THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Dec r. 1894. 
HARD WOODS FOR ROAD PAVEMENTS. 
We hear from home that an experiment is heing 
extensively tried, not only in London hut in 
many of the chief continenal cities, with the 
hard woods of Australia for road-naving. The 
wood hitherto almost universally employed for this 
purpose has heen soft pine, it having heen 
thought that the fibrous texture of this rendered 
it pre-eminently suitable for the purpose. The 
employment oi so soft a wood necessitated 
the preliminary operation of ereosoting to enable 
it to withstand damp. To decay, arising from 
the latter condition, the fibrous character 
of pine rendered it particularly liable. Pro- 
bably the cost of this ereosoting brought the 
expense of using the softer and cheaper woods 
almost to the level of that of the harder woods 
which would need no such safeguarding. How- 
ever that may be, it now seems to be probable 
that a change is to be made in practice, and 
that hard woods for the purpose may come into 
favour with the Commissioners of Paving. If this 
should result from present experiments, the fact 
should not be without some significance to 
Ceylon. It is -well-known that some of the 
remote forests of this island yield woods 
bo hard and so close in texture that the cost 
of working them has led to an absence of 
demand for them. It is possible that some of 
these might be found to be admirably suited 
for road-paving blocks, notably the Palu.or so-called 
.ironwood. This tree is very plentiful throughout 
*the forests of our Northern and Eastern provinces. 
Should a trial be made of it, and Palu prove suit- 
able, we might expect that a considerable trade 
might be done in this hitherto neglected product of 
our forests. On our Eastern shores shipment 
might be made at Kalkudaar of the abun- 
dant supply that could be obtained along the 
length of the Radulla-Batticaloa road. On 
the North-Western, the logs might be readily floated 
down the rivers debouching upon it during the 
rainy season, sawn up by steam-power at their 
mouths, and probably shipped thence direct to 
Europe. We would suggest that a trial shipment 
should be made by our Forest Department, in 
order that blocks of this timber might be ade- 
quately tried under the severe traffic of the 
London streets. The small outlay necessary 
should be amply justified by the prospects, the 
experiment might possibly open out. 
DRUG REPORT. 
(From Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, Oct. 25th. 
CAFFEINE.— The scarcity still continues, small parcels 
have changed hands at lis per lb., but the makers have 
great difficulty in securing material. 
Cinchona.— Among the South American barks offered 
today were 4 cases wild red bark, of which a lot of 
5» lb fine medium to bold bright red pieces was bought 
in at' 16s per lb. ; rather duller small chips were bought 
in at 9s per lb. ; and common split quill of Cartagena 
character at from 5s to 6s per lb. Of Huanoco bark 
12 serons sold at 7d per lb. for fair sound quill, and 
from 3id to 6}d per lb. for damages. Two bales fair 
flat Calisaya rather damaged sold without reserve at 
the low figure of lljd per lb. ; another lot of 25 bales 
small dull and dark damaged quality was bought in at 
Is 6d per lb. 
KOLA-NUTS.— Still advancing. For good bright West In- 
dian kolas is 7d per lb. was refused today ; slightly 
mouldy sold at Is 6d per lb. 
Quinine— No business is reported this week. There 
ore sellers at llfd per oz. for second-hand German bulk, 
hut no buvers at that figure ; it is doubtful whether 
tnore than' lljd could be obtained if a holder seriously 
tried to sell.. 
TEA-CADDIES. 
The rarities and curiosities of one age are often 
among the commonest every-day implement* in the 
next. In the original seventeenth century collec- 
tion of curious and scarce objects of interest winch 
foimed the nucleus of the present Aabniolean 
Museum at Oxford, there was solemnly preserved an 
early "gamp," which was duly entered in the tec- 
tion of the catalogue devoted to "Utensils" as "an 
umbrella"; and side by side with this rarity was 
carefully guarded a "Turkish tooth-brush. Um- 
brellas and tooth-bruthes have now got beyond the 
museum stage ; but their history 1b typical of that of 
many other now familiar objects. 'J he reverse of 
this piocess, thanks to the fluctuations of fas)) ion. 
and the continual development of new invention*, 
is still more common, and the household gods of one 
generation are very often muacum specimens or 
objects of antiquarian curiosity to its successor. 
Where, now, are the kitchen bellows, the warming- 
pan, the tinder-box, flint and steel, and the universal 
snuffers that were once among the indispensable 
articles of household furniture ? All have practically 
disappeared from use, and will be followed, no doubt, 
In course of time, by many utensUs and implements 
that are now daily and hour ly ueceasariea. 
Among the6e antiquated domestic properties may 
fairly be classed the ancient household receptacle for 
tea. Tbe old-fashioned tea-caddy is now seldom seen ; 
and if in general company you should happen to 
mention the word most of your hearers will think 
that you are referring to the boy who carries jour 
clubs (and by a queer coincidence makes your "tee") 
at the fascinating game of golf. But in days gone 
by, the caddy was a very important article of domestic 
use and ornament. It was an oblong mahogany 
cabinet, divided into three compartments, of which 
the middle division was the largest. In the central 
space the sugar basin was snugly ensconced. The two 
end compartments were lidded, and lined with metal, 
in these tbe fragrant leaf of China was kept for use. 
There are plenty of new-fangled caddies to be bought 
at the present day but the solid, old-fashioned article 
such as we have described, which used to be as in- 
dispensable in every household as the Family Bible, 
is quite out of date. 
We do not now solemnly enshrine our sugar in the 
tea-caddy. It has become cheap and plentiful, but 
in past times loaf or lump sugar was dear, and was 
valued accordingly. Tea, a!so. was very much moie 
expensive than it now is, and l oth tea and sugar, 
therefore, were carefully preserved under lock and 
key in the tea-caddy. When housewives had to pay 
from eleven to twenty shillings per pound for their 
beloved Bohea.as Mrs. Delany did in 1727, or when, as 
in still earlier, Restoiation, days, the fragrant leaf was 
sold at from twenty to fifty shillings a pound, the 
reasons for taking the greatest care of tea were cogent 
enough. The office of the tea-caddy was evidently«io 
sinecure in these days. 
It is rot quite coirect, however, to call this old- 
fashioned cabinet the tea-caddy, although in com- 
mon parlance it often bore the name. Strictly 
speaking, the cabinet was the tea-chest, and the 
end compartments, each holding about half-a-pound 
of tea — one of black and one of green — were tbe 
caddies. On the outside of the cabinet was often 
inscribed the punning motto, " Tu doces " — " Thou 
teachest " (tea-chest). Tea-chests or caddies of this 
old-fashioned kind were in use some two centuries 
ago, and were familiar household gods until quite 
recent years. They may still be found in some 
houses, but are seldom put to their original use. 
The great reduction in cost, both of tea and sugar, 
has rendered the old precautions against waste or loss 
somewhat unnecessary. 
The tea-caddy was usually made of mahoganv. but 
more expensive and gorgeous receptacles were by 
no means unknown. The once famous Radical, 
John Home Tooke, who is now only remembered, 
or forgotten as the author of certain philological 
" Diversions," refused in 1811 to pay a ceitain tax. 
An impulsive but ind'screettax-eollector visited Tcoke's 
house at Wimbledon, and in lieu of the tax bore 
