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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  i,  1892. 
GENERAL  NOTES. 
Paraguay  Tea. — Some  attention  ia  devoted  to 
Paraguay  tea  in  the  Kew  Bulletin,  but  it  is  hardly 
likely  that  this  wonderful  beverage  will  become 
popular  in  Europe.  The  virtues  of  yerhade  mate 
are  undoubted,  however,  but  it  is  a curious 
looking  mixture  when  put  in  drinking  form,  and 
the  flavour  also  is  somewhat  against  it.  Besides, 
now  that  the  Assam  and  Ceylon  products  havo 
come  upon  the  market,  tea-drinkers  have  dis- 
covered a fresh  oharm  about  the  old  beverage 
and  they  are  not  likely  to  be  converted  to  an  en 
tirely  new  taste  just  at  present.  The  consumption 
of  mate  in  South  Amerioa,  however,  would  seem 
to  be  greatly  on  the  mcrease. — Colonies  and  India. 
Tea  in  Kobe. — Since  the  commencement  of  the 
tea  season  until  the  beginning  of  June,  says  the 
Choya  Shimbun,  the  inferior  grades  of  tea  sent 
from  Shikoku  and  Kiushiu  to  Kobe  found  no 
purchasers,  and  even  the  best  kind  fell  to  the  low 
figure  of  9 yen  per  picul.  But  from  the  middle  of 
June  a gradual  rise  of  prise  took  plaoe.  Tea  for 
which  only  yen  could  be  obtained  at  the  end  of 
May,  fetoheu  over  12  yen  in  June,  and  the  best 
grades  of  Yamato  and  Yamashiro  whioh  were  quoted 
last  year  at  about  17  yen,  now  sell  for  23  yen  per 
picul.  Again  Chikugo  leaf  which,  at  the  end  of 
May  could  be  had  for  11  60  to  12  yen  per  picul 
haB  risen  to  14  or  14  50  yen.  In  tact  the  etate 
of  the  tea  market  this  year  is  contrary  to  all 
expectation.  Such  prices  have  not  been  seen  for 
13  years.  Moreover  a report  dated  the  l6t  instant 
says  that  the  supply  at  Kobe  does  not  exceed 
4,(L0  catties,  and  that  in  view  of  this  small 
quantity,  there  is  no  reason  to  expeot  a fall  in 
price. — Japan  Weekly  Mail,  July  16. 
Japanese  Agriculture.— A recent  report  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  contains 
much  interesting  Information  in  regard  to  Japanese 
agriculture.  The  farm  implements  in  use  were,  until 
recent  years,  very  primitive.  The  plough  is  very 
small,  with  only  one  handle,  and  a threshing 
machine  was  not  known  ; the  heads  of  grain  were 
separated  from  the  stalks  by  pulling  the  latter 
through  a row  of  long  iron  teeth  projecting  from  a 
small  log  of  timber,  while  the  winnowing  fans 
were  worked  at  the  same  time.  The  spade  and  hoe 
did  the  larger  share  of  tilling, and  sickles  are  merely 
straight  iron  blades,  some  four  inches  in  length, 
pointed  and  sharpened  on  one  side,  and  set  at  right 
angles  in  a wooden  handle  about  15  in.  long. 
The  greater  part  of  the  cultivated  land  consists  of 
rice  fields  divided  into  lots  of  various  shapes  and 
sizes  by  small  ridges  about  a foot  wide,  and  varying 
in  height  from  a few  inches  up  to  2ft.  or  3ft.  The 
soil  is  worked  to  a sufficient  depth,  and  small  rivulets 
are  run  through  ditohes  whioh  are  cut  for  the 
purpose  of  irrigation.  Soon  after  the  plants  are 
transferred  from  the  beds  these  fields  are  generally 
oovered  with  water  to  a depth  of  a few  inches  until 
harvest.  The  higher  lands  are  also  carefully  tilled, 
producing  wheat,  rye,  barley,  millet,  Indian  corn, 
potatoes,  and  edible  roots  of  all  kinds.  The  finest 
rice  is  produoed  in  the  fertile  plains  watered  by 
the  Tonegawa,  which  enters  the  sea  at  Tokio, 
and  in  the  province  of  Shimosa,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  Yedo  Bay,  where  the  paddy  fields  occupy 
from  20  to  25  per  cent,  of  the  total  area, 
while  in  Owari  and  Kawachi,  on  the  east 
ooast  of  the  main  island,  they  occupy  more  than 
25  per  cent.  The  amount  of  rice  produced  in 
the  whole  Empire  is  surprising.  According  to  a 
reoent  return  of  the  foreign  trade  the  total  sur- 
plus of  rioe  exported  to  various  countries  was 
685,657,326  pounds,  without  counting  the  still 
greater  quantity  consumed  yearly  in  making  sakd 
(rice  beer).  Besides,  the  natives  use  rice  flour 
in  making  all  kinds  of  confectionery.  Next  in 
value  to  rice  production  is  that  of  wheat  and 
bar'ey ; the  flour  of  these  grains  ia  used  in 
making  varieties  of  vermicelli,  and  it  furnishes 
more  than  half  the  food  for  the  lower  classes  of 
people  throughout  the  Empirp.  Great  attention 
is  also  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  rye  and  oats, 
and  corn  is  raised  to  a small  ex'ent.  All  kinds 
of  leguminous  plants  are  raised  in  abundance 
in  almost  every  part  of  the  Empire,  beans  being 
largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of  soy,  a kind 
of  sauce  It  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  beans 
and  salt  water  with  a small  quantity  of  wheat, 
and  is  used  in  preparing  almost  every  kind  of 
food  in  addition  to  its  table  use.  The  annual 
yield  of  beans  is  about  16,000.000  Winchester 
bushels.  The  chief  vegetables  are  turnips  and 
radishes,  while  the  cultivation  of  sweet  potatoes 
occupies  nearly  600,000  acres  of  land  every  year. 
