374 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  t,  1892. 
with  the  white  labourer.  In  conclusion,  I would  beg 
Mr.  Kirby  not  to  malign  a class  of  labourers,  thus 
showing  his  utter  ignorance  of  the  subject  in  hand. 
Wise  laws  and  a strong  Government  could  easily 
control  and  arrange  the  introduction  of  Tamil  coolies 
so  as  to  prevent  any  conflict  or  antagonism  between 
white  and  black  labourers. — I am,  Ac., 
Buckalow,  Broken  Hill.  W.  A.  Tytler. 
— Adelaide  Advertiser,  Oct.  11. 
[We  do  not  see  how  the  tropical  portions  of 
South  Australia  are  to  be  utilized  unless  by  means 
of  Indian  labour,  but  for  the  sake  of  Ceylon  we 
are  glad  to  believe  that  the  views  which  will 
prevail  with  the  white  settlers  are  thore  expressed 
by  Mr.  Kirby  and  not  the  optimist  opinions  of  our 
good  friend,  Mr.  W.  A.  Tytler. — Ed.  T.A.] 
«. 
FORMS  OF  ADULTERATION. 
The  most  universally  coloured  article  _is  butter 
(says  Food,  Drugs,  and  Drink),  and  it  may  with 
great  confidence  be  asserted  that  there  is  hardly  a 
pound  of  butter  sold  at  the  present  time  in  this 
country  which  has  not  been  doctored,  mostly  by 
the  aid  of  a harmless  vegetable  colouring  matter — 
annatto— in  order  to  impart  to  such  butter  a rich 
golden  colour.  Butter  naturally  varies  much  in 
colour,  according  to  the  season,  the  breed  of  the 
cow,  and  mainly  its  food ; and  it  is  but  rarely  the 
natural  butter  possesses  the  colour  to  which  the 
public  is  now  accustomed.  The  desire  of  those 
who  introduced  this  admixture  was  obviously  to 
make  their  product  appear  richer  and  more  enticing 
to  the  eye  than  nature  had  intended.  One  after 
the  other  the  rest  of  the  butter  merchants  had  to 
follow  suit. 
Milk  is  also  generally  coloured  by  the  milkman. 
Here  the  object  is  plain.  Watered  milk  assumes, 
as  is  well  known,  the  tell-tale  sky-blue  colour 
which  at  once  betrays  that  the  milk  has  been 
tampered  with.  To  hide  this  the  blue  milk 
is  again  artificially  provided  by  means  of  a yellow 
so'u  ion  of  co'our  with  a rich  creamy  appearance. 
To  hide  tho  original  fraud  the  second  deception  is 
practised. 
Mustard,  especially  that  which  has  been  adulter- 
ated with  flour,  which  in  consequence  also  would  look 
sickly  pale,  is  brought  up  to  the  original  colour  of 
genuine  mustard  by  the  addition  of  turmeric,  and  a 
similar  practice  is  beginning  to  be  adopted  in  the 
pepper  trade. 
Sausages,  both  meat  and  sk:n,  are  dyed  with  aniline 
colours,  for  the  purpose  of  hidiug  the  colour  of  un- 
healthy or  stale  m-  at  which  may  have  been  u ed.  Jams, 
especially  plum  jam,  are  generally  dyed  with  aniline 
colours,  and  sugar  confectionary  is  hardly  ever  without 
such  artificial  dye.  Ale  is  darkened  with  burnt  sugar, 
as  also  are  brandies  and  whiskies. 
It  must  be  admitted  that  in  by  far  the  majority  of 
these  cases  the  colour  used  is  entirely  harmless,  and  has 
no  influence  upon  the  health  of  the  consumer.  Yet  there 
are  a number  of  aniliue  colours  which  are  positively 
poisonous,  even  when  pure.  Such  colours  are  picric 
acid  and  its  salts,  Martius  yellow,  safianine,  metfiyleu 
blue,  dinitro-cressol,  and  auraulia.  Others,  unobjection- 
able in  themEelves,  become  poisonous  owing  to  their 
mode  of  manufacture,  which  loaves  in  the  pro- 
ducts poisonous  impurities,  such  as  arseuic  (rarely), 
salts  of  copper,  tin,  or  zinc.  The  manufacturer 
of  sausages  or  jams  has  not  the  least  idea 
whether  the  colours  he  usi  s may  not  belong  to 
one  or  other  of  the  above,  to  which  doubtless  many 
others  could  be  added,  and  even  if  the  quantity  of 
colour  consumed  by  one  individual  may  be  exceedingly 
small  it  is  palpably  evident  that  no  such  manufacturer 
should  have  the  right  to  use  suoh  oolours.  Almost 
every  civilized  country  has  passed  legislative  measures 
regulating  the  use  of  colours  suoh  as  those  referred  to, 
but  England,  the  mother  of  all  Adulteration  Acts,  has 
dons  nothing,  and  has  in  this,  as  in  many  other  points 
concerning  the  sale  of  food  and  drink,  remained  far 
behind  most  other  nations,  even  including  tho  squab- 
bling South  American  Republics. — Fall  Mall  Budget. 
