304 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST ]Nov. 2 1903. 
The total exports of outch from India during the last 
four years, for which statiatioa are available, were as 
follows .— 
cwfs. £ 
1897- 8 97,187 .. 
1898- 9 61 CG9 
1899 00 127,815 164,605 
1900-01 101,995 ... . . 
Acacia concinna. — The pods of this tree are used 
by the natives as a detergent ia the preparation 
of silk and cotton goods for dyeing. The local 
trade in these is considerable, and it ia suggested 
they might also be used in Europe. 
Acacia Farnesiana yields a soluble gam, but the 
" Cassie pomade" manufactured from the flowers ia 
the product of moat interest. 
Acacia jacquemontii.—T^he gum yielded by this tree 
is almost; ooiourless and readily soluble in ivater, 
with which it forms a highly viscous mucilage suit- 
able for use in pharmacy and confectionery. 
Acacia modesta. — This species produces a pale, 
yellowish, translucent gum (Amritsar gum), which 
is soluble in water, but is only obtainable in small 
quantities. The timber of this tree is employed for 
the manufacture of agricultural implements. 
Acacia Senegal, which yields true gum arabio, is 
only met with in Rajputana and Sind, although, 
as previously mentioned, it ia widely distributed 
in the Sudan and Senegal. 
Many varieties of acacia furnish barks which 
are used by the natives to facilitite the fer- 
mentation of saccharine juices, but the well-ground 
bark of Acacia leucophloca is considered most suitable 
for this purpo.e, and if the qrality were more 
constant even larger quantities would be used. 
It miy be added tbat a systematic examination of 
the chemical and physical properties of Indian gums 
is now b^ing carried out in the Soienuflo and Techni- 
cal Department of the Imperial Institute. — Board of 
Trade Journal. 
« 
NOTBS ON RUBBSR CULTURE. 
The culture of the Central Ameri.ian rubber tree 
has passed the experimental stage in the sense that the 
piacticability of the agricultural production of rubber 
has been demonstrsted, but on tne other hand it 
has been ascertained that the tree may thrive where 
it will yield little or no ri^bber. Under favorable 
natural conlitions the culture of Castilla elastica bids 
fair to become very profitable, but the experimental 
determination of the factors which influence the pro- 
duction of rubber has sca-cely begun. [The spelling 
Castilla, instead of Castilloa. has been adopted at 
Washington, on account of its being the origin . 1 form.^ 
Area of Coltivation in S. A.meeica.— -In souihern 
Mexico and Central America the regions well adapted 
to the culture of Ccistilloa are much more limited than 
his been supposed. The Presence of wild Castilloa 
trees is not a sufficient evidence that a locality is 
suited to commercial rubber crlture. 
The Functions op the Latex.— The functions qf 
the rubber milk in the economy of the plant are 
noi well undei^t^od or agreed upon by botanists, but 
there are numerous reasons for holding that in Cas- 
tilloa and many other plants it aids in resisting 
drought. 
Situation and Climate for Castilloa. — A contin- 
uously humid climate is not necessary to the growth 
and productiveness of Castilloa ; the indications are 
rather that the quantity of miik and the percentage 
of rubber are both increased by an al ernation of 
wet and dry seasons. In its wild state Castilloa does 
not flourish in the denser toraets, but requires more 
open situations. It is confined' to forest regio'is only 
by the perishability of its seeds. Castilloa thrives better 
when planted in the open than in the dense forests ; 
even young see' lings are not injured by full exposure 
to the sun, providing that the ground does not be- 
come too dr^, . 
Castilloa as a Shade Tree.— The planting of 
Castilloa under shade or in partially cleared forests 
is to be advised only on account of special conditions 
or as a means of saving labor and expense. The loss of 
the leaves in the dry season may be explained as 
a proteotion against drought, and does not indicate 
conditions unfavorable to the tree or to the nroduction 
of rubber. The falling of the leaves ol Castilloa 
elastica in the dry season renders it unsuitable as a 
shade tree for coffee or cacao. In continuously humid 
localities where the leaves are retained shade trees 
are superfluous and the yield of rubber declines. 
Para Eubber in the Bast. — In British India it has 
been ascertained that the Para rubber tree may be 
repeatedly tapped on several successive or alternative 
days by renewing the wounds at the edges. The 
yield of milk increases for several tappmgs and 
the total is unexpectedly large. It ia not yet known 
whether multiple tapping is practicable with Castilloa, 
or whether this new pUn may not give the Para 
rubber tree distirot cultural advantage over Castilloa. 
AoB FOR Tapping.— The gathering of robber from 
trees less than ei'^hl years old is not likely to be advan- 
tageous ; the expense of collecting will be relatively 
large, and the quality of such rnbber is inferior, 
owing to the large percentage of resin. — Dept. of Agri- 
culture, U.S.A. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Ceylon Tea in New Zealand.— Prom a 
Maoriland corresp indent we learn that in 
the country districts there Indian teas and 
blends are what are chiefly sold. The 
merchants in many cases push these cheap 
lines rather than Ceylons as there is so 
much more protit in the former. There 
should, however, be a promising opening 
for pushing pure Ceylon tea in N.-Z In 
this connection we learn that Mr. Robert 
Wai'drop has applied to the "Thirty Com- 
mittee" for a small grant of tea to enable 
him to experiment— ^,n .application which 
ought to be successful (being to a large 
extent in the growers' interest) if it is 
within the power of the Committee to 
accede to it. 
Insecticides fob use in Hawaii. — A paper on this 
subject opens as follows in the Planters' Monthly : — One 
of the greatest hindrances to agriculture in hese 
Islands is the ravages of insect pests. The songs of 
the ancient Hawaiians often refer to the roses once 
grown, but the roses exist today only in song and in 
the memory of Kamaaiuas. Their growing was aban- 
d jneJ because of the destructive work of the J p inese 
" ro^e " beetle (Adorctus umbrosus.) Watermelons and 
muskmelous are a luxury, a eood watermelon bringing 
fifty cants to one dollar at the fruit stands in Honolulu. 
These products could be raised in certain sections, in 
quantities gre it enough to bring them within the reach 
of every table, were it not for the attack of the 
"melon-fly" (Dicus cucurbitae.] Some sections, 
otherwise ideal for farming, cannot produce paying 
crops because of the presence of vast numbers of cut- 
worms, locally known as " peelua" or ' poke" worms, 
the young or larvae of several species of moths belong- 
ing to the familyjNoctuidse, which devour not only the 
vegetable g irdens but whole fields of forage plants. 
One of the plant lice, the " green fly " M/Jte sp.), in 
the past season did much damage to the corn crop of 
the Kula District, on the Island of Maui, The yield 
of corn would ha^e been large, but the attacks of the 
plant lice may result in driving many holders to give 
up their leases. It is not the small farmer alone who 
is the sufferer. The manager of one of the sugar 
plantations estimates a loss of f 50,OJO worth of cane 
on a single plantation through the destructive work of 
the cane borer, the larva of a beetle {SpJienophorns 
ohscurus). 
