April i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
875 
material. The potential importance, from a purely 
commercial point of view, of the manufacture may- 
be judged of by reference to the fallowing statistics, 
.showing the annual value of the world's growth of 
indigo ie no less than £4,000,000 sterling. 
Estimated Yearly Average of the Production of Indigo 
W the World, taken from the total crop for a period of 
'Ten Years. 
lb. £ 
Bengal, Tirhoot, Benares, 
and N. W. India ... 8,000,000 2,000.000 
Madras and Kurpah ... 2,2011,000 400,000 
Manilla, Java, Bombay,&c. — 500,000 
Central America ... 2,250,000 600,000 
China and elsewhere, con- 
sumed in the country... — Say 500,000 
Totals — 4,000,000 
How far the artificial will drive out the natural 
colouring matter from the market cannot, as has been 
said, be forseen. To Englishmen it is a mortifying 
reflection that, while the raw materials from which all 
these coal tar colours are made are produced in our 
country, the finished and valuable colours are nearly 
all manufactured in Germany. — Journal of Applied 
Science. 
Enterprise in Bee-Keeping.— We learn that Mr. Blow 
has just started for the East (Cyprus, Syria, &c.) to 
make a large importation of the bees of these countries. 
It has always been a reproach that the Americans were 
more energetic in advancing bee culture than ourselves, 
especially in the matter of the introduction of foreign 
and improved races of bees into their country. We shall 
hear from time to time of Mr. Blow's movements, and 
get some information, too, respecting bee culture in 
those countries— formerly flowing with milk and honey. 
has stood 
e for use. 
is, and is 
Cassava 
a native 
if 1. 
— dissolve it in water and mix tin 
burnt fresh-slacked lime. After th 
for a time pour off the clear fluid 
Putty moistened with this fluid qu 
easily removed. Muriatic acid (spit 
muriatic acid, put on with a penci 
putty. Alkaline salt is the best tl 
of paint from glass. — Phannacuetu 
Tapioca Cultivation in India- 
or Tapioca plant (Manihot utilissii: 
of South America, is now largely 
where the soil seems so well suited 
to warrant a still more extended ; 
that, " as the prico of Rice has 
Tapioca has become the more essential as an article of 
food. It will grow in any soil, and needs but little 
caii', except to preserve it from the depredations of 
cattle. After the roots are dug the stem is cut into 
UMes about 4 inches long and planted some 3 feet apart, 
with a little ash or other manure. The root requires 
occasional weeding and earthing, and arrives at maturity 
in nine or ton months. Well boiled it is eaten with tish- 
narry. It is sometimes given to cattle. Iu a green 
state the root does not keep long, but it can be sliced 
mi dried in the sun, or grated and made into farina. 
A Held of this valuable and nutritious root is planted 
Eg hut little cost; its yield is very large, and its cultiv- 
ation highly profitable. The produce has been estimated 
in Ceylon at 10 tons of green roots per acre ; this 
weighs one fourth when dried, and if the dried root- g:tve 
half their weight of flour, it would amount to 2,800 lb. 
per acre. With some can and attention any ainonut of 
the granulated flour might be prepared for homo use 
and oxport, but though this plant grows almost wild the 
people do not uiko tho trouble to prepare it." — Ibid. 
The CLIMATE of New Zealand. — A New Zealand 
paper refers to some of the floral beauties of a 
private garden at Taranaki as a proof of the beauti- 
ful climate of that Province. There may bo seen, 
it says, four camellia bushes which it would be 
difficult to beat for size. One is 9 feet 0 iueh.es in 
height by 34 feet in circumference, another 12 feet 
by 40 feet, another 14 feet by 45 feet, and a fourl.ii 
18 feet high by 50 feet in circumference; besides 
over a dozen others from 0 feet to 10 feet in height, 
with circumferences in proportion. In August the 
owner gathered his first crop of grapes, and the 
second crop from tho same tree would be ripe in a 
month. The first crop of citrons was at the same time 
ready for gathering, while, together with the large 
swollen green fruit could be seeu the bloom of a 
second crop on the same tree. A lemon-tree, again, 
was discovered with bloom from which a crop of 
ripe fruit had just been picked. — Colonies and India. 
Meteorology. — The following resolutions were 
adopted by the Conference for the Development of 
Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, held at Vienna 
in Sept. 18S0. (Q. Jour. Mcteorol. Soc, VII., published 
iu No. for April): — " Vegetation is materially depend- 
ent on the following metereological elements : — (a) 
temperature of the air and soil ; (b ) duration and in- 
tensity of the illumiuation ; (c) all the hydrometeors ; 
consequently, the vapour tension and relative humidity, 
precipitation (rain, snow, &c), as well as the other 
forms of condensation (fog, dew, and hoar-frost^ ; (d) 
motion of the air. On the other hand the daily march 
of pressure and of ozone appears to be of less import- 
ance for vegetation. Conversely, the meteorological 
elements appear to exhibit the influence of vegetation 
iu the following way. Vegetation on an augmented 
scale, such as pasturage, tilled laud, forests and moor- 
land, &c, give rise each in their own districts to 
special conditions of temperature and atmospheric 
humidity, and perhaps of rain also, and may there- 
fore exert au influence on the climate of the sur- 
rounding country in respect of temperature and hydro- 
meteors, and also of" springs." "On the whole it 
appears important that on as many rationally managed 
estates as possible special observations should be carried 
on of all tho elements recognized as important. Those 
observations should be made in different soils, and with 
different types of culture, and should be compared 
with tho crop return year by year, so as to investig- 
ate in detad the relation between vegetation and 
climatic factors. The general mean results published 
by the several ceutral institutes do not furnish values 
in sufficient detail for the study of individual types 
of culture or of looal conditions. [Then follow in- 
structions in the method to be adopted for observing 
the various elements, with remarks ou the trustworthi- 
ness of in truments, which will be given in connection 
with each element.] It is advisable to organise the 
system of radial stations, in order to ascertain tho 
tft'ect extensive masses of vegetation, especially forests, 
exert on fbo climate of tho surrounding region, both 
iu their immediate vicinity and at a distance. This 
system promises better results tho more continental 
is the character of the region iu which it is establised. 
Observations immediately above the tree crown nr* of 
importance. Woidd it not bo desirable, with a view 
to the special observations which must be undertaken 
(as, e.g., phonological observations) to prepare h goneral 
form of Instructions? The Conference thinks it desir- 
able to prepare geuoral instructions for phonological 
observations. The I i t»t of plants to bo observed should 
uot be too long. They | members of committer] should 
deal in tho fiist place with cereals nnd forage plant* ; 
secondly, with the more important forest and fruit 
tri es ; mid lastly, with other plauts of importance to 
agriculture and to the phenomena of animal life." — 
Oardfiurt' GhrOitMt, 
