1 84 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1888. 
placed in a position to examine this point more de- 
finitely by operating on a much larger quantity of 
material than is necessary when merely carrying out 
the determination of the theine in tea. The weight 
of tea taken for examination was 200 grams, and it 
was treated in the same way as described by us 
for the determination of theine. 
The hot alcoholic solution gave on cooling a deposit 
weighing 2 - 08 grams, but this was found on examina- 
tion to consist chiefly of wax and chlorophyll with 
only a trace of theine. It was in such a deposit 
that Liebig and Zoller found the substance which 
they considered to be theobromine, but in our ex- 
amination of tea above mentioned we were unable 
to obtain any evidence of the presence of that al- 
kaloid. 
After the whole of the theine bad been extracted 
from the acidulated solution by frequent agitation 
with chloroform, in the manner suggested in our 
previous paper, the solution was made alkaline with 
potash, and again shaken several times with chloro- 
form. On evaporation of the chloroform solution a 
very small quantity of a yellow and aj>parent]y 
amorphous alkaloid was obtained that dissolved readily 
in acid and was reprecipitated by potash. It wa-i 
almost insoluble in hot water, but readily soluble in 
ether, and the fact of its ready solubility in ether 
proved it to be neither theine nor theobromine. The 
quantity obtained from 200 grams of tea was so very 
small that we decided to defer auy mention of our 
observation until a further quantity of the same kind 
of tea could be obtained sufficient for ascertaining 
the nature of this alkaloid more particularly, and 
we are now engaged upon this work. 
The account which appeared in Nature last week 
of a recent communication made to the Berlin 
Physiological Society induces us, however, to make 
known the fact that we had some months ago ob- 
tained distinct evidence of the presence in tea of 
an alkaloid differing from theine. From that account 
it appears that Professor Kossel has obtained ftom 
tea a base to which he has given the name " theo- 
phyllin," and that he has been able to ascertain that 
it is an isomer of theobromine, but differing from 
the latter by a series of well-marked chemical re- 
actions. No description is yet given of the characters 
of this base, and it is therefore impossible to say 
whether or not it is identical with the base we had 
obtained in the manner above described. The quantity 
at our disposal was too small to admit of the de- 
termintaion of anything more than the physical 
characters above mentioned. — Laboratory, 13, Fenchurch 
Avenue. — Pharmaceutical Journal- 
Siam Peppee Growing. — The exports of pepper from 
Bangkok amounted to 1,436 tons (value 74,22M.) in 
1885, and to 951 tons (value 66,646?.) in 1886. The 
profits of the growers have been increasing, and they 
have, moreover, been able to get rid, in a great 
measure, of middlemen. The chief source of the arti: 
cle is the province of Chantabun, on the east coast 
of the Gulf of Siam. The crop is necessarily a 
fluctuating one, as it depends upon the rainfall. 
Many new plantations have been started, and there 
will shortly be a considerable increase in the annual 
average output. The price is now nearly double what 
it was six years ago. — Chemist and Dvuggist. 
Coffee in Java. — Says the Soerabaya Courant 
of 10th Aug.: — " High prices continue to be given 
for desirable qualities of coffee. We learn for 
instance from telegrams received today of coffees 
grown on the Southern Mountains and on Smeroe 
(south-east and south-west slopes) which realized 
respectively 53, 54 and 55 cents, A day or two ago 
a crop of some 5,000 piculs of ordinary coffee was 
sold here for /42£ per picul. The prospects for 
the coming year are on the whole not bad. Even 
those lands that have given comparatively large 
crops this year promise well for the following year 
also. The trees are recovering nicely, and there is 
little leaf disease to be seen ; very little especially 
cn the topped portions, so far as has been observed." 
Australian Tillage and Wheat. — The Aus- 
tralian Government statistics show that during the 
year ended on March 1st last there were under 
tillage in the whole of the Antipodean Continent 
2,576,405 acres of land, of which wheat alone 
occupied just one-half, having increased 180,258 
acres over the figures for the previous year. The 
outturn of grain from this area was 13,328,765 
bushels, or an average of about in round numbers, 
G£ bushels per acre, which compares very unfav- 
ourably with the normal outturn for the whole of 
India, namely, 10 bushels per acre according to the 
last report. It is curious to note that the total area 
of land under tillage in the whole of the Australian 
Continent is less than that occupied by wheat alone 
in the Bombay Presidency which comes fifth in 
point of importance. And yet we have seen 
Australian flour in the Calcutta market! — Indian 
Agriculturist. [There are only three millions of 
inhabitants in Australia against 250 millions in 
India. Hence the surplus of wheat and flour exported. 
—Ed.] 
Sugar uy the Diffusion Process.— Mr. Forsyth, 
formerly of Glassaugh, Dirnbula, sends us a paper 
from Honolulu with a letter marked in which a Mr, 
Spalding states: — 
"You may make public my opinion that 1 Diffusion ' 
will prove a practical success in the manufacture of 
cane sugar. We have made such decided improvements, 
and have so effectually overcome the obstacles that at 
first stood in our way, I am willing to state as my 
judgment that by diffusion we will gain largely iu the 
percentage of sugar obtained from the cane (say 10 to 
15 per cent, in our best mills) at a cost of not to exceed 
one quarter (J) of a ton of coal to a ton of sugar, and 
less than one dollar ($1.00) per ton for extra labor. 
We are now running at the rate of over thirty (30) tons 
of sugar per day of 24 hours, and passing all the diffu- 
sion juice (mixed with charcoil or lignite) through our 
two Kroog Filter Presses. The exhausted chips make 
very fair fuel, coming from the two roller mill with 
loss than 28 per cent, of moisture in them. But we 
will do even better by and by." 
Cost of Transmission of Power. — The follow- 
ing comparisons of cost of transmission of power 
by various methods appeared in the Itevue Univer- 
selle des Mines, vol. 15, page 522 : — 
1. Comparative cost on 10 H. P. transmitted 1,093 
yards : D. 
By Cables ...1-77 per effective H. P. per hour. 
„ Electricity ...2-21 do do 
„ Hydraulics ...2-90 do do 
,, Compressed air ...2 98 do do 
2. Comparative cost on £0 H. P. transmitted 1,093 
yards ■ D. 
By Cables ...1-35 per effective H. P. per hour. 
Hydraulics ...T87 do do 
„ Electricity ...2 07 do do 
„ Compressed air... 2 - 27 do dd 
3. Comparative cost on 10 effective H.P. transmitted 
5,465 yards : D. 
By Electricity ...264 per effective H.P. per hour. 
„ Compressed air. ..466 do do 
„ Cables ...4-69 do do 
„ Hydraulics ...5'29 do do 
4. Comparative cost on 50 effective H. P. transmitted 
5,465 yards : D. 
By Electricity ...2-37 per effective H.P. per hour. 
„ Cables ...2*65 do do 
„ Compressed air ...2'99 do do 
., Hydraulics ...3 , 02 do do 
Steam was the prime mover used in each of the 
above instances, and it appears that for long distances 
electricity takes the lead in economy over all o ther 
systems. It has also a great advantage in the faci lity 
with which the power may be subdivided, and there 
appears to be no doubt that, in future coal-mininfr, 
electricity will be much used for coal-cutting, tunnel- 
ling, hauling, pumpiDg, &c, as well as for lighting. — 
Indian, Colonial, and Foreign Engineer and Builder, 
July 15th. 
