November i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
419 
and 'much might be done in the production of fibres 
for cordage and papermaking. 
The size of farms is various ; three or four hundred 
acres is an estate of considerable magnitude, which 
not two in a hundred will possess. The lesser farms 
do not exceed from seven to fourteen acres, and are 
often considerably small- r ; indeed, taking the average 
as given in the Sirkar accounts, we should only have 
about two acres as the extent held by every farmer. 
As was well put in the report, on the former sur- 
vey, " A farmer with three hundred paras of paddy 
land, four hundred coconut trees, fifty areco, and 
twelve j'iok trees, with vines yielding five or six 
tulams of pepper, will be in very easy circumetrnces ; 
but scarcely twenty husbandmen in a hundred will 
have such property ; indeed, the lower classes rarely 
possess sufficient rice land on which to support their 
family ; they trust, however, to the produce of their 
garden lands to make up the deficiency." 
MATHEINE. 
(Brazil and River Plata Mail, 1st Sept. 1881.) 
What is Matheiue ? It will not be sufficient reply 
to this question to merely state that it is a new 
drink, which, in the future, must take equal, and 
in some respects, even higher rank than tea, coffee, 
chocolate, and the other well-known domestic bever- 
ages that "stimulate but not inebriate" the imbiber. 
It is, in fact, so important an addition to our social 
resources that we feel it to be a duty to make 
a more particular record of its characteristic merits. 
To some of our readers Matheine will present itself as 
an old friend in another guise ; for it is the product 
of a process discovered by Mr. A. K. Mackinnon, 
(who, in connection with the Kopf Company, has 
introduced so many new and excellent food prepara- 
tions ) from the dried leaves of the Hex Paraguay- 
ensis, with which South American communities are 
so familar under the name of " yerba mate\ " In 
the Revue Scienlijique and other journals of Europe, 
public attention has been directed to the special ad- 
vantages of this South American drink. It lias been 
represented, and truly represented, as possessing all 
ing and refreshing properties of tea and cuff' 1 
th 
without producing any of the unpleasant elfcots upon 
the nerves too frequently attendant on an over liberal 
086 of these popular 'beverages. But the mode in 
which it is used is so opposed to established custom 
in our own and other countries of Europe that journal- 
istic advocacy must have failed to bring it into 
general consumption on this side of the Atlantic. The 
common practice in Brazil and the River Plate, where 
it is extensively used, is to pour boiling water on 
some of the powder ( consisting of dried leaves and 
twigs of the yerba mate shrub), and then to Buck 
the infusion through a tube, which is passed from 
mouth to mouth, as the " calumet of peace, " under 
certain circumstances, is said to have passed round 
a circle of North American Indians. This difficulty 
Ikh, however, b.tn altogether removed by Mr. Mackin- 
non. Matheine, which is in a liquid form, can bo 
Utilised with the greatest facility while it may be 
fairly described as a boon to the weakly and infirm, 
and of the utmost sorvico to hardworking peoplo in 
every grado of society. Professor Wanklyn gives the 
(allowing analysis of this substance : Moisture, G'7'2 ; 
Mh,5'86 ; soluble organio matter, 25*10; insoluble organic 
matter ti'J UJ. Another analytical chemist, Signer Parodi, 
now resident in Buenos Ayres, gives o qualitative 
analysis, viz. : C'afetannate of theiue, Cafetannic acid 
(free), Oblorophyl and Wax, Reain, Gum and Veget- 
able Albumen, Lignine : and tho ashes contain Salts 
of Potash and Lime, Oxide of Iron and Manganoso 
and of Silica. Another analysis demons' rates the 
presence of Theobromine, which is the active priuciplu 
in cocoa. However, we are bound to say that, up 
to the present no satisfactory analysis has been made. 
We take the following, as to its properties, from an 
announcement of the Kopf Company : — 
We know that the infusion of this interesting shrub 
possesses the properties of tea, coffee, and cocoa. It 
is sedative and stimulant ; prevents the waste of 
tissues ; increases the activity of the brain, and hence 
is invaluable to brain workers ; causes the secretion 
of milk, and, therefore, of great value to nursing 
mothers ; this which shows its nutritive power is 
amply exemplified in the fact that the gauchos (natiye 
horsemen) undertake long journeys on horseback, at 
times as much as 60 and 80 miles in a day, with no 
other ailment but three or four mate cups of their 
favourite infusion. 
To military men this substance would be invalu- 
able, as it would enable them to undertake fatiguing 
marches better than any other beverage known. 
Sportsman, angler, and traveller would alike benefit 
by its use in lieu of strong alcoholic beverages. 
To South Americans, not less than Europeans, Matheine 
should prove exceedingly acceptable. The yerba mat4 
infusion, as actually taken by the former, namely, by 
suction through a tube with a perforated bulb, is 
liable to serious objection, as the finer particles are 
swallowed, and in process of time accumulate and 
form irritating concretions in the stomach, to the 
serious injury of the health of the individual. In 
its liquid form this is altogether avoided. We ehould 
add that the proportion is one to two teaspoonfuls 
to an average sized teacup of boiling water, with milk 
and sugar to taute. 
FLAX CULTURE. 
(Sydney Mail, 27th August 1881) 
A resident in the Camden district writes: — "I have 
been requested by several farmers (some your sub- 
scribers) to ask you for information regarding flax 
culture. They are inclined to experiment in new crops, 
for ever since the failure of wheat in the district 
they have had recourse to growing hay, which of 
late has been bringing hardly a price to pay. 
The questions I would like answered ars : — 1. Do 
you think flax could be grown in this district with 
success ? 2. Is there any demand for it in Sydney '! 
3. What prices would linseed, flax, and flax straw 
or fibre command respectively? 4. And what would 
be an average yield per acre ?" In reply, we may 
state that it affords us great pleasure to hear that the 
Camden farmers wish to move out of the old over- 
worked furrows to seek now ground. Nearly all the 
information sought appeared in these columns last July, 
when we strongly recommended flax culture as suited 
to this colony. With regard to question 1, any fair 
soil upon which wheat can be raised wdl produce 
good crops of flax. A retentive subsoil is necessary, 
for flax likes moisture ; but it is not so liable to fail 
from drought as cereal crops are. The Camden district 
should prove a good home for the flax industry. It 
docs well in Europe, especially in Flandcr?, and has 
done well in England and Ireland. It may bo grown 
on any good deep loam, but this must bo rtuely culti- 
vated. The soil must he thoroughly open, perfectly 
clean, and reduced to a line tilth to produce payable 
crops, and this is a matter which is recognized by 
tho farmers of older countries, where linseed and tlax 
production is an import nt industry. The llax farms 
aro like gardons, and from the first part of the 
culturo to the last tho crop is ouc which requires eloso 
attention and plenty of labour. When tlax was tried 
in Victoria, where 80 acres of bushland wore offered to 
those who attempted its cultivation, only 17 acres wore 
placed under tho crop, and these returned an average 
of from S> to 17 bushels of Hed and from 7 to « cwt. 
