574 
Supplement to the Tropical Agncultun'st." [Feb. 1, 1894. 
The experiments are gpecially instructive, and 
may dispel the generally accepted idea as to 
the unsuitability of soil-inverting plough in India. 
Dr. J. W. Leather, Agricultural Cliemist to 
the Government of India, informs the Editor 
that " at Cawnpore an improved plough having 
an iron share, and ploughing o" deep, has been 
tested against the country plough since 1881. 
Six years' experiments, during four of which 
they were made in duplicate, showed, irith o»t 
exception, a distinct increase in the cotton crop, 
and eight years' experiments, of which seven 
were made in duplicate, and in which wheat was 
the crop, showed, tcith one exception, an increase 
apparently due to the improved plough. Leaving 
out of consideration the actual increase obtained, 
which varied considerably, it must be remarked 
that, assuming no effect on the crop, there is still 
a saving of half the labour. The improved 
plough is drawn perfectly well by even a " small" 
pair of bullocks, and the number of plougliings 
necessary is reduced to half." Tliis testimony 
on behalf of the improved plough is valuable 
considering the source whence it springs, and 
goes to corroborate the evidence of agricultural 
instructors in Ceylon. In speaking of the im- 
proved plough, however, we do not insist that 
jhe implement is always suitable to the condi- 
tions under which the native implement is used. 
♦ ■ 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
The seeds of the plant known as ramie 
(Guizotia oleifera) sent us by Mr. AV. A. de Silva 
from Bombay have put forth a most healthy 
growth, and the plants are now producing a 
showy golden yellow blossom. The plant as its 
name implies produces oil-bearing seeds, and we 
hope to complete our experimental cultivation of 
ramie, by extracting some of the oil in order to find 
out what percentage of oil is yielded by tlie seed. 
The difficulty of keeping coconut oil, when 
cold-drawn by hydraulic pressure, has apparently 
been solved in Jamaica. There the ripe coconuts 
are kept with the outer husk on in a hot, dark 
room until the kernel is found to rattle. The 
nuts are then cut by a circular saw, when the 
kernel drops out. The oil prepared from these 
kernels, though kept in an uncorked bottle, 
was found to be perfectly sweet after the lapse 
of fifteen months. 
Oil fkom Eggs. — Extraordinary stories are told 
of the healing properties of a new oil which is 
easily made from the yolk of hens' eggs. The 
eggs are first boiled hard and the yolks are then 
removed, crushed, and then placed over a fire 
where they are carefully stirred until the sub- 
stance is on the point of catching fire, when the 
oil separates and may be poured off. One yolk 
will yield nearly two teaspoonfuls of oil. It is 
in general use among the colonists of South 
Russia as a means for curing cuts, bruises, 
Bic-^Albany Argus. 
Meana Luxurians, a native of South America, 
has been' described as surpassing all other plants 
in thte- aniount of forage produced per acre^ over 
fifty tons per acre of green fodder being got in 
gome plicea. It is like Indian corn ia having 
separate pistillate and staminate flowers on the 
same stalk, bearing its grain on a .spike, out- 
seed above the otiier diminishing in siiip up- 
wards, — the grains being nearly triangular and 
the ears numerous at each top joint. It produces 
numerous suckers. One grain planted on each 
mound 2 feet apart have been known to produce 
as many as 26 stalks. The plants can !>■ cut 
several times during season, and ratoons like 
canes. The stalks contain from 8 to JO per Cfnt. 
of sugar. At the I'oona Farm, Iteann Lururian* 
was grown experimentally and gave a yield of 
80,778 lbs. per acre; but a note about its 
cultivation there is not very favourable. Tlie 
permanency of tlie crop is said to be doul>f ful 
The young shoot.s were found to spring slowly 
from ttie root stumps, and appeared less vigorous 
eacli time a cutting is taken. In the Deccnn at 
any rate the plant cannot be rated as a i>ereruiiMl. 
Professor Sachs, of Wurr.burg, asserte*!, an<l 
the Royal Institute for fruit and nne culture at 
Giesedheini has tried experiments, and is appar- 
ently satisfied, that sulphate of iron is a \aluablf 
stimulant to plants that are suflFering from clilo- 
rosis, absence of the proper green colour. They 
gave small trees 2 l-'ith lb. of copperas, and 
large trees 4 and 2-oth lb. The results, it is 
said, were most gratifying. Strange to say in 
some cases where the trees were suffering from 
the attack of aphides as well a.« deficiency ol 
colour in the leaves, the aphides disapj>eared, 
and frequently the leaves became healthy within 
a few days after the treatment. Tlie sulpliat« 
of iron was dissolved in water, and applied near 
the roots. Earlj' spring is the best time to try 
the experiment. Some soils do not require the 
addition of sulphate of iron. 
Madras is said to be favoureil by nature as 
legards the raw material re<juired for tanning 
goat and sheep skins : the raw skins possessing 
special properties which fit them for preparation 
into '• morocco leather." The principal tanning 
bark used is that of caxsia aurict//ata (the Sinha- 
lese Ranawara), and tiie process adopted in tlie 
preparation of the skins would seem to l»e 
almost exactly the same as the method followed 
by our tanners in Ceylon. 
A correspondent is desirous of further infor- 
mation on this point and quotes the following 
extract from a newspaper — " The skins of Sondeli 
or musk-rat are imported into Suakin for the 
purpose of manufacturing from them a perfume 
(!) much used by the Soudanese. The imports 
of these skins into Suakin amoimted to 37o lbs. 
last year ; they came from India, and to a small 
extent from Massowah. The total value of the 
skins was £319." Dr. Watts, in his Dictionarj- 
of Indian Products, Vol. v. page 307, says 
" amongst the chief Indian musk-scented animal, 
is the so-called musk-rat, in reality it is a shrew, 
but its odorous secretion is not utilized." Fur- 
ther in Vol. vi, Part I, p. 397, of the above 
work, Piesse, of perfumery fame, says : " The 
ducts of the musk-rat are not used in perfumerj'" 
(among civilised people). Trade in musk-rat 
skins appears to be of some importance with the 
Soudanese, as one pound in weight realises 
almost a sovereign. 
