August i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
A Tall Gdm Tree Yabn. — The tallest tree on 
earth so far as ia known is a pum tree {Eucalyptus 
regnans) in the Cape Otway Bange, Victoria. It 
ia 415 feet high. Gum trees grow very rapidly; 
one in Florida shot up 40 feet in four years with a 
stem one foot in diameter, and another in Guatemala 
grew 120 feet in twelve years, with a stem nine 
feet tbiok. This is at the rate of 10 feet a year, 
or nearly a foot per month. — E. Mail. 
Tea Production and Addltkration. — The Tieview 
of New Sork of May 4th had a lengthy article 
on the sobjeot of tea production and adul- 
teration. It contained the statement that " the 
present consumption of tea per capita approximately 
1'33 pounds per year. We derive about 51 per 
cent of our tea from China, 42 per cent from 
Japan, and all but a small fraction of the 
remainder from the British possessions." — London 
Cor. 
The Action cf Liohi on Bacteria and Fungi 
Bpobes.— Professor Marshall Ward, at a recent con- 
versazioiia of the Eoyal Society,? exhibited by the aid 
of the electric lantern some photomicographs illus- 
trating the action of solar and electric light on 
the spores of bacteria and fungi. He demonstrated 
that the action of strong light is to kill these when 
the exposure is long enough, amounting in some 
oases to two hours, ani the blue rays are most 
powerful in producing the effect : the less 
refrangible waves of the speottun have little in- 
fluence in the matter. You will perhaps reoolleot 
that I noticed in these letters seme time back a 
lecture on a kindred subject by Professor Ward 
demonstrating the effect of strong sunlight on 
bacteria. — London Cor. 
MiOA IN India. — We have received No. 1 of 
the Indian Section Imperial Institute Series ; 
being Guides to Commercial Colleotions. This is 
& guide to collections o£ 1892, and ia publithed 
jD Calcutta and the following are the subjecta 
yery briefly treated ; — 
Adbatoda Vasica ; Coal : Cotton :— Bengal, Madras, 
Noith-Western Provinces, Central Provioces, Assam i 
Catch ; Fibres used for brush-making ; Indigo ; 
Ipeoacuanba; Iron : — Southern districts of Madras, Bar- 
(•kar Ironworks, Bengal ; Jnfe ; Mica ; MoriLda (A.1 
dje;) Padauk Timber ; Podophyllam pmodi ; Keain and 
Tnrpeatine from lodian Pineo ; Sida Fibre ; Silk ; 
Castor oil ; Linseed ; Giogtlly (Sesamum). 
We quote the page of most local interest : — 
Bough and cut mica (Muscovite) from Be5gal mines, 
obtained in the Calcutta bazaar. Raw and prepared 
mioa (Muscovite), rubj-tinted. From tlie Gaya Dis- 
trict, Bengal. From the Monghir District, Bengal. 
The following ppocimen from the Inikurti mine?, Nel- 
lore District, Madras : — Length 3 ft., breath 2 ft. 6 in. 
weight 63J lb., remarks excellent qaality. 
Colleotiou of pointings ou mica from Benares, Cal- 
outta bazaar, and Trichinoply ia p.irciiased from the 
Marakoyers (a class of Mnhammadans) of Ni gapatam, 
who purchase large quantities of niici every year 
from ships arriving from Calcutta, for making their 
big taboots for the Kanthiri festival. Ourtaiospangled 
with mioa. From Lahore, Mioa fans from Pcona. 
F&m ornamented with mica from the i alcntta bazaar. 
Mioa ornaments (fiow.;rB, flower-tree", etc.) and Umps 
used in prooesaions in Calcutta. TIjs United States 
mre the principal coiifumnrs of ludian mica, and the 
qaanlily exported from L dia has increased ooiuci- 
dently with a talliug-oll of proauciion from the 
North Carolina depo»it6. It has been estimated that 
from Bengal alone theia will be au output of 5U0 
tons during this year, which ia about one and a 
halt times the production of North Carolina from 1868 
to 1887, «nd more thtn fifteen times the amount 
raised in the United (States ia 1887, 
Heavy Rainfall. — Mr. Clement Wragc;e. the 
well-known meteorologist, has, says the Globe, drawn 
attention to the fact that at Crohamhurst, Queens- 
land, no less than 77in, of rain fell in the four 
days from February 1st to 4th last. On the 3rd 
nearly 3^ in. fell during the 24 hours. Such heavy 
rainfalls have been observed in India, hut probably 
the above makes the record. 
China Tea Expoiit8. — Our Speeial Telegram 
from the Far East conveys to us, the unex- 
pectedly good nevrs that the tea shipments 
j from China and Japan to date to the 
United Kingdom are no less than eight 
ynillion lb. less than at the same date 
last year. It is evident therefore that 
there was no room to operate during the 
days of very low exchange ; for as was said 
here, the first China crop had probably been 
disposed of, and before the second comes into 
play we may expect to be on more equal terms 
even in respect of exchange, At any rate 
China buyers for London have a good deal 
of leeway to make up before they are on a 
level with last year's shipments. — The Indian 
shipments for June are only 6 million lb.; 
from Ceylon 7^ million — so that, altogether 
the home market should become firmer in 
view of limited shipments. 
Tea in West Lxdies. — Lord Brassey in writ- 
ing of the West Indies says that the future 
■'of the islands will depend on the introduction of 
new tropical cultures, among which those of fruit, 
cocoa, oo3ee, tobacco, nutmeg, are specified." 
To that list the London Spectator adds;— "And, 
as we should think, tea, may safely be reckoned. 
It is to be noted, as a curiosity in commercial 
history, that the taste for epiees once world-wide 
has seriously declined, and in some countries 
may be said ' to be extinct." The Spectator ia not 
wise in adding "tea" considering the dearness 
of labour in the West Indies. Lord Brassey if 
we mistake not, was influenced by the objections 
we offered at the Eoyal Colonial Institute and 
elsewhere to the spread of tea cultivation under 
British auspices beyond India end Ceylon. 
" A Companion for the Queensland 
Student of Plant Life," by F. M. Bailey, 
F.L.S., Colonial Botanist — is the title of a pamphlet 
of over 100 pages issued by the Department of 
Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland ; and which 
cannot fail to he very useful to colonists. It ia 
stated that copies can be obtained free by such 
persons interested, on application to the Under 
Secretary for Agriculture, Brisbane, the object 
being to interest residents in Queensland in the 
plant life of the country. There is a helpful 
" Introduction or Prefatory Notice," (15 pages) 
giving information in a popular form to help the 
beginners. Mr. Bailey states : — 
The compiler has been frequently urged to publiah 
a full glossary of the terms u?e I in botanic descriptiona 
and in complving with thin request he has aimed at 
combining with a glossary a view of plant life iu 
general. Thus, not only are explanations of the terms 
used to des goate the various organs or parts of plants 
giveo, but some account will be foitnd of the funoticus of 
the organs thffmBelvea. 
The main portion is thus headed : — 
Glossary of Botanic Terms, fheir Explanation and 
Application, Funotiona of the Various Organs, &o., 
and Hints about Plant Life in General. 
In Addenda, specimen descriptions are given 
having particular reference to Australian plants. 
Altogether this little companion ought to be very 
useful to the Australian colonist and Mr, BaiU-y 
has to be co=f;ratul&tod on its compilation 
