April 2) 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 657 
COTTON OILS OF ASSAM. 
In the course of a paper submitted by Mr. Oswin 
Weynton before the Enst India Association on April 
4, that gentleman gave some interesting particulars 
respecting the cotton oils of Assam. Speaking of the 
last named he said : " If cottonseed can bo obtained 
fresh, a clear 8 per cent of oilcan be had, and, quite 
irrespective of tho cake, the returns will be found 
highly profitable. The demand moreover is increasing, 
as not only is cotton oil uuder its proper name used 
all over Europe, especially the southern countries, 
for cooking, but a very large proportion of the Lucca 
salad oil retailed in the United Kingdom is now 
nothing more or less than cotton oil, and as it is a 
pure palatable vegetable oil, there is not much harm 
done by the deception. When crushed and ground, a 
moderate heat for pressing is recommended, but care 
is needed, as any bi owning of the cake during ex- 
traction will result in discoloration and consequent 
depreciation in value. The cake sells well either lo- 
cnlly or exported. The gius will cost about £18, suit- 
able for Assam cotton, and should be fitted with 
what is technically called condensers. The number of 
these machines must depend upon the locality and 
supply of the raw material. If it is eventually decided 
upon planting cotton on the estate, acclimatized seed 
from the Bombay Presidency should be procured, as 
that locally obtainable has been raised from the 
same stock for centuries, and has consequently so 
much deteriorated that no amount of cultivation and 
high manuring would have any improving effect for 
a number of years. There can be little doubt even- 
tually that tho cultivation will spread as the wilder 
hillmen are brought within tho influences of civiliza- 
tion, so that he who is first in the field with gins 
and presses has a lucrative opening for the use of 
such. An efficient baling press might also find re- 
munerative occupation, but tho price charged for bal- 
ing and packing must be low enough to suit the 
means of native dealers, who, keen as they are in 
most business transactions, are still at the same time 
slow to realize the advantages of economizing time, 
space and labor. Ouce, however, these advantages 
are thoroughly comprehended they aro rapidly adop- 
tod."— Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter. 
HARVESTING CINCHONA BARK. 
With reference to the discussion now going on in 
our planting contemporaries on the relative merits 
of the several methods of harvesting at present in 
vogue, and especially as to whether it is better to 
shave all round tho tree or only in alternate strips, 
we express a decided opinion in favour of the lat- 
ter. We contend that in this way the bark renews 
from the edges of strips left on the tree as well as 
from tho cambium outwards. We have seen this 
system of shaving in operatiou for some time past, 
and it baa been most successful. Tho bark renews 
muoh better than when shaved all round the tree, 
and the tree suffers much less from being shaved 
in this way. The trees should be shaved five or six 
times before they are coppiced, and then the result 
of the coppicing will bo fouud as satisfactory as the 
■having. As regards coppicing, we advocate the 
felling of the tree two feet or so from tho ground. 
Our reasons are, 1st, to prevent the harm done from 
excursive bleeding which ofteu takes place and fre- 
quently causes death. By allow; the stump to re- 
main tho bleeding is more gradual, A:c., and the shock 
is felt loss than when the tree is sawn close to the 
grouud. Sadly, the stamp aflotdl it good general pro- 
tection for the younij suckers, especially in coffee 
where constant works aro going on. 3rdly, whero 
there is wind, it makes a capital stake for the 
growing sucker, and, indeed, can be used for this 
purpose to advantage anywhere. .' it bus served 
these purposes, and when the suckers aro large enough 
to be independent of it. it onn of course, if pre- 
ferred, bo removed ; but this is by no mc.ius a neces- 
sity. Tho general tcudeucy of the growing sueVer is 
to get a firm hold on to thu root of the old u 
83 
and to strike into tho earth. There are some suckers, 
however, which start higher up on the stump, and 
for the benefit of these the stumps may be sawn down 
to make more room for suckers, but there is certainly 
not the least necessity to do this in any other case, 
as the lower suckers, which are generally the stron- 
gest and most healthy, are not affected in any way 
by the stump at that stage. — Nilyiri Express. 
* 
PULSES AS POOD. 
It is commonly known that leguminous seeds such as 
Dholl and other pulses and lentils are very nourishing. 
In fact they contain more nitrogenous or flesh-forming 
substance than meat ; and are hence specially recom- 
mended to those who are too poor to pay for meat and 
those who abstain from eating meat either on principle 
or through prejudice. But when put to the test of 
practice, they ofteu fail to prove quite so nutritious as 
their chemical composition leads us to expect. Al- 
though the average amount of flesh-forming substance 
in meat is found by analysis to be about 20 and that 
in pulses 25 per cent, it is too frequently found by 
experience that pulses are not even equal to meat in 
actual nourishing property. One would naturally en- 
quire how this apparent inconsistency between science 
and experience could be accounted for. The reason is 
not far to seek. Meat being an animal substance is 
capable of easier digestion and assimilation by our 
stomachs than pulses are. 
While thus giving to meat its proper value as an 
article of diet, we should not however undervalue the 
real merits of pulses. They are good iu their own 
place, and can be made agreeable and wholesome by 
observing the following hints which I have found very 
useful : — 
1. The seed should be thoroughly deoorticated. 
The husk of leguminous seed is difficult to digest and 
is apt to produce flatulency aud diarrhoea. 
2. A sufficient quantity of stomachic ourrystuffs such 
as ginger, garlic, pepper, &c, should be used iu cooking 
the seed. 
3. The seed should be oooked in the softest water 
available. Hard waters (those which contain an undue 
amount of lime) tend to harden the nitrogenous princi- 
ple oalled legumin which pulses contain, and thus 
make them difficult to digest. 
Soft waters can be made out by their readily forming 
a lather with soap, liain water and most river waters 
are soft. The water in Jaffna wells is mostly hard 
owing to the coral stratum through which it percolates. 
If naturally soft water cannot be procured, the avail- 
able hard wator should be made as soft as possible by 
suitable means. 
4. Pulses aro sometimes apt to bring on constipation 
as they do not coutaiu enough of oily or fatty matter. 
In such cases an admixture of such a substanoe in a 
suitable form will be beneficial. — E. T. HooLB, Mall- 
aittivu Agricultural Sohool, 2nd March 1888. 
PEPPER ADULTERATION. 
It is not only satisfactory from a trade point of 
view, but also most important to the consumer, to 
find that tho authorities have at last bestirred them- 
selves in the matter of Pepper adulteration, and 
that several prosecutions have taken place. In con- 
nection with this subject it may bo pointed out that 
so long ago as Ootober 10th, 1885, a letter was 
published in this papor from tho importers of 
" poivretto " or "pepperette" — a substance consist- 
ing of ground olive kernels, and absolutely valueless, 
but which forms a cheap and easy adulterant for 
Black or White Pepper. Whether with the aid of 
olive kernels or not, there has recently, without doubt, 
been a very great increase in the practie. i ' «dultor 
ating Pepper, nnd it is high time that it snoul 1 bo 
checked by tho law. Tho consumption is so small 
that tho saviug to tho rotsil dealers from buying 
adulterated Pepper is at the most quite iuunit<>»im»l, 
and they would only bo likely to buy it iu iguorance. 
Where doubts have- arisen. . ven a proffered guirau- 
Uo should not mislead the Grooers, for their be»t 
