202 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept 1, 1900. 
Fibre Plants. — Ar/ave ri;/ida fiiows well and is 
to be had here in quantity, Nearly all of the old 
plants are uow flowering. 3Jusa texiUis has taken 
to its new quarters and is nialiing new suckers 
rapidly. Kaniie needs much more rain and moisture 
than it gets in this nursery . It is small and stunted. 
I have seen it grow luxuriantly in swampy ground, 
Fourcroija (jigantea : the mother plants have flowered 
and are dying away, giving place to innumerable 
young seedlings. 
Palms- — These useful trees seem to grow well in 
this district. There are many handsome varieties 
in the gardens. I'liaidx iiqncola looks well and 
germinates from seed readily, but is difficult to trans- 
plant if allowed to grow too long in the seed-beds. 
Elais yuineaensis seed has been germinated after 
repeated failures. The palm is prolific and plenty 
of seed is available. I hope to be able to germinate 
in quantity and have plants for distribution soon. 
Teqsinte (Euclilana luxuriant). — The few plants 
grown here have not been very successful. Most 
of the seed seems to have been taken by cockatoos, 
which are troublesome. There being only enough 
seed for leplanting, none has been available for distri- 
bution, 
Kafir Corn {Sor(jhiiw).—1.h\s. useful grain, known 
as '' white cholum " in India, does not seem to have 
been raised during the past year. It is useful as 
food for man and beast, and supplies abundant 
fodder. It is broken or crushed, or boiled, and used 
as a substitute for rice. Is fattening food for cattle 
and horses in this state. There are several varieties, 
of which this is one of the best though small, lb 
produces a large quantity of stalk and leaf, which 
''is popular fodder for draught cattle in the East 
Indies. 
Pawpaw. — The continued heavy rains in March had 
disastrous effects on our Pawpaw trees, killing many 
off by rotting the roots. Some would have recovered 
bad not the wind blown them down before new 
roots could be made. Several good trees were lost, 
including the branching variety. There are several 
varieties not in the Nursery, however. Three distinct 
varieties are known in Southern India, besides a 
Chinese variety, apart from the branching variety 
here. The Singapore Pawpaw is not especially large, 
but turns a golden yellow when ripe, and has a fine 
flavour. The Chinese is a long pointed fruit, and is a 
. dark nreen colour when ripe. This would probably 
travel better than most. The male tree is not a 
necessity in a garden, though there is nothing lost by 
^retaining one should a number come up from the seed. 
The Papaya carica may be dioecious, monoecious, and 
even hermaphrodite. I hope to be able to deal with 
this interesting fruit tree later on by itself. 
Jack FiiUlT (Ariocarpus inteir/rifolia.) — The only 
tree of this useful fruit in the Nursery shows signs 
of a past crop, but none of a further crop this year. 
The tree is rather slow-growing, but the timber is 
hard and good. It is of a dark yellow, and is useful 
in making furniture. The tree is prolific, I have 
had over seventy fruit on one tree, averaging 35 to 
40 lb, each, some fruit being 65 to 70 lb, each. The 
fruit baa a strong but not unpleasant smell, though 
many object to it. Once the taste is acquired, the 
fruit becomes very popular. The seeds make an 
excellent vegetable, and are a good substitute for 
potatoes when boiled. When dried and ground the 
seeds or nuts give a wholesome meal. The nuts 
roasted are not unlike English chestnuts. The fruit, 
seeds, pulp, skin, and all except the rough outer 
covering are readily eaten by cattle, and pigs aro 
gpecially fond of them acd fatten on them. 
Of the plants and seeds received during the year 
'. ft few rooted cuttings of Piper inetliyuicum are still 
in the bush-honse. Before planting out I would await 
the result of my suggestion to open up a piece of 
new scrub land in which plants of this nature may 
be experimented with under conditions more readily 
approaching their natural habit. 
