Supplement to the Tropical dgnculturisty [Sept. 1, 190S. 
■well as arecanut. The dog should be kept off 
food for about 12 hours, and then from 15 to 
60 grains of powdered arecauut should be given 
in a little milk, A dose of 30 grains will 
suffice for a dog weighing 25 lbs., and 60 grains 
may be giren to a very large dog, and 15 grains to 
a little one. About a couple of hours after the 
administration of the arecanut a dose of castor- 
oil should be given and the dejecta watched 
for the segments or joints, which may be seen 
to be crawling about, and these should be burnt 
before they get a chance to burst and scatter 
the eggs which they contain. 
We have to acknowledge with thanks the 
following publications : — 
Journal of Agriculture of Victoria. 
Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales. 
Queensland Agricultural Journal. 
Journal of the Department of Agriculture, W. 
Australia. 
Station, Farm and Dairy, " Sydney, 
The Indian Agriculturist. 
The Indian Agricultural Ledger Series. 
The Agricultural Journal of Cape Colony. 
The Capricornian, Eockhampton. 
The Sunday Times, Perth. 
The Journal of the Imperial Department of 
Agriculture, West Indies. 
The Veterinary Journal. 
The Proceedings of the Royal Agricultural 
Society, England. 
The Proceedings of the Highland and Agri- 
cultural Society, Scotland. 
Nearly all these come as exchanges for our 
own Magazine, and they constitute anex cellent 
nucleus for an Agricultural Eeading Room. 
A NEW EDIBLE TUBER. 
RAINFALL TAKEN AT THE SCHOOL OF 
AGRICULTURE DURING THE MONTH 
OP 
AUGUST, 
1902. 
1 
Friday 
.. Nil 
17 
Sunday 
. -50 
2 
Saturday 
.. Nil 
18 
Monday 
•33 
3 
Sunday 
. Nil 
19 
Tuesday 
. 11 
4 
Monday 
. Nil 
20 
Wednesday 
1-10 
5 
Tuesday 
.. Nil 
21 
Thursday .. 
. -35 
6 
Wednesday . 
. Nil 
22 
Friday 
•23 
7 
Thursday 
. Nil 
23 
Saturday .. 
•12 
8 
Friday 
. Nil 
24 
Sunday 
Nil 
9 
Saturday 
. Nil 
25 
Monday 
Nil 
10 
Sunday 
. Nil 
26 
Tuesdajr 
Nil 
11 
Monday 
. Nil 
27 
Wednesday 
•70 
12 
Tuesday 
. Nil 
28 
Thursday .. 
Nil 
13 
Wednesday . 
. -10 
29 
Friday 
Nil 
]4 
Thursday 
. Nil 
30 
Saturday .. 
Nil 
15 
Friday 
. -08 
31 
Sunday 
Nil 
IG 
Saturdiiy 
. -08 
1 
Monday 
•14 
Total ... 3^84 
jMean ... '12 
(>(■onle^t amount of rainfall vi'r/i (ornd in 24 
hours on tliR 20i h August, VM2, I'lO inches. 
Recorded by Alex Perera, 
The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales 
for July contains an article (from which we 
cull the folio wing information) on the New 
Edible Tuber, Coleus (Plectranthus) coppini, said to 
be cultivated and used in the French tropical 
colonies. From past experiments it would appear 
that the plant will thrive in the southern 
districts of France, and that, going on the 
analysis of the tuber, it is desirable to encourage 
its cultivation as a vegetable. 
Successive analyses gave the following re- 
sults : — 
Fatty matter ... 
Glucose 
Saccharine 
Not defined 
Gum and Pectic matter 
Albuminous subsances 
Starch 
Ash 
Cellulose, ligneous matter 
and loss 
2'50 per cent. 
16 •68 
1-67 „ 
4 •35 
16-05 
5-78 „ 
14-00 „ 
^•26 
40^7I 
100^00 
The ashes are said to consist of sulphates, 
phosphates and carbonates ; the weight of the 
potash 2^49, and of soda 1-34 per cent. "The 
tuber," says Mr, Heckel, the author of the 
article, "containing fatty substances, is rich in 
starch, glueose and saccharine, It certainly 
contains but little albuminous matter, but is, 
nevertheless, a perfect food." 
The taste of the tubers, when cooked, are 
said to be agreeable and somewhat like salsify, 
while richer in alimentary equivalents. Fresh, 
tlie tubers contain 80 per cent water, but they 
dry and shivel up in a few days when they 
show about 75 per cent. 
This esculent would be a close relative to 
our "innala," sometimes spoken of as "country 
potato" {Coleus parviflorus before Plectranthrus 
tuberesus) locally considered to be a very whole- 
some vegetable. 
A MANUAL ON BEE-KEEPING. 
Bee-keeping in the West Indies is the title of 
a useful little pamphlet issued by the Imperial 
Department of Agriculture for the West Indies. 
The author of the manual is Mr. W. K. 
Morrison who, writing in a popular stj'le, g^ives 
the reader a deal of useful information on the 
subject. He recommends bee-keeping as parti- 
cularly well suited to schoolmasters, and if 
only our village pedagogues will occupy their 
spare time in the ma?mer suggested, we shall 
before long have springing up a rural industry— 
eminently suited to the tastes of the easygoing 
villager, and affording the culti.'ator's family (and 
himself between sowing and reaping) a remunera- 
tive means of livelihood. ^ 
Mr. Morrison settles the question of the variety 
of ])ive by snying " the LiingslroMi is an all 
round hive suited to any purpose." 
As regard-t variety of W-n the author tells 
us, "The Cypiian is likely to do well i'l the 
