Dec.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
381 
as  caste  or  custom  has  often  some  influence  in 
the  matter.  The  leaves  principally  used  are  those 
of  the  Egyptian  Lotus  (Nelumbium),  speciosum  Bau- 
liinia  species,  Semecarpus  anacardium,  Butea  frondosa : 
those  of  the  Banyan  (Ficus  bengalensis),  by  Brahmins, 
and  the  Plantain-leaf  (Musa  paradisaiaca). 
The  leaves  of  Bauhinia  Yahlii  are  used  in  the 
constuction  of  the  curious  rude  leaf  bellows  in  Sikkim 
with  which  the  natives  of  the  hills  smelt  iron. 
These  leaves,  when  sown  together  are  used  as  plates, 
cups,  rough  table  cloths,  rain  hats  and  caps.  The 
leaves  are  shaped,  and  above  a foot  in  breadth, 
and  the  same  in  length.  Sewn  together  with  twigs, 
they  also  serve  for  baskets  for  holding  pepper, 
turmeric,  and  ginger,  and  are  likewise  used  for 
thatching. 
Under  the  name  of  “ Chattahs,"  a kind  of  um- 
brella, hat  or  sunshade,  is  made  in  the  East  of  the 
leaves  of  the  Lacuala  peltata  and  the  Talipot  Palm 
or  a Plantain  leaf.  Tlies9  Chattah  hats  are  much 
worn  by  the  ploughmen  cow-keepers,  and  coolies  of 
Bengal  and  Assam. 
The  large  fan-shaped  leaves  of  the  Talipot  Palm 
(Oorypha  nabelliformic)  are  like  those  of  the  Palmyra 
Palm,  carried  over  the  heads  of  people  of  rank  as 
an  umbrella  and  are  also  used  for  making  books,  and 
for  various  domestic  purposes.  The  leaves  are  also 
ut  up  into  neat  bracelets,  worn  by  Santal  girls  in 
ndia.  Those  of  Vanda,  Roxburghli,  split,  are  also 
worn  by  them  us  anklets.  Those  of  another  species 
Barossus  sethiopicus  occur  as  much  as  12  feet  across ; 
they  serve  also  for  the  manufacture  of  baskets,  mats, 
ropes,  and  sieves.  The  leaves  of  Nipa  fruticans  attain 
a height  of  15  to  20  feet,  presenting  a very  handsome 
appearance  resembling  the  fronds  of  huge  Ferns. 
This  graceful  Eastern  Palm  is  utilised  in  various 
ways,  the  principal  being  in  the  manufacture  thatch- 
ing for  house  roofs  in  the  East  called  Ataps ; this 
manufacture  is  quite  an  industry  of  itself  and  affords 
employment  to  many  natives,  chiefly  women,  the  men 
simply  bringing  cargoes  of  the  fronds  to  the  women 
to  be  stitched  with  split  rattans  and  made  up.  Atap 
roofs  are  the  best  adapted  for  these  climates,  for 
while  the  winds  are  never  strong  enough  to  blow  them 
away,  they  afford  the  coolest  protection  against  the  sun 
or  any  kind  of  roofing  known. 
The  leaves  of  the  Palmyra  Palm  Borassus  flabelli- 
form  is)  were  formerly  used  like  paper  to  write  books 
on,  and  to  this  day  they  are  applied  to  this  purpose 
iu  Orissa,  Southern  India,  and  Ceylon,  where  an  iron 
style  is  employed  to  write  upon  them;  in  certain 
parts  of  Bengal  young  children  use  them  to  write 
the  alphabet  lessons  on.  They  are  largely  employed 
for  making  pans,  bags,  winnows,  hats,  umbrellas,  and 
for  thatching,  Ac.  The  leaf  takes  a dye  well,  and  is 
worked  up  in  Madras  into  pretty-coloured  patterns  in 
baskets  and  mats. 
The  slips  of  Talipot  and  other  Palm  leaves  are 
coming  into  European  commerce  for  the  manufacture 
of  ornamental  braids,  and  in  the  construction  of 
straw  or  Leghorn  hats.  The  fibre  obtained  from  the 
base  of  the  leaves  of  the  Chusan  Palm  (Uhamoerops 
Fortunei)  is  used  by  the  Chinese  for  making  hats  and 
coarse  clothing.  The  sale  of  Palm  leaves  for  decorative 
purposes  in  the  town  of  Elche  and  Alicante  in  Spain 
produces  a considerable  income  to  the  towns. 
Kadjan  mats,  manufactured  out  of  Nipa  leaves,  are 
indispensable  for  travelling  purposes  packed  up  in 
smallest  compass  when  not  required,  each  mat  is 
capable  of  affording  sufficient  cover  at  night  for  two 
or  three  persons  either  in  boat  or  forest  journeys. 
They  also  form  almost  exclusively  the  material  for 
side-walls  and  divisions  within  houses.  The  young 
leaf  unfolded  and  dried,  under  the  name  of  Roko, 
forms  the  favourite  covering  for  cigarettes  in  the 
Malayan  Peninsula  in  preference  to  paper. 
The  large  leaves  of  the  Teak  tree  (Tectona  grandis) 
are  used  for  plates,  for  packing,  and  for  thatching. 
