August i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
a " place " suitable for the locale of a botanical 
'• ragamuJVm." Instead of concentrating attention to 
making a garden neat and prim, and cultivating what, 
a priori, is known to do well, it would be better to 
turn ome attsutiou to the cultivation of those plants 
which are not indigenous, but from whfab. important 
products are obtained. This need not interfere with 
the present arrangement of making a botanic garden 
pleasant to the eye and enjoyable as a promenade, 
&c. 
A few years ago I met with a gentleman who had 
spent some time in this island. He informed me 
that on some elevated rocky parts, which were almost 
destitute of vegetation, a creeping plant grew in 
luxuriance, the juice of which contained a large quant- 
ity of caouthouc. From his description, I concluded 
that this plant was probably a creeping or trailing 
Apocyna. 
It seoms to me that it is very desirable to clear 
this matter up, for if caoutchouc-yielding plant can 
be so easily grown on such a spot, we have a very 
simple way of utilising land which is not likely to 
be productive as it is, and which is beyond the reach 
of any ordinary agricultural process of being re- 
claimed. 
The Mangi/era indica ( see " Useful Plants of 
Mauritius") is also said to grow on this island. It 
would be interesting to know if this plant is botanic- 
ally allied to the Mangabiera ( Hancornia speciosa ), 
which yields Pernambuco and Ceara rubber. The 
geographical and climatological condition of Mauritius 
seem favourable for the cultivation of this plant, 
provided it is grown on land with an ordinary good 
subsoil. It stands long drought fairly well at Oeara, 
We must bear in mind that "West African rubber is 
principally obtained from varieties of Apocyna, which 
are natives of Madagascar. Some varieties of this 
class of rubber are fairly good ; this fact makes it 
more difficult to understand why an article of higher 
commercial importance cannot be produced generally. 
I am surprised to find that some writers on botany 
say that the I 'in.cn: and Neria do not produce lactes- 
cent juice, and hence are devoid of caoutchouc. 
Our common garden periwiukle contains it, and when 
I was in Demarara, a few years ago, I was struck 
with the amount of cautchouc contained in the 
Ol ca iidcr. 
It would be interesting to know whether any of our 
own herbaceous or sub-shrubby plants, which are kuown 
to contain caoutchouc, could be profitably cultivated 
in warmer latitudes. 
There are instances of plants, which are herbaceous 
iu this country, having arborescent representatives in 
warm climates. The Eupliorbiacce is a familiar 
illustration, one species of which yields the Para 
rubber ; our common representative is a weed called 
the " Caper Plant. " I remember planting out a 
number of these seedlings some years ago at Mitcham, 
and was surprised at the amount of lactescent juice which 
the mature plant yielded. The juice contained caout- 
chouc in rathrr large quantity. 
I prepared in 1861 a quantity of caoutchouc obtained 
from the llower stem of the common dandelion, and 
it was exhibited at Guy's Hospital soiree. I was led 
to extract this from the report of an analysis of the 
juice of this plant contained in Dr. Pereira's " Mat- 
eria Medica. " 
The best way of preserving these specimens is to 
place tho caoutchouc iu ether containing a small 
quantity of p'cohol. In this mixture caoutchouc re- 
mains white, and unaltered for a long time; exposed 
to the air, even in well-stoppered bottles, it rapidly 
turns brown. 
I may note here that the ChicoracctP, although 
lactescent, are said by some writers not to contain 
MOatohoac ; theso remarks respecting taraxacum aro 
In contradiction to this. The common sow-thistle also 
contains this principle, although in smaller quantity. 
Tin- Supotacitr, although lactescent, do not yield 
caoutchouc, at least I have not mot with a single 
case in proof of its being otherwise. Tho concrete 
juices of these plants are callod in commerce " but- 
uts," and consist mainly of fatty or oleaginous prin- 
ciples. Galam butter is obtained from a plant belonging 
to this order, Jiaisia Pwrksii ( being first mentioned 
by Mungo Park). — Thomas T. P. Baucis Warren. — 
Journ'd of th* Society of Arts. 
AGRICULTURE ON THE CONTINENT OF 
EUROPE. 
(Special Letter.) 
Pakjs, June It; 
It is ever a critical period for stock when they 
quit their winter rations for the young and succulent 
fodder of spring. Iu no case ought the transition 
to be made hastily. The German farmers are in this 
respect very prudent ; they always arrange to have a 
reserve of dry fodder to mix with the first grass and 
clover of the new season. Decorticated cotton cake 
is also a corrective — when hay is not forthcoming — 
for the laxity, immature green soiling produces. In- 
deed bean meal or refuse grain will also prove bind- 
ing against scour. It is not alone distention of the 
stomach or hove, that is to be feared with live stock, 
from greediness over unripe herbage, but the perman- 
ent injury the intestinal organs may sustain. 
In the east of France, Germany and Italy, the young 
and succulent fodder is mown in the evening, left iu 
the swath all night, and carted in the morning for 
the day's consumption. This arrangement does not 
wither the soiling, as iu tho case whou mown and 
exposed to the sun, while .depriviug it of its immedi- 
ate power of active fermentation. Also faded green 
forage has the tendency to ball or lump in an ani- 
mal's stomach and produces much intestinal derange- 
ment. 
As the green fodder is very aqueous, it is further- 
more prudent not to allow the animals to drink till 
they have completely terminated their feed. Iu the 
mixed, dry and green rations after the third day, the 
dry stuff should be gradually diminished till the tenth 
day. It is not a bad plan to augment the supply of 
salt during this graduating period which will thereby 
stimulate digestion. Many farmers with good dairy 
cows, give them a little cake all through the grass 
season aud superior cattle will ever repay generous 
feeding. There are farmers who before turning the 
cattle out on spring pasture, give them a feed of 
hay every morning for a week. This blunts the edge 
of gluttony. 
The great importance given to oil-cake as an aux- 
iliary food raises the pertinent question in what form 
smashed, steeped, or in meal can it be most profit- 
ably employed ? Concentrated rations are most use- 
ful when given under a form which permits them 
to be readily digested. The experiments of Professor 
Kiihn of Mockern show that if anything concentrated 
food is less assimilable in the liquid than in the 
pulverous or mealy, dry state softened by steeping, 
such food is swallowed, not masticated by the animal ; 
and in the case of ruminants passes directly into 
the third stomach and so escapes cuddiug. Now 
rumiuatiou plays au important part in digestion . 
Dry and mealy rations should then be moistened, 
but not wet or spriukled over other food. Iu the 
case of rape-cake the steeping produces a penetrat- 
ing odor which communicates a taste to the milk and 
butter, and occasionally affects the animal's health. 
It is considered that more deleterious foreign matters 
find their way into oleaginous food when in the state 
of cake than if in the sifted meal form. True, the 
latter can be on the other hand adulterated ; but 
against this there is the usual protection of purchas- 
ing from respectable houses and co-operatively. 
As well-water in villages can be poisoned with 
typhoid-fever germs due to iufiltratiou of water- 
closet matters, there is nothing extraordinary iu find- 
ings the oozing of manure heaps into cattle ponds, 
producing an equally detrimental effect on stock. 
Cattle prefer to spring, rlowiug and soft water, even 
though the latter be stagnant or muddy. In Ulfs 
state no serious results may ensue. Abortion in cows 
is often produced from driuk-water impurities and 
tho scour which so frequently »fflict8 calves insy 
