September i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
263 
t will not touch, it ; if a baser 
ception of one or two not commonly 
a, violent action takes place and 
e. By this means spurious gold 
ted : if it be pure, no a< 
36, 
id the 
olent 
d the 
Of L" 
form 
suilii 
light 
be ii 
the 
or 
n Tv-hat- 
be dis- 
place, 
domed. 
ited by 
;er having had 
/ash away the 
Hence it may 
;old are found, 
-iron, the im- 
>e to any great 
old be in dust 
bly distributed 
stances 'toe. gold which have no all 
metal. The first of these is yellow' 
however, be rcadilv distinguished )r 
The next is iron pyrites. This is as easi 
Stick the point of a penknife into 
and it will penetrate it, but the p 
found too hard for this, Place a little 
on a shovel, and 
a strong smell of 
residuum after tl 
red iron rust. Dissolve th 
and add a few drops of 
solution a 
is precipi 
ink is pn 
blue is fo 
tween iron 
rJace a mtie or tire Buostance 
on the fire. If it be pyrites, 
tr will be perceived, and the 
hur is driven off will become 
mineral in muriatic acid, 
itric acid. Add to the 
nd, if iron pyrites, rust 
tion of nut galls common 
siate of potash Prussian 
se tests will decide be- 
e suspected to con- 
jstablisned as follows : 
finer the better. Boil 
tain gold, the tact may t 
—Pound the quartz fine 
this for. a considerable 
nitric and muriatic acii 
linen or cotton. It will destroy tl; 
matter ; the experimenter must also 
get any of the acid on his clothes, 
them. If he burn bis lingers with 
not do so a second time. Now ad< 
to the solution when cool, and th 
all baser metals. Filter again, and add a solution of 
oxdic acid till it ceases to effervesce. The gold will 
now be thrown down in the form of a black powder, 
which may bo converted into the usual form by 
melting. 
mo in an equal mixture of 
filter the solution through 
)f sorty 
ipita' 
TEA IN AUSTRALIA. 
{From the Ceylon Commissioner.) 
Melbourne, 15th July 1SS1. 
Mr. Moody's letter on the tea question, in 
reply to Mr. Evcrard's effusion, appeared in the Argvs 
of the 5th, which I will post to the Observer, with 
the number of the same newspaper for the 6th. The 
Uiueofthe 5th contains the letter from Mr. Moody 
which I mentioned in my last communication to yon. 
Mr. Moody, who, besides his qualifications as a tea- 
taster, is very competent chemist, easily disposes of 
the "soiontist" invented by Mr. Everard who coul.I 
not distinguish between tea and wattle leaves. Mr. 
Dunn is making satisfactory progress with his analyses 
of tens from Indin, Ceylon, .lava, China, Japan, fto. 
Ho believes that the report ho will ultimately give to 
tho world will revolutionize the .standard tor teas in 
favour of those of India and CeyloiL, Se unhesitatingly 
•aid to mo that tho vast bulk of the China tens, 
which by tradition and in consequence of their cheap- 
ness hold, or have until lately bold, possession of. 
the Australian markets, are either adulterated, ex- 
hausted, or inferior in all the qualities which con- 
stitute good tea. Mr. Moody, in pursuance of his 
determined efforts to give Indian and Ceylon teas 
their proper position here, is preparing a pamphlet, 
of which 5.00U copies nt least are to be circulated. 
In this brochure, of which I have Keen the first por- 
tion, the history of the Syndicate movement, tho 
results of the Exhibition, of ordinary tasting and scienti- 
fic analyses, will be summed up. " Slowly, it may be, at 
first but in the end surely and completely, the 
ia and Ceylon will supersede 
aud worthless stuff so largely 
tits which are now, by their 
Scason : s Teas," creating such 
; trade" here. Sales of con- 
Ekages take place to-day. 
pure, genuine tens 
the adulterated, est 
entering into tho 
Do Bats eat Beetles?— Mr. Haldane in his Essay 
on "Grub" (shortly to see the light) raises this 
question. An authority answers it in the affirmative, 
as follows: — " Bats do eat beetles. I have often found 
in the early morning large quantities of tee elytra 
of beetles under the verandah of our house, punc- 
tured by bats' teeth. The bats suspend themselves 
on a bell-wire after capturing the beetles, and devour 
them at their leisure." Planters must therefore look 
upon bats as their friends and allies iu the destruc- 
tion of coclichafers. 
CAwxroRE Expermental Farm. — The Government 
of India have reviewed the report on the operations 
ol last autumn at the experimental Farm, Cawnpore, 
last August, it was noticed by them that the superi- 
ority of the European over the Native system of 
ploughing had not been demonstrated, and it was 
requested that the results of the two methods n ight 
be further compared. The present report of Mr. Fuller 
deal 
point. 
contains a 
bears upon 
his carefully recorded 
received from the 
cotton and 1 
ground by a 
bo beneficial, 
Mr. Fuller is 
come into anj 
form of bone-d 
cost of convei 
be prohibitive 
that the solid 
.•idence which 
s suggested by 
by the accounts 
tates and else- 
ie that in the 
maize and other 
y be unservice- 
rjy turned clod 
or crops, like 
i far into the 
u is likely to 
scanty rainfall. 
:iire could only 
Itivation in the 
ric acid, as the 
e of lime would 
or. He adds 
much less than 
that of the superphosphate, and hence that the full 
effect of its use would not be known till the second 
year after i's application. No doubt bo «ill note the 
character of the next crop which is takcu oil" tho plot 
experimented upon. To judge from the results of tho 
comparative cultivation of exotic aud indigenous fod- 
der crops, tho common country juar is practically equal 
in value to the black-seeded sorgho, and greatly superi- 
or to Beana luxuriant, Guinea grass seems to be a 
more promising crop than the other exotics tested, 
and its further cultivation will be watched with inter- 
est. Tho experiments in foreign cottons may po.-sibly, 
as is pointed out in the report lead to the introduc- 
tion of suitable cotton plants in districts where the 
native variety is not grown. The "'lvaisar" plough 
appears to be now well established in the market, 
and some improvements havo been effected in the 
experimental water-lift. — Madrat Mail 
