Roxburgh and all subsequent writers, 
and figured by Wight, Brandis and Beddome under 
that name. It grows wild in Bengal, Sikkim, &c; 
and is the only sort in Southern India. We have a 
large old tree in the garden here, received from Cal- 
cutta in 1850, which flowers every year but does not 
seed. The wood is beautiful, light, pale red, even and 
very sweet scented, as I know having had to cut off 
several large branches from our old tree a few years ago. 
Now as to the " Red Toon." There is something to 
be said for your view, that this is distinct from the 
other, and were I writing on these plants 1 should 
give it at least the rank of a variety, as J ' ive done 
in the catalogue of this garden, p. 17. li.it in the 
f Flora of British India," it is not accorded even that 
rank. However, it has a name and it will be well to 
use it. It was named Cedrela serrulata by Royle in 
his Botany of the Himalayas, and that is the name 
that should be adopted. It grows wild only in the 
N.-W. Himalaya, and I think the first trees seen in 
Ceylou were those on Looiecondura obtained by Mr. 
Taylor. Ours in the Gardens came from that source, 
but I do not know whence Taylor got them. 
The seeds have the large wing at one end only. I 
fancy tha seed of the " white" kind (true Cedrela Toona) 
hits the wing at both ends; but I have never seen it, 
judging only from the pictures. This may be a guide 
in purchasing. 
If you have any seed left of your " white toon" you 
might oompare it with the euolosed " red" seed. 
Your specimens have not yet arrived, but I thought 
I had better write at once to let you know clearly 
the botanical facts of the case. If anything further 
is suggested by them I will write again. 
We have no seed of what we regarded as 
" white toon" left, but Mr. John Fraser, of Abbots- 
ford estate who had the sowing of it, states that 
" it was much smaller and lighter than that sent 
by Dr. Trimen, (the red toon seed) and I think 
the seeds were winged at both ends, but being 
of very fragile stuff the wings are usually mostly 
broken. The seed now sent is undoubtedly that 
of the red toon or serrated variety-" What Dr. 
Trimen says of the timber of the " white toon" of 
the Ceylon planters, that is the true Cedrela toona, 
is most important and the only questions now to 
be settled are the altitude up to whioh the tree 
will feel at home in Ceylon and whether at such 
altitude, (say from 3,500 to sea level, ) it can be 
protected from the inseote whioh so seriously injure 
the trees in our higher altitudes here and even 
in Maskeliya at about 4,000 feet. Being the only 
kind indigenous in Southern India, it surely 
must grow to high elevations there ; and if it flour- 
ishes in Mysore up to 4,000 feet it ought to do 
well with us up to 5,000. We shall give those 
trees we have planted out the chance of showing 
what they can do, but what to do with about 200,000 
in our nurseries is the question. I shall send an 
advertisement with this communication, offering 
the plants at prices which will not reimburse us 
for our expense and trouble, so that any inclined 
to try the experiment may be able cheaply to do 
so. As Mr. James Taylor most probably brought 
the seed from Darjiling, his toons which were attacked 
by insects in Hewaheta were, I suspect, red toons ? 
All I can say, if so, is, that in Dimbula and Nuwara 
Eliya we have that variety flourishing wonderfully 
at from 4,700 to 6,400 feet and that for 11 years 
no insect has attacked them. The tree is deciduous, 
and so, at certain seasons of the year, the great 
leaves or branchlets turn yellow and fall off, giving 
the trees for a time a "shuck" appearance, but 
generally, nothing can be more luxuriant than the 
deep red foliage on the tops of the tall, straight 
stems. 
The Normal Area under wheat cultivation in 
India is now 26 million acres with an out-turn 
of 7 millions tons of which a little less than one- 
sixth is exported. — M. Times. 
The anthracite coal trado is looking up again 
in America. The reduotion in the output for this 
year up to March 29th is as much as 668,032 tons, 
and this has had a good effect on prices. Good 
news this for Philadelphia and Beading stock- 
holders. — O. Mail, April 25th. 
" What to Bat, and How to Cook it," is the title 
of a useful little pamphlet published annually in 
connection with the " Apple-Tree " Vegetarian Res- 
taurants. The copy before us contains many mosc 
appetising receipts, while some of the substitutes 
for the forbidden suet or dripping are very ingen- 
ious. We are told that, instead of the former, vege- 
tarians can sop bread-crumbs in butter or oil, or 
add " a little crushed and soaked Tapioca to the 
paste used for boiled puddings." Is it prejudice alone 
which makes us disinclined to change our own tried 
receipt for a Christmas pudding for one, in which, 
although the ingredients altogether weigh rather less 
than 6 lb., is yet to contain 1 lb. of mashed Potatos, 
or 8 oz. of mashed Carrots 'i How do vegetarians re- 
concile the eating of eggs with their resolution to 
destroy no animal life for food ? In spite of all 
we have said, we can only repeat at the end of this 
notice the words we said at the beginning — many of 
the recipes arc excellent, and likely to be useful to 
many besides those for whom they are more espeoially 
intended.— Gardeners' Chronicle, 
