March i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
799 
Savoy Cabbage. 
This, like all of its class, delights in a deep, rich, 
well-manured soil. It should be cultivated in the 
same manner as recommended for the Cabbage. The 
dwarf varieties, such as "Little Pixie" and "Tom 
Thumb " are decidedly the best. These should be 
planted out in rows about fifteen inches apart with 
the same distance dividing the plants in each row. 
They should be liberally supplied with wator through 
the whole period of their growth. 
The Tomato. 
Probably there is no part of the world with a climate 
better adapted to the cultivation of the Tomato than 
that of Bengal from October to March, and yet it is 
a plant that has been much neglected here. Only two 
kinds are. seen in our bazaars, namely, the Small Red 
varieties, which in this age of vast improvements 
should long ago have been consigned to oblivion, 
especially when we might have in the place such fruit 
as "The Trophy," "Acme," "Carter's Greengage" 
or "Nisbet's Victoria." The cultivation of the Tomato 
here is extremely simple. Seed should be sown at the 
end of August in a seed-bed sheltered from heavy rain. 
The plants will be ready for putting out early in 
October ; they should be planted in well-manured 
soil in rows three feet apart, with the same distance 
between the plants. When practicable a bamboo trellis 
should be placed along each row, about three feet 
high, to which the plants may be trained. In England 
it is customary to pinch out the point out of each 
shoot to induce them to set their fruit. Here, how- 
ever, this is quite unnecessary, and require no care 
beyond an occasional watering and tying up. 
Turnip (Brassica rapa.) 
A rich deep, mellow soil, with a fair amount of 
moisture, is the most favorable for the Turnip, 
although any good soil, well dug and manured, will 
grow them well. Sowings should be commenced in 
September, and continued at intervals of a few days 
up to the end of November. They should be sown in 
drills about twelve inches apart, and as soon as the 
plants aro large enough should be thinned out to the 
same distance in the rows. The plants must be kept 
free from weeds, and the soil frequently loosened around 
them. They must also be kept free supplied with 
wator and occasionally drenched with liquid manure. 
Tin'. Silk Industry. — The prospects of the newly 
established silk industry in the Dun appear to be 
highly satisfactory. Messrs. Lister & Co., of Brad- 
ford, who have been connected with this work for 
Borne time, took over the business from Government 
in February last, and from that time all direct con- 
nexion of Government with it ceased. This in itself 
is a good sign. A piece of waste land has also been 
granted the linn for the cultivation of mulberry trees, 
and some -0 acres have been planted. The ageut of 
the firm, Mr. Lopper, also has done much to encour- 
age the ryots to take to the rearing of silk worms ; 
and it is said the operation is becoming very popular. 
It furnishes employment to women ami children when 
there is little else to be done, and the prices to be 
obtained leavo an ample margin of profit for the 
expenses incurred. A inaund of cocoons are estimated 
to cost the cultivator R12 all told ; whereas the firm 
reaps a profit after giving even R3Q for the same 
quantity. The industry is encouraged further by the 
distribution of medals and rewinds, though these iu- 
duee nts will probably not be needed much longer. 
As Messrs Lister have announced their intention o| 
buying up all the cocoons that aro offered, the ryots 
of the Dun have happy prospect before them, The 
difficulty at present appears to lie in obtaining a 
WUBcMnoj of mulberry trees. — Calcutta Lnjlhltiiuin. 
Barking Cinchona.— As to the desirability of cover- 
ing the interval left after the removing of bark; I 
wrote to the Times in October, and I still maintain 
what I said then, that a great deal of money and 
bother might be saved by leaving the intervals exposed. 
Of course, a proper time must be chosen to bark in, 
that is during coo], cloudy weather, when there is 
neither too much sun or rain. The plan has been 
triod already to a small extent and with tolerable 
success. Some of the trees died from exposure, but 
the greater part renewed their bark splendidly, with no 
dimension in their percentage of alkaloids. - Oi i n [NALIS. 
—Cor. of Ceylon Times. 
The Effect of Light is shown by a reference to the 
alpine flora of Switzerland, hi which the larger propor- 
tion of red, pink, and blue flowers in spring is remark- 
able. H. Muller attributes this to the greater trans- 
parency of the mountain ah, and consequently more 
intense light. On this account and because of the spring 
being a month later than in this country, the alpine 
spring flowers are brightly coloured. This explanation 
is confirmed by Siemens's experiments with the electric 
light (Nature, 1881, vol. xxi, No. 535). Mr. Buchan, 
however, who bases his results on the whole of the" 
British flora, considers that on the average the blue 
flowers blossom considerably the earliest (Proceeding Edin- 
buryh Botanical Society, 1870). — Pha rmaccul inil Jmirual. 
Tonic— In the American Journal of Pharmacy for 
October, Mr. F. B. Meyer contributes an inaugural essay 
on Parthenium mtegrifolium, Lin., a plant of which 
the tops have been used for several years in some sec- 
tions of Indiana, with good results in the cure of fever 
and ague. The herb yielded to petroleum benzene a 
dark green, waxy, slightly bitter substance, which treated 
with ether and water gave very bitter crystals, soluble 
in both liquids, and which gave a beautiful deep red 
colour with feme chloride and did not reduce Feluing's 
solution. The infusion of the drug, with the addition 
of a little spirit to preserve it, is the form in which it 
is used in medicine. The liquid preparations of the 
drug have an agreeable orange-like odour.— Ibid. 
Lanta>'AS —Thanks to the industry of Continental 
raisers, the garden varieties of this useful plant have 
greatly increased of late. Doubtless the old Lantana 
Camara was the type from which the first departure 
was made, and now as a result we have varieties 
of spreading and compact growth, tall and dwarf, 
large flowered and small flowered, and of many 
varying tints of colours. A large number of the.se 
are of great value for decorative purposes, and there 
are indications that the Lantana is rising in public 
favour. Objection has been taken to them on account 
of their strongly secented foliage, the peculiar tone 
! of which ^is not grateful to most people, and hence, 
as Mr. B. S. Williams observes, they have been 
much neglected. But they have qualities of a 
high order which more than counterbalance this defect, 
if it can be termed so. For three or four summers 
past Mr. Barron has successfully demonstr .ted their 
great usefulness for bedding and pot purposes; indeed, 
for the former use they are attractive, durable, and 
particularly pleasing. The dwarf varieties are best 
adapted for bedding, but they are also most useful 
for pot purposes. As specimen plants for exhibition 
they are very effecitve, ami it is not unnsual at 
some country shows to sec in August fine specimens 
of the rich-coloured Lantanas, such as Lo Grenadier, 
grown into large plants, covered with healthy foliagi, 
from amid which rise numbers of large trusses of 
bloom. Fine fresh specimens of Lnntanns are far 
referable to the stale Allamandae, Ihpl.uh ni: -. Ixoias, 
c, one too often sees at shows at the end of tbo 
season. The Lantana can bo had in bloom for tbo 
spice of some eight months in the year, aud the 
plants are rarely, if over, attacked by insects— re- 
i eouiinendatious of no mean order.— Uurdaicii ChronicU. 
I, 
