THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December i, 1887. 
• igned the arrangement already have cane planted and 
' 6 to cut, and that kanaka labour has been chiefly 
employed by them in the clearing of their fields the 
!>reakiag up of the land, and the planting and culti- 
vation of the present crop. 
The sugar exported up to December 31, 1886, 
showed a total for the season (since July 1) of 31,052 
tons, which is about 1/00 tons less than were exported 
during the same period of last year. The gross yield 
of sugar for the year up to 31st March prox. will 
probably be about 45,000 tons. — Australasian. 
♦ 
Soils. — According to the Nilgiri Express, the fol- 
lowing is the simple result of a comparison of a large 
number of analyses of soils — good and bad — and plants 
grown on different soils, to determine what was 
necessary for ordinary field crops. All the fertile soils 
contain the following : — First — Silica or sand. Second — 
Alumina or clay. Third — One oxide, either of iron or 
of magnesia. Fourth — One'alkaline earth, either lime 
or maguesia. Fifth — One alkali, either potash or soda. 
Sixth — One mineral acid, either muriatic or sulphuric, 
or phosphoric. Seventh — Vegetable acid, or decomposed 
vegetable matter. And in all fertile soils, the fourth 
and fifth were in such quantities as to neutralize the 
sixth and seventh. The poor soils either wanted some 
of the necessary ingredients, or had an excess of 
acid, or alkali. And in all such cases there was an 
excess of acid, except in one soil where there was 
an excess of soda. — Indian Agriculturist. 
AccOeding to a contemporary, an interesting econ- 
omic fact is brought to light in a consular report for 
last year on the trade of Frankfort-on-Main, in 
Germany, and that is, that the town obtains its 
supply of patchouli oil from the Indian plant, which 
must apparently be imported from this couutry in 
large quantities. Consul-General C. Oppenheimer, 
writing on the subject, says that the stock of patch- 
ouli oil is so reduced, that a further increase of 
price will be unavoidable if the import from India 
of plants does not soon cover the deficiency. The 
principal difficulty, however, he adds, appears to be 
in the shipping of the same, as the captains of 
steamers object to taking them on board on account 
of their penetrating odour. We are, however, doubt- 
ful whether the plant said to be imported from India 
is really the Indian-grown plant. There are, it is 
true, several species of the plant which yields the 
Patchouli perfume to be found in India, as for instance, 
the Plectranthus Patchouli, of Assam, and the Pagoste- 
man Patchouli, of Bombay ; and both plants are also 
grown in many places in Bengal, but they are not 
cultivated commercially. A gootl deal of the Assam 
product used to find its way to Calcutta in former 
years, but this almost entirely the Penang and Singa- 
pore products which now occupy the Calcutta and 
other markets, and we fancy that it is the latter 
which is again exported from here to Germany, and 
not the true Indian plant. — Indian Agriculturist. 
Leaves. — Enquirers into the physiological functions 
of the leaves of plants in relation to their bearing 
upon the animal economy have recorded, as the result 
of their researches that aquatic plants surpass all 
ethers in their power of decomposing carbonic acid f 
and by this function rendering malarious districts 
more fit for animal existence. That the knowledge 
of this important fact should not have been exten- 
sively utilized in practice, is one of the mysteries of 
the age, for it was clearly demonstrated years ago 
by such eminent scientists as Ellis, De Saussure, 
Daubeny, and others. But a change is at hand, for 
we learn from the Planters' Gazette (London) that 
a Dr. Brandes, a physician at Hitzackes, Hanover, 
has written an article in a German medical paper in 
which he demonstrates the valuable anti-malarial pro- 
perties of the Anarcharis alsinastrum, a water-plant 
which has hitherto been regarded as an unmitigated 
plague, choking up rivers, and altogether useless. Dr. 