The  leaves  of  Cordia  myxa  are  employed  as  plants  in 
Pegu,  and  to  cover  Burmese  cheroots.  In  Bangalore 
the  leaves  of  Ganna  indica  are  used  by  the  natives 
in  lieu  of  plates,  to  serve  their  Ragi  or  Millet  pud- 
dings and  other  dishes  on. 
The  leaves  of  the  Papaw  tree  (Cariea  papaya)  are 
employed  by  the  negroes  in  washing  linen,  as  a 
substitute  for  soap.  They  have  also  the  property 
of  rendering  meat  wrapped  iu  them  tender,  owing 
to  the  alkaloid  papain  which  they  contain,  and 
which  acts  as  solvent. 
For  cordage  and  other  textile  purposes,  number- 
less leaves  are  used  and  they  serve  very  generally 
for  pealing  and  wrapping  up  small  parcels  in  India. 
In  Guiana,  Tibisiri  fibre  is  obtained  from  the  inner 
surface  of  the  spiral  leaves  of  the  Ita  Palm  (Mauritia 
flexousa) ; it  is  used  by  the  Indians  for  making 
hammocks,  Ac.  The  leaves  are  cut  before  they 
are  open,  and  the  midrib  separated  by  drawing  each 
division  of  the  leaf  through  the  finger  and  thumb. 
After  drying,  the  fibre  is  ready  for  ns  without 
further  preparation.  About  a quarter  of  a pound 
may  be  procured  from  each  leaf,  and  if  the  central 
leaf  is  left  uninjured,  no  evil  effect  is  produced  on 
the  tree.  Bags  or  matting  could  be  cheaply  and 
easily  made  from  this  fibre,  as  well  as  hats  similar 
to  those  known  as  Pamana. 
The  foregoing  is  only  a brief  enumeration  of  some 
of  the  many  uses  to  which  leaves  are)  industriously 
applied — P.  L.  Simmonds.  — Gardeners'  Chronicle. 
j. — 
NEWS  FROM  NORTH  BORNEO. 
Kandy,  Nov.  3. 
The  following  extraots  from  the  British  North  Borneo 
Gazette  may  be  of  sufficient  interest  to  your  readers 
to  warrant  your  publishing  them,  The  Governor 
on  hia  travels  remarks  on  tobacoo  planting  as 
fellows  : — 
As  regards  the  tobacco  industry  nothwitstanding 
tho  unusually  heavy  rain?  and  the  terrib'e  floods  on 
the  Kinabatangan  some  of  the  East  Coast  estates 
expect  fairly  good  crops  snd  Mr.  Little  wiring  on 
12th  instant  informs  me  that  “good  results  are  anti- 
cifated  in  Marudu  Bay.  Tandik  and  Rirau  are 
far  ahead  and  Pitas  is  magnificent.''  Another 
Kudat  correspondent  who  is  well  posted  in  planting 
matters  writes  “ the  estates  are  looking  very  favour- 
able in  Marudu  Bay.’’  So  on  the  whole  the  out- 
look may  be  considered  promising.  Efforts  are  al- 
ready being  made  by  Dell  planters,  which  I think 
will  be  successful,  to  re-establish  some  of  the  estates 
that  have  been  closed : for  there  are  many  who 
(judging  from  the  actual  results  of  past  operations) 
are  convinced  that  with  good  laud  and  capable 
management  the  industry  must  succeeJ. 
Many  unfortuna‘e  and  often  very  expensive  mis- 
takes have  undoubtedly  been  made  in  selecting  and 
cultivating  the  crop  which  whether  avoidable  or  not 
when  very  little  was  known  of  the  soil  and  climate 
are  not  likely  to  occur  again.  Labour  too  is  muoli  oheaper 
and  b‘ss  difficult  to  procure  than  formerly,  while  the 
improved  c'imatic  and  sanitary  conditions  oa  estates 
enable  better  work  to  be  obtained  and  a larger  pro- 
portion of  tho  coolies  to  be  effectually  employed. 
Desertion  also  oace  so  common  as  to  threaten  6ome  of 
the  strongest  companies  with  ruiu  and  to  strain  to 
the  utmost  the  resouroes  of  Government  and  the 
energies  of  the  police  and  magistrates  is  now  of  such 
rare  occurrence  that  during  my  recent  visit  to  the 
East  Coast  estates  I did  not  hear  of  a single  recent 
case. 
Ou  the  whole  therefore  although  pioneers  may  have 
to  suffer  here  os  they  did  in  Deli  I consider  that 
the  ultimate  prospects  of  the  tobacco  industry  are 
healthier  and  m.re  promising  now  than  they  have 
ever  been  in  the  past,  and  I feel  pretty  confident 
that  if  laud  is  carefully  selected  and  cultivated  and 
the  crop  properly  ^sorted  and  fermented  by  trained 
Deli  hands  tobacco  planting  will  beoome  a profitable 
industry. 
The  Lsmg  crop  was  one  of  the  few  which  realised 
the  expectations  of  the  owners  at  last  season's  sales. 
Although  this  crop  (consistiug  of  over  350  biles)  con- 
tained about  40  per  cent  of  broken  leaf  it  secured  ths 
high  average  of  1 guilder  and  sixty  two  cents  a 
[ ound.  Some  large  crops  from  other  estates  went 
for  much  loss  than  their  estimated  value,  but  the  fact 
that  many  of  these  were  resold  by  the  purchasers  at 
