OCT. 1, 1902.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
229 
Specific rotation o£ crude oil [a] D=-14-2='. The 
IsBVO-rotation is due to phellaadrene. It is not a 
commi-roial oil- The amount of ester and free acid 
are small in this oil, consequently the ciuJe oil is not 
very dark-coloured, the red colour of crude eucalyptus 
oils being due to the presence of a minute quantity of 
iron from the stills being dissolved in the free acid 
ocoaring in the oils. The colour is removed by 
agitating with potash. 
(2'o be continued), 
THE IMMORTELLE AS A SHADE 
TREE FOR CACAO. 
By Prof. Carmody, F.I.C, F.C.S., & Mr. J, 
Vebteuil, F.C.S, 
(Read before The Trinidad Socieiy lOlh June, 1902.) 
Last ye^r in Agricultural Society paper, No. 155, 
it was shown that Immortelle flowers were parti- 
cularly rich m Nitrogen, and it was estimated that 
they contributed to the soil a larger amount of this 
substance than was permanently withdrawn by the 
cacao bean. This year the investigation has been 
continued, and through the kind co-operation of Mr. J. 
G. de Ganue^ we are able to give a more accurate 
estimate of the Nitrogen supply from these flowers. 
Mr. de Gannes' valuable report is atta-'hed. 
This year we have not found any of the samples 
to contain more than 4"03% of Nitrogen which is 
considerably less than the 6% found in last year's 
■amples. 
Taking Mr. de Gannes' figures and ours (reduced 
to 3% to be within safe limits) the followiug calcu- 
lation is made :— 
50 immortelles = 800 lb. di'y flowers 
at 3% of N i trogen = 24 lb . ^ acre. 
260 Oacao trees = 500 lb. cured cacao 
at 2^% of Nitrogen = 12i lb. per acre, 
and shows an excess of about 12 lb. of Nitrogen per 
acre. 
A.part from the question of the retention of the 
Immortelle as a shade tree, which we submit these 
figures fully justify, the results of this investigation 
suggest that flowering trees may be utilized to keep 
the Nitrogen of the soil in circulation and to con- 
serve it by bringing it from lower depths in a 
soluble form and periodically spreading it in a less 
soluble but easily decomposable form on the surface 
of the soil. 
It will be remembered that last year it was stated 
that the amount of Nitrogen in the flowers rapidly 
diminishes. We now find that this depends on the 
methods of storing the samples ; and that if the 
flowers are spread out thinly, instead of in heaps, 
that there is no less of Nitrogen even when freely 
exposed for several days to the air. 
We now wish to bring to the notice of the mem- 
bers of the Society another point which appears to 
ns to be in favour of the retention of the Immor- 
telle in preference to other shade trees. It has 
long been observed that the Immortelle drops its 
leaves during the dry season, and it has been stated 
to its discredit that it ceases to give the necessary 
■hade at the time when the Cicao trees most require 
it. It should not be overlooked that one of the 
functions of the leaf is to evaporate water in large 
quantities, and in the absence of leaf there must 
be absence of evapora!iou. The water evaporated 
is drawn from the soil by means of the roots, and 
it follows as a natural consequence that a leafless 
Inmortelle tree does not absorb from the soil that 
large amount of water which its leaves, if present, 
would have evaporated, and that this water remains 
avaiUble for the cacao trees which are never entirely 
leafless. The value of this self-dtnial on the part 
of the Immortelle during the dry season when 
four or five months the rainfall is very low has, 
we think, not been fully appreciated. 
With reference to the previous paper on this sub- 
ject Professor Carmody has been reminded that he 
cannot claim to ba the first to point to the flower 
as the special aud most valuable feature of the Im- 
mortelle as a Cacao shade tree. At the time of 
writing the paper he believed he was alone in 
giving expression to such advanced opinion ; but he 
is glad to find th:i.t one of the most astute obser- 
vers among our Cocoa planters, viz : Mr J. P. Bain, 
has long^held and expressed the same view. 
La Chance, Arima, 
7th April, 1902. 
Dear Prof. CABjioDy, 
The Immortelle tree — Anauca— from which I col- 
lected the flowers, the flowers, is an isolated tree 
and was profusely laden with healthy flowers at the 
time but its size is rather below the average full 
grown trees. I must here remark that the " Ananco " 
does not thrive its best in the Vegaa. I had under- 
neath the tree properly cleaned, and the flowers 
were collected carefully and weighed twice a day. 
The quantity collected amounted to 130 lbs. but a 
good many were blown away by the wind outside of 
the area cleaned, and I think by adding 30 lb. to 
the quantity collected making IGO lb. would be aa 
nearly as possible correct, I regret I did not collect 
flowers from the " Bocare, " it escaped my memory to 
do 80 when the trees are flowering, but it is my 
impression that as they do not bear so profusely as 
the " Anauca " the weight per tree is less notwith- 
standing the size of the flowers being larger. 
J. G, DE Gannes. 
GRAPE GROWING IN JAMAICA. 
(THE GLENFARG VINES.) 
I was first induced to take an interest in grapes 
culture, by my having attended a series of lectures 
given at King's House, by the then Superintendent of 
the Gardens there, Mr. \V, J. Thompson, now of 
Castleton, and so far, I have never had cause to 
regret it, — and I have never ceased to take a lively 
interest in all things appertaining to grapfi culture. 
During the course of these lectures, 1 discovered 
that it was Mr. Thompson's belief that we should 
not permit our vines to fruit before they were 
five years old, and that very nearly digusted me 
of trying to plant any, as I was entirely against 
waiting for so long a period on any crop. However 
I was able to procure a few cuttings, and several 
people who saw me with them, informed me that 
I would have to wait ten years for a crop. I soon 
discovered that like many other well known fables, 
this was untrue in piactice, as I was able to pro- 
duce fine grapes in two years. 
Haviiip planted my vines, and after seeing them 
grow for three months, I was so pleased, that I 
thought I would go one better. I got an American 
flower catalogue, and after having read up all the 
wonderful descriptions given of the Concord, Brighton 
Eaton, etc., I sent off for $10 worth, and they 
reached me in good condition, they were planted 
out and that was all ; in nine months they had in 
some cases put on three or four leaves, and in one 
case I got one bunch of grapes, which had on five 
of the sourest giapes ons could ever desire to taste. 
I dug them up, and against Americin vines 1 wrote 
failure and disappointment. la the mean time my 
other ones had come on nicely, and I now had the 
opportunity to attend a series of lectures and demons- 
trations given by Mr. Ciadwick here, (in the Hope 
G irdens) as the vines were now reniovtd from King's 
House. These demonstrations were very helpful to 
me, and fully brought out the fact that reading to 
me was one thing, aud ocular demonstration another. 
1 leaned suflicient, to my way of thinking, to 
prune or rather cut back my vinea in that year, and 
in the early part of the next I pruned off for fruit. 
The white variety I planted fruited haavily, but all 
