tttE TJlOPICAL AGUtCtlLTtlRiSl:. [i^ov. 2, 190S. 
AMERICAN ALOES IN INDIA. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
Ttavellera by the South J.aJiau i.iJ Midras Riil 
ways are familiar witu itia oeautiial steinlesa herba 
ceous plaat wah ita io\y>, grey, fliaby leaves, thjrny 
on cha aidei i»u i at clia sop, w ncU feuass for miles the 
lines oa boih ^ides, Fioia 1,5-ia oeaore of urowded Ijavea 
shoots a straight, stately oolurnn to the height of 15 to 
40 feef. bearing bauohej of fijW3i.s at the cop. Xbia 
lovely living pillar would dean a fligitiff hoisted to 
proclaim to those who have eyes to see that a life's 
task is done. 
The original homa of this plant ii South America; 
it was iatroduoed iato Eucope in 1561, and from theuoa 
into India. Ajreeably to i-..s exotio origin, tue verna- 
calar nain^j Are aa adaptntioa of old wjrdi to new 
things. la Tainii ic ij oilud oiepaant Kirrazhai," 
in TeiUjja eiapniat "K iUQanda ' ,*aj " Kikeaimiitttila" 
(" Riksha^a " or dem ju leiives), all being wordd i idi- 
cating the uiiuauii mzi of the leaves, Tae plant iivaa 
from 10 to 70 years bafoca fiowariag. Seaoa it has 
00013 to be believed that it flowers only once in 100 
years. It is found in the warmer countries of Europe, 
such as Italy and Sicily, Ic is used a? a fence in 
Italy and there, as well as in South America, the fibre 
of the leaves is turned "to good use as ropes and twine. 
In ancient IVIexioo. a kind of pxpar was m4,uufactured 
from the leaves. In more modern times their juice has 
been made no yield a sort of soap. More important 
than all this would seem their use as fodder to cattle— 
the leaves are said to be ao used. In this country, where 
the simple cowboy has been taught to see the forester 
in every bush, it will be an untold blessing if this cheap 
fodder abundantly supplied with the minimum of cost 
and labour, is placed within easy reach of them. 
Its fibre is much in demand in this country. Out of 
it are made the ropes used in water-lifts, the cords to 
tie^attle with and the receptacles from which to hang 
pots of curd and ghee. For agricultural purposes, 
however, despite the comparative cheapness of the fibre 
of this plant, that of the Janumu (Crotalaria juncea) 
if not Gongura (Hibiscus cannabinus) is preferred, owing 
to its obviously superior strength to stand exposure to 
water. In this part of the country, seeds of this plant 
are sown along with the cholam and ragi. The leaves 
are ased as fodder and their stems yield fibre. It was 
recently stated in the Madras Mail that the Riilway 
Companies intended to lea,se their fences and thai 
applications have been made for ihe grant of laud to 
plant the American aloes in. Even here, it has been 
observed that the ryots would willingly pay for these 
leaves which would bear cutting ever so often. Xhe 
medicinal use of these leaves is quite as well known to 
ryots. Their juice mixed with pounded ragi and painted 
on the part of the body affected, alleviates pain in man 
and beast. 
The plant belongs to the amaryllis order ; its leaves 
are shaped like a sword, and toothed like a saw. The 
back of every leaf, which is from 6 to 7 feet long, bears 
traces of three other tapering leaves which have 
grown in olose contact with it. When the flowering 
stem shoots, it grows with wonderful rapidity, and one 
plant is recorded to have attained to the height of 22| 
feet in the space of 30 to 40 days. The flower leaves 
are colourless ; and the pollen eacs, which ac first grow 
in a line with the stalks which bear tliem, stand later 
at right angles to them and resemble atnbrellas held 
over the pistil. Slices of the flower stem serve to 
sharpen a razor, and the spongy staff in it to kindle 
fire. — Madras Mail. 
NEW AND VALUABLE AGEICULTURAL 
PRODUCTS IN THE MALAY STATES. 
INTEKESriNa GOVERNMENT NOTICE TO PLANTERS. 
Notice is hereby given that, with a view to 
enooaraging the iutroducdou 6t agricultural pro- 
dacfcs not uader ^eDeral cultivatioa in the Fede- 
rated Malay States and neighbouring countries, 
the Governmanc is prepared to grant to any bona 
fide planter who can .satisfy the Qovernraeat that 
he u the pioueei' in the iiiHoJuvj i ).!, as a busi- 
ness operation, ot a new and cjiUiiierciaily valua- 
ble pioduct, treedoni fruin payment of expjrt duty 
in respect to such product for a period of five years 
from a date to bs fixed by Government in each 
case. The period of freedom from payment of 
export duty may ba increased to ten years in the 
ease of such new product in regard to which the 
planter can prove, to the satisfictiou of Govern- 
ment, thib he has introduced or been instrumental 
in iaoroduciiig into the Federated Malay States 
tli3 use of .spe -ial machinery, necessary for the 
prepxration of sucii product for the market, and 
thti practical ULility of whi^h machinery shall be 
de ii la- trated to the satisfaction of Government. 
iiiCi anplication under the notificition will be 
dialt with on its merits and the Government 
reserves to it-self the right of granting or refu-iug 
any application without assigning reason for its 
action. — By com mand, 
OLIVE ii MARKS, 
Acting Secretary to Resident- 
Resident-General's Office, Q.jneral, F.M.S. 
Selangor. 
— Selangor Gazette. 
INTERESTING TEA, COCONUT, FIBRE— AND 
PUNKAH-PULLING PATENTS. 
[Applications for the under-specified inventions 
have neen made. Full particulars may be 
obtained from the Indian and Eastern Patent 
Agency, 14, Olive Street, Calcutta, through whom 
the appiicitious can be filed ; — ] 
Tea.— Gilbert Wdiiam Suoton, civil engineer,' of 
K jtiiiiians, Great Bxddow, Ctieliusford, m the 
cju ity or Essex, Eu^laud. Improveineats in ap- 
piracus for driving off the moi.sture from tea leaf 
and the like, and in appliances used therewith. 
William Gow, tea broker, of Rood Lane, London, 
E.G., iilaglaud. Apparatus for the process of 
paaaiug or roasting tea leaf, and for drying other 
substances. 
Peter Stuart Brown, manufacturer, of Bothwell 
park, Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Improve- 
ments in boxes for holding tea. 
Coconut. -Gustav Miiller, baker, of No. 37, 
Waldemarstrasse, in the city of Berlin, la the 
Kingdom of Prussia, iu the German empire. Im- 
provements in the treatment of coconut butter. 
FiBBE. — James Felix Beard, machinist and engi' 
neer, of Cameron station, State of Coabuila> 
Mexico, and Roger Hayne, dry goods commission 
merchant, of St, Louis, United States of America. 
Improvements in machines for removing or sepa* 
rating the fibre contained iu vegetable leaves. 
Punkahs.— Charles Gibson, sub-conductor, Mili- 
tary Works Services, serving at Jalapahar, Uar- 
jeeling, India. A machine designed to be used in 
conjunction with electric or other motors for pull- 
ing punkahs, and for other purposes. 
Montague Churchill-Shann, electrical engineer, 
residing at the Grand hotel, Chowringhee Road, 
Calcutta, British India. Improvements in punkali- 
pulling syaiems.—/rtc{ia/i. and Eastern Engineer, 
September. 
