Feb. I, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
539 
la^h, bnt it appears the plant has a sappy harh. The 
bad looks of a dog may be the sudden death of 
him, but the " Illook " plant will, according to Mr. 
Holloway, on page 386 of the December number 
of the Tropical Aqricidiurist, actually do good to 
ropi 
his fellow plant, cacao. 
CURIOSITIES ABOUT ORANGES. 
The name "orange" is from the Lfin aurum, 
mPaniDg gold or of golden colour. The frcit was 
oricinaiiy ft small bitter he-ry about the size ot a 
common early Richmond cherry, a"d very seedy. It 
has been cultivated in Hindustan from a very "••"o'e 
period and wds taken from that country to Aribia 
and Pers'a in the e'ghth or ninth ceuturies. It is 
gftid tohavo received little or no at entiou from cu tivators 
of fruits in either of the countries last mentioi e 1 
above prior to the beginning of the tenth ce aury, 
there beinx a traaition tliat it w.as a "/"Of^e ' 
sent bv Mohammed to destroy tha unfaithful. ibis 
reminds us that our common tomato was formerly 
Bupposed to be poisonous, it bting now less than fifty 
ye»r< since it was only grown aa a garden curiosity. 
But to the orange: In the tenth a-^d eleventh cen- 
turies the horticulturists of Oman and Syria began 
the cultivation of the tree in eainest, the fruit eoing 
under the name of " bigarade." By the end of the 
twelfth oenturids of the Levant, the returning soldiers 
of the cross (crusaderp) brioging it with them on their 
return from Jerusalem. It w»s well known, l»ut not 
extensively cultivated in either Italy, Spam or France 
before the middle of the sixteen h century, iOO je.rs 
after its introduction into the fir^t named country, 
the hioderance being a survival and an addition to 
the o'd anti-Muhammedan tradition, viz. : That the 
use of the fruit would oan-'e t;ie psrtaker to enroll 
himself with the legions of Islam whether he desiied 
to or no. , , ... 
The Spaniards fitmlly attempted and succeeded in 
cultivating in their West Indian colonie?, and from 
the^e it fotind its way into Florida, Central America, 
Mexico and California, always iiuprovinft in size and 
flavor until it became wbiit is today, one of the most 
perfect of IcmXe— Florida Journal. 
TEA AND SCANDAL. 
■WilliBm Salmon was evidently a queer fi-h, for he 
did notthi;ik much of Tea. In hii Faimhi Dictionary 
(1710) he fays under the heading TntE, Tea:— "It. 
»rowa in China, Japan, and other E ist Indian coun- 
tries. It has a pretty fragrant smell and is of two 
aorts viz:— The Gr-en and the Buhta, both of them 
growing on a Thorney shrub in those countries. They 
cool, refresh and are vehemently diuretic, whereby 
it is said to be tood agiicst dropsies, gout, and ttone 
because it clears tbe reins of all the mucila^jinnus 
an t tartarous matter which breeds it. Oar English 
a, which is only nlo« leaves g.thertd in May whilst 
they are young, anrwer all the eotis of tbe Indian 
Tea, having the tame colour, taste and smell: nor 
c»n the wisect man distiuguiish between the form of 
the leave", when both are scalded, so as to know the 
East Ii.dinn T- a from our English, the shape m-igni- 
tude, edjin« and cthiur of each leaf being exactly the 
same. And thereforo I commend ou-- E"gli»h sh e 
haves in the place of the Indian Tea, since the 
wisest of mortals cannot distinguish them when 
scalded, nor yft discern any difference in the liquors, 
either in colour, taste, or smell. But if any 's to 
be preferred it is the English, because it is a perfect 
onra for the colic, whiih the other is not, but is said 
rnth'r to cause it in maoj constitutions or hubits of 
bo 'y.'' 
But we must not allow tea to have nil the speaking. 
Poor old OoiriEE must have its spoke in the wheel 
too; so I interviewed a cuiious little book at the 
Muaenm last week, intituled "The nature ot the 
drink Kanhi, or coffee, and the Berry of which it is 
made. Described by an Arabian Physician. Dr. 