Many of the plants subsequentl mentioned in the 
list aa being received would appear o have succumbed, 
09 ^rfice of them ctm be f^und 
Para Rubber.— Of the 260 plants received some sixty 
odd have been planted out in the Nurswry, and a few 
distributed. A good many seem to have died out. 
Canijle trke. — The seed sent up has germinated 
freely, and there is any quantity of seedlings available 
for distribution. 
DuniAN {Durio zihethinus). — All the seed of this tree 
have lailed to germinate. This is possibly owing to 
the seed having either dried in transit, or to being kept 
too moist in the seed-bed. The seed is somewhat diffi- 
cult to germinate, and should be planted as soon as 
possible from the ripe fruit I trust some moie will be 
obtained shortly for experimental purposes. 
Ceaea EujiBEE is germinating freely, but the African 
rubber (Kickuia ofiicana) is not as yet showing any 
signs of germination. 
Improvements. — Nothing of the nature of permanent 
improvement has been carried out this year. Ordinary 
wear and tear has had to be remedied, and small repairs 
were necessary to the dwelling-house and bathroom, 
after the departure of the late occupants. These have 
been effected, and the house has been repainted. The 
office and outbuildings, that also need painting, are 
now being done. 
The advisability of purchasing, for the use of the 
labourers employed, the humpy that was erected in the 
adjoining paddock by one of the labourers at his own 
expense is under consideration. 
Pump, Boiler, and BIachinery. — As the late overseer 
remarked in bis last report, it was found necessary to 
thoroughly overhaul this plant. The floods in March 
had done some damage by washing away the corrugated 
iron shed over the pump, and breaking cff the foot- 
valve of the suction-pipe and washing it down stream. 
The boiler had not been tested or examined, apparently 
for five years or so. This was done, and the shed re- 
placed by a smaller and more substantial one. The 
foot-valve is persumably buried under some of the new 
sandbank in the bed of the river. A thorough search 
having failed to discover it, it was replaced. 
The pump itself had to have new packing supplied 
for the pistons, and this has been fitted up, and now 
works well, but the injector mechanism on the boiler 
is now found to be worn, and not working properly. 
As the pump was not working, and could not be worked, 
when it was examined for repairs, this injector irre- 
gularity could not be tested. It is a constant source 
of trouble, and if a small donkey pump could be 
supplied for filling the boiler, as is, I understand, in 
use at the Mackay State Nursery, it would save a great 
amount of time, trouble, and labour. 
The plant, as now situated, is inconvenient and 
awkward. The engine-house is near the house of the 
man in charge, but the pump is down on the bank of 
the stream some 100 yards off, and the water supply 
some fifty or sixty yards further off again. Whenever 
the river is in flood the pnmp is submerged, and the 
piping and foot-valve bent, damaged, or (as in this 
case) broken off and lost. This is gradually spoiling 
the pumping engine, and is a constant expense. I 
would therefore suggest that at the end of this dry 
season the pump be removed to a site alongside the 
engine-house, and three spears te sunk from there. 
This would cost only some £35 to ±'40, save subsequent 
expense in repairs, be above flood-mark, and enable 
the pnmp to do more work, 
I would suggest that a piece of scrub land adjoining 
the present enclosure in the nursery reserve be opened 
up for the purpose of experimenting with such products 
as Vanilla, Pepper (three varieties). Cardamoms, 
Nutmegs, Cloves, Cocoa, Mangosteens, &c., &c.; all of 
which need more or less shade and constant moisture, 
mulch, and humus. 
The opening up of such a block, say 5 acres in extent, 
would not necessarily be an expensive undertaking, for 
all the plants and trees mentioned (each an industry 
in itself, if proved capable of being grown under exist- 
ing climatic conditions) it is necessary to have the 
larger scrub trees standing. The clearing would there- 
fore be reduced to a minimum, and amount t9 littjQ 
jBore than a brushing of the scinlj. 
