204 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1887. 
Obaulmoogra oil, under the name of Ta-fung-yu, 
is a very large article of trade with Ohiaa, where 
for ages it has been regarded as a specific in 
•yphilitic diseases, and all over the Bast, where cut- 
aneous maladies are so prevalent, unbounded faith 
in its virtues exists, and 60 esteemed is in Persia 
and the countries adjacent, that at Shiraz and 
Bushire one rupee per oz. is readily paid for it. 
Ringworm, from which new-commeree from Europe 
to Assam almost universally suffer, rapidly yields 
to the mixture of chaulmoogra and cinnabar. The 
Gynocardia edorata blossoms in April and May, and 
th • fruit, which takes the form of an oblong nut — 
not much dissimilar in shape to a Brazil nut — ripens 
towards the end of the rains, is smooth, and of a 
greyish colour, yielding, on cold pressure, 10 per 
cent of rather thick resiuous oil. Although 
it bears in the fifth or sixth year the tree attains 
the size of a full-grown mango, so that wide plant- 
ing is necessary, but beneath its shade other plants 
may be raised. The re3idu.1l cake is unfit for cattle 
feeding because of its nauseating qualities ; although 
pigs readily consume it without any apparent delet - 
erious effpot. 
The Dipterocarpus trees, which yield the oily gurjun 
resin have now become very scarce in the access- 
ible parts of Assam, but are still extant in the outly- 
ing jungles, which will have to be explored by intend- 
ing settlers. It will be well to resort to the raising 
of the trees from seed, although they are slow of 
growth, and those which are fit for tapping are pre- 
sumedly some forty to fifty years old. Of late years 
the gatherers have not only tapped the trees to death, 
but in many cases actually felled them, but even now 
gurjun is still found in the deep valleys of the 
Looshiii Hills, and reported by the inhabitants to abound 
far in the interior, the crude resin finding its way to 
tke markets on the Ohittagong side of those hilis. A 
considerable number of untouched trees may also be 
noticed in the valley of the Kopoli and also in the 
for st about the Brahmakhoond. The seeds ripen in 
Oct iber, and should be sown as fresh as they ean be 
p ocure J, for they rapidly lose their germinating power. 
From mature trees the resin may be abstracted any 
time from November to May in the following manner: — 
One or more oblong perpendicular holes are made at 
a convenieat distance from the ground— 2 feet long by 
6 inches broad — cutting well into the body of the tree 
through the bark; at the lower end a cup-like cavity 
rnu^t be soooped out of sufficient capacity to hold a 
fluid quart; fire is then introduced and kept op with 
charcoal lor from two to three hours until the cavity 
is thoroughly well charr«d ; on cooling the gurjun 
commences to trickle out needing baling night and 
morning. The yield per annum from a fully matured 
tree — matMrity being approximately indicated by a 
h' ight of 70 feet, and girth 4 feet from the base, of 
18 feet — was S46 lbs. Gurjun oil is the best varnish for 
all woods known throughout the East, and mixed with 
ground sulphate or copper and boiled to the consistency 
of a syrup, is an excellent preservative against 
dampness and insects. It is also used as a 
cosmetic, and mixed with neem-tree leaves as a poultice. 
Ga-tor-oil mny be easily obtained as a by-product in 
silk culture being yielded by the seeds of the plants 
on which the silkworms feed. So-called " cold drawn " 
castor-oil which fetches the highest price is now 
largely used in soap-making and even in confection- 
ery, and these employments, added to its use in medi- 
cine, will in all probability keep up the demand. 
The residual cake, dried in the sun, finds a market 
in Calcutta. 
