540 
THE TROPICAL AGiaiCULTURiST. [Feb. 2, 1903. 
BUTTER MAKING: A NEW INVENTION. 
We are indebted to Mr. Thos. Christy, 
F.L.8. for the following :— 
" Now I am going to give you a few 
lines upon an experiment which may appear 
to you improbable, but I have tried it my- 
self. Take a small quantity of cream, say a 
pint, or, if you can afford it, go up to a 
quart, get a thin muslin cloth and on this 
place a large sheet of filtering paper, or 
blotting paper will do for the experiment, 
then suspend the muslin at the four corners 
and pour the cream into it gently. You will 
in a few minutes find that the water has run 
out of the cream, and you can then fold the 
butter together, press it slightly, and when 
you have added a little salt it is ready to 
eat. I may tell you that the filtering paper 
appears to be the only means by which the 
inventor can get any protection or return 
for his invention, and it is only fair to say 
that the inventor is an American. There is 
no wiiste. In fact the volume of bucter coming 
from this cream is about 5 per cent to 20 
per cent more than if it is made in a churn," 
Residents at Nuwara Eliya and planters' 
wives everywhere, will, we have no doubt, be 
among the first to experiment on the lines 
of the above discovery. It is as simple and 
would seem to be as notable, as the case of 
Columbus and the egg; but let us have a 
local practical report, before saying more. 
A " planter's wife," who had heard of the 
above in time to make an experiment, writes : 
— " I don't think that butter experiment will 
be a success. I have carried out directions to 
the letter ; water is dripping out slowly, but 
cream is still cream and not butter and it 
has been dripping for an hour. I will have 
another try, but cream is very scarce with 
us just now. I think the blotting paper we 
have is too thick ; if I had proper filtering 
paper, results might be different. The experi- 
ment is worth trying."— An hour later : " I re- 
ally think that with proper paper, the butter 
will be a success, only it takes about hour 
to extract all the butter-milk "--We are 
sending a few sheets of chemical filtering 
paper, to enable a proper trial to be made. 
MR. ALEX WHYTE, OF EAST 
AFRICA. 
Some readers of the T.A. would have 
noticed a short time ago in its columns, a letter 
from Mr Alex Whyte, the Naturalist, who 
was then on his way home invalided from 
East Africa. The doctors then considereil an 
operation would be necessary and ordered 
him home. He has since been in hospital in 
Edinburgh, I understand, but the more up-to- 
date surgeons there took a more cheerful 
view of his case, and he has been improving 
gradually without undergoing any operation 
whatever. He hopes to be able to come to 
London to his sister's, Mrs Millar for Christ- 
mfts, being due in Chelsea about the 23rd, I 
believe, and is not without confidence that 
he will in time be sufficiently confirmed 
in health to return to work and complete 
his survey of the area round Mombasa, 
which he undertook to visit for Government 
Siud report oa the best prodqcts tg be in- 
troduced into the district. After finishing 
this task, Mr Whyte hopes to retire and 
come home for good. He has done excellent 
work of recent years for the British Grovern- 
ment in Africa, and his friends will all be 
pleased to know that there is a good pros- 
pect that he may be able to complete it. 
— London Cor., Dec. 19. 
A NEW MANURE FOR RICE FIELDS. 
A writer in the Madras Mail of January 13, 
says : — " lb has been brouglic to my notice by 
cultivators now and then, and it is my experience 
too, that ' tobacco backbones ' now either 
thrown oub or sold at low prices for hezdi manu- 
facture, can be utilised as a u^^eful manure for 
rice fields— especially for first crop, that is Kar 
produce. Lind^ once cultivated with this manure 
continue to yield very favourable crops for tbe 
next two years. I wish that landowners and 
Zemindars would consider the matter and make 
a trial." 
TROPICAL PRODUCTS IN COOK 
ISLANDS. 
NEW ZEALAND EXPERT TO REPORT. 
Mr. T W Kirk, chief of the division of biology 
and horticulture of the Agricultural Department, 
left by the "Countess of Ranfurly" on Friday for our 
new possessions, the (!!ook Islands, under instruc- 
tions from the New Zealand Government, to report 
as to the growth and production of colf e, cotton, 
vanilla, cocoa, citrus and other fruits in these 
islands. Mr. W A Boucher, one of the fruit ex- 
perts of the Department, who has had considerable 
experience of the growth of citrus fruits in 
California, accompanies liim ; the idea of the 
Government evidently being to ascertain whab 
steps are necessary to encourage the growth of 
tropical products in this portion of New Zealand's 
territory. — Auckland Neios, Dec 18. 
PRECIOUS STONES IN THE 
UNITED STATES : 
IMPORTS AT NEW YORK IN ONE YEAR 
OVER £5,OJ0,O00. 
Nearly every mail brings us one or more 
useful publications from the United States 
authorities, in their Agricultural, Mineral or 
Scientific Departments. The latest is frAm 
the "Department of the Interior"— U. S. 
Geologicil Survey— and is a pamphlet on 
" The Production of Precious Stones " by 
George P. Kunz. We receive, indeed, two care- 
fully compiled summaries of the results for 
1900 and 1901 ; and to make his information 
complete fur 1902, Professor Kunz is anxious 
that we should give him all possible infor- 
mation regarding the gems, plumbago and 
other minerals of Ceylon. It will be in- 
ferred from this that atcention is not con- 
fined to the outturn of precious stones in 
the United States, although that is much 
more considerable than we had at all con- 
ceived. Diamonds in Montana and Georgia, 
sapphire and corundum in Montana, ruby, 
golden beryl and moonstone in North, 
Carolina, varieties oi quarts (amethyst, etc.) 
