772 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1882. 
Cinchona. — A paragraph has lately gone the round 
of the papers to the effect that Mr. Cross, who has 
been for some time in Ootacamund examining and 
reporting upon the Government Cinchona Plantations, 
had informed Government (hat the greater part of 
the Cinchona propagated by Government and sold to 
the public as 0. Suceirubra (red bark) was really the 
cornparativelj worthless variety known as C. Micran- 
tha or the grey bark of commerce. This statement, 
put forward by so high an authority, naturally caused 
some anxiety to those planters in Wynaad and else- 
where who had obtained their plants and seed from 
the Government Plantations. We are now authorized 
to state that His Excellency the Governor, who is 
himself a most able and experienced botanist aided 
by Dr. Bidie and other experts, went into the ques- 
tion most fully, during his recent visit to Ootacamund 
and after hearing all that Mr. Cross had to say in 
favor of his peculiar theory, has arrived at the most 
positive conclusion that Mr. Cross is mistaken, and in 
fact, that there is no evidence to support his theory, 
while everything goes to show that the variety which 
has been so widely distributed by Government is neither 
more nor less than it purported to be, viz, the com- 
mon C. Suceirubra or red bark. A practical planter 
to whom we mentioned the result of the investigation 
remarked "What does it matter whether they call 
it Suceirubra orMicrantha? We know that it fetches 
a good price in the London market, and if it is Mi- 
crantha, why we'll plant Micrantha, that is all." — 
South of India Observer. 
Vegetation in the Dehra Doon.— In a letter, 
under date the 8th November from the Dehra Valley, 
Captain J. F. Pogson writes as follows : — This is 
a wonderful place for Horticulture, All the large 
old houses have gardens, and tree plantations, and 
i7ie.se, as a rule, are botanical gardens, though the pro- 
prietors seem epiite unconscious of the fact. On Satur- 
day, I went for a walk and stood at a gateway, aston- 
ished to behold an avenue of " keloo " trees, (Cedrus 
Deodara), with " Cheel" (Pinus sylvestris,) "Kyle" 
P. longifolia, Cypress and Juniper (Himalayan,) in full 
growth in the immediate vicinity of mangoe trees, 
plantains in full fruit, papaya in ripening fruit, with 
the large bamboo, Loquat aud Lichee. The hill black- 
berry growing as a weed under jacktrees (kuthul) of 
Bengal, and guavas. As for forest trees with which the 
magnificent roads are shaded, I have yet to learn their 
names. What I have yet come across I do not know, 
for such a jumble of trees from all parts of the world 
growing in defiance of all laws, and nations on the sub- 
ject I never expected to see. I have come across Ficus 
elastica, American aloe, and adjacent something very 
like pineapple. Lord Hartiugton should come here, and 
imagine himself in a mighty " Chatsworth," with the 
cover (glass,- roofing) taken off', and then perhaps the 
improvement of lndiau Agriculture, Horticulture, and 
forest tree culture would be taken up in real earnest in 
place of being experimented upon. Eu route from 
Saharunporo, 1 passed through miles of forest growing 
as if the height of foresting consisted in seeing how many 
forest trees could be packed within a given space not 
sufficient for the growth of half-a-dozen trees. Some 
day I will visit the forest and measure the number of 
trees to be found within a radius of twenty yards. — 
[Any one who has journeyed to the Doon via Saharun- 
pore will recognize the truth of apt. Pogson's descrip- 
tion. Conspicuous in forests of sal and Saine, are 
scandent bauhiniaa with folinge of enormous size. 
The Doon is 2,000 feet above sea-level lying under the 
shadow of the Himalayas, and the climate seems 
suitable fo; a meeting-place of the vegetation of "the 
abode Of snow," of temperate and of torrid zones alike. 
