April i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
As regards Ceylon, the question is: have leads of 
auriferous quartz yet been discovered, rich enough to 
justify the introduction and use of machinery, for 
sinking shafis, including not only ordinary borers, 
but that true "divining rod," the diamond drill? 
The presence of one in Oylon might give tho country 
Artesiau wells, where water is wanted, even if payable 
gold reefs failed to be discovered. 
Artificial Increase op Quinine.— We call atten- 
tion to the advertisement in our daily paper, in 
which Mr. Schrottky expresses his readiness to in- 
crease, artificially, the value of cinchona bark about 
to be cut down. Wo understand that the chemical 
inoculation of the, living bark (on succirubra trees) 
has, in some of the experiments, raised the analysis 
by from 25 to 50 per cent of the previously existing 
percentage of quinine. 
Economic Products in India. — We have to acknow- 
ledge the receipt, from the Director of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture and Commerce, N. W. P. and 
Oudh, of a copy of Part Y of " Notes on the Economic 
Products of tho North western Provinces," by Mr. E. 
T. Atkinson, B. A , F. K. G. 8., of the Bengal C. S. 
This part treats of gourds ; vegetables ; spices and 
Condiments : greens ; fruits, cultivated and wild ; and 
uncultivated edible products. Prefixed are a general 
index, a botanical index, and an index of Hindi terms. 
De Caen's Patent Cinchona Branch and Twig 
Machine.— Messrs. J. Walker & Co., of Kandy, wrote 
to us on the 3rd instant :- " We have tried a sample 
machine at our works today and find i r works ad- 
mirably. The machine is simple, portable and very 
strong ; it is capable of turning out more than 400 Lb. 
of wet bark per day under favourable circumstances, 
but we give 400 1b. as a fair average. There are no 
knives, but tapering rollers are employed to suit the 
various thickness of twig and branch. The machine 
promises to be a most valuable invention, rendering 
the harvesting of both possible and profitable ." 
Caju Wine. — In a notice of the recent exhibition 
of Brazil " Nacional " manufactures, we find the fol- 
lowing nntico, and we should like to know if wine 
from the '■ kaju pulan" has ever been made in Ceylon : 
— " Of caju and other wines from native fruits there 
are several agreeable samples which would lead to 
the belief that a large trade might be done in them, 
but the unaccountably high price, considering the 
cheapness and abundance of the fruit, must militate 
strongly against the generalization of an article credited 
rightly or wrongly with valuable medicinal properties." 
— Brazil and Rivtr Plate Mail. 
Jaffna, — Our trade in tobacco with the Galle 
market is large, and extensive, Traders always seek 
the service of the steamers to have a good supply 
sent there periodically, but, during the last two months, 
there is a stand .still in tin trade. People can hardly 
realize i he money that is inve-ted in the trade. Tho 
tobacco now in hand, both hero and at Galle, is rot- 
ting iu store for want of purchasers. It is hoped that 
'the trade will renew when the new season's tobacco 
Bun into the market in April or May next. We are 
glad to fiud that we have a good market for the sur- 
plus produce of this commodity at Colombo, (iallo and 
Batticaloa. A large consignment for Batticaloa shipped 
last time was overoarrieu, the "Serendib" not being 
Able to discharge cargo at Batticaloa owing to bad 
weather. Chilly, instead of being left to rot fur want 
of buyers, oi being sold almost for a sons:, fetches 
m>w n good price, and is being shipped daily to 
« olombo. We presume that Tuticoriu, from which 
DM Colombo generally receives large supplies, has 
tailed this year to supply that market. -Co;-. '•.I.Ufua 
Patriot." 
196 
Discriminating: Charge in he United States 
on Ceylon and East India Coffee. — Although coffee 
is admitted into the United States free of duty, the 
present tariff laws impose 10 per cent upon all Ceylon 
or East Indian coffee if shipped from any country 
west of the Cape of Good Hope. — Rio News. 
"Fiber.'' — Mr. John C. Branuer, who has been 
collecting specimento of vegetable liber in Brazil for 
the Edison electric light during the past year, left 
Para for New York on the 10th ultimo. Mr. Branner 
had travelled over a very large portion of the country 
and had made extensive and valuable collections of 
fiber. As the value of these can only bo determined 
by long aud careful experiment, it will probably be 
sometime before the results of this exploration are 
published.— R to Ncwh. [It is surely a new idea that 
vast stores of "liber" (which we English still »pell 
fihre) should be required for the electric light. 
Why?— Ed. G. O] 
Florida.— Mr. Hamilton Disston, of Philadelphia, 
has sold 2 000,000 of the 4,000.000 acres of land be pur- 
chased in Florida about a year ago. The negotiations 
began last summer, when an agent was sent to Europe 
to fiud a market for the lands. Sir Edward J. R'-ed, 
member ol Parliament, who is a representative of the 
purchasers, is a wealthy Englishman who has large in- 
terests in America, aud who is engaged in building the 
Atlantic and Gulf Coast and West India Transit rail- 
way, which runs from Fcrnandina to Cedar Keys iu 
Florida. This route has branches from Waldo running 
south to Osceola, and is being rapidly pushed to Tama 
Bay aud Charlotte harbor. Its course is through a great 
portion of the Disston purchase, and it must eventually 
add largely to the value of the land. Sir Edward J. 
Reed was Mr. Disston's competitor for the land at the 
time of the original purchase. Sir Edward has associated 
with himself Dr. Jacobus Wertheim, of Amsterdam, and 
other capitalists of Hoi 'and, who were interested in the 
bond of the Florida railroads and other American secu- 
rities of like nature, aud a syndicate was thus formed 
to buy half of Mr. Disston's purchase. The lands of 
Mr. Disston, which he reserves the right to select from 
the whole, and also those of the European capitalists, 
will now be offered for sale to immigrants. 
Insect Pests — A planter in Kurunegala writes : — 
" I enclose a few specimens of a poochi which has 
killed several cocoa trees on this estate and appears 
to be spreading. I should be very much obliged if 
you could tell me what it is, and suggest a remedy. 
At present I have men on, killing them by hand, 
but am not very hopeful of catching them all." The 
specimens enclosed are the larva.- of a small moth 
belonging to the family Tineiche. Westwood, in his 
"Modern Classification of Injects," vol. ii, page 409, 
says: — "In their preparatory states, theso insects arc- 
variable in their habits; but their larvaj are generally 
naked or sliyhtly hairy, many residing iu portable 
ca«os [as those received from Kurunegala], formed of 
various materials, in which they undergo their trans- 
formations." Another correspondent wrote early last 
month: — "I am sending by today's tappal, under 
separate cover, a piece of cinchona stem with a fungus 
of some kind or other growing out of it. 1 hope it 
will reach you intact, and 1 should be glad to nave 
your opinion as to how- it got there. The plant it was 
on was about 3 feet high, ami the fungus was situated 
about (J iu. from the top. Tho leaves of the plant 
were all drooping, but h be' her From the effects of 
tho fungus or canker (which it appeared to have) 1 
cannot say." The oinohona stem was sent to Dr. 
Trimen .about three weeks ttijo. but ho did Dot get it 
until hist week. lie writes: : " 1 do not know what 
tho dried-up object ou the cinchona t»ig may be' 
but I scarcely Hunk a fungus; ouo cannot now decide.' 
Our correspondent should send us a fresh specimen. 
