NoveMdkr i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
325 
Wo aro not supreme in the art of adulteration 
America is fairly good at tlio process, and there are 
other countries in Europe, notably Germany, who 
can give us points. A German chemical journal 
estimates that about 70.0U0.000 lb. of adulterated 
food is sold during tbo year, but how it arrives at 
these ligures is not explained. Founding his facts 
ou official reports, the writer goes on to say that 
Die city analyst of lleilbronn examined 128 speci- 
mens of pepper, and found that ill of them con- 
tained quantities of ground maize, flour, palm, 
kernel, and dried potato. A " surrogate " was in 
use for producing cither white or black pepper. 
" Genuine Java coffee " was found to be '17 per cent 
burnt maize-corns. It was sold at the price of the 
best coffee. The maizo and the coffee-bean are so 
unlike in their natural state that the former are 
" dressed, shaped, and glazed " by the trade to bo 
mixed with tiie latter. The Poles are adepts at 
falsification. Out of 10 different specimens of tea 
examined by the police analysis in Warsaw 20 
proved to be no tea at all. The analyst remarks that 
the uso of the microscope is necessary in the exami- 
nation of tea. — //. db O. Mail. 
Edible Bjjbds' Nests. — Mr. Stcere, a traveller in 
the 1'hilippine Archipelago, in tho course of a paper, 
in the American Naturalist, descriptive of the central 
islands of the group, refers to certain caves in the 
island of Guimaras where edible birds' nests are found. 
The bird which builds these nests is a species of 
swallows or swift, and the caves are not fouud 
opening on the sea, but fur inland where the cavities 
are covered by vegetation. Guided by an old Indian 
whose livelihood was obtained by gathering nests, 
and provided with a torch of native gum and another 
of tho ribs of cocoa palm leaves, Mr. Steere started 
for tho caves. After half an hour's rapid tramping 
through the steep, rocky valleys, ue came to a low 
ledgo of rock, H ft. or 10 ft. high, covered with vines 
and bushes, at the foot of which was a black hole, 
just largo enough to crawl through, leading down 
into tho earth. After lighting tho torches the party 
OC&wled on hands and knees down a steep, rocky, 
narrow passage, the channel of a stream in the 
rainy season. It was simply a rift in the rocks, 
produced, perhaps, by an earthquake. Gradually 
all light except that from tho torches disappeared, 
and when about 100ft. below the ground and several 
hundred from tho entrance, tho weak, faint twitter- 
ing of little birds ns they flew about overhead was 
heard. When the Indian raised his torch, shallow 
hollows were seen in the roof of the cave, in which, 
partly supported by tho sides, were tho little cup-like 
nests. They weio pure white in colour, made of 
little fibres interwoven with each other, and were still 
soft and damp. It was surprising how the birds ever 
found out a place so far from tho light, with a dry 
faco of rock and suitablo depressions, or how they 
could build tho nests in such utter darkness. A 
socond oave, not far oil, was entered by a kind of 
well, and the curious, faint noisci of the birds under- 
ground is described as " more like the sounds spirits 
might make than the notes of anything earthly." 
Near the mouths of tho cavos were rougher nests, 
built also of the same edible gum, and said to bo 
thoso of birds who gave warning of danger to those 
within. The young frequently attach their nosts to 
thoso of their parents and the same nest is used 
year after year. In these ' cavos the nests are col- 
lected and sold to tho Chinese in llo Ho. It should 
M udded that tho oaves hero dosoribed by Mr. 
8leero aro of quite a dilforent charaolor to tho far- 
famed dormant u civ. m l.uti. Ii .V.rlh Uurin-'i, 
which aro tho principal source of the supply of 
edible birds* nests. Those slupeudous caves aro 
lifl„ "l"' 10 "P 0 "- 0,ul "»"> 'is lofty as a cathedral aisle, 
>oclio b0 luul tho uoat-galhereri have uouatruoled ladders 
and galleries of rattans to reach the nests in the 
roof. A curiosity of these caves also is that they aro 
inhabited by myriads of swallows by night and of 
bats by day, the lattor swarming out in clouds as the 
former swarm in, and vice versa, — Weekly LomIuil 
Times. 
HARD AND SOFT PAIM OIL 
are thus noticed in an articlo in the London Chamber 
of Commerce Journal : — 
The staples of trade in the Benin liver are palm 
oil and palm kcrnols. From 1872 to 1881 trade was 
stopped in kernels. Tho stoppago was associated 
with the death of au old king of Benin, from which 
tho people were led to believe that if they allowed 
the kernel trade, their "big men" woukl die. The 
main reason which influenced the situation was to keep 
down the rising generation, and to "ring" slavery 
and the trade advantages derived therefrom. The 
busy season is from April to July, the remaining 
months represent the slack seasou. A curious fact 
is, that on the Benin side of tho river, that i 0 , tho 
right bank, soft oil is the staple; whilst ou the 
left bank, and eastward, hard oil is obtained Gover- 
ner Moloney goes on to explain that the difference 
of manufacture is, that one — the hard oil — is the 
result of the cold process as regards manufacture, 
while soft oil is obtained by the boihug process. Palm 
oil is received in barter by the cask, each cask hold- 
ing about two-thirds of a ton, or from 220 to 240 
gallons, at the rate of 70 pieces "Madras" per ton, 
with 3 for "dash," styled ."top cask," iu all £7. 6s. 
a ton. Hard oil is not acceptable in the German 
markets; it has to be sold in England. The soft oil 
is said to be as good if not the same, as Lagos oil ; 
yet it rarely commauds the same price. Kernels are 
bought by cask measures of half a ton each, used 
for the purpose, for which 30 pieces of " Madras " 
are given, that is, 60 to a ton, or £(>. Hamburg 
offers no present sale for Benin hard oil; nor will 
Benin soft oil, although said to be equal to that of 
Lagos, fetch as much on a Benin liill of Lading. 
In consequence of buying kernels by measure, as is 
generally done in the Oil Rivers, there are no local 
grounds for complaint of soaking; and no cause for 
the cry after protective legislation, as is the case 
ilsewhcre. The Governor says he is supported at 
lienin also, iu the opinion he has always held, that 
the remedy against soaking is in the hands of mer- 
chants and agents, who can apply, where such practice 
is resorted to, tho system of buying by measure. 
♦ 
TIIE RICE TRADE OF SIAM. 
Rico is now the great staplo of Siaua. It has be-.u 
au article of export since 1806, when the treaty with 
Slam, then ratified) opeuod up the kingdom to foreign 
trade. Prior to that, tho laws of Siam require I that 
a three years' supply of rico should remain iu tho 
country before any was allowed to bo shipped abroad. 
When this law was abolished, a demand for rice spiuug 
i.p, and tho natives, learning that it was a cash com- 
modity, commenced planting for export, and yearly 
tbo acreage has steadily increased, thousands of 
Chinamen eugngiug in the business. The demand 
for laud has caused canals to be opened through 
seetious which have lain fallow for centuries, ami 
thousands of acres which were useless and breeders of 
malaria now stretch out for miles with &< his of grain, 
billows of emerald blades greeting the eye until lost 
iu airy undulations 01: tho rim of the horixon. The 
natives use tho most primitive appliances iu tho 
cultivation of their fields, breaking up the ground with 
buffaloes and oxen attached to a wooden plough ; but 
the soil is so prolific that the grain grows alniOlt 
spontaneously. At times the fluids require irrigation 
tho water for which is easily obtained troin the rivers 
and canals which cross tho country in every din ctinn. 
As the laud is level, the water riles and l.ilU with 
tho tide; houco, tbo canals require no locks, and arc 
