«54 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April *, 1882. 
P. S. — Most extraordinary weather for February. 
Been raining for the last two hours, and likely to con- 
tinue throughout the night. Last year's rainfall was 
about 19 inches over the average, which is about 80 
inches. If rain is to continue like this throughout the 
year, very few coolies will be required to pick the crop 
of Arabian coffee. 
NEW PRODUCTS: THE SUNFLOWER. 
Dear Sie, — Is there any market for this in Ceylon, 
or any nearer than London ? I think of taking a 
crop off some land lately planted in Liberian coffee, 
planting between the rows to cover the ground, but 
should first like to know if there would be any 
difficulty in disposing of the seed. Simmonds gives a 
lot of valuable information about the plant in his 
book, but omits one or two useful items. The ash of 
stems and leaves, if returned to the soil, should almost 
make up for what the plants has taken out of it. — 
Faithfully yours, CHILLY. 
The following is from the Australasian : — 
Utilisation or Sunflower Plant. 
Sir, — Can you inform me if any part of the sun- 
flower plant, other than the flower itself, can be util- 
ised ? I have a patch growing most luxuriantly, some 
stems being two or three inches diameter, and nearly 
6 ft. high. A. B. 
Coleraine, Jan. 9. 
[The fibre of the stem has sometimes been extracted, 
but this plan of turning the plant to account cannot 
be profitable, as it is now never spoken of. The seed, 
you are of course aware, is used in feeding poultry. 
A light oil is also extracted from it. — Ed.] 
Sir,— A correspondent, "A. B.," in last week's 
Australasian aeks if any part of the sunflower plant 
other than the flower itself can be utilised. I beg 
to mention, in addition to what you say in your foot- 
note, that horses are very fond of sunflowers, and 
will eat them down to within a few inches of the 
ground. But the principal use to which sunflowers 
may be applied in this warm climate is the manu- 
facture of pith hats. In the stems there is a fine, 
strong, light pith. The outside fibrous and woody 
part is very easily stripped off. If the pith of the 
sunflower is compared with that used in the manu- 
facture of Indian pith hats, it will be seen that they 
are identical. If the raw material can be supplied, 
the manufacture of pith hats outiht to follow as a 
matter of course, and no other kind of hat affords 
such protection to the head and neck from the sun's 
rays.— W. L. M. 
Date Coffee. — This article has been a speculation 
for some time, and we see another company just an- 
nounced called the "Belgium Date Coffee Company, 
Limited," with a capital of £100,000, to be raised, 
of course, in London, and a list of no less than 
eight directors, some with high-sounding names. We 
have no experience of " Date" coffee, but £100,000 
is a large sum to raise for the purpose specified. If 
Belgians are so enamoured of date coffee, why not raise 
money on the spot instead of applying to London for 
it ? That it will materially affect the consumption 
of coffee we do not believe, but it ie worth while for 
coffee-growing countries to look a little more closely 
into the matter than they appear yet to have done. 
Chicory has had its day, and a mixture of this with 
coffee is easily understood, but the date process appears 
likely to supersede it. — South American Journal. [To 
put chicory out of date, in truth. — Ed.] 
The Agriculturists of Malta are in a state of 
alarm, owing to the drought, which has continued five 
months, not more than half-an-inch depth of rain having 
fallen during that time. 
Sir Charles HARVEY.Bart., we learn, is to arrive by 
the S.S. "Quetta" for a sojourn o£ some time in Ceylon. 
Such is the agricultural depression in England — land 
only yielding two per cent — that Sir Charles, although 
possessed of two thousand broad acres in Norfolk, 
is coming out to Ceylon to find a more profitable 
investment for his personal property in as many 
hundred (200) acres of cinchona property, which he 
hopes may yield him hereafter a l etter return. 
Quinine Tonic. — The following is a formula largely 
used in the Department of Public Charities and Cor- 
rections of New York City as a means of administer- 
ing quinine : Sulphate of quinine, thirty grains ; dilute 
sulphuric acid, sufficient; tincture of perchloride of 
iron, half an ounce ; spirits of chloroform, six drachms; 
water, two ounces ; glycerine enough to make four 
ounces of this mixture. The dose of the mixture 
is a teaspoonful. — Oil and Drug News. 
Coffee. — The Brazilian supplies say Messrs. Wilson, 
Smithett & Co. (January 20th), have more than 
counterbalanced the short crops in the East, and stocks 
have accumulated in spite of the consumption of France, 
America, and Holland la-;t year showing considerable 
extension. The surplus of production over consumption 
appears to have been chiefly directed to Havre where 
the importations for the twelve months ended 31st 
December are upwards of 34,000 tons more than in 
1880 ; or an incrof 40 per ease cent. 
Tea. — We call the attention of our planters to the 
encouraging, and, at the same time, admonitory remarks 
of our Commercial Correspondent, based on the opinion 
of experienced and sympathetic London brokers. If 
only capital were made judiciously available, 100,000 
acres would very speedily be placed under this product 
in our planting districts, the crop from which ought 
to reach 4 to 5 million lb. within a few years. Money 
to buy seed, to pay for planting, and to buy mach- 
inery, is the desideratum of many wonld-be Ceylon 
tea-planters at this moment. 
Ceylon Tea — There have been no sales during' the week, 
and former quotations are consequently unchanged. 
Forty odd packages will be sold next week respecting which 
I shall send you particulars. Conversing with Messrs, 
JRucker recently, I was told that some of the Pekues recently 
sent from Cejlon were of remarkably fine quality, and that 
these young growths afforded the trade most conclusive and 
satisfactory evidence of the suitability of the soil and 
climate of Ceylon to the tea plant and for the production 
of the very finest quantities, Considerable care had 
been taken in the preparation of the samples referred 
to, which is much needed in all cases, to prevent the 
rregularity so much complained of by the trade. 
Cola Nut. — The introduction of the cola nut int > 
India might be a means of conferring a considerable 
benefit on the country. The cola nut is the seed of 
the tree cola acuminata, whose habitat appears to be 
the west coast of Africa. The properties of the nut are 
said to be twofold. In the first place, like olives, it en- 
hances to many palates the flavour of food eaten after- 
wards ; secondly, it possesses the more important function 
of staying the cravings of hunger and enabling those in- 
dulging in it to endure prolonged labour without 
fatigue. It is not, however, a stimulant. The taste 
is bitter. The natives of the West Coast of Africa, 
particularly in Sierra Leone, are described as being 
very partial to the nut, both as a luxury and for 
its other and more valuable quality. In fact it appears, 
in that part of the world, to satisfy the general craving 
of mankind for a stimulant. The trade, a consular report 
from Gambia says, is extending iuto Central Africa and 
northward to the African shores of the Mediterranean, 
indicating an increased demand. The nut has been int- 
roduced successfully into the West Indies. — Englishman, 
