July 2, 1888.] rUt TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
but I learn that none of these plants have fruited. 
A few remarks as to the mode of cultivation may 
therefore be useful. The tubers should bo planted at 
a dis'ance of 12 feet apart in well manured soil, 
taking care to keep the manure near the surface as 
the tubers take a horizontal direction, and do not pene- 
trate the soil to any great depth. When the shoots 
appear in the spring it is well to cut off all the weak 
ones, leaving only four strong canes; these should be 
trained along a trellis or wall, as tho case uiif'ht 
be, leaving a width of 3 feet between the cane-. 
All the lateral branches should be pruned back 
to within one bud of the main rud, except those 
laterals that show bunches; but it will be found 
that very few bunches will be dcvoloped on the 
lateral shoots, most of the bunches springing directly 
from the main rods ; but in the case of a bunch 
springing from a lateral branch, the branch should 
be stopped at the second bud above the bunch. The 
laterals might be allowed to grow till they are 2 feet 
long. It will then be seen if they are likely to 
throw out bunchi s or not. If not, prune them back 
as described, and also pinch back all subsequent 
growth us it appears. It may be found necessary to 
thin out the leaves to allow the sun to get at the 
branches, but in doing this, great care should be 
taken not to break or otherwise injure the leaf 
directly above the bunch. If this happen to be ac- 
cidentally removed, the bunch below it will ripen 
immaturely and soon shrivel up. It is an advantage 
to thin out the bunches, leaving a space of 15 or 
18 inch between them. It is also advantageous to 
thin the berries, leaving hardly one half of the 
original quantity on each bunch ; but I am afraid 
this process would prove impracticable if the vine 
were extensively grown, owing to the labour it would 
entail. After the fruit is gathered the vines it require 
no further attention till spring. By way of experi- 
ment one lot of plants were allowed to grow at will. 
Some of them threw up as many as a dozen suckers 
and produced laterals in profusion, but they all 
failed to flower. Another lot was transplanted iuto 
Well-manured ground just as the crowns began to 
pu.-h in the spring ; they, too, failed to flower and 
presented rather a sickly appearance during the 
summer. 
"The 'Horticultural Press' has already suggestod 
that this vine should receive the attention of vine 
growers in the wine-producing countries of Europe 
where the phylloxera has denuded the vineyards of 
the old class of vines. There being no phylloxera 
in Hongkong, I cannot say whether the dreaded 
insert woulil spare this vino, but in view of the 
wonderful improvements that have been and can be 
brought about by skilful and persistent cultivation, 
it is not unreasonable to surmise that this new vino 
nmy ultimately become a wine producer. It is easily 
cultivated, and stems to be well adapted for a 
tropicul climato, or a climate in which the resting 
season is comparatively cold and the growiug season 
but." 
MADAGASCAR EBONY. 
The iuformuiiou contained iu the following corres- 
pondence respecting ebony and sandal wood at 
Madagascar will be read with considerable interest. 
In the absence of botanical specimens of the plants 
in question, it is impossible to express an opinion as 
to their identification, Tho llora of the lowlands of 
Madagascar is very imperfectly known at present, 
nud it is most desirable to draw the attention of 
Consuls anil alt who may have the opportunity to 
the importance of collecting and forwarding speci- 
mens ,,t ti„. plants known to yield ebony aud sandal 
wood to Kew for the purposo ot identification. Mr. 
J. (I. linker. Principal Assistant in the Kew Her- 
barium, has lor m. my yeur> d. v,,t. ,| ;l tt,nti n l„ u,,. 
Horn of the mountainous parts of Madagasoar, 
and bus described the plants, collected for thu most 
part by tho Rev. It. Baron, iu recent numbers of 
tbo Journal of thu Liuucan Society. The work now 
necessary it to explore the lowlands of Madagascar 
and make collections of plants, which it is confident- 
ly anticipated will prove of the greatest possiblo 
interest. 
It is well known that the heart wood of many 
different species of Diospi/rus constitute the ebony of 
commerce. There are 10 endemic species of Dioipyros 
at Madagascar, but it is impossible to identify any one 
of these as yielding commercial ebony. Mr. Godfrey T. 
Saunders, who has an extensive knowledge of the bard 
woods of commerce, states that, "at present the only 
Madagascar wood known in this country is ebony, 
and in this, my house is tho largest operator. 
Hitherto wo are depended for supplies on the French 
aud German houses. We understand the wood at 
present is smuggled out of the country. A properly 
organised management should put a stop to this 
state of things and enable us to c et the wood under 
the best possible conditions as to proper felliug and 
shipment. There is a large and increasing consump- 
tion for this wood. " 
True saudal-wood is yielded by different species 
of SaAtalum. Iudiau sandal-wood is derived from 
Santalum album, L., and West Australian sandal-wood 
from Fusam/us spicatUS, R. Br. A "Contribution to 
the Knowledge of Sandal-woods" is given by 
Audreas Petersen in Journal, Pharmaceutical Society, 
vol. xvi. [3], p, 757. 
According to Mr. Baker there is no species of 
•Santalum known from Madagascar, and I'teiocarpua 
which yields red sandal wood or Saunder's wood is 
doubtfully native. In the northern parts of Madagas- 
car, according to M. Cachin, a wood with proper- 
ties similar to sandal-wood is known under the 
Sakalava name of Hasoranto, while another wood called 
Laza smells of aniseed. The latter is probably Cioto,i 
anisatum, Baill. in Adansonia, Vol. I., p. 159. 
In the Kew Museums there is a specimen of wood 
labelled " Santal vert (Oroton sp.), exported from 
Madagascar aud Zanzibar into India, where it is said 
to be used for burning the bodies of Hindoos. Also 
a specimen from Mr. J. Heathcoto, from Professor 
MucOwan, received February C, 1886. labelled " Wood 
like sandal-wood (Crotou sp.). It is groan I and 
mixed with water, and used by the natives at In- 
hambaue to anoint themselves," 
These latter, are not properly sandal-wools. They 
are mentioned as indicating the possible source of 
what is called sandal-wood at Madagascar. The cor- 
respondence is as follows; — 
The Fobeiun Office to Rov.vl Gardens, Kew. 
Foreign Office, March 19, 188S. 
Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 12th ius'aut I am 
directed by the Marquess of Salisbury to transmit to you 
here-with an extract from Vice-Consul Knott's report, 
relating to the ebony trade on the ' West Coast of 
Madagascar. 
I am to add that Lord Salisbury has no objection 
to this extract being published in the Kelo Bulletin 
aid communit a Wi t> Mr. Kan'onie.* — I am, &c, 
U. Morris, E-q. | Si^uod) T. V. Listeh. 
[Enclosure.] 
British Vice-Consulate, Mejauga, 
December Pith, 1S87. 
Sir, — I have the honour to inform you that, up 
tothepreseut time, no person having beeu granted 
a concession to export ebony from the West Coast, all 
that is shipped is smuggled out of the country. 
In the Sakalava country, south of Mauitirauo, there 
are large tracts of forest iu which tho ebony tree is 
found, and cut by tho Sikalava and brought to Mwiiti- 
rano, and there sold to tho Indian uud Ar ib traders 
in exchauge for cloth for merely nominal amount':. 
Some comes north to Soulula iu Baly Bay and there 
exchanged. 
•Mr. Lewis Kansome (of the firm of A. Ransom 8 
Si Co., Chelsea) has been preparing himself at Kew 
for a botanical survey of the English concession in 
the district of Maroantsetra, North-eatt Coast of 
Madagascar. [This is the first we have heard of 
such a concession. What have our friends the French 
to say to it?— En.j 
