August i, i888.] THF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 101 
Desert.* The Honorary Secretary wrote to tee 
Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, on the subject 
who kindly sent the Society, in May last, three roots 
which he described as " in the resting stage. " One 
of these roots was destroyed by insects and the 
other two sent out feeble shoots ; the first to shoot 
dried up altogether, and the third is again dormant. 
From the account given of this plant it would 
probably be a very valuable introduction. 
Fkuit Treks.— As in most years the Society has 
complied with considerable orders for grafted mango 
plants, but has recently set on foot enquiries as to 
the possibility of obtaining by selection and graft- 
ing, or from seed, ripe mango fruits, all the year 
round. So far as the information received goes, 
this most desirable state of things seems to be not 
only possible, but even easily attainable, by any one 
who can expend the necessary capital and spare 
the timo to await results. The introduction and 
establishing of the Date of Commerce as grown in 
Tunis, Arabia, Persia, and elsewhere, has been 
warmly taken up by Government, and large quan- 
tities of seeds and off-sets imported. The subject 
of the growing of Oranges and Lemons, and their 
present distribution in India, has been again under 
consideration during the past year, though there 
was never any doubt of the feasibility and de- 
sirability of the proposals made. Several species of 
the Order AuranUacece are indigenous in the jungles 
of Southern India, and probably climate and soil 
suitable to every member of the family could 
readily be found within the limits of the Presidency 
if the inhabitants possessed the energy and capital 
required to grow and carry them to market. In- 
teresting notes on the above, and other Fruit-trees 
will be found in recent Monthly Proceedings. 
LaN( kwood. — No information has been received 
from the Forest Department or the Government 
Botanist as to their success, or otherwise with the 
74 young plants of Oxandra virc/ata handed over to 
Government, of which mention was made in last 
report, but 4 remaiuing in the Gardens look well. 
Uinde. — One of the specimens of this tree, seeds 
of which were received from Kew, on 19th July, 
IsSi, planted out in the new border in the Ooci- 
nut tope and mentioned in last year's report is like 
many of its neighbours of others species growing 
splendidly. It is over 24 feet high, and girths 
twelvo inches and an half, at three feet from the 
ground. It is a very handsome and umbrageous 
tree, iu leaf and habit not unlike a Scotch Elm, 
and promises to be a very valuable introduction being 
the Fustic Dye.wood (Qhlorophora tinctovia) of the 
West Indies. 
Avkxde Tubes. — As usual, the Society raised and 
distributed large numbers of shade-giving trees for 
avenues, and to replace the destroyed Forests of 
the Coffee Districts. The Kigelia, the Kain Tree, 
and the Guattcria continue to be tne favourites, but 
a large supply of Albizzia stipiUuta was on special 
application got through the Conservator of Forests 
for a firm of Coffee Planter's on the Western Coast. 
What the Kain Tree (I'ithecolobiam or Inya Hainan) 
is capable of doing in the way of growth, requires 
to ho seen to bo believed. Some oareful measure- 
ments of the great treo in the gardens are recorded 
iu the Proceedings of 4th May I last, from which it 
appears, though it shrunk a little in the dry 
weather, to have increased iu girth din ing the latter 
mouths ot the year 1881, about half, an inch a 
month, and in December, after the raius, a full 
inch. On 80th July, 1881, it measured (i feet 3 
inches at 3 feet high, and 5 feet 9 iuches at 5 
IMt, with a spread of 85 feet from North to South, 
and an height of 46 feet. On 21st April last, it 
measured 8 feot 8 inches at 3 feet from the ground, 
and 8 fee'. 1 inch at ."> feet, with a spread of sS 
feel from North to South, and 97 feet from Bast 
to West, and an hi ight of about 58 feet. It is 
now (88rd March, 18,s>) at 3 feet high 8 feet 
llj inohes at G feet, 8 feet 3 inches \< ith a 
•~7'W< ante, Vol. IV, page 483. 
t Iff ante, Vol. IV, page 116. 
spread from North to South, of 92 feet and East to 
West, of 101 feet, aud an height ot about (in feet. 