Pocock, trsislator, Oxford. Prin < d by Hei ry Hale 
In the years of our Lord 1659." It is in English aud 
A.iabia. I aend you the English only:— "iS«/i ia a 
plant in Yaman, which is planted in Adar, and groweth 
up and is i.athe'ed in Ab. It is abi ut a cubit high, 
on a 6t;.lk aliout tHe thickneea of one's thumb. It 
flowers whitr, leaving a berry like a small nut, but 
that 81 metimes it is brrad like a bean, and wh^n it 
is peel d parteth in two. The best of it ia that wh'ch 
is weighty and yellow : the worst that which is b aok. 
It is hot in the fir t degree, dry in tbe second. It ig 
usually report' d to be cold and dry, but it is not so, 
for it is bitter, and whatever is bitter is hot. 
It may be that the scorce is hot and the Ban 
itsilf either of equal temperature, or cold in tbe 
first degree. That which makea frr its roldneis 
is its s ip ickrees. In Summe it ia by experience 
found 10 cenduce to the drying of rbeums and 
flegmaMck coughea and distillations and the opening 
ot obstructii'DS. It i* now known by tbe name ef 
Kobwah. When it ia dryed and thoroughlv boyled 
it allays th« ebullition of the blood, is good against 
the eiiiallpoi and mias'es and bloody pimples: yet 
cau-eth V ertiginous heaohe<>oh and maketh lean much, 
ocoiieionelh waking and the emrods and as^W'geth 
huf, and aometimea breet^e'h melancholic. He that 
would dr nk it for lue'inees sake and to dismiss 
sloa'hfnlnefse and the other properties that we have 
mentionsd let him use much sweetmeats with it and 
oil of pistaciofis and bntter. Some drink it with 
mi k, but it ia an error, and such b« mav beirg ia 
danger of the leprosie." A. M. Ferguson. 
INDIAN PATENTS. 
Calcutta, the 14th December 1893. 
Applications in respect of the undermentioned 
inventions have been filed during the week ending 
9th Decern' er 1893, under the provisions of Act 
of 1888, in the OtKce of the Secretary appointed 
under he Inventions aid Designs Act, 1888 : — 
No. 3-13 of 1893.— Edward Robinson, of 4, Castelnau 
Gardens, Barnei. S.W., in the County of Surrey, 
England, Merchant, for apparatus for drying tea, 
grain and other substances. 
No. 346 of l.'^gs. -William Jackson, of Thorn Grove, 
Mannsfield, Aberdeen, Scotland. Engr., for improve, 
ments in tubular heating stoves, more especially 
intended for heating air for use in drying tea or 
other produce. 
No, 347 of 1893. — William Jackson, of Thorn Grove, 
Mannsfield, Aberdeen, Scotland Engr., for improve- 
ments in apparatus for pubjecting materials to the 
erection of hot air or for analogous operations, more 
espjcially in ended for use in drying tea leaves, 
cofije, aud other produce. 
No. 352 of 1893.— Henry Thompson, of Trinity St, 
Gaiosborough, Lincolnshire, England, Engr, but at 
present residing in Calcutta, India, for a new or 
improved process for rolling tea, and improvements 
in tea rolling and curling machines applicable thereto. 
No. 293 of 1-93. -Walter Charles Church, of No. 6, 
Trinity Square Brixton, in the County of Surref, 
England, Engr., for improvements in or connected 
with steam and other motive fluid engines. (Filed 
25th Nov. 1893.) 
No. 294 of 1893. -Walter Charles Church, of No. 6, 
Trinity Square, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, 
Bn^lawd, Engr., for improvements in compound steam- 
engines. (Filed 25th Nov. 1893.)— /;irfjo?i Enginttr. 
GUATEMALA COFFEE. 
The coff»>e crop o. Guai.em»l., •ccordiog to informa- 
tion received by the Buie n of tbe Am* icaa 
Republics, will not be so abundant as was autis/pated. 
Thero ha« be-n an extrai>rilin*ry rainfall in Guatemala 
since the early pare of Inst April, and in some dis- 
triOlB, tne coffee herry shows (igos of Bbrireliing at 
the retult of excessive m-^i^'ture aud insatticient lun- 
ehiue. It is estimated, however, that the crop will 
re:icb 55.00fl,OUO pounds, a slight eicess over last 
jear's pioiuonon. The want of sufticicnk labour baa 
iiiterftred mHterially with tbe develoi m^nt of the 
co&i e i idus ry in Gunt-'malH. A trial of J"Pautae 
l.iti.iri rs n at'uiit to be m«de. The Oilbt-rt Itian'itri 
imported last yiarhavM uoi proved a tuoi^tBt—AmericaH 
Groeir, 
