January r, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
THE HARITAKI NUT. 
To the Editor "Indian Agriculturist." 
Sir, — I remember to have seen some time ago a 
paragraph in the Statesman relating to the discovery 
of a certain herb which, when chewed, destroys tho 
taste of every other tiling put into tho mouth. The 
discoverer was congratulated upou having conferred a 
boon upon men. But this is no new discovery. We 
have a certain nut called haritaki (myrobolan), pieces 
of which when chewed render everything tasteless. 
I have myself tasted it aud havo found that even 
quinine appears tasteless after it. It grows in the 
Soulhal Pergunnahs in a wild state and is sold in 
the baznar when dried. Our widow ladies are in tho 
habit of chewing it after their meals. It is slightly 
bitter in taste. I think it may well be used as a 
destroyer of the tastes of bitter medicines. First ohow 
a bit of haritaki and then take the medicine. You 
will not know what you are swallowing. I daresay 
some medical experts will come forward to test it, 
and to give their opinion as to the harmlessness of 
our using it. I beg to enclose herein somo bits of 
haritaki for your inspection. Yon. 
[Seeing that the myrabolam is used as a tanning 
material, we should think any large use of it as a 
masticatory would be oxtremely hazardous. — Ed.] 
TEA AND TOBACCO IN JAPAN. 
Bbitisii Consulab Tbade Report fob Nagasaki 
fob 1887. 
Owing to the primitive and careless methods of 
cultivation and preparation in tho surrounding dis- 
tricts, tea has virtually ceased to be an article of 
export, except to the North of Ohiua, which takes 
large quantities of very inferior kinds, ranging be- 
tween 4 dol. and 5 dol. per picul. 
There were but small purchases at the opening 
of tho year, and, though prices declined, the rise 
in sterling exebango prevented any advantage being 
taken of this fall, which was about 2 dol. in medium 
to fine, and 1 dol. 50 c. for better kinds. In May 
the new season teas made their first appearance and 
seemed satisfactory, being apparently up to standard. 
The unsatisfactory nature of advices by mail, how- 
ever, stopped business, exporters being unwilling to 
operato except at a reduction of 2 dol., bringing pri- 
ces in July down to 7 dol. to 9 dol. for medium to 
fine, and 10 dol. to 13 dol. for fine to finest. Business 
coutioned dull- till Ootolter, when concessious on the 
part of Japanese merchants induoed buyers to operate 
to somo extent, though the market roinained Hat, 
notwithstanding prices had, if anything, lowered. 
Stocks at the end of the ye ir consisted of — fine, b'00 ; 
medium, 2,000; nud round leaf, 850 bales. 
The out-turn of tobacco proved even worse than 
was expootod, and business was therefore specially dull 
at the commencement of the year; notwithstanding 
inferior quality, some 3,380 bales were held in February 
for G dol. per picul. Later on concessions led to 
business, and in April there were only 2,600 bales iu 
stock, of so very pjor and inferior a description as to 
render it imposhiblo to find buyers. 
This state of things continued throughout tho yoar, 
tho now crop being unusually small and bare. Stooks 
on hand in December were 2,485 balo«, with merely 
nominal quotations and do inquiry. — Japan Weekly Mail. 
LADY AGRICULTURAL PROFESSORS. 
Our Paris correspondent writes : — "Russia ha* moro 
lady doctors than any othor nation; and soon sho 
will havo moro lady professors of aiirirulturo, and 
more Udy directors of model farms. In the north of 
Russia, model dairies and breeding farms ara very 
numerous, and are superintended by women ami 
worked by their own resources. Thoy send young 
Indies to (ic-rinany, France, Holland, Denmark aud 
ltelgium to study speoial features iu farming. Madame 
Stlara lias converted her estate at Sassulinzy into 
a praotical sohool for teaching peasant girls kitchen 
gardening, the miring <>i hers, how to keep poultry, 
the oaro of Mock, the management of a dairy, cook- 
ing and household tnaoagutnont. Each pupil mutt be 
fifteen years of ago, and fully understand what sho 
has como to learn. Eight months is the period of 
residence, and the school aims not exactly to train 
the girlM, bat to fill their hea ls with practical notions, 
and to devolop self-reliance and the thinking faculties. 
