THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1887. 
four Chinamen, who have taken a block of about 3 
acres of land for market gardening, and I could not 
fail to notice the systematic and workmanlike manner 
in which they proceeded in breaking up, laying out, 
and planting the different beds, every available yard 
of land being utilised. Their method of planting out 
some of the crops in rows wmld, perhaps, not suit 
the eye of the head of the culinary department of a 
well-organised establishment at home, for the Chinese, 
so far as I have observed, do not include garden 
lines among thi-ir implements, they nevertheless suc- 
ceed in producing heavy crops of good marketable 
vegetables. 
Fruit is plentiful here at present, a steamer having 
just arrived from Fiji and the South Sea Islands 
with a cargo of fruit in good condition. The princi- 
pal kinds brought are Oranges, Limes, Pineapples, 
Figs, Coconuts, Bananas, and Pea-nuts, or earth-nuts 
(Arachis hypogsea). 
The juvenile fraternity in the vicinity of the wharf 
hail with delight the arrival of an island steamer 
with a cargo of fruit, and they are quickly alongside 
the steamer on the off-chance of making a haul. 
Among the more rare kinds of fruit I noticed fine 
specimens of the Bread-fruit tree (Artocarpus incisa), 
the Japanese Persimmon, also some Walnuts and 
Chestnuts; the three last-mentioned kinds were the 
produce of plants growing in Auckland district. 
The following are the prices realised by public auc- 
tion for a portion of the fruit cargo above referred 
to : — Seven hundred bunches of Bananas were sold 
for 2s. 6cZ. to 3*. 6d. each ; forty crates Pine-apples, 
4j. 9d. to 5s. 9ct. per dozen ; forty sacks Coconuts, 
7.5. 3d. to 7 s. 9d.; fifteen sacks Earth-nuts, 2d. per 
pound; twenty sacks Walnuts, 5%d. ; 1000 boxes of 
Figs fetched 6s. 6rZ. per dozen. 
I have during the past year visited two exhibitions 
held by the Auckland Horticultural Society. The 
exhibits of fruit, especially Apples, for size, quality 
and variety, I have never seen equalled at any ex- 
hibition in England. This morning I examined some 
fin 3 specimens of Apples, the produce of trees planted 
on Maori land thirty years ago. The trees, it is said, 
have never been pruned or received any care what- 
ever, are still growing in quite a wild state, surrounded 
with "titree," and produce abundant and excellent 
crops of fruit every year. 
A few clays ago Maoris were offering for sale here 
a stock of the "Kumara," a kind of sweet Potato 
(Convolvulus chrysorrhizus), of which there are several 
varieties cultivated, the tubers differing in shape and 
colour just as in the Potato. The "Kumara" forms 
one of the principal articles of vegetable food of the 
Maoris. 
I believe attempts were made some years ago by 
Sir Joseph Hooker of Kew, to introduce the 
" Kumara" into England, but I have never learned 
with what success. — Edgab Spooner, Auckland, 
May 21. (See Gardeners' Chronicle, 1883, vol. xx., p. 
601 . ) — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
WABAS: ITS COMPOSITION AND KELATION 
TO K A MALA. 
4 BY DAVID HOOPER, F.C.S. 
Within (he last four yeai-3 waras or wars has been 
the iubj^<'t of various notes in the Pharmaceutical 
Journal, in which its history, histo'ogy, and botany 
have been discussed by several pharmacologists. The 
present paper is a supplement to what has already 
appeared, insomuch as it deals with some chemical 
and technical experiments with the authenticated 
drUT of Southern India, and critically compares it 
with the karnala of the Pharmacopoeias. 
Source and Cat 'lection. —The plant which yields 
the red glands known as waras is Flemingia Gra- 
Juumana (W. and A.), a small Ipguminons under; 
Bhrub growing on the northerly slopes of the Nilgiri 
plateau, as well as in other districts of India. The 
sample that carue to my hands was from above the 
Gudairn ghaut, an.' collected by Mr. M. 4. Lawson, 
Government Bot-m'st hi tt>e Madras Presidency. 