Live  stock  were  reared  Bolely  for  the  purpose  of 
transport  and  tilling  tha  soil,  beef  being  considered 
objectionable  as  food  among  the  Japanese  until 
the  advent  of  Europeans.  But  recently  great  care 
has  been  taken  to  improve  the  breed  of  farm 
animals.  During  recent  years  common  agricul- 
tural implements  and  labour  saving  machinery, 
as  well  as  the  chemicsl  fertilizers,  have  been 
successfully  introduced,  and  careful  experiments 
at  the  Imperial  College  of  Agriculture  in  Tokio 
have  been  carried  out  for  the  purpose  of  testing 
the  usefulness  of  different  fertilizing  elements 
in  Japanese  agriculture. — London  Times,  July  9. 
Blandyte  — Under  this  name  a new  industrial 
product  is  beiDg  introduc'd  which  promises  largely 
to  supersede  indiarubber  in  its  various  manufactured 
forms,  and,  to  some  extent,  leather  also.  The  basis 
of  the  Dew  material  is  what  is  known  as  wnste- 
crumb  vulcanite,  which  is,  in  fact,  old  rubber  goods 
which  have  more  or  less  perished  either  in  use  or 
from  exposure.  This  waste  material — which  we 
understand  several  have  tried  to  utilze,  but  without 
success — is  incorporated  with  certain  hydro-carbons 
and  oxides  and  with  Trinidad  aephalte  in  certain 
proportions.  After  the  asphalte  and  waste  have 
undergone  obemical  treatment  for  the  purpose  of 
eliminating  all  the  water  contained  in  them,  certain 
vegetable  oils  are  added,  the  water  being  replaced 
by  sulphur.  The  compound  is  then  subjected  to 
heat,  and  upon  the  proportions  of  the  ingredients 
and  the  temperature  to  which  the  compound  is 
submitted  depends  the  ultimate  suooess  of  the 
manufacture.  Blandyte  can  be  produced  in  the 
hardest  and  densest  form,  or  ia  a very  soft  and 
elastic  condition,  with  any  intermediate  grade  of 
hardueES.  It  is  also  applicable  for  waterproofing, 
and,  in  fact,  for  use  for  the  many  purposes  to 
which  indiarubber  and  vulcanite  are  applied.  It 
can  also  be  used,  either  wholly  or  partially,  in  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes,  for  which  purpose 
it  lends  itself  very  conveniently.  It  is  suitable  for 
tubing  and  for  engine  packing,  in  whioh  latter 
capacity  it  has  been  in  use  for  some  time  by  a large 
engineering  firm  near  London,  who  write  that  they 
find  it  superior  to  other  steam  packing  tried  by 
them.  Blandyte  is  now  being  manufactured  com- 
mercially, and  we  recently  inspected  a variety  of 
produats  of  the  nature  indicated,  which  were  of 
a very  satisfactory  character.  An  important  feature 
in  these  productions  is  their  cheapness  as  com- 
pared with  either  rubber,  vulcanite,  or  leather 
goods.  This  cheapness  is  due  to  the  faot  that  the 
bulk  of  the  material  consists  of  a waste  product. 
The  manufacture  is  being  oarried  ou  by  the 
Blandy’s  Patents  Syndicate,  of  78.  Graoeehurohi 
street  London, — London  Times,  July  9th, 