The teaching system is original ; there are no classes, 
no lectures, no professors. At five in tho evening 
the girls sit around tho directress, and she asks each 
pupil to relate what work sho was engaged in during 
the day, what she found to be difficult, and what 
she did not comprehend. Explanations are lucidly 
given and questionings encourago with references to 
standard works bearing on the subjeot in hand. The 
girls are thus encouraged to love knowledge in seek- 
ing it themselves. This is the anoient Greek system, 
the peripatetic, only mistress and pupils sit instead of 
walking about. Then tho pupils examine one another, 
the direotress 'cutting in' as required. Women who 
are pining to have work, aud are embarrassod how to 
employ their surplus wealth, have here a wide field 
and a noble cause. " — Madras Mail. 
FORESTS OF URUGUAY. 
Among the best wooded provinces of Uruguay are 
Cerro, Largo, Paysandu, Salto, Soriano, Maldonado, 
and Minas, and the trees of native growth are gene- 
rally those of a temperate climate. The United States 
Ohargo d'Affaires at Montevideo says that every 
description of poplars, willows, and alders flourish. 
Among other trees are the algaroho, from the poda 
of which the natives distil an inferior kind of beer 
called chica. The tree is much prized for timber, 
and it is stated that cattle thrive upon its buds and 
foliage. The timuday is a lofty tree which is said to 
resist deoay in a most remarkable manner, aud Mr. 
Bacon states that he has seen logs of this tree, said 
to be over two hundred years old, which evinced 
no signs of rot. It furnishes immense logs, often 
sixty feet in length and thirty inches wide. The 
timbo or canoe tree is valuable for making rough 
canoes, as the trunk which is very large and generally 
hollow, is scooped out, and the rude and frail bark 
is ready for the fisherman. The yata is a tree of 
exceedingly slow growth, taking over 100 years to 
mature its fruit, which, like that of the carob tree, 
is excellent for cattle. The carrouday (a large fan 
palm) is of great use to the poorer native classes, 
as it makes an excellent roof for their huts, and is 
easily placed aud replaced. The mimo9a and cedar 
grow iu great numbers, and this wood is capable of 
great polish. Among other trees may be enumerated 
tho lapacho; the nanduly; tho omtu, resembling a fig 
tree, but much larger, prized for its shade; the telane ; 
the chanar, a thorny mimosa, and many others. The 
absence of the oak, the pine, aud tho fir is noticeable, 
and it is stated that many efforts have been mado 
to grow them, but without success. 01 tho foreign 
or imported trees, the eucalyptus from Australia is 
the most flourishing. There are hundreds of groves of 
this most flourishing tree in the environs of Montevideo. 
It is said to he a preventative ngainst malaria, and al- 
though extensively grown, thero appears to be one 
objection to it, namely, that it impoverishes tho soil 
around it for many yards, so tbat no other troo or 
shrub can flourish in its neighbourhood; and its 
roots peuotrato to such a depth, and ontwiue every 
object within their reach to t>uoh an extent as to 
uproot pavements and tombstones, although consider- 
ably removed from the trunk of the tree itself. — 
Journal of the Society of Arts. 
♦ 
DRAINAGE— HOW IT AFFECTS 
VEGETATION. 
The Queensland Flanter and Farmer says i — 
If a simple of common soil is examined with a 
magnifying glass, it is found to be oom posed of numer- 
ous fragm-ints of mineral of various kinds, humus, 
muck, and ofton of uudrcompoited vegetable or 
animal matter. Those fragments are very irregular 
iu form and aile, and are in oontact only at their 
more prominent corners. Thoy might bo compared 
