8 7 6 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1882. 
Eucalyptus Charcoal. — In reply to a query which 
appeared in your last issue as to the suitability of any 
species of Eucalyptus wood for yielding charcoal, I beg 
to state that in Baron von Mueller's Forest Resources 
of Western Australia (Reeve * Co., London, 1879), 
Eucalyptus inarginata is said to aftord one of the least 
inflammable woods for building structures, and one of 
the very best in West Australia for charcoal, not burn- 
ing so readily into ashes as most kinds of Eucalyptus 
wood ; and in a small volume by El wood Cooper, en- 
titled Forest Culture and Eucalyptus Trees, published 
in 1876 by Culery & Co., San Francisco, Eucalyptus 
obliqua is described as affording an inferior fuel, but 
produces the best charcoal for the forge. Eucalyptus 
amygdalina is also said to be a bad wood for domestic 
fuel, but is a first-rate smith's charcoal. — F. M. Hilliee, 
Museum, Royal Gardens, Kew. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 
A New Cinchona Bark fhou Colombia. — A good deal 
of attention has been drawn of late to a new kind of 
Cinchona bark from Colombia, known in commerce by 
the name of " Cuprea " bark. It is stated in the Pharm- 
aceutical Journal, on the authority of a Continental re- 
port, " that the district, in the province of Santander, 
Colombia, in which the bark was originally found, is 
being worked by two companies, employing between them 
1,700 men. As each man is estimated to be able to 
collect 20 lb. of bark daily, or equal to 8| lb. of dry 
bark, this number of men would be able to collect in 
thirty days upwards of 400,000 lb. of dry bark ; and, 
enormous as this quantity may appear, the consignments 
being sent in by the collectors appeared to indicate that 
it would be exceeded. The original ' Cuprea ' bark yielded 
about 2 per cent of quinine sulphate, and if this harvest 
were of equal quality, it would represent more than 8,000 lb. 
of quinine sulphate." It is further stated, in confirmation 
of the above facts, that some 8,000 serons of " Cuprea " 
bark were imported into London during the last week of 
September, and that the effect of these enormous consign- 
ments upon the price of quinine is already beingf elt. — Ibid. 
Weeds and Seeds.— Instances are daily occurring in 
which the value of grain and seeds of all kinds is 
almost entirely destroyed by the large admixture of 
the seeds of pernicious weeds, which are allowed to 
grow, and are harvested with the good seed. The market 
value of the wheat and other cereals received from 
India would be largely increased, if it were not found 
on arrival that they contain a large percentage of 
noxious seeds and other "dirt." Only the other day 
a quantity of Calcutta oats, received at Cape Town, 
and intended to be distributed for seed purposes in 
different parts of the Colony, was found to be so full 
of the seeds of pernicious Indian weeds as to be 
almost valueless. If such worse than worthless plants 
were to be planted on any large scale among other 
crops, it would be a matter of extreme difficulty to 
rid the country of the unwelcome visitors. Every 
country produces too large a quantity of iudigeuous 
weeds for farmers not to bo alive to the danger of 
introducing new varieties unawares. In some countries 
severe laws are enacted to force owners of land to 
keep down the stock of weeds, and to prevent their 
neighbours' land from being overrun by them, or 
sown with seed by means of the wind, birds, or any 
other agency. Planters in tropical countries!, where 
weeds, in common with every other vegetation, are 
of such luxuriant growth, ought to be keenly alive 
to this clanger. But the export of noxious seeds, 
mixed with grain, is an even greater evil than the 
neglect to keep down the natural growth of weeds 
in their own habitat. It is difficult to see how the 
evil can be checked otherwise than by appealing to 
the better feelings of farmers, planters, exporters, and 
others; and by pointing out that it is to their own 
interest to keep th> ir produce as " clean " as possible, 
and free from admixture of foreign seeds, or any other 
kind of " dirt. "—Colonies and India. J 
Silk Waste in Japan.— The Japanese make a kind 
of tilk wadding, called mawata, from ihe waste 
cocoons, which they use for the purpose of lining their 
clothing. They dip these otherwise useless cocoons 
into a ley of wood ashes, or ashes of rice straw, and 
then open those which require it to remove the 
chrysalis. The silk taken from each cocoon is then 
expanded by the simultaneous action of the thumb 
and first finger of each band, and this thin layer put 
upon the ends of thick nails placed into an inclined 
board. When from twenty to sixty such films have 
been place upon the nail they are allowed to dry. 
Sometimes the silk will be found in such good con- 
dition, that it can with care be spun by hand, in 
which case it will furnish a coarse thread which is 
used for fubiics of a lower quality. — Journal of Applied 
Science. 
The Orange Crop in Kiushui, Japan, has been 
unusually large this year, From the two townlande 
of Arita and Unami, in that province, about twenty 
thousand boxes of fruit have been sent daily to the 
Osak aud Kobe markets. The number of oranges in 
a box depends, of course, on the size of the fruits — 
that of the boxes being generally fixed — but we shall 
not be far out if we estimate it at one hundred and 
fifty, at which rate the consumption of the Kobe and 
Osaka fruit eaters would amount to some three millions 
of oranges per diem. But indeed eggs and oranges 
represent something more than mere edibles in Japan. 
They a>-e messengers of courtesy, the very rank and 
file of that intrinsically worthless but morally inestim- 
able army of gifts from which all the outposts of 
Japanese amity and conventionality are garrisoned. — 
Indian Agriculturist. 
Timber in Brazil. — Within an area of half a square 
mile, Agassiz counted 117 different kinds of wood, 
many of them admirably fitted by their hardness, tints 
and beautiful grain, lor the finest cabinet work. The 
muirapyinima, tortoise shell wood, undoubtedly the 
most precious wood in the world, is found in large 
quantity on the tributaries of the Upper Amazon, 
where the water can be most easily applied as motive 
power. The pao de sangre, tbe rosewood, the pao de 
ferrow (iron wood), or Apuleia ftrrea, the various spe- 
cies of jacaranda, known to natural history students 
under the name of Dalbe r gia nigra, Ma- huerium vio- 
laceum, and Platypodium ekgans, the white and black 
maraquatiara, the macacauba, the pao santo or holy 
wood, (Kailmeyera), and saboarana — both of which 
are rivals of the most beautiful walnut — are wasted 
yearly on the Amazon in amounts ample enough to 
veneer all the palaces of Europe. Maurice Mauris, 
the explorer, believes that with the facilities which 
the Brazilian Government is ready to impart to enter- 
prising industry, the export of these commodities 
would develop immense profits in the shortest time, 
■while the capital invested need not be enormous. It 
is only necessary that these woods be introduced into 
the market to obtain a decided preference over those 
now most sought after in the two hemispheres. Still 
richer is the country in timber for the purpose of 
construction. The acapu (Vouacapoua Americana) is 
most plentifully found there, and often in the most 
imposing proportions. Mr. Mauris has seen diniDg 
tables six feet in width made wholly out of one piece. 
The wood, like all its kindred, macaranduba and itauba, 
or stone wood, furnishes ship timber as durable as 
teak. The longer these remain in water, the stronger 
and harder tbey become. The former will compare the 
more favourably with the teak, inasmuch as it is 
more compact. A pistol bullet which will pass 
through an inch board of teak wood will not pene- 
trate half an inb into aboard of acapu. The itauba 
tree, too. offers many advantages ov^rteak; it branches 
off naturally into keels and ribs of any size, aud is 
lighter and more resistant.— Journal )f Applied Science. 
