336 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1887. 
limited scale, the results are such as will likely be an 
inducement to their extension. Experiments have 
hitherto been made only by the local government, on 
the Crown lands, and by a few wealthy planters. 
Vanilla. — The high prices fetched by VaDilla in 
European markets have been a great temptation to 
many to convert what little land they possess into 
Vanilla plantations ; but this happy state of things is 
not destined to have a long life, for Vanilla is an 
article of consumption for which there is but a 
restricted demand, and its over-production must 
Decessarily be attended by a great fall in price. 
Tobacco. — Persevering experiments, attempted by 
a small number of planters to cultivate Tobacco are 
beginning to give most encouraging results, and 
Reunion at present can produce very well burning 
Tobacco. Although its aromatic properties are not 
as satisfactory as they might be, it is hoped that, 
with time and a little care, this deficiency will be 
remedied. It is a well known fact that to obtain 
good Tobacco, several plantations must have been 
made in the same spot. As this has not yet been 
done at Reunion, the Tobacco can hardly be said to 
have had a fair trial. 
Fecula and Tapioca. — The manufacture of fecula 
and tapioca may now be considered as one of the 
most flourishing industries of the island. In spite of 
the first mill which was started having begun under 
very unfavourable circumstances it may, nevertheless, 
be said to be on its way to prosperity. Its produce, 
although not so appreciated as the tapioca from 
Singapore and Rio Janerio, obtains fairly remunerative 
prices. No further argument can be advanced to 
prove that there is a brilliant opening for fecula 
and tapicoa than the fact that other mills are already 
being constructed for the making of these articles. — 
Gardeners' Chronicle. 
. SIAM GINGEE. 
In the Botanical Magazine for July of the present 
year, t. 6944, Sir Joseph Hooker describes a new 
species of Alpinia under the name of A. zingiberina, 
the history of which is interesting, as much, or even 
more, from an economic, as from a botanical point of 
view. This plant was first noticed in the Gardeners' 
Chronicle for July 31, 1886, p. 150, having been raised 
from rhizomes exhibited at the Health Exhibition in 
1884. 
The fine collection of fruits exhibited by the 
Siamese Commission at the above Exhibition were at 
its close presented to the Museum of the Rojal 
Gardens, and in the course of preparing the specimens 
for exhibition in the cases at Kew, I at once saw 
that a sample of a rhizome labelled " Ginger " was 
very different from the ordinary commercial ginger, 
being much thicker, and more cylindrical, longer, 
and not so much branched. Upon breaking off a 
piece of the rhizome the odour was more delicately 
aromatic than common ginger, and the taste not so 
pungent. As the rhizome still retained life in it, a 
piece was sent to the propagating-pits, and from it 
the plant now figured in the Botanical Magazine was 
raised. As Sir Joseph Hooker points out, " We are 
still in ignorance as to whether it is a wild or culti- 
vated plant ; and if the latter, whether it is cultivated 
(as A- fagallocha is in Siam) for its seeds, or, like the 
true Ginger, for its rhizomes." 
From the fleshy nature of the rhizome, as well as 
from its delicate aromatic taste and smell, the plant 
would seem to be worth cultivating for the sake of 
preserving the rhizoine in syrup, if not for drying 
and using as a condiment in the ordinary way. It 
is well known that the Chinese preserved ginger is 
of a more agreeable aromatic flavour than that of the 
West Indies, and is mostly preferred for table use ; 
in consequouce of this it has been suspected that 
home other plant than Zingiber officinale may fur- 
nish somt', at least, of the Chinese ginger; up to 
the pri-.ent time, however, there is no proof of this. 
Mr. Charles lord, of the Hong Kong Botanic Gar- 
dtu, ieftriing to ibis subject in a recent report, says : 
—"Some doubt has existed as to whether tho 
1 1 .Lett bfeve_ Lot vut or more kinds of pkats in use 
as ginger that are unknown elsewhere. I have 
taken steps for collecting together and cultivating 
all the kinds of plants generally included by the 
Chinese as Ginger, with the hope that when in cul- 
tivation they can be studied and observed in 6uch a 
manner as to secure all possible information in con- 
nection with this subject. While at San-Ui I was 
fortunate in beiDg able to obtain from cultivated 
plants good flowering specimens. These I dried, and 
together with speimens of the roots (properly rhi- 
zomes) forwarded to the Director of Kew Gardens for a 
study of them to made thertr, when thty can be com- 
pared with other kinds, or with specimens of the 
same kind from other places. The specimens which 
I procured were, withou' doubt, Zingiber officinale, 
the species commonly in cultivation in other parts of 
the world. 
" It is, however, possible that some other plant, 
which is not a true Ginger, may be used in making 
the celebrated Canton preserved ginger, but all the 
information which I have yet obtained points to the 
species Zingiber officinale as the only kind which the 
Chinese use for this purpose. The Ginger cultivated 
in the Lo-Fan Mountains has a wide reputation 
amongst the Chinese as being of unusual efficacy in 
medicine ; this superior quality may, however, be 
derived merely from peculiarity of soil or climate 
which communicate to the plant exceptional properties. 
The specimens here alluded to by Mr. Ford have 
been examined by Professor Oliver, and prove to be 
those of Ginger (Zingiber officinale, Rose). — John R. 
Jackson, Museum, Kew.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 
A Big AValnut Log. — The Glasgow Herald says 
that there was recently landed, ex " Lord O'Niel " SS. 
from Baltimore, U. S., one of the largest logs of 
Black Walnut imported into the Clyde. Its extreme 
measure is 17 feet long, 42 inches broad, containing 
over 200 cubic feet, calliper measurement. To those 
interested in trees it will not only appear a rare, 
but also a valuable specimen.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 
A Remedy eob. White Ants is thus given in the 
proceedings of the Horticultural Society of India : — 
Mr. L. Liotard writes: — "Some of my Rose plants 
were attacked by White Ants a month or so ago, 
although Firminger says that these pests do not 
attack live plants. I have read of several specifics 
against white ants, but tried one of my own which 
was accessible at the time. I took a supply of 
leaves from a Neem {Mclia azadiraeltta) tree in my 
garden and buried a few haudfuls round each 
Rose plant, about a couple of inches below the sur- 
face, close round the stem ; the white ants dis- 
appeared as if by magic, and I have since been 
free of them; I do not know if anybody ever tried 
Neem leaves before, but they are really very effica- 
cious, and, of course, they form a vegetable-mould 
when they decay." 
The Citron Trade in Corsica.— According to a 
recent Government report from Bastia, Corsica, Citron 
fruits constitute one of the principal articles 
of export. The climate and soil of Corsica are 
said to be particularly favourable to the production 
of this fruit, which maintains its great superiority 
over that produced in Greece, Sicily, and the 
North of Africa, and the excellent prices obtained 
in the principal markets have cansed much attention 
to be given to careful cultivation, and to the pre- 
paration of the fruit for the different markets. Most 
of the selected fruit is sent to England. Owing to 
the large number of plantations which should come 
into bearing during the next few years a large increase 
of production and consequent decline in prices were 
to be looked for, but the very severe winter caused 
the entire destruction of the trees of many important 
districts, and it is expected that the next crop will 
be a failure. The manufacture of candied Citron 
for America and Holland has greatly increased. The 
best quality of Egyptian sugar is now used for this 
purpose in large quantities, aud is imported direct. 
The returns o? exports to foreign countries show that 
1692 tons of Citrons in brine and 435 tons of 
candied Citrous were exported in 18SS. — Gardeneu' 
Chronicle, 
