516 
THE TEOPICAI, AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 2, 1903. 
Lastly, to describe the plumose fibres as " composed 
of cellulose " is misleading. Iq the cotton substance 
the Bon-cellnlose, it is true, is small in proportion, but 
the composition of the eviodendron floss, as of other 
seed hairs, is widely divergent. Later in the section 
we find the biist fibres described as made up of cells of 
which the " walls are composed of more or less thicken- 
ed lignin or woody material." This is quite inaccurate 
in regard to the most important of them viz. flax, hemp 
and rhea. Again, the good " commercial qualities " of 
the fibro-vascular bundles of monocotyledons' depends 
upon their moderate length, strength, flexibility, and 
the number of fibre cells in each bundle. Without 
reference to the grammatical slip, we will fix the 
looseness of the phraseology by transposing the terms 
to another case. " The good commercial qualities of 
gold depend upon its moderately yellow colour, specific 
gravity, ductility, and the number of silver coins of 
equivalent value " ? 
We have dealt with this section on "Physical and 
Chemical Properties " at disproportionate length, for the 
author exhausts it in a single" page of matter. The 
failure to lay a solid critical foundation by an adequate 
treatment of the section, of obviously fundamental 
import, measures the failure of the work to contribute 
to the systematic development of the subject. We are 
bound, further, to particularise some strange inaccu- 
racies in the information conveyed to the perhaps un- 
suspecting reader. J ute is described under the heading 
" Jute, Common," and the description contains many 
curious statements. Thus : — 
" The fibres are several feet in length, have a satiny 
justre on account of which they are sometimes used in 
the manufacture of the cheaper silks." 
There is a popular confusion, we presume, between 
ute and "jute " ; there is also a slang word "water" 
well known, " in the city " but we suggest that only 
in the official mind of a judge of the High Court would 
there be any possible confusion of the material with the 
immaterial " water." So we venture to think that the 
author has served up a popular error in relation to 
'' jute " as an industrial fact in relation to jute. 
In particularising the applications of jute yarns we 
find, 
'' the backing of hearthrugs, the lining of ladies, 
slippers, the collars of gentlemen's coats and burlaps 
for bales of jute or hemp coverings." 
We refer the author to Dundee for information. 
Lastly, "the jute fibre readily dissolves in alkalies 
and mineral acids at a low temperature." The 
reader may correct this statement by reference to 
any of the standard works on cellulose chemistry. 
The chemistry of the fibre substances is dealt with 
generally in a superficial way. The author should 
have been careful to avoid such statements as the 
following in reference to cotton (p. 91) : — 
" Acids have so destructive an effect upon cotton 
that their use in the cotton industry ought generally 
to be dispensed with since alkalies such as soap . . . 
can be employed for scouring and cleaning coiton 
fibres without materially injuring them." 
And again (p. 97), 
"Cotton fibres have some afiinity for vegetable dye 
stuffs such as Indigo , . , but little or none for coal- 
tar dyes." The section on "Cotton " otherwise con- 
tains useful information of a conventional commercial 
order, and as it comprises some forty-five pages is clearly 
the most important of the book. In the categorical des- 
cription of the various cottons, the dimensions are 
given in inches and fractions of an inch. This in a 
scientific text-book is a gratuitous concession to the 
rigid conservatism of our industrial system. We 
should like to ask if the expression 1/1180 inch conveys 
any definite mental impression to the reader 7 
We briefly notice the section " Paper Fibre Plants." 
We all know that paper can be made from an endless 
variety of fibrous materials, and the author is evidently 
more impressed with the fact than with the advantage 
of using the qualifying term " commercial " as a 
winnow for separating the grain from the chaff. The 
paper maker will find the sectioa of little practical ia»- 
portanoe. The subsection "Woodpulp" opens with the 
curious sentence, " This is rather confused and mixed 
up with paper-making." The remainder of the sectioa 
may be similarly described. A subsection on " Wood- 
pulp silk " is rather out of place at the conclusion of 
the section on " Silk." The treatment of this highly 
important industry indicates that it lies outside the 
author's range of experience and does not invite 
serious criticism. 
The author is entitled to the credit of having pro- 
duced an interesting book on a universally attractive 
subject. That it does not take the place of a standard 
text-book of critical importance is due to the fact that 
he has not sufiioiently grasped the trend of the 
progressive scientific movement which underlies the 
many-sided '' commercial " developments of the fibre 
industries, — The Nahire. 
THE PAPAYA AND HOW TO GROW IT. 
The fruit called the Papaya or Papow is so well known 
in India that I feel some diffidence writing about it. 
The papaya tree belongs to the natural order 
Papayaccce several species of which are remarkable 
for their poisonous properties. The Papaya itself has 
long been known as an excellent fruit yielder, and re- 
cently the fruit has become very popular with Euro- 
peans in India. It is believed to be a native of Tropical 
South America, but is naturalised in India. Some 
weird and wonderful properties are assigned to this 
tree. For instance, it has been stated that tough meat 
wrapped in its leaves and kept for a few hours, is 
rendered tender and toothsome. Of course, this is one 
of those stories that will not be killed. Scientists have 
however, found that the fruit contains a substance 
called papain, which, like pepsine, has the power of 
helping digestion of food. And as dyspepsia is one of 
the ailments from which modern humanity suffers 
considerably, the fruit of the Papaya tree should 
become very popular with those afflicted with a weak 
digestion. But apart from this important property, 
the fruit is not only wholesome and beneficial, but is of 
a flavour and consistency which cannot fail to com- 
mend it to the consumer. Unfortunately, in India, 
this fruit like many others, is grown in such a haphaz- 
ard manner, that its peculiar flavour and delicacy are 
not developed, aid the consumer is obliged to be content 
with the insipid fruit commonly met with in the 
bazaars. 
Now there is no reason why the consumer should not 
Papaya fruit of good quality. It is a very simple matter. 
The tree can be raised from seed sown during the rainy 
reason ; and the plants so raised will yield fruit of good 
quality the following year. The tree is of very rapid 
growth. The point to be kept in view is to sow seed 
obtained from really good fruit ripened on tha tree. 
It is, of course, well known that natives pluck the 
fruit in a green state and ripen it artifically. This 
system is responsible for the absence of flavour and 
quality so common in the fruit sold in the bazaars. If 
the readers of Indian Gardening and Planting will 
observe the following directions, every one may grow 
and gather his or her own Papayas of really good 
quality. 
Firstly, obtain seed of good variety from the Super- 
intendent of the State Gardens, Bangalore. Sow the 
seed in pots or pans in common garden soil, say in 
July. As soon as the young plants are about six 
inches high, transplant them simply into 12 inch pots, 
filled with a fairly rich soil. When these pots are filled 
with roots, transfer the plants bodily to ordinary tubs, 
or the largest sized pots ob'ainable, filled with good, 
rich soil. Water them in dry weather and let them 
grow. If you have sufficient ground, pat out the young 
plants into the open, in rich soil, and water in dry 
weather. In the following April and May you may 
gather your fruit and enjoy a really good Papaya. The 
tree fruits well when grown in tuba or large pots. In 
order to get fruits of large size, it is necessary to thin 
them out, and so give them a chance of swelling an^ 
developing. 
