September i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
2 45 
BAMBOO IN CEYLON. 
(From the Journal of the Society of Arts.) 
In the discussion that took place after the reading 
of Sir Arthur Phayre's paper on British Burma, on 
the 13th May, I see that a quotation I read, bearing 
on the growth of bamboo, from the Hardener'* Chrome' e, 
| of the 30th of April, is (inadvertently) omitted referring 
to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, Ceylon. 
H. J. E , a keen observer, writes : — 
"Perhaps the most striking objects in these gardens 
aro the extraordinary clumps of giant bamboo, which 
exceed anything I have ever seen or heard of. In 
some of them not less, and probably many more, than 
200 culms of over 100 feet high are growing, as tightly 
packed together as possible. Some of the stems must 
be very nearly, if not quite, a foot iu diameter, and 
the average, eight or nine inches. This splendid 
bamboo is, I believe, a native of the Malay Peninsula, 
and is tho most remarkable instance of rapid growth 
I know of, each of these immense stems being formed 
in a few months." 
To lovci'3 of botany, a line specimen of this bamboo 
may be seen at tho Duke of Northumberland's 
garden, at Sion-housc, Cliiswiok. T have a stem here 
from thi 
high, the top of which 
pushed its head through the roof of the conservatory. 
Thomas Routledue. 
Claxheugh, Sunderland, 30th May, 1881. 
"teak in ceyl~6n7 
Teak is the name of two kinds of timber, valuable 
for shipbuilding and other purposes, one of which is 
known as Indian Teak, and the other as African, 
The trees which produce them belong to very different 
orders. Indian Teak (Tectona grand is) is a tree of the 
natural order Vorbenacea\ It is found in the moun- 
tainous parts of Malabar, and elsewhere in Hindustan, 
and in the Eastern Peuinsula, Java, &c. It has been 
introduced in some parts of India, in which it is not 
indigenous. Dr. Roxburgh introduced it in the low 
grounds of the Ci rears in 1700. It is a beautiful tree, 
attaining a height sometimes oven of 200 feet, and 
rising above all the other trees of the East Indian 
forests. It has deciduous oval leaves of 12 to 24 inches 
long, covered with rough points, large panicles of 
white (lowers, with 5 to G-cleft corolla, and 4-celled 
drupes about tho siz>> of a Hazel-nut. Its Mowers are 
used medicinally in cases of retention of urine, and 
its leaves by the Malays in cholera. Silk and cotton 
stuffs are dyed purple by the h aves. The timber is 
the most valuable produced in the East Iudies ; it is 
light and easily worked, strong, durable, and not 
liable to tho attacks of insects. It abounds iu silex, 
and resembles coarso Muhogany. It is extensively 
d for shipbuilding, for which purpose it is im- 
ported into Britain. AH the Guest ships built in India, 
and many built in England, are of Teak. Tho most 
extensive Teak forests of the present day are in Pegu. 
It has been planted in Ceylon iu a few places, but 
not yet with much result, as it takes sixty to eighty 
years to grow a large size. Some of the largest trees 
in tho island are growing at Kalutura, on the sea coast, 
about thirty miles from Colombo. In India, owing 
to tho able and systematic ''Forest Department," tho 
planting of Teak and other valuable timbei trees is 
■BBU ing throat attention. In Coylou wo aro far behind, 
do not possets such an institution, but have a few 
toasters that know as much about timber trees us a 
oity clerk. A gre'it want would bo easily remedied 
by extending tho Indian Forest Department to Ceylon, 
I placing it under our able botanical head. I tiust 
tho day is not far distant when .such wdl bo ful- 
filled. Africm Teak, sometimes culled African Oak, 
ia a timber similar t<> the Host [ndi in 'leak. It is now 
believed to ho tho produoo of Oldneldia africana, a 
trco of tl o natural order Baphorbinooie, F, (? J.) 
AUrjuwkr, May 2B.—Oardener'i Chronicle, 
62 
HAPUTALE LIMESTONE. 
We have been favoured with the following for 
publication : — 
Colombo, 11th July 18S1. 
Messrs. Carson & Co., Colombo. 
Dear Sikh,— Herewith I send you analyses of the 
Broughton lime received from you on the 5th inst., 
and additional samples on the 8th. 
The first samples sent appeared much of the same 
character, and it was my intention to analyse cno 
only. The samples seut on the 8th seemed to differ 
much, and I have therefore done both. 
They contain much silica and silicious matter, and 
the unslaked has become partly air-slaked. The value 
of the lime, if fully burnt, ia about three fifths that 
of Colombo coral, but on a district so remote from 
rail, it would be higher than this, as lime sent from 
here would lose much of its causticity before it reached 
Haputale. — I am, dear sirs, yours sincerely. 
Alexander C. Dixon. 
Analyses of sample of unslaked lime (Broughton 
estate) received from Messrs. Carson & Co., on 5th 
and 8th July. 
Moisture ... ... ... .. 4 - 74 
Lime (oxide) ... ... ... ... 5'75 
,, hydrate ... ... .. 7'S1 
„ carbonate ... ... ...27*67 
Magnesia (oxide) -84 
,, carbonate 10-83 
Iron and alumiua 98 
Silica and silicious matter ... 41 -37 
Alexander, C. Dixon, F.C.S., &c. 
Colombo, 11th July 1881. 
As a comparison : 
Colombo Coral Lime : U ndaked. 
Average: Percent. 
Insoluble matter ... 4 
Calcic oxide 90 
Other substances 6 
Analyses of sample of slaked lime (Broughton 
estate) received from Messrs. Carson & Co., on 5th 
and 8th July : 
Moisture 2 96 
Lime (hydrate) 25 83 
„ carbonate 19 '95 
Magnesia carbonate 7 31 
,, hydrate 4 63 
Iron and alumina ... ... ... '84 
Silica and silicious matter 3S*47 
Alexander C. Dixon, F.C.S., &c. 
Colombo, 11th July 1881. 
Freshly Slafccd : Colombo Coral Lime. 
Insoluble 3 
Calcic hydrate 92 
Other substances 5 
Alexander C. Dixon. 
Colombo, 15th July 1881. 
L1BERIAN COFFEE. 
Tho species of coffee which is indigenous to 
Liberia, in West Africa, scorns destined to havo 
an important influence on th« industry of thoso 
countries in which tho coffee-blight has almost 
extinguished tho Arabian col be plant. A little pam- 
phlet by Dr. H. A. A. Nicholl', juat published by 
Messrs. Sdvir and Co., giv< s some interest ing infor- 
mation on tho cultivation of Libcrian coffeo in tho 
West Indies, and ••specially in Dominica. Tho phnt 
was lirst grown in Bnglrira in the Royal Gardens at 
Kew during the year 1872, and from thence seedlings 
were forwarded in 1874 to Dominica and to several 
of tho colouios in tho West Indies. Fitly years ago 