PEPPER,  PEPPERCORNS  AND 
OTHER  THINGS. 
A grocer,  speaking  of  pepper  the  other  day,  con- 
fessed that  he  was  unaware  that  white  and"  black 
pepper  were  both  derived  from  the  same  plant.  ,Ve 
supposed  this  wa3  so  well  known  that  no  one  in  the 
trade  could  be  ignorant  of  the  fact.  The  berries 
of  the  Piper  nigrum  are  gathered  as  they  begin  to 
turn  red,  and  when  dry  they  form  the  ordinary 
black  pepper,  while  white  pepper  are  the  same  berries 
deprived  of  their  pulp,  or  sometimes  by  blanching 
the  outer  layer  of  the  berry.  What  is  known  as 
long  pepper  is  the  berry-  of  the  Piper  Ion  gum ; it  is 
less  powerful  than  the  former,  though  a considerable 
article  of  commerce.  Pepper  was  greatly  prized  by 
the  ancients  and  sometimes  even  made  a medium 
of  exchange.  The  plant  itself  is  a stout  shrub,  trail- 
ing or  rooting  at  the  ends,  or  rooting  at  the  joints 
or  climbing  on  trees.  The  stems  grow  to  a length 
of  20  feet,  bearing  large  ovate  leaves  and  flowers 
and  berries  in  spikes.  It  is  a native  of  forests  in 
India,  and  is  everywhere  cultivated  in  hot,  damp, 
tropical  countries.  Sumatra  produces  the  com- 
monest and  cheapest  qualities,  the  heavier  kinds  of 
which  are  called  “shot”  pepper. 
The  term  “peppercorn”  is  frequently  heard  in 
England,  but  the  average  grocer  of  the  United  States 
would  hardly  known  that  plain  pepper  was  meant, 
should  one  of  his  customers  ask  for  peppercorns. 
In  olden  times  grocers  were  called  pepperers,  and 
they  formed  an  important  part  in  the  community 
when  much  of  the  food  was  salted  meat,  and  pepper 
was  in  great  request  as  a seasoner. 
There  is  a dish  called  pepper-pot  made  of  tripe 
shredded  and  stewed  to  the  liquor  of  which  small 
balls  of  dough  are  added,  together  with  a high 
seasoning  of  pepper. — American  Grocer. 
NAILS  IN  FRUIT  TREES. 
Driving  usty  nails  in  pear  trees,  as  a preventive 
or  cure  for  blight,  has  long  been  practiced  in  some 
sections  of  the  country.  The  Fruit  Trade  Journal, 
of  New  York,  refers  to  the  use  of  nails  in  peech 
and  other  fruit  trees,  as  follows : 
A singular  fact,  and  one  worthy  to  be  recorded, 
was  written  us  by  a gentleman  who  stated  that  while 
on  a visit  to  a large  peach  orchard,  in  which  every 
tree  was  totally  spoiled  by  the  ravages  of  the  worm, 
with  the  exception  of  three,  and  these  were  the  most 
thrifty  and  flourishing  peach  trees  he  ever  saw.  The 
only  cause  of  this  superiority  known  to  the  host, 
was  an  experiment  made  in  consequence  of  observing 
that  those  parts  of  worm-eaten  timber  into  which 
nails  had  been  driven  were  generally  sound. 
A chemical  writer  on  the  subject  says : “ The 
oxidation  or  rusting  of  iron  by  the  sap,  evolves 
ammonia  which  as  the  sap  rises,  will  of  course 
impregnate  every  part  of  foliage  and  prove  too  severe 
a dose  for  a delicate  plant  of  intruding  insects.” 
This  writer  recommends  driving  half  a dozen  nails 
into  the  trunk. 
Several  experiments  of  the  kind  have  resulted 
successfully. — Florida  Agriculturist. 
PLANTING  NOTES  FROM  COORG. 
Ooorg,  Oat.  29. — The  condition  of  the  roads  has 
invariably  been  a standing  grievance  with  the  plant- 
ing communities  in  perhaps  all  Districts.  * * * 
OvviDg  to  the  steep  gradients  of  parts  of  the  roads 
their  bad  state  becomes  a greater  hardship  and  the 
wear  and  tear  entailed  on  all  draught  animals  must  he 
very  severe.  There  are  some  roads  in  the  country  which 
are  never  metalled.  The  important  Mercara-Somwar- 
pett  road  is  one  of  them.  During  the  wet  weather 
there  are  regular  puddles  iu  parts  and  the  slough- 
like  hollows  are  usually  filled  iu  with  boughs  of 
trees,  great  blocks  ot  stone  or  “ D.  P.  W.  mixtures  ” 
cf  sorts  to  render  them  passable.  Sometimes  the 
remedy  is  worse  than  the  disease.  I was  told  by 
an  tx-Ceylon  planter  that  it  was  a standing  order 
of  the  Government  of  Ceylon  that  no  part  of  its  roads 