Appropriately therefore is this place the site of the 
first College "f Forestry iu India— the first we believe 
iu the British duiuinious. — Ed.j 
A substitute for coffee has lately been discovered 
by two gentlemen at Akyab, for which they have ap- 
plied for a patent. It is the seed of a plant called in 
Burmese dannaythee. It is grown as u weed plentifully 
all over the province, and it is thought, if cultivated, 
would doubtless produce larger and fim-r seeds. They 
are very small usually, but, for the cost of picking and 
shelling them, a plentiful supply can be had. The 
seeds, after being well roasted and ground, produce a 
slight aroma of coffee, and with plenty of milk and 
sugar form a palatable drink, although Mocha is gener- 
ally preferred. — Madras Mail. 
The Cotton Industry thrives apace (.'ays the 
Bombay -Qa-Mtte in its annual review). Every year 
adds to the numbers of our spinning and weaving mills. 
The mill property of Bombay, which became depressed 
of 50 per cent, below par in consequence of the late 
famine, has now, in epite of occasional fluctuations, 
risen to par value and a little more, and 30,000 oper- 
atives find profitable employment in the industry. The 
ordinary Hindoo labourer, the representative of the 
Deccan ryot, has occupied this field of industry almost 
entirely, and here it is that the Hindoo woman appears 
conspicuously as a helpmeet to the family and as a 
breadwinner. The Mahomedan element in the mill 
industry is small compared with the Hindoo, and it is 
not easy to tempt the Mahomedan hand-weaver to 
relinquish his independence and join the operative class 
in the large mills that are worked by machinery. As 
far as can be seen at presen f , the capital which has 
been embarked in the mill industry of Bombay is com- 
paratively safe and sufficiently remunerative to attract 
native capitalists, especially the Bunniahs and the 
Bhattias. [When are Messrs. de Soyza and Rajapakse 
to try a cotton mill in Ceylon ? — Ed.] 
Cultivation of the Grape Vine in Cashmere. — 
The subject that next came before the meeting was the 
culture of the Grape in Cashmere for the manufacture of 
wine, as alluded to in a letter from Monsieur Ermens, 
the Director of Agriculture to His Highness the Maha- 
rajah. The following are extracts from the letter : — 
Cashmere is essentially a wine-growing country, and 
the richness of the soil is admirably adapted for vine 
cultivation. His Highness the Maharajah engaged me 
specially for the cultivation of the vine us well as for the 
manufacture of wines and spirits. I arrive ! in Cash- 
mere in 1876, and selected the Shirmencha slope as the 
most suitable for vine cultivation, because the soil ap- 
peared to me suitable, and also because of the certainty 
of procuring water for irrigation purposes. • In Europe 
water is no great object ; but in India the soil dries up 
so quickly that water is indispensable. I began by 
planting in 1877, and the cuttings all cams from France 
and from the best districts, the names of which are as 
follows : — Margaux, Tabernet, Sauviquion, Cabarnet 
Franc, Malbec, Merlot, and Verdot. These are the fine 
varieties of vine, the wine of which is known in the trade 
as Margaux, Chateau Lafitte, &c. The other cuttings 
come from Chateau-y-queem in two varieties, the Seniil- 
lion and the Sauviquion. The grapes of these are of a 
very fine qual : fcy, and yield a superior class of wine, 
Chateau-y-queem bein™, as you are aware, the finest white 
wine in the world. You will notice that I have taken 
cuttings from the best vines, and I have been highly 
successful, a< on the 3rd year, I gathered lots of grapes 
and made an abundant harvest— a thing not to be done 
in France under five years. The wine made has lasted 
and been found excellent. This wine will have ac- 
quired all its flavour in 1883, and then be sdd in the 
open marke at a low price, compared with French 
wini s sold in India. [If nil this turns out to be correct, 
then India may be added lo the wine countries of the 
world, but the quality of the wine when matured has 
yet to be tea tied. As populatiuii iucruasfs in Australia, 
we suspect it will beat the world for oheap as well as 
good wines.— Ed. J 
