302 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. [Nov, 1, 1899. 
capital ia necesary to make the timber trade — more or 
less stationary and languishing in the absence of enter- 
prise — flourish and bring in to the State and to the 
speculator a large income. 
THE HUMBLE PLANTAIN, 
is also held oat as a Travancore Bonanza. We quote: — 
It may interest some to learn that great possibilities 
exist in the cultivation and exportation of the plantain 
and its products. The fruit is now largely consumed in 
Europe, and it ought to be a matter of no gieat diffic- 
ulty to establish on a firm footing a trade in this pro- 
duct from Travancore. Plantains in their raw codition 
plantains preserved, plantain flour, pintain -flbi-e, etc., 
should bring in some profit. Ia fact, the value of 
Travancore as a great fruit-producing country is lost 
sight of. 
THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE PINE. 
Pineapples, for instance, grovf vpith the greatest lux- 
uriance, and are to be had in the season for the ridi- 
culously low price of three pies per pine. The fibre is 
said to be particularly strong and silky, and is adapted 
for various kinds of manufaotares. Commerce sa,ys it is 
a good substitute for flax and that a certain quantity 
of the fibre " prepared in Singapore tested against an 
equal quantity of flax sustained 350 lb., while the latter 
could not bear more than 260 lb. " It is also said to be 
substituted for silk, and that an excellent linen is made 
from it. 
OTHER PRODUCTS AWAITING THE CAPITALIST. 
Waiving for the present all notice of pepper, ginger, 
and other garden produce attention, may be drawn to 
the vast quantities of tapioca root available, which 
forms the staple food of the poorer classes, with rice. 
Very few people have any idea that the arrowroot plant 
grows wild in Travancore, and that enterprice only a 
needed to develop the trade in this root. There are 
various other substances in the shape of vegetable oils 
of sorts—laurel oil — gums and resins, indigo, etc., 
Lem' n grass oil has been manufactured to some ex- 
tent, but as it forms a good base for perfumes, es.'iential 
oils and etc , greater opportunities in regard to its use 
might be seized, Travancore has now a Eu- 
ropean Government contractor in Mr. Mitchell, 
who appears to have his eyes open and when the long 
expected railway becomes an accomplished fact a 
greater number of enterprising men may give an im- 
petus to local trade. The possibilities of paper manu- 
facture in a land where material, fuel, water-power and 
a constant demand exist was long ago recognised by 
the formation of a Joint-stock Company and the cons- 
truction of a mill on which lakhs of rupees were spent. 
After a time, the manufacture of paper was dis- 
continued, for what reason is not quite apparent to the 
uninitiated. The plant lies idle, and the Company is 
moribun without any attempt being|madeto resusci- 
tate the working, or wind up the affairs of the share- 
holders. If this letter, concludes the writer, will help 
to remind some energetic shareholder of his wasted 
money and his oppotunities, it will not have been 
written in vain —Madras Hail, 
DURBAN BOTANIC GARDENS. 
A CUEIOSITY, A BLACK ROY. 
Mr. J. Medley Wood reports: — Since the date of 
my last report the weather has been exceedingly dry, 
only 0'91 in, having fallen at the Gardens since May 
23, and during the August 0-22 in. only was regis- 
tered. In consequence of this very unusual drought 
many of the plants in the Gardens are drooping, 
B.nd flowera are exceedingly .scarce. In addition to 
the usual routing work, which has been very heavy, 
some of the hands have been engaged in oiling the 
woodwork of the Palm-house and giving the class 
another coat of paint, as the coat first given has 
been found to be too thin ; this work is now nearly 
completed. 
The plant ot Xanihorraea kasiilis, the '• Grass Gum 
Tree," or "Black Boy," a native of New South 
Wales has sent up flowering spike from the centre 
of the rosette of leaves. This spike is now several 
feet high, aud is thickly covered with hundreds of 
small white flowers, aud is a curioiity not often 
seen in South Africa, a photo has been taken of 
it, and I suggest that it shall be reproduced in the 
annual report. It is to be hoped that we shall not 
lose the plant, which is the only one we have and 
is much admired by visitors. It can hardly be less 
than 25 years old, and is probably more than that. 
[The name " Black Boy," says a corre.5pondent to 
ourselves (T.A.,) is only applicable as regards the 
appearance assumed by the plant in its native 
habitat, the Australian prairies, where its stout 
trunk becomes blackened both by bush fires and by a 
resinous excrescence on the trunk, when seen thus 
in groups at a distance they have a weird appearance 
which readily suggest the black aborigines. The 
gummy exudation from the trunk is made use of 
as a gum; hence the plant is also known by the 
name "Grass-gum tree" It belongs however to the 
Lily tribe, and not to the grass-familv, although 
its large crowns of thin, long, wiry leaves have much 
the appearance of grass. J One of the trees of Aleuritts 
triloba has been felled for the purpose of testing the 
wood, the trunk to the lowest main branch measured 
24 ft. with a girth at 10 ft. from the base of 6 ft 
Two cases of deaths of cattle from supposed 
poisoning have occurred lately on the Berea. The 
first I did not hear of until too late, but as 
the second case, when two vahiable cows were lost 
was brought to my notice in lime, I visited the 
locality in which the cattle had been grazing, the 
herd boy being with me to point out the exact place 
Unfortunately the whole, or almost the whole of 
the underwood had been lately cut down. I think 
by the Corporation gang of labourers, but after 
some little search I found that many plants of 
Moraeairidioides had been bitten off, and the herd- 
boy assured me that he had seen the cattle eating 
the plant, aud that no other cattle had, to his 
knowledge, been grazing near. I am not aware that 
this plant has poisonous properties, but the species 
known here as " Tulp " or " Tulip ■■ all belong to the 
genus Moraea. It would, I think, be advisab'e that 
this plant should be chemically examined. The native 
say that this plant is not usually eaten by cattle. 
I have received from Mauritius two cases con- 
taining many valuable plants. The steamer which 
brought them was placed in quarantine, and the 
cases were taken on to East London, and returned 
to us from that port by another ship, but I was 
pleased to find that the plants had not suffered 
very much damage from the long detention. From 
Botanic Gardens of Cambridge I have received a 
valuable case of plants, chiefly ornamental, which 
arrived in excellent condition. I have also received 
packets of seeds as under :—Gnina, 1; Kew, 1- 
Paris, 6; Blysore, 1; Sumatra, per Mr. Van Leen- 
hoff, 19; Adelaide, 84; Bangalore, 1; Zomba, 1- 
St. Albans, 1 ; Mr. J. Beningfield, sweet lemon and 
mango; BIr. M. Matthews, bulbs. 
For the Colonial Herbarium the second part com- 
pleting the first volume of "Natal Plants," is now 
ready and may be obtained from the booksellers 
or on application at the Gardens. The first part of 
the second volume, which is confined to the grasses 
of the Colony, and will contain 25 plates and des- 
criptions, is in the printer's hands, and will be 
ready in a few weeks' time ; and the third volume 
which will be similar to the first, is in progress' 
I have received parcels of dried specimens of foreign" 
plants fropj South Australia, 81 specimens ; Sydney 
200; Queeastown (chiefly Transvaal plants;, 212- 
and from Mr. J. F. Quekett 16 .=!pecimeus of foreign 
mosses; and I have sent away parcels of dried 
specimens of native plants as follows :—M. E vsn 
O. E. Menzel, J, H. Maiden, J. F. Duthie, Dr. J. b' 
Palacky, iiiltmore Herbarium, Field Columbian 
Museum, aud to the United States National Her- 
barium, two parcels.— iVa;c{? Mermri/, 
