February i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
657 
NEW PRODUCTS : INTRODUCTIONS IN I'O 
CEYLON: "TOON" TREE TIMBER 
FOR TEA BOXES IN CEYLON. 
If Mr* Wm, Ferguson is satisfied that the species 
(for there seem to he many) of indigo which grows 
wild around Colombo is the true /. tinctoria of Linnaeus, 
which he seems to be, the question might still remain 
as to whether the best seed can be obtaiued from an 
"escape," which has probably been subjected to a 
process of deterioration. .Seeing that Linnasus looked 
on the specimens from Ceylon as exotic, and that Sir 
J. D. Hooker doubts whether /. tinctoria " be truly 
wild," our correspondent's supposition that it is likely 
to be a native of Ceylon as of India may merely 
justify the conclusion that it is native to neither. 
/. anil is, confessedly, American, and the other may 
have had the tame origin. For there are few of the 
more valuable vegetable productions cultivated in India, 
from coconuts to Chile peppers, and from tobacco to 
pineapple*, which the Orient does not owe to the 
Occident. This question about iudigo culture in Ccylou, 
however, we confess we regard as more curious than 
practical. Where soil, climate and other conditions 
are suitable, no man can err in adding to the world's 
production of BUgar and coll'ee, for the possible con- 
sumption of both is almost unlimited. But with iudigo, 
in abundance and of the best quality, a few districts 
in India cau supply the world. The subsidiary pro- 
duct from the manufacture, however, an excellent 
manure, is worthy of consideration. During the writer's 
voyaging.) through Torres Straits and bis visits to the 
sugar districts of Northern Queensland, he had the 
company of the agent of a great sugar machinery 
company at Lille. Mr. Vau tie Velde was, however, 
a Belgian, and when, in lengthened discussions regard- 
ing all aspects of the sugar production question, he 
'Was directly asked how it was that the growers of 
beet in a cold country could possibly compete with 
the producers of caue in the tropics, his reply was : 
"If sugar alone wore concerned, they could noncom- 
pete. What renders the cultivation of sugar beet 
proiitable, in Belgium at least, is the value of the 
refuse. It makes a food for cattle, so valuable as 
to be indispensable." We forget if our Belgian friend 
dwelt on the resulting manure, but that would be 
very valuable in view of the largo quautity of potash 
in beet tibio. From whit we saw of green and 
nourishing fields of indigo cultivated by the Chinese 
on the island of Singapore, wo could not help feoling 
that, if not too valuable otherwise, it would be a 
grand "green crop" to plough or hoe iuto the nuil, 
J $d we have sinco read of the use of the plant for 
tbit purpose. As a grrcu crop application for office, 
Ltebig recoiu mended lupine, and wore our Ceylon 
plantation* only moderately undulating, instead of 
being in the majority of casus, oxcettivoly steep, 
Ififcperimouta in this direction might bo tried. The 
I Chinee, who utilize everything and something more, 
I arc sure to make the most not only of the dye but 
I Of the refuse of the indigo they cultivate. hi tu- 
103 
Straits there is doubtless a local demand for dyeing 
cloth the dark colour so commonly affected by the 
celestials. We fear there is no such local demand 
here. The last experiment in indigo culture in Ceylon 
was tried by the late Mr. Le March.uid (father of the 
well-known bank manager), who had been an iudigo 
planter in Bengal. That experiment failed because 
the young succulent plants were destroyed by an 
army of insects. Neither past experience, nor the 
present state of the muket for the dye, seems to 
us to offer encouragement for the cultivation of indigo 
in Ceylon. We, nevertheless wish success to any 
experiment which may be made. 
The pendent fruit of the Kif/elia was brought from 
the Botanic Gardens at Buiteuz org merely as a curiosi- 
ty. We certainly never had spen anything in Cey- 
lon more closely resembliug it than I he fruits of 
the West India calabash tree. When the valu- 
able Uedrela loona comes iuto question, the case is 
very different, and we are gratified that the public 
of Ceylon, and especially the tea planters, should 
hear that Dr. Trimeu is harvesting seeds of the 
toon tree. Years before going to Java (in the beginning 
of 1S7G), »e had seen the toon trees, lining the roads 
of Dehra Dun below the northern Himalayas, aud 
subsequently we made its acquaintance below Darjiling 
on the eastern Himalayas. On both occasious it was 
pointed out to us as the tree for tea boxes. We saw 
specimens at Bandong and young trees everywhere 
along the roads of the Preanger Regency. In Java, 
indeed, it is one of the favourite trees for liniug 
roads. But it was on Mr. Kerkhoven's magnideeut 
tei estates at Sindgav that our admiration Was speci- 
ally excited by closely planted avenues of mature 
trees. We recognized the foliage as that of a tree 
familiar to U9 but which we hud never seen so 
abundant aud flourishing, and (being no botanist, as 
Brutus is) we could not recall the name. The oniy 
other trees in Java which, in our estimation, excelled 
it were the graceful pyramidal Dammara and the 
magnificent umbrageous Fidtis JJeiijamini. Mr. Kerk- 
hoven spoke highly of the tree us fast-growing and 
yet yielding good timber. The native name he said, 
was Tooriqn, no d mbt a modification of toon. We 
most gladly availed ourselves of Mr. Kerkhoven's 
kindness in bringing a supply of sec I to Ceylon, 
and a very large local supply indeed must have very 
suddenly developed to give any propriety t > tue 
comparison of "carrying coals to .Newcastle," in this 
case. As the time is fa>t approaching when a large 
supply of timber specially suitable lor tea box is mil 
bo wonted, the wide cultivation of the toon tree is 
desirable for ths aud other purposes ; while there 
are few handsomer trees for sides ol pnblioor estate 
roads or avenue* anywhere. Thoy flourish planted 
very close together. As shade t:o>s they are excelled 
in Java by an acaoia AlbOtltt MuIucchim which be- 
comes a grand forest tree in B&veh ytars. But the 
litter i* brittle, and its timber onjy tit for firewood. 
From Balfour's "Timber Trees 1 we^ivoa detaiiud 
account of Ctdrtla tooun, which we hope will be estab- 
lished and Locum.- largely prevalent in 1 < \ 1 n. For 
combined qu oknojs of growth and v»luo nf timber, 
it ruuks with the Lwt ot the Au^Ualiau jtutaifpti. 
