716 
Su^rplement to the '* Trojjical Agriculturist.'" [April 2, 1894. 
The class aves is divided into the following 
seven living orders : — 
1. Natatoves or swimming birds. 
2. Grallatores or wading „ 
3. Cwfiores or running „ 
4. liagores or scratching „ 
5. Scansores orclimljing ,, 
6. hisesfores or perching „ 
7. Itaptoren or birds of prey. 
THE JUTE PLANT. 
No less than six .species of the genus (order 
TiliacesB) to which the plants that yield jute 
belong are found occurring in Ceylon, viz., 
C'orchorus capsularis, C. olitorius, C. uticcefoliuH, 
C. fascicularis, G. trideux, and C. acufani/uhis. 
C. capularh and C. corchoni are the two 
species of this genus which are systematically 
cultivated for the xjroduction of jute fibre. 
Soil. — Jute seems to be capable of cultiva- 
tion on almost any kind of soil. It is least 
successful and least profitable, however, upon 
laterite and open gravelly soils, and most ])ro- 
ductive upon a loamy soil or rich clay and sand. 
Climate.— k hot climate in which there is not 
too much actual rain, especially in the early 
part of the season, is the most advantageous ; but 
exceptionally dry seasons are unfavourable. 
Preparation of the Land. — ^Frequent plough- 
iags or thorough digging up of the soil is 
iiecessaiy ; all clods are then broken and pul- 
verized, and finally the weeds are collected, 
dried and burnt. 
Seed. — Under ordinary circumstances of culti- 
vation a few plants from the growing crop are 
set apart for seed in a corner of the field, and 
. the seeds from these are sown broadcast for tlie 
next crop. The sowing season, according to the 
nature and position of the soil, extends from the 
middle of March to the end of June. 
Harvest. — The harvest of course depends upon 
the date of sowing, and commencing with earli- 
est crop about the end of June extends to the 
beginning of October. The crop is considered 
to be in season whenever flowers appear and past 
season with fruits. The fibre of the plants that 
have not flowered is weaker and that from 
fruited plants is stronger than the fibre from 
flowering plants ; but the stronger fibre of the 
fruited plants is coarse and without gloss. 
The average crop per acre of fibre is a little 
over 15 maunds, but the field varies considerably, 
being as high as 30 to 36 and as low as 3, 6 or 
9 maunds — depending on district and season. 
When the plants are fit, being then from 3 to 12 
feet high, they are cut down close to the roots, 
when the tops are clipped off, and fifty or a 
hundred are tied together. Several of these 
bundles are placed in water with pressure above 
to cause them to sink. Sometimes the bundles 
. are stacked for 2 or 3 days before 
immersion in water to give time for the decay 
of the leaves, but this is said to discolour the 
.fibre. The period of immersion varies according 
, to the kind of fibre, nature of water and con- 
•ditioi\ of atmosphere from 2 to 2o days, but 
gonera,lly lasts from 8 to 10 days. It is most 
important that the immersion should not be 
QTerdonei aaU foy tl^is reasou the jute buudlea 
must be examined daily and tried with the nail 
to see if the bark has begun to separate from 
the stem. If the proper time for removal be 
exceeded there is danger of the fibre rotting and 
becoming almfist uselesis. When the proper time 
for removing the bundles arrives, the "retting' 
is completed generally by removing email 
portions of bark from the root end and stripping 
off the entire fil)re. Washing is done by dashing 
the fibre on the water and drawing it forwards. 
Finally, the fibre is si)rend on the surface of the 
water and any blackened patches picked out by 
hand. Besides the gunny bags made from the 
fibrous part or bark, the stem of the plant is used 
for charcoal, foi gunpowder, for fences, basket 
work and fuel. 
('. olitoriuK requires longer steeping, generally 
n fortnight or three weeks for maceration. The 
fibre is used for bags, coarse cloth, cordage for 
agricultural purposes and for boats, and even 
for paper. The leaves and tender shoots of the 
plant are eaten. 
GENEKAL ITEMS. 
The Director, Gardens and Forest Department, 
Straits Settlements, impresses on planters the im- 
portance of "turning down" in pepper culti- 
vation. He recommends that when the pepper 
gets to the top of the post it should be bent 
down to the bottom and allowed to start again. 
Three times, he says, must this be done before 
the pepper is expected to yield heavily, other- 
wise it is skinny and wretched. 
The better qualities of pepper were being 
sold in Mincing Lane last January for 2fd. and 
Sjd. This, it is said, is an extremely low price 
for black pepper of good quality, free from dust, 
but tlie market is reported as " depressed beyond 
former precedent by tlie very large stocks held 
in Europe, and by what appears to be an unlimit- 
ed production in the Straits Settlements." In 
thus reporting JSIessrs. W. and D. Harvest re- 
mark that it is not very long since that pepper 
of this quality would have readily fetched in 
public sales from od. to ojd. per lb. 
The properties of ground-nut oil were dis- 
covered by a kind of accident in Europe. A large 
cargo of nuts had arrived at Bremen, and found 
no purchasers in their natural state, as good for 
luncheon or dessert ; so the importers expressed 
the oil, and then found market enough. Our 
table oil is a good deal adulterated with the oil 
from the sfrouud-nut. 
More than thirty years ago the Governor of 
Gambia, West Africa, writing on the culture of 
the ground-nut in that Colony, urged the im- 
portance of the natives not confining their 
cultivation to this product alone. " The re- 
flection," (that the nut may become a drug in 
the market) he says "is a very serious one 
to one who studies the interests of the colony, 
and difficult to remedy unless Providence in its 
mercj' supplies some hitherto unknown or un- 
appreciated article of commerce to supply the 
place of this little oleaginous nut, which has for 
tile last tweuty years brought all the blessings 
