June i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
'°39 
The Ceratonia Siltqua or Caroob tree has not suc- 
ceetled here. I got a few plants from the Society 
and others from Mr Cameron of the Government 
Gardens, Bangalore ; they continued stationary for 
nearly two years making no advance whatever, and 
died of during the early part of this year. 
The Trincomalleo wood tree Berrya Ammonilla I 
introduced here several year* ago, but it does not 
thrive ; the plants are simply alive, and have not. 
exceeded one foot in height after a trial of several 
years. 
The Chittagong wood tree, or Chicknassia Tabul- 
aris, — I procured one plant from Bangalore, and hy 
a mistake it was planted out on rather rocky soil; 
it was slow of growth and attained some 3 feet in 
height, when during a very dry season it perished. 
I mean to give it another trial as soon as 1 can get 
some plants. 
The Sapota Plum or Achros Sapota does not thrive 
here. I gave it several trials ; as also grafts on the 
Bassia which does not meet with better success. I 
have now two plants in pots, they are about four 
years old, and they do not exceed 3 to 4 inches in 
height. 
Grasses and Fodder Plants. — Of the 7 kinds that 
germinated and on which I reported to the Society 
(vide proceedings 3rd September 1870, page 91), they 
flowered freely but formed no seeds and then died 
oil'. The same result attended the Canary seeds I 
had experimented with. 
The Reana Luxuri'ms sprouted and produced seeds 
which also germinated freely, but during the cold 
weather the tops get burnt olT. The plauts attained 
from 4 to 5 feet in height and each threw out from 
10 to 20 side shoots ; these coming off from the 
Collum, gave the plant a very full and shrubby ap- 
pearance from the clumps they thus formed, and 
looked handsome and like the maize or Indian corn ; 
the male flowers formed on the summit, while the 
female flowers were in (ho axilla of the leaves, 
having something of the miniature cob in form, and 
as soon as the plants perfeeted their seed, they died 
off. The drawback to the introduction of this grass 
is tho tendency it has to suffer from the cold up 
hero. This does nut matter s > much, perhaps ; as 
the plant is an annual and dies out after seeding. 
The Prickly Com fry (Symphytum Asperriinum) I 
have given a tiial to for upwards of two years and 
can say nothing in its favor, although it was intro- 
duced with much enthusiasm as a wonderful fodder 
plant; but as far as my own personal experience ex- 
tonds, it has proved a complete failure both as regards 
its rapidity of growth, luxuriance, and its nutritious 
qualities, and it does not seem to me to be generally 
relished hy cattle or horses. 
(Ultix'i* Pro'ifrnts -Sc-ds of «his plant received 
from the Society and from Col. Beddome when placed 
in a rather dry plot of ground did not germinate 
for months, hut in plot germinated readily. I have 
now soveral plants of it. In general appearance it 
has some resemblance to the Cajanus Indicus in its 
pubescent and pinately trifoliate leaves, &c. ; but us 
the plants are young, still being about 2.J feet in 
height, I must reserve for a future occasion further 
reference to it. 
Tho hist receipt of fodder grass seeds through the 
Society from Kew is that of the Panicum Spectabile ; 
the needs rosemhle that of < luiiiea grass, and cm being 
sown in pots, they sprouted readily and freely, and 
are now about (i inches in height. 1 must reserve 
further description of tl em to n futuro occasion. 
I have now tested a good many kinds of fodder 
frames both foreign and indigenous, and 1 most con- 
fidently assert that there is nothing to excel the 
Hurriallee grass (Cynodon Dactylon) and the Guinea 
grass (Panicum Jumentosum. ) Of the Hurriallee it 
may be said it grows everywhere, and at all season 
and places, on the plains equally as well os on the 
Hills, in abundance, forming the greater part of the 
food of cattle in this country ; in moist lands it 
throws up long featberly shoots extending to 2 and 
3 feet in height, when it becomes procumbent, and 
during the dry season there is the creeping succulent 
stem with dwarf shoots at each node or joint. The 
horses about of Madras for the greater part of the 
year feed on these succulent stems supplied to them 
by so-called grass cutters, but where tillage, manure 
and water are supplied, it grows to the greatest 
perfection, yielding from 6 to 9 crops during bbe 
year, and makes ihe softest of hay and surpasses all 
ii her kinds of bay in not only its nutriticous qual- 
toies but the relish with which all cattle feed on it. 
Tho Guinea- grass comes next, but it does not grow 
in some localities. Where it thrives it becomes 
luxuriant, and mukes a large return per acre ; it 
has a tendency to form Clumps or " Tussucks " as 
it is termed, and requires to be taken up every 
second or third year to have its clumps broken up 
for replanting to increase its production. 
Arrowroot or Maranla Arundimacea. — In an experi. 
ment, a plot of ground 22£ x 32 feet planted with 
Arrowroot produced 430 pounds of corns yielding G5 
pounds of farina. 
Tapioca or Jalropha manihot. — A plot of 29x43 
feet, carrying 145 plants, produced 255 pounds of 
roots yielding 30 pounds of farina. These roots are 
reported to be poisonous ere the juice is washed out ; 
of this I had an instance; a pet lamb about 3 
months old happened to drink some of the water in 
w hich the roots were washed and died in one short 
fit of convulsion in 3 or 4 minutes ; some coolies 
are reported to have died some year's ago on one 
of the estates here from eating the raw roots. These 
experiments are on too small a scale to draw any 
practical application from, nevertheless they are of 
interest I think. 
" I received some Persian Date fruit? from the 
Western Coast ; these fruits in no way differed from 
those of the same kind procurable in the bazaars 
about Madras ; I collected some 30 seeds of them 
and plauted the same to see if they would germinate ; 
to my surprise, out of this number S plants sprouted 
and are now in a thriving condition — Madras Times. 
CHINESE LABOR. 
As an introduction to our comments on the intro- 
duction of Chinese contract labor into Brazil, tho 
Ga:eta da^Porto AUgre, of the 3rd tilt., discusses the 
A discussion has been going on between the Cruzeiro 
and the Rio News in which we cannot agree with 
the labor organ, the reason appeaiiug to us to be 
all on the side of the New. Our readers know that 
we have a deep interest in the economic propaganda 
raised by the Cruzeiro, partly because wo are in 
a -cord with many of its opinions, and partly because 
even those very ideas which scun to us to bo ill- 
founded provoke discussion from which Ijght must 
come. In the opinions put forth by the Cruzeiro on 
tho labor crisis, its inclination towards Chinese im- 
migration bus always struck us as a *Mrro ; /<i(V [ng\ 
ntgado] of slavery. Wo here, in this province, who 
h ive tested the problem of small farming, ami whose 
only aspiration 's the immigration of Oolonists who 
may become small tanner and intelligent labourers, 
ami uot simple instrument! eannot share these ideas 
in common with the great journal ol th capital.— 
Rio Xnrs. 
