Decembpr i, 18R7.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
365 
CITRUS JAPONICA. 
This is a member of the orange family which, in 
all likelihood, would do well on the lower slop 1 a of 
the Nilgiris and the Wynaad. In the Northern Unit- 
ed States it is frequently grown for ornamental pur- 
poses, but in the Southern States, especially in 
Florida, it is being cultivated commercially. Accord- 
ing to an American paper thero are two distinct 
varieties of this fruit, one having oblong, the other 
a round fruit. They attain the size of a medium- 
sized plum or apricot respectively. The tree is handy, 
bears extremely young, which of course is a matter 
of groat importance, aud the fruit hangs on the 
branches in the greatest profusion. As many as 
seventy h ive been counted on plants not more than 
from 15 to 21 inches high. It does not claim to be 
a table fruit, though even eaten raw it has a very 
agreeable flavour; the rind can bo eaten with the 
Hesh, being not thicker than a Plum or Cherry. It 
has a decidedly aromatic orange flavour ; the llesh 
is very juicy with the sub-acid quality of a lime, 
very cooling and refreshing and containing only two 
seeds. The main value of this fruit will bo for pre- 
serving and Crystallising. For this purpose it is 
eminently adapted. It is not necessary to take off 
the skin on account of its extreme thinness. The 
aroma of the rind blending with the acid of the flesh 
will make it one of the most desirable fruits for pre- 
serves, jellies, and crystallised fruit. It is a tree that 
will soon gain favour and stand on its own merits, 
once it is thoroughly known. It does not, like all 
Japanese orange trees, attain any considerable height, 
its growth being very bushy with long divergent 
branches, 10 to 12 feet being its height.—' Hoimts. 
— South of India Observer. 
IFOMOGA. NOCTIFLOUA. 
Mr. M. P. Arnold thus refers to the Moon Flower 
(Ipumcea Noc'iflora) iu the 'Florida DespatcU. "It 
claims Mexico for its home, but it takes most kindly 
to Florida, as I can well testify. I planted a single 
seed, given to me by a friend, undor the protecting 
end of my kitchen. The soil was dry and sandy, 
although thero was some clay mixed with it. The 
vine made a slow growth at first, but as the rainy 
season advanced it became more vigorous. The leaves 
wore much I ik. ■ the common Morning (llory, but much 
larger. The plant finally became rampant, and clam- 
bered over the" greater part of one side of the house. 
I had paid but little attention to it for a long time, 
when suddenly one evening I was astonished at live 
or six immense saucer-like flowers of pearly white- 
ness, which swayed and nodded in the evening wind. 
They exhaled a delicate Jasmine-like odour that was 
tantalising in its evanescent sweetness. By sunrise 
the Mowers were faded and gone : Luton the -ue, red- 
ing evening a new crop of Mowers would gradually 
unfold themselves, and again would steal forth that 
subtle, Meeting perfume of the famed Evening Olory. 
I have freqb.ejJ.tly l.ik'm my chair of an evening and 
placed it before the vine, and, settling on oue parti- 
eular bud about to open, I would watch the gradual 
unfolding of this giant of the Morning Glony tribe. 
It became exciting and fascinating to watch the slow 
expansion of this chaste and lovely (lower. At 
length the liual crease would be drawn out, and the 
Mower would present itself to my admiring gaze. On 
a dark night a dozen or fifteen immense blooms 
would startle a stranger on coming suddenly around 
the corner of the north end of the house. The 
hamming birds were extremely partial to the Mowers, 
uml would frequent the vine almost crory evening, 
Mitting from Mower to Mower like feathery sprites." 
— Hortus.— -Snuth nf India Obtfnler. 
REVIKW OF T1IF, DRUd MARKET. 
The following particulars are takeu from Messrs. 
tiehe Co'* semi-annual circular: — 
IUkh-ink has been considerably reduced in price, 
owing to overstocking of the raw material mid cessation 
of the shipment* to America, the principal country of 
OOSrampBon, This article, along with quinine, limy be 
taken as illustrating the depreciation of fine chemical 
in the last twenty years. At the beginning of the sixt ies 
caffeine cost 680m. to 700m. per kilo; from 1870 to 
1880, about 20Om. ; and now only 70m. 