In August 1878* when the tree was said to bo 
under six years old, it measured 4 feet 1 inch at .'! 
feet from the ground, so that in ten years, a tree 
now only 16 years old, has much more than doubled 
its girth; the increase at the ground being from 
5 feet 5 inches in 1878, to 12 feet on 21st April, 
1887. That the growth of this tree is not abnormal, 
is proved by an inspection of the survivors of a 
complete avenue of Kain Trees planted by Mr. 
Burrows, in the end of 1878, when he was President 
of the Madras Municipal Commission, along Nunguin- 
bauknm High Road ; though it is sad to think 
what an avenue Madras would now have if the 
officers in charge had done their duty and protected 
the young trees from the wheels of carts a id the 
horns of cattle. 
From the North of India, we hear that the plant- 
ing of the Rain Tree has been tried with success 
on barren land poisoned by salt aud alkaline efflores- 
cence. The following is an extract from the " Tropical 
Agriculturist " of December 1st, 18«7, page 406 : — 
"The Ouango or Rain tree {Fithecolobium Samun) 
is a native of Brazil aud Venezuela. It is fast grow- 
ing and ornamental, and very suitable for open spaces. 
It is so much desired iu ludia that in 1880, the 
Jamaica Botanical Department sent, BOlbs. weight of 
seed. Dr. King, the Government Botanist, iu Calcutta, 
says of it: — "This wonderful tree grows faster than 
any hithertj introduced into Bengal with the single 
exception of Casuarina. It gives a beautiful shade 
and yields a pod with a sweet pulp which is greedily 
eateu by cattle. For avenues, cantonments, squares, 
aud situations where dense shade is wanted, no tree 
is more suitable than this. " 
The Society has application for large quajtities of 
seed of the Run Tree for the current season, includ- 
ing one of 20 lbs. from Bengal. 
At the suggestion of Colonel Cox and by the 
kindness of Mr. Peake, the Forest Officer, stationed 
iu South Canara, the Society obtained a quantity of 
seed of J'ateriu Jndica said to form in that part ot 
India avenues unequalled anywhere, from which a 
fine batch of young plants has been raised. This 
tree is at present exciting much interest as the 
alleged producer of" finey Tallow," but as the name 
of Callophyllum inophylium which is extensively 
planted m Tanjore, and used in Travaucore, to produce 
lamp oil, is to any ordinary ear exactly the same iu 
Tamil as that of Materia ludica- in Malyalum, there 
is room for confusion and error. 
Inoa Dulcis. — As usual the Society has sent on 
application to Ceylon, Peuang, and all parts of 
India, particularly the north, large quantities of 
this invaluable aud most versatile tree. It is prob- 
ably, the most universally cultivated tree in Madras 
being as general for hedging, aud nearly as good 
as the Hawthorn in England. It bears any amount 
of clipping aud chopping, or worse, nibbling by 
sheep and goats and guawing by horsos and cattle. 
If attended to, it forms an impassable fence; if 
neglected, grows into a noble f Bullfinch. " It sows 
itself aud grows on all waste land, and that even 
with its roots in salt or brackish water. Single or 
surviviug hedge plants grow into grand timber trees. 
The timber is used by the husbandman tor cart 
building ; the wood is specially appreciated by the 
brick-maker ; the leaves and twigs furuish a uever 
failing forage for the poverty stricken feeder of 
milch goats ; birds, bwasts, and uoys scramble for 
the plump aril/ us which encases its seeds ; ami in 
the hot woather while the grass is too dry to be 
eatable, the hungry cattle eagerly devour t :e tough 
outer poils. 
SkkDS roil lllK hank oi iiik SVBZ Ca.nvl.— <»i the 
introduction aud rocoiumen latiou of Mr. G.ug, the 
Society supplied to Captain Symona of the P. tt o. 
Steamship J\l. m, two large collections ol m-.- I ■. speci- 
ally selected us likely to grow in sandy (Oil without 
the very best and sweotes' of water. I.is's of the 
• Ki'i'i' aute, Vol. I, New Series, pugu 263, 
