September i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
i57 
post than these did, and the manure applied to them 
had been down only six months before the samples 
were taken for analyses. It is well-known that 
Officinalis is one of tbe slowest growing of all the 
• inchonas ; so that it is very probable that manure 
requires a long period to stimulate the yield of 
alkaloids in this, than it would in other species. 
The experiments at Dodabetta point to cattle manure 
and bones as the best agents of the series tried 
for manuring cinchonas ; the one increased the bark 
per tree more than tho rest, and the other increased 
the alkaloids in the bark, and, as both these objects 
are sought for by all scientific cultivators, it is very 
likely that the application of a mixture of the two 
would have still moro favourable results than if 
they wero used separately. Cattle manure is 
organic, and contains ammonia compounds ; bones 
are phosphatic and consist principally of phosphate 
of hmo, a combination of these typical manures is 
found in " Guano," the excrement of sea-fowl ; it 
might in consequence be inferred that the use of this 
substance in cinchona plantations would be attended 
with an excellent outturn. The prepared bones were 
mado by breaking up the bones to a coarse powder, 
and treating them with 10 per cent of the weight 
of sulphuric acid ; this would causa the insoluble 
phospate to become soluble, and therefore more readily 
absorbed by tho plants when put in the soil. In the 
absence of the more expensive artificial manures, it 
is satisfactory to find such good bark resulting from 
the use of cattlo manure, one that is more available 
on these Hills than any other. 
This is of course interesting, and much of our 
Ceylon cinchona must have profited by manures 
applied to the coffee amidst which so much of it 
was cultivated. At present prices of the bark, we 
suppose no one would think of going to the ex- 
pense of bones or guano, unless in the case of 
superior Lcdgeriana. But even tho bark of that 
kind, yielding 10 per cent of quinine realized only 
2s 2d per lb. recently. Some of the early Java speci- 
mens sold for 18s per lb, 
♦ 
It is stated that M. Mouvault, a French weaver, is 
manufacturing carpets from the moss known as /!;//>- 
num vulgaris. — Indian Agriculturist. 
Kola Nuts. — I notice id your last number that Mr. 
Morris, ofKew, siys that Mr. Thomas Christy supplied 
mo with the information in my paper about the kola 
nut. It is right that I should say Mr. Christy never 
saw my paper until it was published, and that I 
consulted him in uo way about it. About six months 
ngo I sent an order for twenty tons for him to Trinidad; 
the order could not be filled. — .V. J. Adukulhv, June 22. 
1887. — Journal of the Society of Arts. 
Kudbeii and Copal in Central Africa. — On the 
road bctweeu Dar es Salaam and the Nyissa country, 
rubber vines abound, and, apparently, are but little 
affected, except in the immcdiite neighbourhood of 
the villages, by tho reckless mode of tapping employed. 
In many parts a native can still gather 3lbs. of 
rubber daily. Auother great staple of the district is 
copal, which is found in many parts. It seems that 
this fossil rosin exists, even in tho richest diggings, 
only in patches, as though it had been produced by 
iuolated trees. The natives appear nowhere to work 
the country systematic illy, but to siuk test holes, and, 
on finding traces of the resin in any part, to work 
that thoroughly. Tho rosin now found underground, 
usually in red, sandy soil is undoubtedly the produce 
of tho samo species of tree as still exists in these 
jungles, which now yields an inforior sort of rosin ; 
the difference between the two being the consequence 
of age, aud a chemical or molecular ohange effeoterl 
by time. The copal tree grows throughout the 
Uzamaro country, and is by no means confine I to 
tho sea ooasr. bu'. is even more abundant inland, 
beyond the UaC coast ridge not however after the 
limestone formations appear. — foitTMl of the 8oouty 
f/Arts. 
AGRICULTURE ON THE CONTINENT OF 
EUROPE. 
(Special Letter.) 
Paris. July 9. 
Of late there has been a goad deal of indefinite 
conversation on the subject of dried blood or powdered 
meat as a supplemental or adjunct food for 
horses. It is difficult to obtain precise particulars of 
an innovation, which it is asserted has many support- 
ers. M. <ie Limothe, a breeder of Anglo- Arab horses 
in the department of the Oorroze, draws attention 
to the powdered dry meat of the Liebig Co. It 
contains 74 per cent of azotized and carbonaceous 
matters, of which 11 per cent represent nitrogen 
alone, and 17 per cent of fatty matters. Dried 
blood is almost similar in composition, only white 
meat powder costs 21 fr. per 224 lb. at Hamburg, 
the price of dried blood is 120 fr. or six times 
dearer. The blood desired is dried in a store, and 
S or 6 quarts of fresh make 2 lb. of dried blood. 
The latter contains all the fixed principles of fresh 
blood. When given to calves it is boiled in advance 
in order to avoid diarrhoea. 
Two different bloods are contained in animals aud 
the blood varies during its passage through the sys- 
tem. Arterial differs much from venous blood. When 
freshly extracted blood coagulates rapidly, and as 
the clot coutracts it expels from its pores a liquid 
rioh in albumen called serum. The odor of blood 
and its taste vary with each animal ; the cause of 
the odor is not exactly known, but supposed to be 
connected with acetic and butyric acids. Its taste 
is strongly alkaline due to soda salts. The density 
of the blood with man, sheep anil the ox is al- 
most identical save in the case of young animals 
and females. Examined under the microscope, blood 
consists of a multitude of tiny globules, red and 
white floating in a colorless fluid ; 1,000 grains of 
the blood of man and a horse contain 604 to 630 
aud 674 to 646 red globules respectively ; the glob- 
ules are not all of the same shape iu animals ; and 
the fatty matters in the blood are next to ident- 
ical with those of the braiu. The blood of birds is 
richest in globules, the pigeon ranking first, and 
next poultry. The diameter of the blood-globule — 
strictly speaking it is a concave sphere — is about 
1-3500 th of an inch in size aud the thickness about 
l-438th of an inch. Vierordt and Welcker assert 
there are five million globules iu a cubic millimeters 
of healthy human blood. There is one white to 
every 335 red blood globules. 
M. de Railly would only give blood to animals 
not younger thin six months. The dose is 1 to 1| oz. 
per day per 2 cwt. of the animals live weight. 
If \rell dried the blood will keep for a long time 
and especially if mixed with flour aud meal. The 
samo gentleman has also employed phosphate of lime 
in the rearing of not only calves but foals. Dried 
blood for the latter produced most beneficial results 
in point of growth the hams especially. Brood- 
marcs have also derived marked benefit from the 
aliment. Another novelty that is being experimented 
with, is arseniatc of strychnine: this is intended as 
a homeopathic stimulant to farm horses. 
The plan is extending of utilising meadow forage 
according to ensilage principles. But the process is 
applied rather to artificial than to natural grass. 
Not that the latter is iu auy way difficult to con- 
serve or inferior for consumption. The ensilage 
augments the assimilation of all substances by ren- 
dering the aollulose or wosdy-mattjr digestible. The 
ensilage I fodder can be prepared either with a 
mild or an acid taste. It will be acid if the trench 
or stack bo mido up rapidly aud at ouce weight- 
covered; it will be mild if several diys are devoted 
to the tilling in or stacking up ; after a layer 
has been deposited, it is left to heat till the tem- 
perature ris-:s to 131 degrees l-'ahr., that which is 
sufficient according to Pasteur to destroy tho fer- 
ment iti on bactero or unima'cules. Next procoe 1 
with a s c md layer. It is not exactly settled whetnoc 
tho acid or the sweot preserve is tho more nutrit- 
ive practically, their value would seem to be the 
