354 
THE, TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1888. 
POISONS AND AN CI DOTES. 
The following list of simple anti lotes to the common 
for. in of poison will be fount useful to servants who 
get hold of the wrong bottle : — 
Poisons. 
1, Acid— Carbolic, sul- 
phuric, nitric, muriatic, 
nitro-rnuciatic, creosote, 
iodine, phosphorous. 
2. Chromic acid, chro- 
mates, all preparations or 
compounds of chromium, 
antimony, copper, mercury 
or zinc, 
3. Ammmia, soda, pot- 
ash, alkaline, silicates, and 
sulphates. 
4. Prussic acid and its 
salts, all cyanides and 
sulpho-cyanides, oil of 
bitter almonds, and nitro- 
benzine. 
5. Ether, petroleum, 
benzine fruit essence, con- 
centrated or absolute 
alcohol. 
6. Compounds of baryta 
and lead- 
Compounds of arsenic. 
Antidotes. 
White of egg well beaten 
up with water. A teaspoon- 
full of mustard flour in a 
cup of hot water. Very 
thick lime water — (in case 
of sulphuric, nitric, muria- 
tic, or nitro-muriatic acids) . 
Abundance of white of 
egg in water. A teaspoon- 
ful of mustard flour 
water. Copious draughts 
of an infusion of salt herbs. 
Strong vinegar and water. 
Large doses of oil. Large 
closes of milk. 
Continuous and heavy 
cold water over the head 
and spinal column. Mus- 
tard plasters on the sto- 
mach and soles of the 
feet. Prevent sleep. 
Plenty of mustard flour 
in a large quantity of hot 
water. Cold watir dou- 
ches. Fresh air. Prevent 
sleep absolutely. 
Ateaspoonful of mustard 
flour in warm water. 
Strong solutions of Epsom 
salts and Glauber's salts 
in cold water. 
A teaspoonful of mustard 
flour iu warm water. A 
teaspoonful of dialysed 
iron mixed with the same 
quantity of calcined mag- 
nesia evei-y five minutes 
for one hour. Then plenty 
of oil, or milk, or some 
mucilaginous tea — say lin- 
seed. 
the weighing of teas that are not bulked in Ceylon, 
or, if bulked, so badly done that they have to be re- 
bulked in London : — 
Taule I. 
How teas ov.yht not to be packed. 
« 3 ° 
3 o3 • 
o j a a 
8. Oxalic acid and its 
Salts. 
Nitrate of silvei. 
S 8.1.11 
2 & 
D at 
O 
O y ZD 
* " 
P - — 
i? u 
3 -2 
2*1 
s h9 
o 
O 
2 -3 
8% 
lb. oz. lb. lb. oz. lb. lb. oz. lb. 
139 15 139 40 1 4L 99 14 93 
Table II. 
How teas owjht to be packed. 
as above as above as above as above as above as above 
lb. oz. lb, lb. oz. lb. lb. oz. lb. 
140 2 140 39 14 40 100 4 100 
Iu table No. I. it will be ^een that the importer loses 
15 oz, on both the gross and the tire, 1 lb. 14 oz. per 
package, and, though this may be termed an extreme 
cas?, it does frequently happen. In table No. II., the 
lass it will be observed, is only j lb. per package. 
Should, for example, a package be fouud to tare (which 
tare must be ascertained before packing), 39 lb. 13 oz., 
then 100 lb. 5 oz. must be picked iu order still to make 
the gross 1401b. 2 oz., tare 40 lb.=100 lb. nett. But 
in the event of packages taring, say 39 lb. 12 oz., 11 oz. 
or 10 oz., these packages must be increased in weight 
by adding more wood to the empty packages, so as to 
bring them up to the requisite standard, namely, 39 lb. 
13 oz. or 14 oz. Although 39 lb. 13 oz. or 14 oz. is 
given as an example, it is immaterial that alt the pack- 
ages should run the same, the great principal is that 
the tare of all should be 2 oz. to 3 oz. under a pound. 
Teas, if properly bulked, are always weighed nett: 
that is, the contents of 10 per cent, of each grade are 
weighed in bags, and the average nett weight repre- 
sents the parcel. Oare should be taken by packers in 
Ceylon that the nett weights run as evenly as possible. 
3 oz. should be allowed as overweight in each package. 
— A. M. Gepp.— Local " Times.'' 
Very thick paste of line 
and water by large spoon- 
fuls at the time. After 
several of these, 1: 
draughts of lime water. 
Finally, 4 ounces of caster- 
oil. 
Large doses of ordinary 
kitchen salt dissolved in 
water, after which one 
teaspoonful of mustard 
flour in warm water. 
Frequent and small doses 
the 
10. Nitrous fumes of 
vapours, arising in vitriol J of strong acetic acid 
or chemical works. I stronger the better. 
—Indian Tea Gazette- 
TEA WEIGHTS. 
I have been assisted most materially by (he Mana- 
ging proprietor of one of the principal Bonded Ware- 
houses, who has kindly given me a good deal of valu- 
able information. I cannot do better than give two 
examples, Jh:it, how teas ought not to be packed ; 
ecotlaly, how they oicjlil to be packed, so as to socure 
a minimum of loss. I can best illustrate my remarks 
by the following small tables which, however, apply to 
" PEPPER CULTIVATION. 7 ' 
In the last issue of the " Tropical Agriculturist " 
was published an excellent article on the cultivation 
of pepper. But, there are some practical difficulties 
in adopting the system advocated by " a planter." 
The first and foremost of them being the selection of 
posts for the suppoit of the vine. Permanent posts 
of timber as advocated by "a planter" will not serve 
in Ceylon where the attacks of white ants are too 
notorious to be dealt with in this article. Besides, 
the expenses of "splitting of permanent posts " will 
be something enormous. I give below the system of 
cultivation adopted in Malabar which is pre-eminently 
the pepper producing country in the world. 
There are two systems prevalent in Malabar, the 
one, by the ordinary cultivator who owns a small area 
of ground, and the other, by " gentlemen farmers " 
who own extensive grounds, and who can command a 
capital. 
To begin with the first: — a rei gravelly soil capable 
of retaining moisture, with a goodly number of mangoe 
and jack trees growing on it, is preferred. The 
mangoe tree is reckoned the best for the purpose. 
A mangoe tree ought to be at least twenty years old 
before any pepper vines are put on it; for it is believed 
that a younger tree will produce less fruit when 
there is vine on it than it would otherwise do. At 
the commencement of the rainy season, which is the 
South West monsoon in Malabar, the soil round the 
tree is dug, and a small bank, at a cubit distance 
from the root is formed to confine water. Then 
from 8 to 12 shoots of the vine, according to the size 
of the tree, are laid down within the bank with three 
inches of the vine slanting up against the. tree. The 
Bhoots are about a cubit long. They are then covered 
