Suppltmmt to the " Tropical Agriculturist." [JuNi 1, IfOl. 
tea and found it to be no other than the common 
tea, ana lo ^ ^ iguoraut 
lemon Sr^l^^ '^^^J^^^^^ 
people here the tea pian sometimes it is 
and drunk with milk and 8ug^ 
said these '"ntity of real tea. I ex- 
'°''-'"'^?tTe tS Sf tSs leLn grass tea, and 
.Sera," ^^^^^^ ^:'^1SaS^ 
Trimen "rw^ln kitchen gardens. 
^".'^refoSorSnL'ft^ 
and the lower port is incorrect 
in the ^^"I'^^g/ ™ grasl is called pengiun in 
SylXunle'sf t^wTrd^s a mi.print for pengiri. 
1 Wea„e,aa, .. JS.Jatur.a, 
■1« 
0 ThlirsdaV • • J^ll OUllua.y . . 
1 IrST Nil 20 Monday .. Nil 
3 iriday Tuesday .. "02 
4 Saturday Wednesday.. -40 
5 Sunday • • o Thursday . . "02 
6 Monday •• }^ J ^ Nil 
7 Tuesday - \? ^ Saturday .. '02 
8 Wednesday ... 43 25 batura y 
9 Thursday .•• 17 2 Sundy _ 
10 Friday •• Tuesday .. -01 
11 Saturday ^ g Wednesday Nil 
12 Sunday •• Thursday .. 3-45 
13 Monday 1^ g ^.^^ -03 
14 Tuesday • • N o .^5 
15 Wednesday ... JNH ^ 
16 Thursday Nil Total.. 7 -34 
17 Friday • • ^^^^^^^ .33 
Greatest amount of rainfall in any 24 hours on 
the 29th, inst. 3-45 inches. 
Eecorded by C Drieberg. 
ASOTHKR NEW FODDER. 
f« thoiik the overseer of the Kamer- 
I'stSur ef;, Que:nriand, (Mr. G.B. Brooks) 
angaStotemi J.-^ Algaroba or mesquit beau 
for some ^j^fg ^^ee is said to thrive 
^"^^TSrist f places liable to be afflicted with 
and flounsn in I l,^it large 
•''""^i \eans which are also valuable as stock 
r^oL havSa high fattening value, while the 
food, aiiJ.J^^IJ J^Sg for some considerable time, 
tree remains bearing order and 8ul> 
' Mimosae' Sev^?^^^ of it are scattered 
wlTmer A^ar Africa, and America and the 
/Ce refen-ed to is found growing freely in 
SSl It atuins to a height of 30 to 40 feet. 
Honolulu. 5 to 8 in. 
f t The value of the pods lies in their being 
«n ^- vltween the seeds with a sweet mealy pu p 
^ Sh is vo y nutritions and is liked by stock. 
V is also reported to be lit for human 
li^sStion, ^nd is Jaten in various forms where 
better food is scarce. 
Fences made of the timber are reported to have 
stood in a perfect state of preservation for 
more than 50 years — the timber resembling ityttMni 
vitae in hardness and durability and taking a polish 
like mahogany. The bark and whole body of 
the tree is rich in tannin. The gum closely 
resembles gum arabic. Baron von Mueller, in his 
work on Select Extra-Tropical Plants, gives a good 
deal of imformation about the different-species 
of Prosopis which are some times called 
cashaw in addition to the namei already given. 
In planting the seeds should be only just coTered 
and not planted deep, or they will take long 
in germinating. Dr. Watt in his Pictionary also 
furnishes interesting notes on the genus Prosopis, 
which he states includes some 18 species of 
erect trees or shrubs. Regarding P. dulcU (the 
Algaroba or Paray) he says ; It produces sweetish 
succulent pods, 20 to 24 in. long, which are 
largely us»d for feeding cattle. It has been 
introduced into Madras, where it is planted ak)ng 
railway lines, and is known locally as tamarind, 
p. Glandulosa, the masquit bean, ha« been success- 
fully introduced into N.-W. India. The tree 
yield a large quantity of gum Hsed in making 
jujubes and other sweetmeats- The sweet pulp 
of the pods, fermented and boiled, is a not 
unpleasant drink. The beans powdered and mixed 
with water are used as food in the form of a 
paste. Tlie beans are also used as cattle 
Gamble mentions that the wood is v»ry 
durable and has a beautiful grain, and is 
for furnitur* and in the manufacture of 
charcoal. P. pubescens, the screw b«an or screw 
mesquit is being grown in the Botanic Gardens, 
Calcutta. The pods are said to form an important 
article of food to the natives, and a valuable 
fodder for cattle, but great caution is necessary 
in giving them to horses. 
Regarding Prosopis pallida, Dr. Watt, quoting 
from Gamble, says that it has been successfully 
introductd into Ceylon, that its pods contain as 
much as 90 per cent tannic acid, and that thej' 
are imported into Europe under the name of 
" Algarobilla" or " Balsamocarpon." 
[On enquiry the Director, Royal Botanic 
Gardens, has been good enough to inform us that 
so far as is known, P. pallida — which is the same 
as juliflora — has never got beyond the Peradeniya 
Gardens. — Ed. A.M.] 
dried 
food . 
hard, 
used 
BIBLE PLANTS OF CEYLON. 
Rue (Greek, peganon) is botanically known as 
Huta gmveolens, and belongs to the orange family. 
As a small and insignificant looking herb one 
would hardly think it representative of that 
order. It is mentioned in Luke xi. 43, " But 
woe unto you Pharisees ! for ye tithe mint and 
rue, and all manner of herbs, and pass over judg- 
ment and the love of God : these ought ye to have 
done, and not to leave the other undone." In the 
parallel passage Matthew xxiii. 23, Anethon 
or dill (translated anise) is named instead of rue. 
Balfour thinks that probably both were mentioned 
and each was recorded by a different Evangelist.' 
Both herbs were commonly cultivated in eastern 
gardens as at present. As its specific name 
