392 
fHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. i, 1894. 
INDIAN AGRI-HORTICULTURAL AND 
BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
The Report on the Government Horticultural 
Garden*, Lucknow, for the year ending 31st 
March 1894 has reached our hands. The section 
on Fruit Culture contain special noteR on a 
number of fruit trees familiar to us, such us 
oranges, limes, pummelos, pineapples and jak 
Reference is also made to the Zfzyphua iuj'uba 
the wild plum or berry, more commonly known 
amongst us as the Ma.sati, and a consignment 
of seed is reported to have been received from 
Mauritius. The Director remarks :— " I have been 
told that this variety is a very superior one. A 
good proportion of the seeds received have ger- 
minated, and a stock of young plants is coming 
on promisingly." 
The American Dewberry (Jlnlms trivially) is 
said to have realized better results this year, and 
afford ground for believing that this tiuii may 
be successfully added to those already cultivated. 
The plants in the garden are reported to he 
healthy and as having yielded some good sample- 
of ripe fruit. We have heard only of one thriving 
specimen of the Dewberry in Ceylon, namely 
that being given by Mr. Bbert, the Superinten- 
dent of the Dematagoda Slaughterhouse. We 
are interested to know whether the vine has \ < t 
fruited. Tagasuste (Cystisus prolifcrm albusl i 
reported as a failure, owing, probably, to l>;ul 
seed. A few seeds of the superior .Mauritius Masan 
might advisedly be applied for, so that the 
variety may be introduced into Ceylon. 
In the Report on the proposed condition of the 
Government Botanical Gardens, Saharunpur, and 
Mussoorie, for the year ending 31st March 1894- 
which has also reached us, — there is the following 
reference to the Dewberry: — "This fruit-bearing 
bush may now be looked upon as one of our 
established varieties of small truits. The latter 
is not good enough to class as a dessert variety 
but it makes excellent jam, and is, therefore, 
well worth growing for such a purpose. A large 
stock of young plants is now ready for distri- 
bution, and as the plant is easily raised from 
seed or by division, the garden is now prepared 
to meet a large demand for young plants should 
such at any time arise." The American cow-pea 
has also been raised with great success at Saha- 
ranpur and might well be tried in Ceylon. 
Of Sisal hemp, we read :—" This plant promises of 
being as easily grown as Agave Americana and 
A. vvoipara, the two species so unusually good 
for fencing purposes. The plant promises to 
be easy of propagation, and the garden will, 
therefore, likely be in a position to begin the 
general distribution of plants for trial in other 
parts of the country during the current season." 
The annual forage grass, Teosinte (Euehana 
luxurians) is reported to be much in favour and 
is another plant that might be tried in the islands 
Seeds are available from the Saharanpnr Gardens. 
HOW TO PREPARE SOLDERS. 
In preparing solder, whether hard or soft, great care 
is requisite to avoid two faults : a want of uniformity 
in the melted mass, and a change in the proportions of 
the constituents by the loss of volatile or oxidale 
ingredients. Thus, where copper, silver, and similar- 
metals are to be mixed with tin, zinc, etc., it is neces- 
sary to melt the more infusible metal first. When 
copper and zinc are heated together, a large portion 
of the zinc passes off in fumes. In preparing soft 
solders, the material should be melted under the 
tallow to prevent waste by oxidation ; and in melting 
hard solders, the same object is accomplished by covering 
|hem with thick layer of powdered charcoal. Harcj 
solders are usually reduced to powder, either by 
granulation or filling, and then spread aloug the 
joints after being mixed with borax, which ha* been 
fused and powdered. It is not necessary that the 
pains of solder should be placed the pieces to 
be joined, as with the aid of the borax thev will "meat" 
into the joint as soon a* fusion takes place — From H oik 
for September. 
CEYLON TEA IN AlSTBALIA. 
(Melbourne. Oct. 20. ihr .\,i*t,i,lasian Office.) 
Tea.— There has been a stciidy demand for all 
descriptions, and especially for the low er grade* of 
China and Ceylon teas. Prices continue to show an 
hardening tendency on account of the considerable 
falling off in shipments for the colonies, as coin 
pared with last season. In Cevlons, over 300 packages 
have been placed at 7d. to" lOAd. At auction on 
Ihursday catalogues of Indian tea ex "Booldana 
amounting to 3.400 packages (vi*., 2,706 cheats. 5% 
half-chests, and 50 boxes), were offered, and sales were 
made of 2.006 packages (2,211 chests. 315 half-chests, 
and 50 boxes). Bidding w«.s slow throughout, but the 
prices realised, although somewhat irregular, were 
generally firm. Sales were as follows :— Broken and 
orange pekoe, 565 chests, U* half-chests, and 50 boxes 
at 7d. to Is. 3d. ; pekoe. 1,1-12 chests and 109 half- 
chests, at CJd. to lljd. : pekoe souchong. 534 chests 
and 68 half-chests, at 6*d. to 8*d. Shipments from 
loochow to the Australian colonies so far this sea- 
son show a decrease of 1.040,000 lb. ; as compared 
with the corresponding period last season ; from 
India a decrease of 1,030,000 lb. ; and from Cevlon 
in decrease of 520.000 lb. 
IMITATION* TEA. 
At Worship-Street. London on Oct, 19tb, 14 sum- 
monses directed to Nicholas Kherwin White, and James 
D. Cahill, jointly, both of 3, Olivor's-vard, City-road, 
came before Mr. Bushbv, the charges, laid by Mr. 
Starkey. an officer of the Inquiry Department of the 
Board of Customs, being that the defendants did, on 
divers days mentioned, "fabricate and manufacture 
certain leaves of tea that had been used, in imitation of 
tea, ' and with uttering and offering for sale the said 
goods in imitation of tea. Mr. MConnell. barrister, 
appeared for the Board of Customs ; and Mr. Movses. 
barrister, defended White. Cahill was not represented. 
Counsel for the Customs said that the proceedings 
were taken under an Act of Parliament little enforced 
and perhaps little known— 17 Geo. III., cap 29. sec. £ 
—which rendered a'l persons fabricating or dealing 
with fabricated tea liable to a penalty of £5 for every 
pound weight of such stuff. Information had been 
obtained by the Customs that two persons, named 
Nicholls and White, were carrying on a business in 
Oliver s-yard. with Cahill as manager, as tea driers and 
improvers. It was found that they had a machine, 
which had been manufactured bv Messrs. Ingalls, 
engineers, of Shoe-lane, to the order of Cahill, who was 
understood to have invented it. and that the machine 
was used for what was called " retiring " of tea leaves. 
It had then been discovered that arrangements had 
been made by Cahill to purchase from restaurant- 
keepers the leaves of tea used bv them. This refuse 
had been supplied in large quantities bv the British 
Tea Table Company. "Pearce and "Plenty." the 
Express Dairy Company, the Mecca Caffe Company, 
and others, and the prosecution were prepared to prove 
that that stuff was paid for by White, who had also 
paid the cost of the machine. The leaves obtained 
were put through the machine and bv a powerful fan 
blown against a large pipe heated nearly red-hot. By the 
time they reached the end of the pipe the tea had curled 
again, and then they fell looking like ordinary tea into 
a receptacle at the end. The prosecution was'prepared 
to prove that in the months of May and June no less 
than 6,092 lb. weight of this fabricated tea had been 
disposed of by the defendants, and that the defendant 
White had found the money for starting the business, 
receiving the money for the sales, whilst Cahill was 
the inventor of the machine and did the managing 
