Supplement to the " Tropical AgrkuUurht." (Jan, 2, 1899. 
arraiigemeuts to ineet tlie demand that may arise 
for the rtour. They should at least be familiar 
•willi all details of preiJiiratioii which, however, are 
simfjle enougli, and arrange for extension of cul- 
tivation if necessary. We were lately informed 
of the rale at which plantains were being sold in 
parts of the Nortli-Western Province, and, indeed, 
the piices were ridiculous enough. We believe 
that there are many districts with suitable land 
and favourable conditions forcultivating plantains, 
but where cultivators have but poor marketing 
facilities t« situ and no reasonable means of 
bringing their produce to larger market towns. 
These are the places which should reap the benefits 
of a trade in plantain flour, or banatui meal as it 
is sometimes called. 
Mucli credit is due to Mr. Stouter, the Head 
Clerk of the Anuradhapura Kachcheri, for taking 
the initiative in this matter, particularly when it 
\i remembered that he has no personal interest in 
the developement of the industry which he has 
endeavoured tostart. We have done what wecould 
to second him, and are glad that our efforts iiave 
not been wholly futile, though we are not yet inn 
position to .say anything more definite than that 
very business-like enquiries have been made after 
plantain meal from those to whom we forwarded 
samples. We trust we shall have the satisfaction 
of seeing a good demand spring up for the article. 
We shall be glad to give any information to corres- 
pondents if they will apply by letter to the Editor 
of the AffHcultural Mctyazine. 
NATIVE MEDICLNAL PLANTS. 
The most striking difference in tlie administra- 
tion of drugs in native and European medicine is 
that while in the former the raw materials in tlie 
form of bark, roots and other parts of vegetable 
organisms are used, in the latter it is the active 
principle in the form of alcoholic e.vtracts, 
«alts of alkaloids, i*!:c., tha* the drugs are admi^ 
nistered. Tl.e same difference is to be seen in 
other connections, for instance, in the process 
of tanning; for while in the native method barks 
or fruits are used, it is the extract from tan 
yielding substances that is utilized in western 
countries. The advantage of tlie latter system is 
obvious, since it deals with jjreparations of stand- 
ard strength wliosc action can be' better guaged 
than that of raw substances, whicli, though dealt 
•with by weight, may not always be of the same 
composition. It is well known that the compo- 
sition of plants is affected by the nature of 
the soil and other natural conditions. The quality 
of tea varies in different localities, the develop- 
ment of fibre in fibrous plants is controlled by the 
nature of soil and climate, the flavour, succulence 
and sweetJiess of fruits are not the same in one 
d strict as in another, and so on. It is thus quite 
reasonable to suppose that the active principle of 
medicinal plants does not always occur in the 
isame proportion, and it is therefore not (o be 
' expected that drugs prepared from raw materials 
' taken by weight will always be of the same 
strength as regards the active principles they 
' contain, and, eryo, have the same efficacy. 
. Apart, however, from this consideration of the 
metjiod of udministeriug native mediciues, there are 
undoubtedly many plunts unknown to Eur 'p-^an 
practice po>.-e.>siiig important medicinal pioj)L'rtie», 
The virtues of the seeds of Plnntayo ucata and 
of the leaves of Plectra //thus Zeylanicus in the 
treatment of dysentery, of the root-bark of 
Morlnyu Pteiyyospeima as a stomachic, are in- 
stances of the efficacy of native drugs whicli e\eu 
tlio^e who practice European medicine report to 
the US3 of. Tiiere are scoie^ of oilier plants used 
ill Sinhalese medicine whicli are ncknowiedged as 
useful agents by qualified doctors of mtUiciue. 
We have been informed by a medical man 
lately returned from iingland that he hall eiiquiiieg 
for the bark of Calatiojm yiyantea, and the leaves 
oi Hydrocotyle Axiatica while in London, so that 
it is probable if small parcels of mcli plants 
as Hcmide^utnx i/tdictut (which possei^ses properties 
very similar to Sarsaparillaj and other native dru^ 
plants of acknowledged merit were sent to the 
proper authorities for examination, that a demand 
might spring up for many of them. 
In view of the interest that has arisen in native 
medicinal plants and in tropical disea>es, 
we are of opinion that it vs'ould bean advantage lo 
have a collection of growing specimens of all the 
drug plants use<l in native medicine made, with a 
view to the identification and study of t hem by 
local and foreign medical men, and also in order that 
samples of all may be gradually tent lor examina- 
tion in England. The collection would of course 
be an e:iormous one, but if jiroper provision wer« 
made for getting together and preserving it, there 
is no reason why it should not be undertaken by 
the local School of Agriculture. Eventually the 
cultivation of certain medicinal plants on a large 
scale may come to be an important- industry in 
the inland. 
MILK OF THE UKEADFItL'JT TREE. 
lleferring to the genus, ylilocaifitf, Dr. Watt 
says, although it is known to yield caoutchouc, it 
is still a question which experiment aloue can 
decide, whether rubber of sufficient economic value 
could be obtained from the different tpecies. In 
Mr. Biffen's account of his experiments in coagu- 
lating rubber milk, the writer states that Arlo- 
carpus i/icka contains a very viscous latex employed 
by the liraziiiaus as a bird-lime and as a substit'ute 
for glue. When diluted and centrifugalized it 
separates readily, giving a creamy white layer 
which dries toa resinous mass somewhat resembling 
guttapercha. At the ordinary temperature this 
is quite hard and brittle, but if the temperature is 
raised slightly it becomes plastic, and at the tem- 
perature of boiling water it is soft and excessively 
sticky. The substance is soluble iu curboubisul- 
phide and insoluble in alcohol and water. ' ' 
From acquaiutance with the breadfruit tree 
and jak tree (Artocarjiii-s integrifoUa) one is 
inclined to think that Air. Biffeii is referring 
rather to the milk of the jak than that of the 
breadfruit, but assuming that his experimen-s 
were with reference to the latter, it will at once 
strike those familiar with the jak that there may 
be greater possibilities of utilizing it as a rubber- 
producing tree. The milk of the jak is well-known 
as bird-lime and cement, and is described a| 
