492 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan, 1, 1901. 
natives and Eurasians are concerned, and is the 
.sole reason why China tea still hol(U its own in 
the Indian bazaars. Neither the natives nor Luira- 
sians keep tea caddies and olijeet to buying even 
a H). of tea at a time, hence the necessity for 
these small p^per packets. And I am positive the 
Indian market v/ill never be captured in any other 
way, but a one-anna packet Company woiked as 
sugg;ested above would be sure to succeed and work 
wonders in a few years, 
I give the advice for what it is worth and I he T. 
P. A. must be mad indeed if they do not give it a 
trial. If Ceylon had had .such apiomising market 
at her door v.e should never have heard of the tea 
cess or the XXX CJommiUee; but even Ceylon need 
not send an ounceof dustoi fannings out of the coun- 
try. If a three-cent packet Company was stp.rted in 
Colombo on somewdiat similar lines and it would 
put a stop to the sale oiruhhish in the hfirbour, as 
the Company would naturally get the whole of that 
trade in their own hands. To start such ;i. Company 
would not take a large capital and I should say 
any planter would be glad to take a ten-rupee 
share in it. —Yours faithfully, G, S. 
TEA AND MR. BAMBER'S SUGGESTION. 
Dkar Sir, — That was a very sensible letter 
of Mr. Kelway- Bainber (see paf^te 490.) I agree 
with him, the temporary loss in manufac- 
turing rubbishy tea froni tippings would be 
more (.ban macTe up l)y the extra root growth 
and good wood for pruning if the bushes were 
allowed to run. I had practical demonstration 
of this many years ago in the Kelani Valley 
when I knew very little about tea, and allowed 
the bushes (in about thirty to forty acres) to 
run and then passed the knife over them. The 
follow ing year i had splendid wood to prune 
on and I am sure more than made up for the 
loss. — Yours faithfully, 
WESTERN PROVINCE. 
FLOWERS AND FLOWER-GARDEN. 
Dear Sir, — I enclose a cutting from an old 
Magazine, about the "Civiliz'ng Effect) of a 
Taste for Flowers." — Yours truly, 
LEISURE HOUR. 
Extract from " Civilizing Effects of a Taste of 
Flowers ": — •' The Parish of Anichffe, near Skipton in 
Yorkshire, situated in a very wild part of the country, 
and ii habited by a wild and lawless tenantry, had 
been for many years withont a resident clergyman, the 
living being a very poor one — not over £3(1 a year. 
The present incumbent, thellev. Mr Boyd, deternuned, 
however, to set himself down among them, and to use 
; utmost exertions in bettering their condition. 
To this end he surrounded his house with a fine 
garden, well stocked with lovely flowers, and induced 
hia peasantry — but Yiilh great rehiotanoe, to come 
in one by one to see and admire his flowers, and to 
take them home and to cult;v\.'.e them. Now, for 
the first time they had light in their dwellings, 
and ultimately, through the kind and personal care 
which was liestov/cd upon them, they have become 
the most contented and happy set of villagers in all 
Yorkshire." 

New Guinea Rubber.— I am glad to hear that 
the natives ot New Guinea are beginning to un- 
derstand the collection of raw rubijer. At first 
tiiey were inclined 'to cut down the trees in order 
to "obtain the milk. Tiiey are, however, doing 
better now. — Indiarubber Journal, Nov. 26. 
PL.ANTING NOTES. 
Rubber in Santa Cruz.— A great discoveiy 
of India rubber forests of vast extent lias been 
made in the Department of Santa Cruz de la 
Sierra, and on the Magdalena in ihe Department 
of Beni, and al.^o some exceetlingly rich gokl 
deposits. This confirms the traditions of ilie 
Jbsuits, who knew something of that region, and 
who even v.'orked its resources 'to some extent. 
In the Province cf Caupoiiean, Department of 
La i',-^,z, there have also been discovered .some 
splendid forests, in which theie have been found 
some rubber trees of a species not before known. 
In Bolivia tlic only species of rubber trees iiither- 
to worked are those known as " Ilevea," or 
"Siphonia IJrasiliensis," but lately the species 
known as "Castilloa," which exists in Mexico, 
Colombia, Ecuador, Central Aiueiica, etc , has 
been discovered. In the Province of Caupolicaii 
gutta-percha has been also discovered, which is very 
important. In order to facilitate shipments for 
the products of Sasita Ciuz and Beni, the Gov- 
ernme!it has decided to open a port, with a 
national custom-house, on Laguna Gaiba a 
beau! if ul creek of t!ie river Paraguay, on its right 
bank at 17 deg. 4o' S. latitude. The prolonga- 
tion of the North Central Argentine National 
Railway from Jnjiiy to the frontier of Bolivia, and 
thence to the city of Potosi, is an enterprise 
which London capitalists might undertake (o 
their advantage, as they could obtain very 
advantageous concessions from both Governments. 
—India-Rubber Journal, Oct. 15. 
Banana Flour. —The banana, \\hicli grows in 
almost all tropical countries, is very nutritive, 
and forins a nearly perfect food. It contains 
more than 25 per cent, of f..ssiniilab!e organic 
matter. According to Humboldt, it is forty- 
eight times more nutritious than the jiotato, 
while Crichton Campbell has stated that the 
bananais twenty-five times more nutritious than 
the best wheaten bread. The analysis of Thorns 
shows the presence in the flour of banana of 9-01 
per cent, of nitrogenous matter. The best 
wheaten flour contains no more than 9 to II per 
cent. It is preferable to manufacture the starch 
from unripe fruits, because the starcli is converted 
into sugar in lipening. In Venezuela the flour 
of the banana is given especially to children ; it 
is equally good tor aged people, convalescents, 
nursing women, and is of great service in the 
feeding of those suffering from complaints of the 
stomach. In t'etitral America, Columbia, and 
Venez^-(ela, the banana flour is prepared on a 
large scale, and sold under the name of Musarina. 
The flour of the banana may be u.sed in the same 
way as wheaten flour, except for the pieparation 
of bread, for wh.ich it is uasuitab'c, iuasinuch as 
it contains no gluten. Various fornujlje are 
taken from the Iropenpflanzer for preparing banana 
flour for dietetic use. Thu.s, a teasponf ul of the 
flour in a cup of chocolate or cocoa facilitates 
the digestion of these drinks, and renders them 
more nutritious. This addition enables cocoa to 
be taken by those whose stomachs are in a weak 
state, A sustaining drink may be made by adding 
a teaspoouful of the flour to an. egg yolk beaten 
up mixed with milk, and sweetened with sugar. 
The sale of b mana flour in London is insignifi 
cant, on account of its high price, and the fact 
that its uses are not yet understood, — lievue des 
Cultures Coloniciles. 
