May 2, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
761 
it in favourable circumstances finds an en- 
trance between the open valves of the 
oyster shell, or is drawn in by inhalent currents. 
Tlie entry once gained, the next step is to bore into 
the li-sues of the host, and here it undergoes tlie 
early stages of its growth. If the fates are pro- 
pitious the host is eaten, and the developing worm 
escapes uninjured from the body of its first into thai 
of its second host— a file fish (Haliste.^). If the 
life-history is to be completed, the file-lish must 
in turn be swallowed by one of the large elasmn- 
branchs wiiiiin the body of which the final adult 
stage is reached, and from thence escape the free- 
swimming embryos to renew the cycle. In these 
cases, however, where all runs smoothly — for the 
parasite— no pearls are formed. Oil the other 
hand, when the oyster escapes the file-fisli, the 
larval parasite, unable to complete its develop- 
ment, dies, and becomes cocapsuled by the pearly 
nacre deposited by the living tissues of the oyster 
upon the source of irritation. 
Sl'LENDID WOEK BY MR. HORKELL. 
Throughout his report Prof. Herd man bestows 
uns inted praise on the woik of his assistant, 
Mr Hornell, and there can be no doubt 
but that is most thoroughly deserved, for 
much work of the highest importance was 
entrusted to him, and he in every case proved 
worthy of the trust. We are therefoie glad that 
iProf. Ilerdman's wish has been fulfilled— that Mr 
Hornell should be asked to continue his observa- 
tions as marine biologist at the Galle Laboratory 
— for he will now be able to render "signal service 
to the pearl, sponge, trepang and other marine 
fisheries of the Colony." In concluding this notice 
we must not omit to mention that a series of sepa- 
rate reports has been prepared by various speci- 
alists on material collected during this investiga- 
tion. Seven of these reports are included in the 
present volume, and others are to follow, The 
first of these deals with the geology of the sea- 
bottom, and describes the formation of the peculiar 
bottom essential to the presence and well being 
of the pearl oyster. Mrs Gepp, in an account of 
the algse collected, desciiles the hitherto unknown 
fructification of a species of Halimeda. The 
remaining reports are zoological, and describe the 
(jephyrea, Chitons, Holothurians, Cephalochorda, 
and Copepoda. MrTatersall's report on Amphioxus 
will be read* with great interest. No less than 
seven of the eleven species known occur around 
Ceylon. "The tables at the end of the report 
show bow extremely variable the species of the 
group are, and the more extenied our knowledge 
of this group becomes the less do the species appear 
to be separated." The report on the Copepoda, by 
Messrs Thomson and Scott, is by far the largest of 
these supplementary reports and embraces des- 
criptions of no less than 283 species, of which 76 
are new to science, Further description of this 
most valuable book we cannot give. It must be 
read to be appreciated. The vast wealth of informa- 
tion contained in Prof. Herdman's report on 
the pearl oyster alone demanded far more space 
than we have been enabled to afford it. Enough, 
however, has probably been said to show that the 
commission was not only completely^justified, but 
has resulted in a rich harvest of facts which appeal 
■ftot merely to those interested in the pearl fisheries 
or to students of mollusca, but to the biologist the 
world over. The volume is well bound, well printed, 
and profusely illustrated. W. P, P. 
—Nature. 
PLANTING AND OlilER NOTES. 
Mr Harold H Mann, M Sc.— the Scientific 
uffiijer of the Indian Tea Association— has bean 
touring round the Dooars districts, enquiring into 
the damage done to tea bushes by tlie various insect 
pests and blights, which, like the poor, are ever 
with the industry. Despite all the remedies hitherto 
tried, and the manifold experiments of all kinds 
made^ there appears to be no possibility of getting 
whoily rid of either the red spider or the mosquito 
blight. If some plant inimical to insect life could 
be discovered and sown broadcast amongst the tea, 
it might help to ward off the evils. The only thing 
that appears to have any really eflicacious effect 
on red spider, at present, is sulphur, and it is being 
freely applied by the ton.— Indian Planters' 
Gazette, April 9. 
The Chestnut in India.— Mr. W. Gollan, 
Superintendent, Government Botanic Garden. 
Saharanpur. reports to the Asiatic Society of Bengal 
that the chestnut has taken kindly to the Dehra 
Dun valle?, and it also exists on a small scale in 
the Kulu Valley, but nowhere else. The nuts now 
founil at Dehra Dun and those which appear in the 
Bhamo bazaar every season from China are identical 
in general appearance. Both are like the sweet 
chestnut of Europe, but are not so well-filled and 
do not keep so long. Mr. GoUan has tried both 
plants and seeds of chestnuts from Europe, and in 
the course of over 25 years has only established one 
plant. He believes that the European strain of 
sweet chestnut has failed everywhere in Northern 
India. What success has been obtained is through 
seeds or trees of Chinese origin introduced by 
Fortune and established by Jameson.— 3i Mail, 
Ceylon Green Tea and the Raising 
OF THE Standard op Manufacture.— 
Apropos our remarks oa this subject 
elsewhere, Mr. C. R. Banks, a well-known 
American tea man has an article in a recent 
issue of the American Grocer in which he makes 
some important statements on the subject. 
The writer says " It seems wise to buy Letter 
stock which is well cured. Green teas of 
desirable selections are limited and held at 
firm prices.'- This as to the general situa- 
tion. Speaking more particularly of British 
teas it is encouraging to find Mr. Banks 
declare that " Ceylons and Assams have 
grown in public favor, the basis being a 
fair value to merchants and consumers. 
Green Ceylons, natural and colored leaf, are 
taken freely in sections where Japans and 
B.-F. Japans are mostly u jed. Some possess 
excellent drinking qualities, icJiile viany are 
hitter in the cup and destroy/ anything they are 
blended ivith, while alone they ore decidedly 
objectionable." This shows clearly that 
Ceylon can make, and is making two kinds of 
green tea, one bad and one good— one 
worthy of bonus and the other not. 
This latter class of tea Ceylon must 
discourage, and although we readily admit 
there are difficulties to be overcome, we 
trust the " Thirty Committee " will give 
the matter their best consideration and 
devise some method whereby teas designated 
as " decidedly objectionable " will be kept 
off the American market. Paying bonus 
on teas like these is simply throwing away 
public money and at the same time givin"- 
Ueylon green teas a bad name, " 
