August i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
• To the Editor of the C 
NEW PRODUCTS: NEW 
,AX. 
1881. 
Bpondent 
(1) Wh 
able Beed? 
(2) Con 
successful 
(3) Mode of cultivation and cost of same per acre 
(4) Yield per acre that may be reasonably looked for 
leaving margin of profit, how much ?— Yours truly, 
i obtain an adequate supply of reli- 
of soil and clim ttc essential to its 
tion ? 
Dkak £ 
to the ed 
your issu 
send you 
As rej 
estate, 1 
THE CROTON OIL THEE. 
June 22nd, 1881. 
;he croton now growing on this 
le to state positively that it is not 
urious to coffee or cocoa. On the con- 
trary, the cotloo thrives well under and close up to 
the tree, both the croton and codec giving good crops. 
Other statements have been so well answered by Mr. 
Wliyte that it is unnecessary lor me to reply further 
to "C. D." 's letter'.— Yours truly, J. HOLLOWAY. 
1 into England, 
his letter also 
Dear Mr. Holloway,— I hive to ihank you for send- 
ing me the Observer, containing "C. D." 's letter, copied 
from the Indian Agriculturist, in which he alludes to 
my notes on the Croton Oil tree (Croton Tiglium). 
I ought to have replied to your letter sooner, but 
have been otherwise much engaged. 
'CD " seems to look on the cultivation of this 
noxious weed (his term for the croton oil tree) as a 
monstrous piec>' of folly, and " seizes a spare moment 
to express a hope that no such step9 may be t>keu," 
ignoring the fact that we in Ceylon should only be 
following in the footsteps of '- 
chief Bupply of croton seed is ii 
You will observe that " C. '. 
describes Ms croton oil plant— which by the way "lie 
knows wrlt'—nt an ugly sprawling evergreen shrub, 
frequently used as a "hedge" stick, but which is not 
stiff enough for the purpose. 
Now from this, and the remainder of the descrip- 
tion given of the plant he refers to, I feel con- 
fident' "C. D." is confounding the croton oil tree with 
another plant— possibly an Indian species of the 
genus croton. I think, however, the plant in question 
is much more likely to bo the physic nut, Curcas 
(formerly Jalropha) purgam, the IVal Endaru, or wild 
castor oil of the Sinhalese, a soft-wooded smooth- 
barked shrub hearing eymose clusters of three-seeded 
fruit, or seed capsules of the size of a pigeon's egg. 
If 1 am right in my surmises as to the plant re- 
ferred to by " l'. D.," you will no doubt recognise it 
at once It agrees almost exactly with part of the 
description given by "C. D." It is to he found as 
an ingredient, 1 may eay. in almost every native 
fffeNee, for in our rurid districts wo have not yet got 
"the length of It I in' .and even the term /• wi i-. a 
niisnmner for the wretched stray stieks that are 
stuck carelessly in tho ground, on the faith that 
nature will be kind. Wo teach Ramasamy a good 
deal in Ceylon, and wo sond him buck to India 
46 
with his pockets well lined, but I fear wc have 
not yet. taught him the method of making a thoroughly 
good hedge round his compound. We are, in fact, 
deplorably behind in hedge culture and the 
natives in this, as in most other things, are quite 
satisfied to do as their forefathers did, and will not 
advance a ttep. 
But to return to tho physic-nut plant: it is held 
in much repute by the natives, both for its purgat- 
ive and healing qualities. From one to four of the 
seeds is a dote for an adult, and tiie milky juice 
of the plant is applied to wounds and cuts with the 
best effect. In the West Indies, the leavesponnded 
up were invariably used as a sort of poultice, and were 
v.?ry efficacious in cleansing and healing foul and 
obstinate ulcerf. It is a native of tropical America, 
but has been introduced into nearly all tropical 
countries 
With regard to the croton oil tree, you can speak with 
more confidence than I can as to its suitableness for 
shade, as also in reference to its value in a commercial 
point of view; and should you think it worth your 
while to put " C. D." right, you are welcome to 
make what use you think proper of these notes. — 
Yours truly, A. Whyte. 
The Coffee Punt Disease.— We learn that 
Mr. J. Macdonaid Cameron, F.I.O, the agricultural 
chemist, has returned to this country from India, 
where lie has been investigating the cause of the 
coffee disease. His report, which deals principally 
with the province of Travaneore, will not lie issued 
for some weeks, but we hear that he has discovered 
the cause of the disease to be the premature exhaus- 
tion of the phosphates and alkalies in the soil, and 
that he will recommend a more complete and thorough 
cultivation of the soil, and the liberal use of phos- 
phates and lime as manures. — Home and Colonial Mai/. 
Land Sale and Tkansi'er. — Why should not 
real estate be transferred from seller to buyer with as 
much safety and certainty as are stocks, bonds, and 
other negotiable securities? Mr. Dwight H. Olmstead 
has been wrestling with this conundrum and has given 
it up. Of course there is no reason why the transfer 
of one kind of property should be more difficult than 
that of any other. But tho ownership of land is 
mixed up with legal fictions and historical considera- 
tions, which put it in a different category from per- 
sonal property. In fact, the original title-deed to all 
land i j wanting. Land is the gift of nature to the 
race, and its possession can only be justified by its 
use in affording food or shelter to mankind. Hence 
the right of eminent domain and the forcible seizure 
of the soil by the State •whenever the good of the 
community demands it. Throughout Europe proposals 
are rife to dispossess the Church of its landed pro- 
perty, and in Ireland to-day it is proposed substan- 
tially to deprive landlords of a portion of their rights 
in tho soil which they have bought or inherited. The 
great multiplication of conveyances in our Registry 
Olfices is gettiug to be a serious matter, as searches 
are becoming more and more difficult and costly. There 
is no hope of reform. The present sjstcm is profit- 
able to lawyers and politicians, and the only persons 
int. testa d in amending the laws are those who hny 
and sell real estate, too small a class to be iulluenticl 
at Albany. It seems that the most perfect system 
for transferring real estate is in New Zealand. In 
that happy land it is as easy to buy a corner lot as 
a loaf of bread, and yonr deed is guaranteed by the 
Government. It would add a hundred millioni oi 
dollars to the value of New York realty if the New 
Zealand system could bo introduced here ; but the 
lawyers an I politicians will never permit it. — New 
)'o Hour. 
