Sept. 2, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
199 
for American speculators have bought up the 
available supply, and prices are already on the 
rise. London opium importers have received ad- 
vices from Smyrna, saying that rain has hurt the 
Turkish crop gr> atly and that, before the destruc- 
tive storms, American brokers bought 79,4001b. 
of opium, thus securing the visible supply. The 
highest grade of the drug is grown in Turkey, 
and England usually takes about half-a-milliou 
pounds. Owing to tlie damage to the new crop 
the Americans can ask their own rates, and already 
prices have gone up 9d. a pound in London, with 
every prospect of a much ^^reater advance. A 
leading opium importer said recently that the 
Americans had acted very cleverly in cornering 
opium. Only a light crop was planted last year, 
and this fact, coupled with the weather, increased 
the certainty of a shortage. Usually there is too 
much opium for it to be cornered, but this year 
conditions favour the Yankees. — Exjjrcss, July 25. 
TIMBER SLEEPEES ON INDIAN 
RAILWAYS. 
The substitution of metal for wooden sleepers 
in Indian Railway construction owes its origin not 
merely to comparative life and cost of each article, 
but as much to the important factor of supplies 
in the past not being equal to demands. In the 
early days India was dependent on Euiope for her 
creosoted Pine sleepers, a trade winch is, we be- 
lieve, now about extinct with the general adoption 
of cast-iron and steel sleepers, and a more abun- 
dant supply of Indian timber sleepers, as well as 
Jarrah sleepers from Australia. The Bengal 
Timber Trading Company, Limited, Managing 
Agents, Messrs. Jardine, Skinner and Company, 
Calcutta, we would remind Railway and other 
Administrations, are in a position to supply tirst- 
class Sal, Jarrah and Teak sleepers, also Teak 
and Pine timber, in all sizes and in large quanti- 
ties, at favourable rates. — Raihomfs, Aug. 7- 
CITRONELLA OIL, 
BY ERNEST J. PARRY, B.SC, F.I.C. 
Apart from general analysis of oil of citronella, 
with a view to determining its purity, the great bnik 
o£ the oil on the London market is examined in ordef 
that it may be certified as passing the so-called 
" Schimmel's test." Pure oils of commerce give some- 
what different results with this test, some being 
quite soluble in 80-per cent alcohol, and others, 
although quite soluble in 3 or 4 volumes of the alcohol, 
become slightly turbid on addition of 10 volumes of 
the solvent. Occasionally one has to decide as to what 
constitutes " slight turbidity" in this respect. In 
general I find that the citronella oils (that is the pure 
oils), with low sp. gr. are those which give a per- 
fectly clear solution, whilst those with a lush sp.gr. 
often give a slight turbidity when the full 10 voiumes 
of alcohol are added. In cases where any pofsible 
doubt can arise as to what is the limit that this 
turbity may assume, without the oil failing to 
pass the test, the use of alcohol of slightly higher 
strength will be found of se vice. With pure oils 
the turbidity almost, if not quite, disappears when 
the alcohol fcis increased to 81-83 per cent, whilst, if 
even very small quantities of petroleum are present, 
there is practically no change by using alcohol up to 
85-per cent strength. It has been shown that the 
high gravity oils usually contain more methyl- 
eugenol than the low gravity samples ; but this would 
not Hcoount for the lower solubility in alcohol. It 
is probable that this is due to the greater piepon- 
derance of sesquiterpene in the high-gravity oils. — 
Chemist and Druggist, July 27, 
WATERPROOF PAPER. 
Quite a new product into which rubber enters as 
an essential element is waterproof paper. This is now 
sold m Maijchester, and is largely used in the packine 
of Manchester goods for abroad. It is a particularly 
strong brown paper, made fiom wood pulp, two layers 
of this being glued together by a solution of rubber of 
the ordinary type. It is expected to he a great sac- 
cess when it is better known, although, as it has only 
been on the market a short time, it is too soon to 
prophesy regarding its future popularity. The rubber 
solution used in this manufacture is not employed in 
the same manner as in calico-printing, for, whereas in 
the latter case the rubber was expected to confer very 
durable qualities, iu the case of the paper it is not 
intended to be of any service after it has served its 
purpose as a wrapper of goods.— India lUibber Trades' 
Journal, July 22. 
MR. DAVID YULE ON THE TEA 
INDUSTRY. 
At the annual meeting of the Bank of 
Calcutta Mr. D. Yule, the Chairman, in his 
speech, referred to the tea industry as 
follows :— ^ 
Our tea gardens are still under a cloud, and the 
large capital locked up gives hardly any return on 
the average. I think, however, the cloud is 
breaking up, for we find buyers of tea willing to 
pay good prices for quality, although they decline 
to give anything like covering rates for common 
descriptions. It has often been pointed out that 
Indian gardens should endeavour to make their 
manufacture distinct from the coarse and badly 
made teas which are produced by Ceylon and 
China. This is far and away a better policy than 
throwing a percentage of the bushes out of cultiva- 
tion. Natuie this year has come to our assistance 
in reducing outturn, and our gardens are fully ''O 
per cent, behind last year. On the 15th of this 
month gardens will have made half their crop, but 
as we are now having September weather in 
August, there is not much hope of the deficit beina 
made up and early v.-old weather being expected" 
Such being the prospects of the crop, I consider 
present prices too low, and unless garden pro- 
prietors bestir themselves to get some advance in 
values, they will find the balance of their profit 
and loss accounts on the wrong side at the close 
of the season. I am glad to say that at last there 
IS some prospecu of planters working up a demand 
for their produce among the millions of Indian 
people, who so far have not enjoyed the 
taste of the health-giving properties of the 
fragrant cup. I say fragrant cup, for recently 
I have made it my business to get samples of 
tea sent to me from the bazaars iu Calcutta and 
other towns in India. The stuff our native friends 
know as tea would, I think, be called by you 
slow death. The majority of the samples held a 
visible percentage of shellac and mica sweepings 
and others were doctored with some pungent scent 
apparently for the use of " high life." The Com- 
mission .vhich has now been formed is the out- 
come of a suggestion made by His Excellency 
the Viceroy m the debate on the Assam La' ..nr 
Bill, and as you may have noticed in the E'n(jli.s/i.,nau 
this morning, the practical effort now being made 
has his greatest sympathy. This should besutfi- 
cient to induce every well-wisher of a strm^flin" 
Indian industry to say a good word for teato the 
people they are in touch with. I am quite sure 
the Indian people will become a hardier and more 
