680 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1900. 
Wanted : a Local Tea Standard.— We 
have had the red-leaf tea sample sent us some 
days ago on our table ; but it remains quite 
" sweet "—although very " coarse" (" a coorse 
kintra piece of wark ") and the Brokers assure 
us the infusion was sweet and wliolesonie 
in this case : hut that there are far worse 
teas sold sometimes in the local market and 
that "Merchant" and his colleagues (as 
membersof the Tea Traders' Association) should 
make it their special duty to form and es- 
talilish a '•'standard " below which no teas 
should be admitted into local sales or for 
export shipments. 
" Do AWAY WITH THE BROKERS."— We 
omitted giving our correspondent, "who is 
responsible for this "counsel of perfection," 
some ot the reasons wliich render action in that 
direction very undesirable at the present time. 
It is well-known that ie.adinsr brokinf; houses 
act aft great checks on the large blendinj/ houses in 
their buying of ten, Tiie brokers take the trouble 
to distribute many samples in independent direc- 
tions and before the sales they are the recipients 
of very numerous orders to l)uy, which often act 
as a great check on the bi^ dealers, not allowing 
them their own way, but rather provoking a free 
and active comiietitien, 
Botanical Discovicriks.- The " Colonial 
Garden " established at Vincennes last July is 
already, says the Morninq Post, rendering im- 
portant services to the Frcncli Colonies. M. 
Dybowsky, the director, informed an interviewer 
that he was at present engaged in studying the 
ko-sam plant, which had been found to be a 
marvellous remedy against the dysentery prevalent 
in hot countries. A discovery made at the 
garden was that the eucomia aim' ides contams 
28 per cent, of gutta-percha. Plants have been 
sent toTonquin, Armani, and North Africa, and it 
is confidently hoped that very important results 
will be attained. Incidentally M Dybowsky 
foun l that the bark of indiaru'iber tree-; contains 
6 per cent, more rubber than the leaves and 
branches. All the Governors of the Krench 
rubber producing Colonies iiave been informed of 
the fact. The bi,rk has hitherto been thrown 
8iwa,y. — British and Colonial Drur/gist, Feb. 9 
Royal Trej^s. — In the vicinity of Frogmore 
there is a large number of ornamental tree? 
scattered about the well-kept lawns. Amongst 
these are a Salisburia adiautifolia, planted by 
Princess Victoria Eugenie and Pi ince Maurice of 
Battenberg on the Queen's eightieth birthday; a 
deciduous Cypress, about 85 feet higli ; Ketinos- 
pora obtusa aurea, planted hy the Empress 
Eugenie, March 5. 1880 ; Tniga Pattoniana, 
planted by the Queen of Denmark on December 
1, 1875, about 13 feet hign ; Abies lasiocarpa 
(concolor planted by Princess Thyraof Peninark 
on December 1, 1875; .-^.bies Nordinanniana, 
planted by H.K.H. the Duahes of Edinburgh on 
March 11, 1874; Cufjressus Lambertiana, planted 
by the Prince of Wales on March 24, 1864 ; Thuya 
gigantca, planted by H.R H. Princess Louise of 
He.sse on July 1, 1864 ; another of tlie same kind, 
on the opposite side of the path, 55 feet high ; 
another Maidenhaii- Tree (Salisburia adiautifolia), 
planted in 1754 ; Thuya gigantca, planted by 
H.S.H. Princess Bohenlohe on March 16, 1857. 
Close to the mausoleum is a practically good- 
looking deciduous Cypress, and a line Cedrus 
Deodara and C. atlantica. English Arhoricnltnral 
Transactions, vol. iv., part 2, p. 207, 
Sugar from the Alok— The Kolar GoldMA 
News says the famine-stricken people in Indiw, 
ill 1877, were seen to dig out the cure of the aloe 
and boil it lor consumption as food. The pro- 
duct was found to be exceedingly sweet, and the 
question is asked whether ihe aloe plant could 
not be used as a source of suoar. A ^'entleman 
is said to be buying land to riie extent of 2,(X)0 
aci'^s in the Kolar district • fcjr growing aloes. — 
Britinh and Colonial Dr}i.gi>st, Feb. 16. 
" ()IL OF ChINESK (and JAPA^ESE) WOOD " 
is e.\'tract.-d from the grains of a tree called .i4^€M- 
ritei corduta, or \n Cliine.se Yi nrf fzu tung, whicU 
grows in rocky places, especially in the provinces 
of Hunan, Hupeli and Szechuen. The oil is used 
for making lacquer and waterproof oilcloths. It 
can be employed instead of linseed oil in p.ainting, 
lint for this purpo.se, according to the Faj'beu 
Zeiiunrf, it should first be boiled with a little 
oxi e of zinc, minium or litharge, the temperature 
being kept over 200" Centigrade. —.Br/VisA and 
Colonial Di iKjgifit, P"eb. 16. 
Labouu and Exchange in Indi.v and 
Ceylon.— We direct attention to the incisive 
letter which we publish elsewhere from Mr, 
R. H. Elliot, of Mysore. The writer takes 
a gloomy view of the planters' future, more 
especially from the belief that "exchange" 
will be further forced up : but this, we can 
scarcely believe,— nor can we at all think 
that there would be the least hope of ob- 
taining Irounties in the planters' interests. 
But Mr. Elliot's writings are always sug- 
gestive and well worth reading. 
Caucasus Tea.— According to a British Con- 
sular Report the tea grown in the Caucvsus is 
inferior in quality and flavour to the Indian, 
Ceylon and (jhinese teas; and the prices obtained 
have not been encouraging. There is great diffi- 
culty, in procuring labour, and the expenses 
connected with tea planting are so iii^ih as to 
render profits duliious, especially in com|ietition 
witli Indian and Ceylon teas. And for the pre- 
sent at any rate, if the Consular Report can be 
relied on, Iridian planters should feel re-assurerl 
about danger from the Caucasus. However the 
Russian Government, as stated in Capital of Ist 
instant, is undertaking experiments in tea culti- 
vation in the Caucasus, and is offering favourable 
conditions to those embarking on it : and perhaps 
in time the situation may be changed for the 
better.— A. K. 
Pl.\nting in the Straits.— Coffee, Rub- 
ber AND Coconuts :— The annual report of the 
Selangor Planters' Association the greater 
portion of which we reproduce on page 671 
— is a most instructive document and puts 
the position of our neighbours in the 
Straits in a very clear light. Altogether 
the 70 estates represented have 15,537 acres 
in cultivation, the. crop estimated for 1900 
(we suppose of coffee) being 25,636 piculs, 
and the labour return shewing 2,877 Tamils, 
401 Chinese, 1,016 Malays and Javanese. Much 
useful work has been done by the body, of 
which Mr. W W Bailey is Chairman and Mr. 
Tom Gibson Secretary, besidep what ap- 
pears in our quotation; and we can only extend 
all good wishes to our brethren at the ■ 
Straits, and say how pleased we are to see 
the Veteran pioneer Mr. T H Hill still to . 
the fore, ' 