Mr Lawson has stu lied lie species of Flemingia 
afforded by this part of India, and concludes that 
F. rhodocarpa of Baker is not specifically distinct 
from F. Grahamiana. The fruits ripen in Novem- 
ber, towards the close of the north-east monsoon, 
when they are covered with the peculiar red glands. 
The drug is collected by cutting off the clusters of 
pods from the ends of the branches and laying them 
in the sun to dry for ono or two days. They are 
placed upon boards or paper, as during the process 
of drying much of the powder falls, and would be 
lost unless such a precaution were taken. The pods 
are then pressed or rubbed together by hand over 
sieves. The powder is mixed with hairs, stones and 
pieces of stalk; it is readily removed from these 
impurities by finally passing it through a fine 
muslin or lawn sieve. Although the plant occurs 
pretty frequently in Southern India, very little 
seems to be known by the natives of its colouring or 
medicinal properties, and from inquiries made of 
Canarese traders north of the Nilgiris and Tamil 
people to the south, no information could be gleaned 
of its glands being a marketable article ; but at a 
recent exhibition of the Agri-horticultural Society 
at Madras some of the powder was shown by a 
native dyer. 
Terminology. — Waras, warus, wurrus, wurrhus, wors, 
wars, vars and huars are some of the names which 
have been applied at different times to the glands 
from Flemingia pods, and like most Eastern words, 
when translated into English characters, are vari- 
ously written with an endeavour to represent the 
foreign accent. Daniel Hanbury, in * Science Papers,' 
gives the Urdu or Hindustani name of the drug 
as used by the merchants at Aden, and renders 
the English equivalent as " waras." This word is 
distinctly bisyllabic in pronunciation ; it signifies 
the " saffron "-like colour of the pigment, and, as 
Hanbury states, very probably originated with the 
Muhammadans of India. "Waras" has always been 
used by the authorities at Kew in their reports 
and correspondence, but Professor Fliickiger and 
Dr. Dymock resent uniformity in this respect by 
continuing to employ the term " wars." 
Characters and Tests. — Waras is a granular, mobile 
powder of a deep purplish-red colour, and without 
any marked odour or taste. Under the microscope 
it is in the form of cylindrical or subcorneal grains 
with oblong resin-cells arranged in stories in the 
interior. The powder ignites like lycopodium when 
thrown into the flame of a lamp. The specific 
gravity is P37. It is insoluble in cold water; when 
mixed together it at first floats on the surface, and if 
left in contact, it slowly becomes wetted, and sinks. 
/ If, however, it is rubbed up in a mortar before 
added to the water, or if it is boiled in it the glands 
hecome broken and a bright yellow emulsion is 
formed ; if this emulsion is allowed to stand the 
resinous matter will subside and leave a yellow, 
sweetish solution. The greater portion of waras 
is dissolved by ether and warm alcohol, the result- 
ing solution being of a bright orange-red colour ; 
when treated with caustic alkalies the solution is 
intensely red. It sinks in oil of turpentine, impart- 
ing a slight colour to it after a time. When rubbed 
up in a mortar with water and the mixture sub- 
mitted to distillation, an odour between that of 
caraway and lemon was observed in the distillate, 
and a greasy film in the receiver indicated traces of 
a volatile oil as its source. Heated in a crucible, it 
at first blackened, giving off aromatic vapours, then 
intumesced and evolved inflammable gases which 
burnt with smoky flame.; when the charred mass 
was destroyed by prolonged ignition a residue was 
left of a grey-coloured ash consisting mainly of 
finely divided sand. 
Chemical Composition. — The resinous colouring 
matter which constitutes the chief part of waras has 
a brittle consistence ; it is of a deep garnet-red colour 
in bulk, and orange-red when observed in thin 
strata. It is soluble in ether, alcohol, benzol, chloro- 
form, carbon disulphide, acetic acid, and in solutions 
of potash, soda, ammonia and the alkaline carbonates. 
It forms soluble compounds with lime and magnesia. 
It is precipitated from its solutions in the alkalie s 