Brandes has remarked that in the district where he 
lives, and where malaria and diarrhoea yearly appeared 
in a sporadic or epidemic form, these diseases have 
gradually decreased since the Ana/rcharis alsinastrum 
began to infest the neighbouring rivers and marshes 
apd since four years, have totally disappeared. The 
abovenamed water-plant nourishes itself on decayed 
vegetable matter, and grows with incredible rapidity. 
It thus destroys the germs which produce malaria 
and diarrhoea; and besides, its preseuce obliges the 
frequent cleansing of standing waters, a measure 
beneficial to health. Dr. Brandes, therefore, proposes 
that the experiment should be tried of planting the 
Anarcharis alsinastrum in marshy districts. It is also 
useful in protecting the young of fish, and affords 
an excellent dung. The plant came originally from 
Canada, whence it was brought to England, and 
thence to Germany about 1840. In North Germany it 
rapidly spread far and wide, and this year appears 
in all parts in unusual luxuriance. This knowledge 
will, we trust, induce the Government of India to 
take measures to ascertain, by experiment, whether 
the hundreds of species of aquatic plants that abound 
in India possess any special anti-malarial properties. 
Malaria, as we know, is one of the curses of this 
country, and any measure likely to render the malari- 
ous districts of India less injurious to life, ought not 
to be left untried. — Indian Agriculturist. 
Kola. — At a time when trie West Indian planters 
are casting about for new industries to recoup the 
losses sustained by the enormous decline in the value 
of sugar, it is of the utmost importance that they 
should not be misled — that in seeking to improve 
their position they should not find themselves, at no 
distant date going from bad to worse. The contro- 
versy on the kola nut, therefore, which is taking 
place between Sir Augustus Adderley, Mr. Thomas 
Christy, Mr. Lascelles Scott, and Mr. D. Morris, 
of Kew, is likely to be of real advantage to the 
Colonies. If what Mr. Lascelles Scott says be true- 
namely, that the French and German Governments 
are introducing kola into their military dietaries, 
and that in this country several large contract orders 
cannot yet be filled, owing to insufficiency of supply 
— we are very glad to hear it. An increased de- 
maud will doubtless serve to enhance the price, and 
then we may expect regular imports of the article 
into this country. The merits of kola nuts have been 
known for the last 100 years, and it is nonsense to 
suppose that the West Indian planters would be so 
blind to their own interests as to positively refuse 
to supply a profitable market, either on this side or 
in America. The fact is, not a few of those who 
have gone in for the cultivation of kola, especially 
in Jamaica, have bitten their fingers over this pro- 
duct, and it is not surprising that they should 
refuse to take it up again until it has been conclusively 
proved that there is a growing and profitable demand 
for it. Shipments have been made to this country 
which really left nothing for the grower after paying 
expenses, and in some instances the prices realised 
were not sufficient to pay these. Such being the 
case, Mr. Morris is perfectly justified in stating that 
the kola nut is purely in the experimental and specul- 
ative stage, and it must be frankly admitted that 
speculative cultivation is not what should be recom- 
mended to the West Indies at tke present time in 
order to benefit them. Does Sir Augustus Adderley, 
we wonder, know that kola trees take from five to 
seven years to come into bearing, and can he under- 
take to say what will be the price of kola in 1896 ? 
All that Mr. Morris contends for is that, if there 
is a fair and legitimate demand for kola, it can be 
supplied from Jamaica and elsewhere from trees 
already established. He admits all and everything as 
regards the merits of the nut, and it is worthy of 
remark that, in his annual report on Jamaica for 1882 — 
two years before Mr. Christy took up the chocolate- 
from-kola idea — the late Director of the Jamaica 
Botanical Department reported as follows :— " Kola 
nut. — This tree, which has lately attracted consider- 
able attention, is common in many parts of the island 
(Jamaica) under the name of Byssi, and seeds can 
be obtained in quantity if required for commercial 
purposes These nuts are likely to take their 
place in the market as furnishing a nutritive and 
stimulant beverage .... and there is a probability 
that a chocolate prepared from them will more readily 
agree with delicate stomachs." — Colonies and India. 
