April 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
665 
The resnlts alluded to are given below together with 
those obtained iu the case of Mandenia tenacissima : — 
Orvptostegia Maredenia 
' Fibre. Fibre, 
per cent. per cent. 
Moistare -. . . 7 9 ... 7 7 
Aah 0-95 ... 1-5 
a-Hydrolyais .. Los8 .. 5'2 ... 7'8 
i-Hydrolysis .. ,. .. 9'8 ... 8-9 
Mercerisation . . „ . . 4'3 ... 4'9 
Acid purification „ 1'2 ... 3'5 
Nitration.. .. Gain .. 49*0 ... 53 9 
Cellulose 920 ... 91 5 
Length of altimate fibre . . 10-60 mm. 10 30 mm. 
The fibre contains little or no ligno-oellnlose ; this is 
shown especially by the absence of colour in the 
nitration product, and by the fact that when the 
chlorinated product, obtained in the course of the 
estimation of cellulose, is treated with sodium sul- 
phite, no red coloration is produced. It is excep- 
tionally resistant to the action of alkali, as is indi- 
cated by the comparatively small losses sustained 
on hydrolysis and mercerising. The remarkable 
quality of the fibre is shown also by tho unusually 
high percentage of cellulose, and by the large 
increase of weight on nitration. In all these parti- 
culars, the fibre of Cryptostegia resembles that of 
Marsdenia, The ultimate fibre, however, is of greater 
length than that of Marsdenia, its average length 
being about 30 mm. (12 inches) which is equal to that 
of flax. 
The sample has been submitted to leading fibre 
brokers for commercial valuation, who report that 
the fibre is of good quality, and worth about 30/. 
per ton. They are ot opinion that the fibre is likely 
to prove of considerable valne, but that its com- 
mercial possibilities can only be arrived at by sub- 
mitting it to manufacturing tests, and they ask 
to be supplied with two or three bales for this 
purpose. They point out that the fibre should be as 
long and even as possible, and that the long and 
short filaments should be kept separate ; iu the present 
sample the length is very irregular. 
Specimens of the rubber furnished by Cri/ptostegia 
granditlora have also been received recently from 
India, and have been examined in the Scientific 
and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute. 
The results of the examination of these rubbers will 
be published subsequently. — Bulletin of the Imperial 
Institute, 
close when touched. This experiment has been the 
parent of much research of late years. 
BY MEANS OF AN/liSTHETICS 
an imitation of the winter sleep of the vegetable 
world has been accomplished in much the same way 
that human beings are rendered unconscious. 
Dr. W. Johanusen, of Copenhagen, noticing that 
many plants push forth their buds after a period of 
repose such as occurs during the winter months, or 
even in unfavourable seasons, during the summer, 
conceived the idea that by inducing such a condition 
of rest by means of anaesthetics the plants would be, 
as it were, renovated and stimulated and rendered 
capable of developing their buds with greater vigour. 
Acting on this principle. Dr. Johannsen was able to 
show, at a meeting of the Copenhagen Academy of 
Sciences 
LILAC BLOSSOMS FORCED BY ETHERISATION. 
Lilacs, and especially the variety named Charles X., 
which is notably a difficult one to force, lilies of the 
valley, azaleas, and deutzias were subjected to the 
vapour of ether, and stimulant effects on the pro- 
duction not only of flowers but of leaf -buds and leaves 
were observed. M. Leblanc reported to the Societe 
Centrale d'Horticulture de Nancy that his experi- 
ments with chloroform had been quite successful. 
Oa February 19th last he chloroformed some plants 
of azilea mollis, giving them about half the quan- 
tity he would have used had it been ether, and ex- 
posing them to the action of the vapour for about 
forty -eight hours. 
The results show that the flowering of plants can be 
hastened by anajsthetics, There is some danger at- 
tafihing to the operation, however. 
They were at once removed to a greenhouse at 
a temperature of 65 deg. P. From March 6th the 
flowers began to expand a little and attained to 
about their full dimensions on the 8th, whereas plants 
grown for comparison were not expanded until March 
21st. The chambers in which the vapours are set free 
should be ot large size, and to prevent their escape 
should be absolutely air-tight, and all manipulation 
must be executed in the daytime, since the approxi- 
mation of a light if air has gained access to the in* 
terior is liable to be followed by violent explosion, 
which may occasion great destruction of property and 
possibly loss of life. 
TLANIS UNDER CHLOROFORM. 
The " Lancet " has been surprising the world in 
general, and particularly those interested iu horti- 
culture, by an article giving the results of experiments 
with ether and chloroform on plants. 
The close similarity in composition and properties 
of animal and vegetable protoplasm is brought into 
strong relief by the extremely interesting and curious 
investigations that have been recently made on the 
action of the vapours of ether and chloroforn in 
PROMOTING THE PROCESS OF INFLORESCENCE IN PLANTS^ 
or, in Other words, in forcing them to flower at an 
earlier period than is natural to them. The production 
of early blooms in the lilac, the lily of the valley, 
the deutzia, and the azalea is a large and important 
industry in the early springs and for any grower 
to obtain well-developed flowers a week or two in 
advance of his brother horticulturists, especially if 
it can be accomplished at little cost, means large 
. receipts, and in addition the satisfaction of successful 
rivalry. 
I Many yetors ago Claude Bernard, desirous of 
reoordiog the phenomena common to animal and 
plant life< submitted both to the action of aDa)stbetics. 
He placed a specimen of the sensitive plant under a 
bell-glass with a small sponge dipped in ether, and 
found that after the lapse of a few minutes the 
expanded kav^a booame insensible and oeased to 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
OUR COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH 
AFGHANISTAN AND TEA. 
The " Journal of the Society of Arts " of March 
11 gives a full report of the paper on our commeroial 
relations with Afghanistan, read by Sir T H Hol- 
dich before the society on February H, In the 
course of his paper Sir T H Holdich, referring to tea, 
said ; We send to Kabul cotton goods (chiefly) with 
indigo, sugar, and tea (the latter mostly China leaf); 
and we could, no doubt, largely increase the tea trade 
passing through Kabul to Central Asia but for the 
transit duties, which are said to amount to 106 rupees 
per camel load of tea — say 4d per pound. In the 
discussion which followed Mr J D Rees, C I E, said 
that he wished to ask Sir Thomas Holdich a question 
about the tea trade. Did he mean by his statement 
regarding China tea that Indian tea did not penetrate 
into Afghanistan ? The fact was that the trade over 
the extension of tho Quetta Railway, at any rate, to 
which reference had been made, was chiefly in Indian 
tea, until the tariff was lately raised under the Russo. 
Persian Convention. Was there no Indian tea going 
into Afghanistan proper ; and did the Amir's policy 
in any way impede the development of the tea trade ? 
He used to hear a great deal in Moscow and other 
parts of Russia about the superior enterprise of the 
Ceylon tea planters as compared with that of the 
ludiao tea trade. If it was a fact that dq ludiau te^ 
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