December t, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
393 
Coumarin. — Some surprise is expressed that coumarin 
does not more rapidly supersede the tonka bean, 15 
grains of coumarin being represented as equal to a 
kilogram oF the beans. 
Keliotropia or Piprvoivd. — Inspecting this synthcl i« il 
substance, which is said to be increasingly w ed in 
pe: turnery, aud which has been recommended as an 
antiseptic aud antipyretic, a caution is given that in 
summer it should be kept in a cool place. The 
preparation molts at about 87" 0., and in the melted 
condition is quite worthless. 
Thymol. — It is pointed out that in the event of 
any insufficiency in tho supply of Indian ajowairj 
seeds, the material from which thymol is ordinarily 
prepared, there would bo a good substitute available 
in tho American horse-mint or mouarda oil, the 
distillate of the herb Moiiatda pimct'atti. Thymol 
is said to bo establishing a firm place in dental 
preparations, and a mouth wash, made by adding ten 
drops of a 1 in 10 spirituous solution to a glass of 
warm water is spoken of very highly. In the United 
States thymol is said to be in use for the disinfection 
of closets. The thymol is allowed to stand iu contact 
a short time with the water used for flushing, aud 
although it is very difficultly soluble in water (1 in 
1000) enough is taken up to impart to the flushing 
water a slight thymol odour. — T'hurmaccutical Journal. 
(To he continued.) 
+ 
MANURING THE PEACH. 
The value of muriate of potash aud fine ground 
bone as a preventive against the yellows has come 
to be geuerally recognized by peach growers since 
the results of such treatment at the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College were made public by Profs. 
Goeasmann aud Maynard. The report of the New 
Jersey experiment station for the: past year contains 
an account of au investigation of the peach orchards 
of that State that bear out the results above referred 
to. There is ample proof that those who cultivate 
the most thoroughly and fertilize the most judiciously 
realize the greatest profits in peach growing. The 
healthiest aud longest-lived orchards in New Jersey 
are those which have been fertilized with potash and 
phosphoric acid in some form, and those who have, 
used theso fertilizers are generally intending to use 
them again, while those who have only used yard 
manure or nothing are looking for something better. 
In getting an orchard care is takeu to throw out 
any tree that looks diseased ; aud if the yellows 
app tar in a few trees they are at once rooted out 
and bur, iod. One orchard that had received bone 
and potash for four years was seeded to clover for 
one year, and then plowed under after a top dressiug 
of lime, with a sati-fact jry renewal of thrift on the 
part of tho old trees. 
Many cultivators do not rightly discriminatebetween 
tho yellows and the effect of the borer, attributing 
the effects of tho one to the other. Some of the 
sure indications of yellows are the dying of the twigs, 
b lough, prickly bark along the limbs, and premature 
ripening of the fruit, which usually has a re 1 Besb 
and a bitter taste. Tho borers' work is usually show a 
by a gummy substance or castings at the base of the 
tree at the surface of the ground, and by yellow 
leaves when their work is carried to any extent. The 
remedy for borers is to dig them out with a sharp 
kuile iu June aud August. — A' ural Cnlifurnitin. 
♦ 
MANURING FRUIT TREES. 
It is singular how long some fallacies retain their 
hold, even after they have been disproved by facts, 
and of these, one of the most mischievous is the belief 
that fruit trect and bushes are liable to iu jury rather 
than benefit from the application of manure. All 
sorts of disenses, such as canker and other ailments 
to whicdi fruit trees are liable, are set down as the 
result of applying manure to the roots ; wherea-, in 
nine cases out of ten, it arn.s from poverty of the 
■oil, causing the roota to run down into the bad 
• iibsoil. I am continually hearing compUlnU from 
owner* of fruit treoi as to their unsatisfactory c mdition. 
60 
and on examination have invariably found scarcely 
any surface roots or fibres of any kind; nothing but 
large, thorn-like root>, that ran right down into the 
subsoil. On inquiry I have usually found that manuring 
or top-dressing had not been practised for many 
years, their owners having come ro the conclusion 
that such practices were dangerous. I do not say 
that manure will prove to he a cure for fruit tree 
ailments of all kinds, hut I will briefly detail a few 
facts that have come under my observation at various 
times, to prove that starvation of the roots is a more 
prolific source of injury than abundant feeding of 
the surface roots, both with solid and liquid manures, 
and growers must form their own conclusions as to 
the best course to pursue. The fruitful or unfruitful 
state of the orchard trees in niue cases out of ten 
is entirely dependent on the attention which they 
receive as regards manuring. In the fruit-growing 
parts of Kent, where largo orchards of standard 
trees planted on grass land is the rule, it is a well 
established fact that if the grass is cut for hay and 
carried away, the trees soon become unfruitful and 
die out; while, on the contrary, if the grass is fed 
off, so that the nutriment is returned to the roots 
in the shape of manure, the trees keep fruitful and 
healthy. I have seen some of the most moss-grown, 
miserable specimens of starved orchard trees restored 
to a fruitful condition by making the ground beneath 
them the winter quarters of sheep and pigs, feeding 
them the samo as if they were iu the farmyard, with 
roots and corn. The finest old specimens of apple 
and pear trees are generally those iu an orchard next 
to the home-stead that is used as a run for calves, 
sheep, pigs, and poultry the whole year round. In 
these orchards the turf is short, and, being full of 
nutriment, the trees keep healthy and prolific for an 
indefinite period. Ashes, garden refuse, or any kind 
of road scrapings, or even scavengers' rubbish may 
be utilized for increasing the supply of orchard fruits. 
They should be spread roughly on the surface in 
winter, and in the spring harrowed aud rolled down 
firmly. The result will soon be a marked improve- 
ment in the size and quality of the crop. Difference 
of opinion prevails as to pruning or uou-pruuing trees, 
some adopting one system and some another ; but, 
be that as it may, I never kuew fruit trees continue 
to yield good crops any length of time unless the 
roots were supplied with manure in some form or 
another. — Correspondent, London Garden. 
BOMBAY MANGOES AND OTHERS. 
To the Editor of the " Times of India." 
Sir, — Under the above heading you reproduce in 
>our issue of the 12th instant au article contributed 
to the Pioneer by Dr. E. Uonavia, iu which he makes 
some observations on the quality of the liombay 
mangoes ; suggests the cultivation of mango trees 
from good mango atoms, and recommends the ex- 
portation of the fruit to Europe. As the subject 
of the mango and its cultivation is of great importance, 
and as it happens to be one to which I have dt- 
voted some atteutiou, I shall be glad if you wi>l 
allow me to make some observations upou tho article 
by Dr. Uonavia. 
First, Dr. Uonavia was evideutly offered a very 
bail specimen ol liombay Mango if he found it 
stringy and inferior in flavour to scores of varieties 
in Upper Iudia. Out best varieties— the Alpbouso, 
the Pairec, and tho Fcruandina are on all hands 
admitted to be, when they aro of the real quality, 
free from strings and very delicate in flavour. It 
is evident therefore that Dr. Uonavia must huve 
come across a Uouibay mango which did not belong 
to oue of these varieties. Connoisseurs who have 
had occasiou of comparing the qualities of mangoes 
of other presidencies with thoae of liombay, still 
admit, as the;, did iu tin- days of Clive, the fuperiority 
of the Uombuys to those ot any other. 1 lor my 
part cannot imagine how ono of our roully goo,| 
| Alpha OBO can be improved upon, and 1 am oerUin 
it would ataud coiiiparidou with any other fruit o( 
I its kind either iu ludia or eiwwhere. 
