96 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [Auo 'st i, 1893. 
A HANDBOOK OF THE FLORA OF CEYLON. 
We have just received a copy f f the first part 
of Dr. Trimen's magnum opus — the work with 
which the name of the accoiDplisbed Director 
of our Royal Botanic GardeuH will hence- 
forward be always connected. The full title of 
the book is as follows : — 
A Hand-book to the Flora of Ceylon containing 
descriptions of all the species of dowering plants 
indigenous to the island, and notes on their history, 
distribution, and uses. By Heniy Trinien, m.b. 
(Lond.) F.K.S., Director of the Royal LJotanic Gardens, 
Ceylon. With an Atlas of plates illustrating some of 
the more interesting species Piirt I. Ranunjulaceaa 
— AnacardiacesB. With plates I — XXV. Published 
under the authority of the Government of Ceylon. 
London: Dulau & Co., 37 Soho Square, W. 1893. 
It is most clearly printed on toned paper ; but 
what shall we say of iti accompaniment — the 
Portfolio of 25 plates in illustration of our 
Flora ? " Beautiful exceedingly " must be the 
verdict on what is doue in the very best mode 
available to the publisher. We reserve any- 
thing like a due notice or review for the present ; 
meantime mentioning that although the 
Volume and Plates have only now arrived here, 
the publication in London took place about the 
middle of May. We take the liberty of quoting 
as follows from a letter with which Dr. Trimen 
has favoured us, as the best and speediest 
means of making his wishes known : — 
' I think its get-up is creditable, but publishers 
think too much of appearance and I wish the 
paper used had been half the thickness. [All the 
nicer for readers though. — Ed. T.d'\ I must give 
up the idea of 2 volumes and have the book remain 
in its 4 parts as a permanency. This 1st one is 
the shortest of the four and I calculated about 
800 pages for each volume which with the paper 
used will be much too bulky. 
" Otcourse there are a good many misprints, one can- 
not avoid them in a book of this sort. Will you call 
attention to the local names. I have taken a great 
deal of trouble about them, but they are still rather 
chaotic, and I have numbers which I cannot allo- 
cate. The fact is many are merely descriptive aud 
made up on the spur of the moment by people who 
do not like to say they don't know the name ; 
others too are extremely local, and vary even in 
adjacent districts. 
'• I shall be glad of notes and corrections of these 
names, but no names are of any use unless given 
independently by several people over some tract of 
country, and they must be corroborated by actual 
specimens taken at the time from the plant." 
COFFEE DISEASE IN JAMAICA. 
The Ceylon Coffee disease caused by Hemileia has 
happily not been met with in Jamaica, though other 
less serious fungus pests have been discoverad by 
J.D.A. Oockerell. These are the black rot, Pelli- 
cularia keleroga, which affects the leaves somewhat 
in the same way as the Potato fungus (Phytophthora) 
and the iron-stain " mancha de ferro,'' of Venezuela, 
which is attributed to stilbum flavidum, and which 
forms small pale brown spots on the leaves, which 
speedily fall off. Neither of these has any close 
relation to the Hemileia, and their effects are much 
jess serious. 
Bulletin op the Botanical Department of Jamaica. 
The last number contains^ the Report of the 
Director of Public Gardens, for the year ending March, 
1892. It contains an interesting account of the 
functions performed by colonial gardens, and a 
slight sketch of the history of each of the establish- 
ments in the island. " The value of the gardens 
existing in Jamaica, Trinidad, aud Demerara, is so 
•yidvnt that lately Botanic Gtarcldna havt 1be»a 
started in Antigua, Dominica, Moc' -terratt. St. Kitta, 
and Nevis, amongst the Leeward I- lands, under the 
direction of Mr. C. A. Barber, a Cu ubridge botanist ; 
in Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Viu .ent amongst the 
Windward Islands; and still more lecently in British 
Honduras. 
"The same movement is also g 'ing on in other 
parts of the world; for instance, botanic gardens have 
lately been established in Lagos, and the Gold Coast 
on the west coast of Africa. 
"Botanic gardens in the Tropics do the work on 
the plant side, of agricultural departments in tem- 
perate climates. They are in themBelves experi- 
mental stations ; and are much mure efficient in 
introducing new cultural products, and in distribatiog 
plants and imparting useful information than moat 
agricultural departments. 
" The whole of the botanic gardens in the British 
Empire are more or less in communication with one 
another, exchanging seeds, publications, d^c, and all 
look up to the Buyal Gardens at Kew as tn their 
head for advice and assistance. Imperial federation 
is already in existence as regards tlie botanic gaideus 
and their work. If any special variety of a plant, or 
any new culture comes into natice. information and 
plants are sought sometimes directly from the local 
gardens, sometimes through Kew as the botanic 
gardens' ' Clearing House,' The Directior of Kew 
Gardens has at his disposal the services of experts in 
every branch of botanical inquiry, and \b always most 
willing to aid colonial gardens in every way. Any 
intricate question that arises in chemistry, in 
diseases of plants, in insect pests, in the value of 
products, d'c, can be determined by reference to 
Kew. Colonial gardens are therefore not isolated, 
but are branches of an agricultural department as 
wide as the British Empire itself." We are pleased 
to see that the resources of the Royal Horticultural 
Society have a'so been utilised. A closer inter- 
relation between the Society and the colonial and 
foreign botanic gardens is greatly to be desired. — 
Oardtmra' Chrontcle. 
. ^ 
Tea, Coffee and Cocoa. — Every point scored 
for temperance is a gain to natioDal health, and 
we have Fntisfnction in noticing eays the Latuyet 
Euoh an advance as is indicated by a lecture delivered 
recently by Dr. W. Woodward on babalf of the 
WorceBtershire Health Society. The eubj'ct was 
"Tea, Coffee, and Cocoa." As might have been 
expected, the first-named of these beverages reoeivad 
the large- 1 ebare of ooDEideration. Its varieties, 
its different qualitieB, its chemical properties, its 
mode of preparation true and erroaeous, were 
discussed at some length, and with the happy reeult 
that it may be regarded as a wholeBome Btimalant 
and restorative of the nervous system which, if 
properly made and used in moderation, ie guiltless 
of after ill-effects, A comparison between the 
different known methods of preparing tea is of some 
general interest, the Japanese plan — which allows 
infusion for about a minute and a half, and which 
does not require boiling water, cream, or sugar — 
having evidently an attraction for the lecturer. For 
general ose, however, he recommends the ordinary 
British custom, the infusion being drunk whilst 
recent and not strong. In this country we stand 
in equal, if not greater, need of teaching in regard 
to the qualities and preparation of coffee and cocoa. 
The former of these wholesome luxuries was treated 
of in considerable detail. We should have wel- 
comed a somewhat fuller exposition of the properties 
and uses of the latter. A recommendation of 
cocoa in the nourishment of infants is, however, 
noteworthy, and should prove of some practical 
service. The question of cost was not forgotten. 
The estimate for a cup of good tea (^d.) and of 
I good coffee (Jd.) is instructive, when the prices 
charged in many restaurants for infinitely poorer 
stuff are held in mind, 
