to6o 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June i, ^88 2. 
ally. Fifteen Chinamen are employed at £1 per 
week, and the Europeans engaged average £2 per week. 
The climate is hot, the last week being 100° in the 
shade. Alligators are plentiful, and the river is diffic- 
ult of navigation. — Australian paper. 
POULTRY. 
Editor of the "Madras Mail." 
15th April 1882. 
Sir, — In reply to "Game Fowl," in your issue of 
12ih instant, I have found the following treatment 
successful. With a feather, smear all the parts affected 
with insects, which are small fleas, with kerosine oil 
once a day for four or five days, letting the oil soak 
down to the skin where the fleas are fastened, (it 
won't hurt the fowl's eyes) after which they will 
be found to be dead, and can easily be taken off, or 
they will drop off in time. The floor of the fowl- 
house, if of earth, should be dug up, one or two 
inches of the surface removed, and replaced with 
fresh mud, beaten down and plastered with cow-dung, 
and, when dry well sprinkled with wood ashes, the 
ashes to be removed every few days. The nests in 
the house to be burned. 
EXPEEIENCE. 
TANNING AND TANNING MATERIALS IN 
MADRAS. 
The Madras Mail, in noticing the great advance in the 
trade in hides and skins, remarks : — An investigation 
into our local tanneries, made a few years ago, divulged 
the fact thbt many skins of animals were regularly sent 
in a salted condition from the Bombay Presidency, and 
even in larger numbers from Bengal, for the purpose of 
being tanned at Madras, and sent to the London, Con- 
tinental, and American markets, as consignments from 
this locality . The reason tor this was not at first sight 
obvious, as in some parts of Bombay there are extensive 
tanneries, and for many years Cawnpore has enjoyed a 
local reputation for the excellence of its leather. Yet 
it was an undeniable fact that, in all the markets out 
of India, Madras-tanned skins and hides commanded a 
higher price than those turned out further to the north. 
The difference in value was so great as to cover the 
heavy cost of the long transit by rail, which the des- 
patch from from such distant stations as Delhi, Luck- 
now and Cawnpore involved. At the latter station, 
the tanners imitated as far as they could the Madras 
results, and tried to pass off their skins as "Madras", 
but the deception was soon detected by the London 
experts, and consequently for some time there were 
separate entries in the home trade lists for "skins, 
Madras" and "skins, Madras, Cawnpore imitation," 
the latter being priced at a lower figure. The superi- 
ority of the former arises from fortunately lasting 
causes. We do not presume to say that the waters in 
the neighbourhood of the silvery Cooum are softer and 
better than those of theholyGanges, nordoweeven assert 
that the local tanners and curriers are more skilled 
in their art than those who are similarly employed 
in the other Presidencies. Iu fact it must be admitted 
timt the hides of Bengal, particularly those of buffaloes, 
are finer and stronger than with us. Large numbers of 
animals are there fed up and slaughtered while in 
condition, for the numerous Mahoinedan population, 
and our countrymen iu Bengal rejoice in mutton clubs, 
wmch are productive of superior skins as will as of 
tender flesh, but which are scarcely heard of in our 
Presidency. 
It is to the tanning material to which we must 
loo< for the reason of the apparent anomaly iu home 
prices. In Bengal, and we oeiieve also in Bombay, 
Ihu bark almost invariably used in tanning is that of 
the Babul (Acacia Arabica). This tree is aleo natural 
in Madras, and is so prolific and so hardy, that it 
often struggles into vigorous life, notwithstanding all 
the ill-usage which it has to endure, and which has 
extirpated many other species, its bark is, however, 
little used in the Madras Presidency. Our curers of 
leather prefer a tanning composition, the principal 
ingredients of which are the bark of the Cassia Auric- 
ulala, and the nut called myrabolams. The latter 
are much appreciated in foreign markets. Those from 
the Salem districts command about one-fourth higher 
prices than those coming from the Godavery. But 
few of the former are shipped, although they are 
readily purchased for that purpose when procurable. 
They have locally such a name, and their superior 
qualities are so evident, that they are almost entirely 
bought up for use in our own tanneries. The nut is 
the produce of a jungle tree, happily not of easy 
extirpation, and we may depend on the supply lasting. 
There are several cassias in the Madras Presidency, 
including that from the south, which produces the 
finest known senna, but none of their barks can be 
compared for tanning purposes with that of the Auric- 
ulata. The shrub grows freely in the Deccari, iu Mysore, 
and over most of the Madras Presidency, and seems 
to prefer barren and arid soils. Its uses are vari- 
ous. Workers in iron employ its root in temper- 
ing that metal. Powder from its dried seed is re- 
medial in opthalmic cases. The small stems form 
the favourite tooth brushes of our native fellow- 
subjects, and doubtless the preference is formed on 
some good physical reason, as the whole plant par- 
takes of the stringent qualities conspicuous in its 
bark. In Mysore it is regarded as good manure for 
rice fields. Its stems are cut down for this purpose 
and spread over the ground ; water is then let out, 
in which they soak for a fortnight, when they be- 
come soft, and are ploughed into the soil. When re- 
moved from their natural localities for tanning pur- 
poses in the Mysore territories, a small tax is now 
imposed per load. This gives a sort of protection 
to the plant, and satisfiies the jealousy of the agri- 
culturists, who from time immemorial have consid- 
ered it their special property. A soft enduring 
leather results from the use of its bark in tanning. 
The skins and hides prepared with it for export- 
ation are, however, not fully tanned on the spot. 
They are found to be particularly susceptible of 
taking dyes of beautiful and fast colours ; and our 
Presidency in fact produces the material of most 
of the so-called "Russia" and "Morocco" leather, 
sold in England for multitudinous purposes. There 
is no doubt that to the humble Cassia Auriculata 
we owe a great portion of the increasing prosper- 
ity of our half-tanned leather trade, and were we 
to follow the example of England, Scotland and 
Ireland, in adopting such floral badges as the rose, 
or the thistle, or the Shamrock, Madras might ap- 
propriately take as its emblem the pretty bright 
yellow flower of the Cassia. 
Abundantly, though, as Cassia bark at present 
supplies our wants, we need not rely on it, and on 
myrabolams for tanning materials. The local abund- 
ance of babul bark has already been mentioned. 
The Australian press lately alluded to an appre- 
hended scarcity of the wattle bark. This acacia 
has become a nuisance on the Nilgiri Hills, whence 
a supply could be produced in inexhaustible quantit- 
ies. Mention «as also recently made in the Indian 
Press of a shipment from Kandeish of Divi Divi 
for the London market. This tree was introduced 
fom South America many years ago. It grows freely 
with us, and produces its pods iu abundance, and is well 
supplied with tannin. But for some reason it never 
came into extensive use, nor was it appreciated by 
the natives. It was employed to a considerable ex- 
