176 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Skpt. 1, 1898. 
free admission of air will only result in tlie drying 
up of the leaves and the possiljle escape of the 
iasecta ; or the specimens may be injured by the 
edgc^s of the tin where the holes have bee i piiached. 
If the objects consist of blighted leaves it is parti- 
cularly importiiot that they should arrive in per- 
fectly fresh condition. When withei ed aud dried up, 
many leaves, particularly those of the tea plant, 
become quite black, and any peculiar spota or charac- 
teristic inarl<inga are obliterated ot rsiidored indis- 
tinct. Leaves and shoots of plants will keep fresh a 
longer time if gathered early in the morning. 
For small parcels an ordinary tea sample box will 
answer the purpose as well as anything. For larger 
speoimsns, or a larger supply of them, an empty 
tob.icco box or small biscuit tin will ba found useful. 
If it should be necessary to send large pieces of 
stamj or bran'rhe t that cuinot be conveniently packed 
in n tin box, tliey should be nailed up in a close 
case in such a manner as to preveat the possible 
escape of any of the insects or the spread of the 
disease. 
An ample supply of the material should always be 
sent and this should include examples in as many 
different stages as can be found. It is not always 
possible to indentify the insects locally ; in such cases 
a duplicatQ set of specimens has to be forwarded 
to some specialist in Europe, where large collections 
aud good zoological libraries are available for refer- 
ence. It is also intended to make up a collection 
of Economist Insects for exhibition in the Museum 
of the I'oradsniya Garilens. It is therefore parti- 
cularly requested that ample material of any inaect 
pests, as they occur, may be sent in. 
Care must bo taken that thj specimens shall not 
rattle about loosely within the package during transit, 
which would result in their being bruised or other- 
wise injured. Th'n can 1)3 prevented by including 
a sufficient number of leaves and twigs to support 
them. The opposite extreme — the overcrowding and 
consequent crushing of the contents — should be equally 
avoided, 
Cardboard boxes or empty jnatch boxes are not 
recommended, as leaves and young shoots soon be- 
come dried up in them ; but if they should be used 
a sof.arate lal>.;l should bo attached for the stamps 
and to bear the brunt of the postmark. Packages 
sometimes arrive completely crushed for want of this 
precaution. 
It should be remembered that a broken package, 
or one that permits the escape of any of the con- 
tents, is a source of considerable danger. A most 
serious pest or disease may be widely distributed 
by this means. 
Careful notes should be made and sent with each 
pircel, giving— 
(1) Locality and elevation at which the pest occurs ; 
(2) Date of first appearance and particulars of 
progress ; 
(3) Nature and ex'ent of the injury. 
To prevent any possible confusion between packets 
arriving by the same post, the name and address of 
the sender should be written on a corner of the label. 
In conclusion, stress should ba laid upon the 
following important points : — 
(1) Send the specimens in as fresh a condition as 
possible. 
(2) Ijo not make holes in the boxes for ventilation. 
(3) Send an ample supply of material. 
(4) Do not risk the spread of a perhaps dangerona 
pest by sending an insecure package. 
(5) Send full aud precise particulars of the disease. 
B. ERNEST GREEN, 
Honorary Government Entomologist. 
2. — Sendimg Plants for Identification. — U is very 
difficult to recognize many of the specimens of plants 
sent for identification, as the most important parts 
— the flower and fruit — are omitted. The apeeimeu 
should always include, if possible, flowers, fruits (ripe, 
or nearly so by preference), and a branch with both 
young and old leaves in the case of a treeorsbrub, 
or the whole plant in the case of a herb. A small 
portion of the surface bark is also useful in the case of 
trees. If the journey is longer thin twelve hoars, 
and always by preference, the Bpeciineus should be 
sent in a tin box, lightly clo seJ, and the nauie of 
the sender should be written outside. In the case of 
EUnts found growing wild in Ceylon, notes should 
e sent of the locality in which they were found aud 
of any other points of interest. If the plants are 
from abroad, the country from which they came should 
be mentioned if known, as the labour of indeutifioA- 
tion in tightened if this is known. 
3. — Sendi.vg Fu.ngl's Picsrs iou liEPour. — Specimen* 
of plants with fungus pests upon tbem should be 
most carefully packed in tin boxes or tea lead to keep 
them fresh, and to prevent the disease being spread 
by means of the packages. They should be despatched 
as soon as gathered, a-id if the journey be long other 
samples may be sent in alcohol (dilute whi»ky or 
arrack will do). Full notes should be sent of the time 
of appearance of the disease, its ravages, what parts 
it attacks, the causes to which its appearance ia 
supposed to be due, the results of any preventive or 
curative measures tried, and soon. If the pest attack 
the leaf or bud, send fresh specimens showing as 
many stages as possible, with the necessary explana- 
tory noies ; also send a few healthy specimens of the 
same variety of plant from the same neighbonrhood 
if possible. If it attack the stem, cut out diseased 
pieces in as many stages as possible, tJ whatever depth 
the fungus penetrates, and send also some healthy 
pieces. JOHN C. WILLIS. 
Director, Royal Botanic GardeuB. 
SCAllCE TROPICAL PRODUCTS. 
There is little likclihojd that at the price ruling 
this 3'ear for Tonka beans, or Touquin b;;ansasthey 
are incorrectly called, snuffmakers will run the risk of 
a X'300 penalty and forfeiture of the snufiF by using an 
illegal rxuantity of the hiAn for scenting purposes. 
The limit fixed by law is three per cent. Last year 
the price of this Tonka or Tonga bean was 4$ per 
pound ; this year it isSs, or more than twice the price 
of ordinary snuff. The crop is only gathered once in 
three years, and as the tree bearing the fruit grows to 
a great height, and as each fruii contains only one seed 
or bean, it is a troublesome one to save, but at the pre- 
sent price is a very profitable one. Tiiose engaged in it 
have, I am tjld, cleared cent per cent on last year's 
crop, which was put on the market a week ago. An- 
other tropical product, has reached the highest price 
known to the trade. I refer to iudiirubber, the de- 
mand for which appears to be as great as ever despite 
the pariigraphs about overstocking and depression Id 
the Midland cycle trade which have been appearing in 
the London papers lately. As to whether the Bir- 
mingham cycle manufacturers have been obliged to 
discharge tlicir hands in thousands because dealers 
are overstocked and are trying to clear at a sacrifice, I 
have no trustworthy information — my own experience 
of the past week is that machines are as dear now aa 
at any time during the past five years — but I can say 
that although since Monday last buyers have been 
offering 4j Id per lb. — an extraordinary price — for 
Para, rubber sellers decline to trade until they obtain 
another halfpenny, aud practically no business has 
been done in the best rubber. — Glasgow herald. 
Planting in Sehdang, Sumatra.— Mr. Vander- 
poorten writes : — " I called on my letnrn, but 
missed yon. When ia Serdang, Mr. Mackenzie 
wrote that ho was anxious to meet me. So was 
I, but hick willed it otherwise. It is a grand 
country ; it may well be called the stoneless 
land ; there is not even gravel for the roads 
and the b.xllast for the railway lias> to be brought 
from I'enang. No part of Ceylon comes any- 
where near it and Serdang is not the most 
favoured district." 
