July i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
31 
A New Rain Compelleb.— Mr. H. W. Allen, 
formerly of the Nizam's Publio Works Depart- 
ment, is, says a contemporary, the inventor of an 
ether epray rocket rain -producer capable of rising 
to a height of one mile or more and then des- 
cending slowly, like a parachute. " It has been 
admitted by learned scientists that intense cold 
must cause a cloud to discharge rain, but as to 
its continuing to rain for any prolonged period, 
there are still different opinions expressed on 
this point." — Indian Engineer, 
Stock and Wateb. — According to Sir James 
Garrick, the Agent-General for Queensland, water 
is the secret of the enormous increase in the 
number of Australian cattle and sheep ; the 
former are now estimated at 6 million head, 
and the latter at 22 millions. It has been as- 
certained that there is a splendid artesian water 
underlying vast tracts of country of at least 55 
million acres in extent, where hitherto it was a 
matter of extreme di£Qculty to maintain stock, but 
by reason of this discovery the stock is now carried 
with ease. — Indian Engineer. 
More Land fob Tea. — If it be true as we 
hear that some time during the present year, the 
Government are to offer for sale about 1,800 acres 
of fine forest land near Nambapanne in the Westera 
Province, there will be a further element to 
reckon with reference to the future of our tea 
crops. Tne land in question is said not to be 
far off a very fine tea garden and as it will be 
out up into about half-a-dozen blocks there is 
certain to be good competition from gentlemen 
whose object will be to plant tea as quickly as 
possible. The sale is not likely to take place before 
September-October. 
The Cdebant Cbops in Gbeece.— Beporting on 
the trade of the Morea for the year 1892, the 
British Consul says of the currant crop, that the 
vineyards in the districts of Pyrgos, Olympia, 
Gastuni, and Zante, suffered from a severe attack 
of the " Peronosporos," by which the crop was 
reduced by about 40,000 to 50,000 tons. Almost 
all the Currant-growing districts of Greece were 
visited by this malady, but only in the above was 
the damage of any serious oonaequenoe. " This 
disease, which has at times caused such great 
damage to the vines in Italy, France and elsewhere, 
is in appearance somewhat like the Oidium, and 
fibowB itself first in the form of a white blight 
or fungus on the leaves, which it partially des- 
troys. It then attacks the bunches at the period 
when the fruit is just forming, and causes it to 
wither and drop off. Experts have recommended 
the powdering of the plants in the spring with 
a mixture of powdered sulphur, lime and sulphate 
of iron, but the expense would be considerable, 
and it is, therefore, doubtful if the peasantry 
will have recourse to this preventive, although 
great fears are entertained of a recurrence of the 
malady in the spring." Some protection of 
British buyers against imposition in fraudulently 
stating one kind of Currant to be that of another, 
has been made by the Greek authorities. " By a 
law passed in July last by the Greek Chamber," 
it is stated that it is now a punishable offence 
to mark any package containing Currants for 
shipment to any foreign market with any name 
other than that of the disttiot where they were 
produced. The British consumers can, therefore, 
now depend upon getting '• Vostizza," " Gulf," 
" Patras " Currants should he buy a package 
which has been so marked in Greece. Formerly, 
all kinds of rubbishy Currants grown on the western 
coast of the Morea were branded as Vostizza, GuH, 
Ac, in order to deceive foreign customers. — 
Gardeneri' Chronicle, May 6. 
Madbas's Mineral Wealth. — During last month 
6,052 ounces of pold were obtained from the Gore- 
gum gold mines. The topaz-bearing tract of 
country discovered in this presidency is reported 
to be Bu£Bciently valuable to render exploitation 
a oommeroial enooesB.— Indian Engineer. 
Wild Mexican Potato.— The Cornell University 
Agricultural Bulletin, n. 49, records some experi- 
ments made with this plant, which is the Solanum 
tuberosum var. boreale — alias 8. Fendleri. The 
tubers are brown, with deep eyes, and tend to 
be flattenorl. They keep wpII ; the flesh is very 
yellow. When cooked the flavour is rich, and 
possess a slight aroma which ta not present in the 
common potatns. — Gardeners^ Chronicle, May 6. 
Mb. H. M. Knight, who was requested by the 
Travancore Planters' Association to visit the con- 
gested districts with a view to importing labour 
therefrom, has been promised every facility by the 
Madras Government. We regret to hear that owing 
to a severe attack of malarial fever Mr. Knight 
has had to go to England ; he hopes, however, 
to be out again before the end of the year, when he 
at once starts on his mission. — M. Mail, May 13. 
Mica. — In collaboration with Mr. T. H. Holland 
of the Geolopical Survey of India, Mr. E. Thurston, 
Reporter on Economic Products to the Government 
of India, has produced a monograph on mica, 
dealing with the present knowledge concerning the 
character, occurrence and trade in Indian market, 
able micas, treated purely from an economic point 
of view. From trade statistics quoted, it is proved 
that India is the principal producer of this mineral 
in the world, and thus may be able to fix the price 
of an article for which there is a steady and in- 
creasing demand, which fact should be an en- 
couragement to further exploration amongst our 
Crystalline rock", — JIadras Standard. 
Consumption of Coconuts. — We agree with 
the " Examiner " that the Blue Book statistics 
of area and crops of coconuts have, for many 
years, been a disgrace to the Civil Service and the 
Government ; but our contemporary is wrong 
in supposing that every other estimate has been 
reared on a basis of guesswork. Some years ago, we 
went carefully into the matter as to the area 
covered with coconuts in the principal dis- 
tricts and in connection with our Directory got 
in returns, aided by planters, agents and headmen 
which though, to some extent, approximate, were 
decidedly worthy of a good deal higher rating than 
guesswork, and most fully justified us in raising 
the total extent cultivated to 500,000 acres. Before 
that date, no one had ever ventured to speak or 
write of more than 260,000 to 300,000 acres 
as covered with the coconut palm in Ceylon. — As 
regards the local conmwption of nuts, we are glad 
to see that our contemporary most fully supports 
our correspondent's and our own estimates against 
the " Times " critic who has a great deal to 
learn evidently about what is a staple food 
with a large proportion of our population. The 
" Examiner " states : — 
For our part— although there are some families 
which perhaps do not use a dozen cocoDats in the 
vear— we are InoliDe'l to think — looking to the very 
large orn^umptioD of nntg in well-to-do families — 
th»t *hn rate alkiwed per family (of one nut per 
houflebold per day) is nn under estimate ; while 600 000 
familien are an over-estimate in view of the oenans 
inveBtigation of 1891 having fixed the number aj 
."ieCOOO *** No aooouDt seems to have been taken ot 
the immense number of nuts wbioh tbe oil ased for 
cnlinary anil lightine purposes represents. 
Of course our correspondent and ourselves meant 
the figures given for local consumption to oovpr 
all household purpoees: food, " oulioary purposes, " 
lighting, &Q,. 
