^56 
THIS TEOPIOAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1902; 
wa8 practically the rate np to the end of June, although 
at times 1/4^ was touched. Closing rates were : — 
6 months' credits l/i 9-32 
Bauk demand 1/3 15-16 
The six months' discount rate in London at the 
commencement of the year was 3/3 16 per cent, and 
this was the highest quotation during the half-year. 
It fell to 3 per cent during January, and shortly 
afterwards reached 2| per cent, the closing quotation 
being 2/9- 16 per cent, the lowest point touched. 
Chairman. — It will be necessary to appoint a Chair- 
man, Mr. Stanley Bois' term of office having expired. 
Committee. — It will also be necessary to elect two 
members of Committee in place of Messrs. W. 
Shakespeare and P. 0. Allen who retire by rotation. 
Accounts. —The accounts of this Chamber for the 
past half-year, duly audited, are laid on the table. 
Membership. — The number of members of this 
Chamber is 71, as against 69 in the previous half-year. 
AMAZONIAN RUBBER. 
TRAMWAY CONCESSION IN PAEA. 
From Mr Consul Churchill's brief report from 
Para we learn that the total exports of Amazonian 
rubber, including that from the States of Para and 
Aniazonas and the Kepublics of Bolivia and Peru, 
during the year 1901, stating qualities, quantities 
and their destinations, v^ere as follows : — 
Europe, Uaited States, Total. 
Tons. Tons. Tons. 
Fine 7,949 8,052 16,001 
Medium 1,562 1,890 3,4.52 
Coarse 2,557 4,284 6,841 
" Caucho ' 2,723 1,322 4,045 
Total ... 14,791 15,548 30,339 
„ 1900... — — 25,807 
Of the rubber exports of Para, amounting to 
12,040 cons, valued at £2,659,160, we find that th« 
United Kingdom took 4,609 tons, valued at £1,118, 
209, and the United States, 6,679 tons, valued at 
£1,361,553. 
Mr Churchill's report also contains the informa- 
tion that concessions have been, and are about to 
be, granted for various purposes ; such as improve- 
ments to the port and sewerage, bub the concession 
holders must find their own capital. The port will 
require an expenditure of at least £2,000,000. 
Capital will also be required for the conversion of 
the present tramwaj system from animal to electric 
traction. It is understood that the change will take 
place within the next two or three years. Tram- 
ways are very extensively used in Para, and the 
enterprise should be lucrative. 
♦ 
EDIBLj: TUBERS. 
"With reference to the description of an 
edible tuber, wfiich we reproduce on our 
seventh pagd today and which we had 
previously referred to Mr. Nock of Hak- 
galla as one of the most practical autho- 
rities on the pubject in the island, that 
gentleman writes to us :— "The edible tuber, 
Caleus Copsini, is a plant I do not know, 
but from the description it appears to be 
very much like the 'Innala' or 'country 
i)otato ' of the Sinhalese, Coleus parvijlorus, of 
Jotanists, and is a vegetable that I don't 
think ever likely to be much cared for by the 
European population. It is, however, a 
product that should be introduced to the 
tf^yden beve, and if it should prove distiuct 
from the ' Innala would add one more vege- 
table for native gardens. Since writing the 
above I have looked into the last Tropical 
Agriculturist and find on p. 78 a paragraph 
on plectranthus as a vegetable. Plectranthus 
is only another name for Coleus and the very 
specimen, named in the accompanying slip, is 
called P. Coppini, so my view at first still 
stands good. We should have it, but I have 
not much faith in its ever becoming a favour- 
ite or taking the place of the potato." 
A NEW EDIBLE TUBER. 
COLEUS COPSINI. 
[By Edward Heokel, in the " Agricultural Gatetfe of 
New Sooth "V^ales.' 
A good deal has been written lately on the 
Ousouniflng and its tubers, the nse and cultivation of 
which are steadily increasing in the French tropical 
colonies. It has been incorrectly called Plectranthua 
Oopsini ; but, judging by the structure of the stamen,^ 
it is really a coleus. Being a new species, it is as 
well to give it definitely the name of Coleus 
Oopsini. Some deficiency still exists in the history 
and knowledge of this plant and its tubers, particularly 
as regards "the chemical analysis of the latter. I have 
thought that it might be of interest to give the results 
of the researches made by my friend, Professor 
Schlagdenhauffen, of Nancy, at my request, using the 
tubers from the last crop, of November, 1901, raised in 
the Colonial Botanical Garden at Marseilles. It is a 
very remarkable fact that this Soudanese plant will pass 
through all its stages of development in our short 
summer season of about four months. 
From this fact, and also because it has not a name 
indigenous to the Soudan, I am persuaded that it 
originates in Abyssinia, like a great many more edibis 
tubers belonging to the same class, Coleus. Beside 
this it resists very well the cold of the early part of 
November, and the first tubers introduced from the 
Soudan flowered early in October ia Marseilles in the 
open air, producing fine heads of blue floirers, which 
only the cold of the end of November withered before 
they had turned into fruit ; but each year I have 
obtained from eighteen to twenty stemsj six to seven 
tubers per stem. These were heavier and larger in 
1900. It would thus appear that cultivation farours the 
improvement and development of these tubers, and 
I intend to continue my experiment with the view of 
cultivating the plant in the southern districts o( 
France. Another reason for this is that the resales of 
the chemical analyses and culinary nsea made by 
professor Schlagdenhauffen of the tuber encourage its 
introdnction as human food — for cultivation, at any 
rate, in our southern districts. 
We shall see from the analysis that the taber con- 
tains fatty substances, is rich in starch, glucose and 
saccharose. It certainly contains but little albaminoai 
matter, but is, nevertheless, a perfect food. 
Its taste when cooked is very agreeable, resembling 
that of Japan Crosue, or salsify, while it is richer ia 
alimentary equivalents than either of these legnmes. 
In a somewhat dry lot of 30 tubers were found five 
or six weighing 0 015 lb ; eight about 0 012 lb ; three 
to two 0 007 lb ; and the remainder about O'OOd lb 
(This would amount t3, say, 66 to 250 to the lb.) 
The largest were Ig inchlong by | inch thick ; the 
average were between 13-16th inch long by J inch 
thick, and the smallest were i inch long by i inch 
thick. 
In afresh state they contain nearly 80 per cent of 
water. They dry very quickly, and after being ex- 
posed to the air for some days they shrivel, and oniy 
show about 75 per cent of moisture. 
When the dark brown or black skin is removed, 
they are whit« at first, bat darken in a fovr nomsQti j 
