Magazine  of  the  School  of  Agriculture. 
15 
louging  to  the  mallow  family,  and  widely 
distributed,  both  naturally  and  by  cultivation, 
in  nearly  all  tropical  countries,  The  plant 
is  generally  known  as  the  musk-mallow,  in 
consequence  of  the  seeds  possessing  the  well- 
known  strong  musky  odour  which  makes  them 
valuable,  or  rather  applicable,  for  perfumery 
purposes.  These  seeds  are  small,  kidney-shaped  or 
reniform,  marked  with  parallel  ridges,  and  when 
dry  of  a brown  doin'.  In  the  West  Indies  the 
plant  is  known  as  the  musk-ochra,  and  so  long 
ago  as  the  middle  of  the  last  century  the  seeds 
were  not  only  known  and  valued  for  their  per- 
fume, but  were  also  supposed  to  have  medici- 
nal properties,  and  had  a high  reputation  as  a 
cure  for  the  bites  of  venomous  reptiles.  Tunan 
in  his  “ Hortus  Jamaicensis,”  says  : “ The  seeds, 
when  grown  to  full  maturity,  have  a strong 
and  perfect  smell  of  musk,  a few  grains  being 
sufficient  to  perfume  a whole  Loom.  Barham 
says  these  seeds  are  a good  cure  for  bad  breadth, 
and  are  cordial  and  expellers  of  wind.  Browne 
observes  that  they  may  be  used  with  great  pro- 
priety in  powders  and  pomatums,  nor  does  he 
doubt  that  they  may  be  used  in  emulsions  and 
many  medicinal  cases.”  The  seeds  yield  about 
6 2 per  cent,  of  an  odorous  principle  and  resin. 
They  were  used  many  years  ago  in  English  per- 
fumery as  a substitute  for  animal  musk,  but  they 
were  never  much  in  favour  with  perfumers,  they 
fell  into  disuse.  Piesse,  in  his  “ Art  of  Per- 
fumery,” published  in  1879,  says  : “ Musk-seed, 
when  ground,  certainly  reminds  our  smelling 
sense  of  the  odour  of  musk  ; but  it  is  poor  stuff  at 
best  however  ; for  making  cheap  sachet-powder,  it 
may  be  used  for  variety’s  sake,  When  hair-pow- 
der was  in  fashion  perfumers  used  to  scent  the 
starch  of  which  the  powder  was  made  by  mixing 
the  ground  Ambrette  with  the  fecula.  After  lying 
together  for  a few  hours  the  starch  was  then 
sifted  away  and  packed  for  sale.”  In  Northern 
India  these  seeds  are  used  medicinally  by  the 
natives  ; they  are  considered  stimulant,  stomachic, 
and  ant-spasmodic,  and  are  used  in  hysteria  and 
other  nervous  affections,  atonic  dyspepsia,  Ac, 
The  Poona  Government  Farm  has  now  a dairy 
herd  of  fifty-five  head.  Tne  dairy  is  being  worked 
at  a profit  with  improved  European  appliances, 
and  has  furnished  a model  for  similar  establish- 
ments in  other  parts  of  India.  It  is  said  to  meet 
the  whole  of  the  commissariat  demands  at  Poona 
for  milk  products,  and  has  given  a decided  impetus 
to  the  adoption  of  scientific  dairy  methods. 
The  cause  of  “black  rot”  of  sweet  potatoes  is 
a minute  fungus  ( Ceratocystis  fibriata)  which  lives 
in  the  starchy  tissue  of  the  root  or  grows  through 
the  soft  stems  of  the  shoot.  When  the  dark  areas 
characteristic  of  the  disease  are  examined  minutely 
they  aie  found  to  consist  of  dead  or  dying  tissue 
filled  with  the  innumerable  threads  or  vegetating 
portions  of  the  parasite,  and  there,  on  account  of 
their  greenish  colour,  give  an  olive-green  shade 
to  . freshly  cut  diseased  portions.  The  charac- 
teristics of  the  disease  are  the  presence  upon  the 
potatoes  or  the  young  sprouts  of  dark  olive  brown, 
or  green  patches,  generally  penetrating  the  tissue. 
These  dark  areas  increase  in  size  until  they  cover 
the  whole  potato,  or  cause  death  of  the  sprout 
by  girdling. 