Croton Tiglium, the "Jummul ghuti " of the natives, 
is very plentiful in Assam, abounding in the drier 
districts to such an extent as to require frequent weed- 
ing out. Linseed and mustard also abound, but their 
cultivation, except in a few instances should be left 
to natives. The same may be said as regards the 
cultivation of cotton, which, under existing circum- 
stances, offers but little inducemei t to Europeans, hut 
as immigration rendered feasible by rail communica- 
tion, sets eastward, matters may, and no doubt will 
alter. Careful calculation based on experiments con- 
ducted over three years in the Jaintia Hills show that 
the fibre may be expected to return a profit of Id. 
per lb. on that purchased from the hillmen, but an 
additional profit might be looked for from the oil and 
cake. If the seed can be obtained fresh, about 8 
per cent of oil may be pressed from it, and the 
returns will be found highly profitable, especially as 
the demand for cotton-seed oil is rapidly growing. 
The residual cake also finds a good demand in the 
country and for export. 
As the development of Assam proceeds many 
drugs will no doubt be discovered in the country 
which may form profitable articles of export to 
Europe. It is well-known now, for instance, that 
Cinchona crispa grows wild on the summit of the 
forest-clad cliffs overlooking the plains of Sylhet 
and Cachar at an elevation of some 1,500 feet, 
while ipecacuauha is found in abundance in the 
Larnai Valley, within a dozen miles of Shillong, 
though neiiher of the latter plants are likely to 
be successfully cultivated below the elevations indic- 
ated as their true habitat. 
The terrestrial orchid that yields the aromatic pods 
of vanilla, though better grown at 1,000 feet or 2,000 
feet above sea-level, may, with care and attention to 
keeping the young roots clear of ants and other insects, 
be successfully raised in the Assam plains and trained 
on the stems of the areca. Bad fruit may be intro- 
duced from native gardens, but as the best is grown 
about Dacca, seed should be imported thence. Bael 
will yield in the seventh year, and the pulp, con- 
tained in a hard calabash, which, beaten up with 
sugar and 6trained through coarse muslin, has a reg- 
ulating effect upon the bowels is specially valuable in 
choleraic complaints. Anglo-Indian chemists manu- 
facture a dried preparation of this fruit called dietetic 
bael; but much of the virtue of the pulp is lost 
during the process, and for export the form of preserve 
should invariably be adhered to. 
Nuxvomica, under the name of Koochela, is found 
growing wild in many parts of Assam, especially in 
Cachar, and as the natives all know the tree, the 
fruit may be obtained in any quantity without 
trouble. The seeds need simply be dried in the sun 
and packed in tea-chests for export. 
Cassia lignea is also indigenous on the Assam hills, 
and the true cinnamon was introduced successfully, 
though only for experimental purposes about 1867. 
The products of the neem tree, which are in high 
repute among native medical practitioners, may also 
possibly in future find a sale in Europe. One of the 
most promising branches to which a European settler 
in Assam could devote his attention is apiculture, 
the remunerative character of which has been fully 
demostrated in all semi-tropical countries where it 
has been carried out int-dligently. Systematic api- 
culture is at present confined to one Assamese village 
only, the insects being so numerous throughout the 
country that native collectors have hitherto been 
content to simply search the jungles for combs. If 
properly constructed hives were established in the 
shade of the Ficus elastica, the cultivation of that tree 
could be carried on side by side with apiculture. 
Orange groves are also excellent plantations in which 
to keep bees. The hives must be double the size 
employed in Eugland, as swarms measuring five feet 
in length are by no means uncommon. At the end 
of the year little difficulty will be experienced in 
any part of the province in finding a swarm, but 
the removal to the hive must be undertaken by 
Europeans conversant with the process, as both nerve 
and patience are needed.— Chemist and Druggist. 
- ♦ — 
AGRICULTURE ON THE CONTINENT OF 
EUROPE. 
(Special Letter.) 
Pakis, August 6. 
The population of France is close on 38 millions ; 
of this total 21 millions are engaged in agriculture, 
a profession in which 100 milliards of francs are in- 
vested. France is a country of small cultures, the 
general size of farms is a mean average ; large hold- 