Coca Leaves. — The importation of coca leaves into 
Hamburg has lost much in importance now that the 
demand for cocaine is fully covered by the arrivals 
of crude cocaine of a reliable quality from South 
America, which has also rendered unremunerative the 
extraction of cocaine from the leaves in Europe. The 
stock of leaves is still sufficient for the requirements, 
although fine green Bolivian loaves are becoming 
scarce. Peruvian and Truxillo leaves, also (which 
latter variety can only he used lor manufacturing pur- 
poses), are iu some instances held at high prices. It 
is said that now arrivals are not likely to take place 
while prices remain at the present level. 
Gu ahana has remained rather dear, with small arri- 
vals. The consumption in Brazil is known to be very 
large, and, apart from the paste which is brought in- 
to commerce by the Indians of the Amazon territory, 
the guarana plant is cultivated to some extent in the 
districts of Mane, Villa Bella, and Imperatrix only. 
The plant, like tho vine, flourishes best in hilly dis- 
tricts, and requires a rather dry sandy clay soil. The 
seeds are placed in beds, and the young shoots are 
transplanted as soon as they have attained the height 
of a few inches (15 to 20 centimetres). Another 
method consists in plautiug the seed in a small basket 
filled with earth, which is placed in the soil as soon 
as the plant has grown to a height of 10 centimetres. 
The guaranas are placed at distances of 6 to 8 metres, 
and are trained to grow against lattice-work. The 
cultivation demands much care, and the first crop is 
not collected until the fourth or fifth year. The plant 
flowers iu July, and fruits in November and Decem- 
ber. From that time forward it has to be pruned 
yearly, and its cultivation closely resembles that of the 
vine, but cannot be carried on successfully outside the 
tropics. The plant is said to fruit for over forty years, 
yielding from three to four kilos, per year. — Chemist 
ami DrUrji/ist. 
♦ 
WALNUT TREES AT OOTAOAMUND. 
From the proceedings of the Madras Agri-IIorti- 
cultural Society we quote as follows: — 
Read the following letter from Lieut.-Ool. II. \V. II. 
Cox, dated Coimbatore, 18th June, 1887 : — 
"lihir tells mo that at Oluny, Ootacamund, there 
is a Walnut tree which every year produces fruit 
from which youug plants have beeu raised. Thus 
may or may not bo new to you. I write because I 
have a kind of impression that unsuccessful attempts 
have been made by the Society to assist a man on the 
Pnlneys to raise tho Walnut aud the Almond from 
imported seed. 
"Major Donald McLeod is at present occupying 
Oluuv, and you can get from him confirmation of 
Blair's information/' 
Read letter from the Honorary Secretary to Major 
McLcod, dated 33rd July last. 
Road the following lettor from Major Donald J. 
S. McLeod, dated Oluny, Ootacamund, ilth August 
1887 :— 
"I have been trying to get information on which to 
reply satisfactorily to your 1059, of 23rd July, but fear 
I have not boon very successful. 
"I havo in my garden a very good Walnut tree 
which bears fruit annually, but not in large quantities 
such as trees at home produce. It is said to have 
beon planted by the l.ecots, this house for a long timu 
having been Mr. Lecot's property, but no one up lo re 
c*u give me any idea as to the date, nor a> to whan 00 
tho seed mil was obtained. Ilowever, thrro it is, and 
it has been the parent of many other trues, though as 
yet, so far as I am aware, uoue of its progeny have 
attained sufficient ago to produce fruit. In this garden 
thero are three trees rai-cl from no's of the piruul 
true. Ono is S or 9 (net high, and well-gron and 
flourishing ; another is 5 foet high and doing mil; 
tho thin) living smaller and rather stunted, I think, 
DMRUM placed iu a bad •ituatiou. The so trees w»rr 
