July 1, 1899.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturist" 
73 
horse's tail) is also called Forest Oak (from grow- 
ing in small patches or forests) ; Coast Oak (from 
its growing generally on the coast) ; Swamp Oak 
(from its growing in swampy localities) ; Bull Oak 
(from its robust growth) ; and Ironwood (from the 
hardness of its timber). It is called Aitoa or Toa 
in the Society Islands, Filao in Madagascar, and 
Noko-nokoiu the Fiji Islands. The specific name, 
equisetifolia, was given to this species by the 
Forster brothers, writers on Australian botany, 
from the resemblance of the branches to an 
Equisetum or Horsetail. 
DiSTEiBUTiON. — The Horsetail Oak loves a mari- 
time situation, growing freely in sandy saline soils. 
It is found grojiving in great abundance near salt- 
water marshes and inlets on the coasts of tropical 
Queensland, North Australia, New Guinea, the 
Malayan Archipelago, the Indian Archipelago, on 
the eastern side of the Bay of Bengal as far north 
as Aracan, Eastern Africa, Madagascar, the South 
Sea Islands (Fiji, Society Islands, &c.), &c. 
Uses. — The Horsetail Oak produces a dark- 
coloured timber, coarse but closely grained, beauti- 
fully marked, hard, light, and tough. It is useful 
for shingles, staves, and for all purposes where 
lightness and toughness are required. Its timber 
makes splendid fuel, giving great heat and leaving 
very few ashes. 
In the Society Islands, where it grows chiefly 
on the sides of the hills, its timber was formerly 
used for making clubs and other implements of 
war. Its hardness and durability led the earlier 
voyagers to the South Seas to distinguish it as 
Irouwood, although it is a very different tree from 
that bearing the same name in North America. 
This latter is botanically known as Carpinus 
americana, Mich.)* Its dark hairlike pensile 
foliage gives it a mournful appearance, and in 
many of the islands of the Pacific it is consecrated 
to the dead, and, with crimson Draccenas and 
other shrubs and trees, is planted in or near burial- 
grounds. This tree has long been cultivated in 
gardens and nurseries, and has been introduced 
into France and India and other countries. It 
bears transplanting well, and will grow in sandy 
soil even to the edge of the sea- Captain Campbell 
Walker estimates the yield of firewood from this 
tree to be four times as great as the return from 
any tree of the forests of France. In India, where 
it grows on pure sand, it is greatly valued, as its 
timber bears a great strain, and is not readily 
injured by submersion in water, and it is also 
much used as fuel for railway locomotives. The 
cost of rearing Casuarinas in India has averaged, 
according to localities, from ^4 to £10 per acre, 
and the return, after only eight years, averaged 
from £13 to £32. I would recommend this tree 
as a valuable one to plant on the coastal portions 
of our barren '• walium " patches. 
The branchlets of this, as of other Casuamias, 
have a sub-acid flavour, and are readily eaten and 
relished by cattle, especially during the droughty 
seasons in Queensland, and in many parts it is 
pollarded for fodder. 
A variety of Casuarina equisetifolia, Forst., named 
incana, having horny or woolly young shoots and 
large cones nearly an inch in diameter, is found 
on the islands off the Queensland coast and also 
in New South Wales. 
* The Ironwood of Ceylon is Mesua ferrea. 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
The Queensland Agricultural Journal in a paper 
on Pineapples makes the following reference to the 
manuring of pineapples as carried in in Fort 
Myers, Florida: — 
A field was manured with a mixture of— n-i.i', vjjr; 
1,000 lb. cotton-seed meal, 
500 „ kainit, 
500 „ superphosphate 
500 „ equal parts of bone-meal and 
dried blood, 
2,000 „ cow manure, 
of wiiich 2,000 lb. were applied to the acre. 
This mixture corresponds to a fertiliser contain- 
ing 108 lb. nitrogen, 177 lb. phosphoric acid, and 
78 lb. potash, the quantities of these ingredients 
applied to the acre being therefore as follows : — 
48 lb. nitrogen, 80 lb. phosphoric acid, and 35 lb. 
potash. 
The field was planted at the beginning of June, 
1892, after having been fertilised with 2 tons per 
acre of the mixture given above. Later the plants 
received a top-dressing of hen-manure ; no record 
was kept of the quantities of this material applied. 
The quality of the soil was light and sandy, 
corresponding to the typical Florida soil, which is 
considered of little value. The soil in question 
contained pretty large quantities of humus and 
sand at the surface, and had a hard-pan bottom at 
depth of from 1 to 2 feet. As far as the physical 
properties of the soil were concei'ned, it was well 
suited for pineapple culture. In June, 1893, 
5,000 pineapples worth 5 cents (£10 18s. 4d.) a 
piece were harvested, and in June, 1894, the yield 
increased to 11,724 per acre, worth 10 cents a 
piece at the Fort Myers market (£97 14?.). The 
yield is allowed in the report to have been a 
complete success. 
With reference to the discussion that lias been 
going on among Indian planters on the subject of 
male coffee plants, Mr. F. M. Baily, the Botanist, 
says that no such thing as a male coffee plant has 
ever come under his notice, nor had it, to his 
knowledge, been mentioned by any other botanist. 
The coffee plant is neither dioscious nor monmcioits ; 
but is hermaphrodite, the flowers containing both 
male and female organs. As to a tree which bears 
peaberry being considered a male, the idea is 
absurd. If the tree were male it would not bear 
at all any more than a male date tree. It is 
possible for the flower to have the female organs 
and for the tree thus to be barren ; .but still this 
could not be considered a male tree unless such a 
condition were ever afterwards its characteristic. 
A new industry is being opened up, says an Ex- 
changer to bring hardwood timber into prominence 
and value. It has been found that the wood of 
such trees as the beech, birch, maple, when cut 
into thin veneers and connected together three- 
ply, the thickness of the whole about inch, make 
very superior packing cases for carrying all kind.? 
of heavy and light merchandise. To show that 
this is a very large field, it is stated that about 40 
per cent, of the pine now cut finds its way into 
packing cases. This veneer bos is waterproof for 
all practical purposes, it is le ss bulky, more durable, 
and much lighter than the 1-iuch pine packing case 
now in use. By this reduction of weight, the 
saving in freight and express charges over long 
