Oct. 1, 1901] THE TROPICAL AGRICaLTURIST 
245 
oysters, which have a special mark, show up most 
plainly. Then by running a pencil line round the outer 
edge of the dives on oysters the configuration of the 
whole bed of oysters is made clear, and as the circular 
lines are drawn to scale the area of the bed of oysters 
is easily calculated. Of course the area obtained in 
this way is on 'y approxinaate, but it is sufficiently so 
for the purpose required. 
Then as regards estimating the number of oysters on 
the bed. The percentage of 'blank dives, that is, dives 
without oysters, to dives on oysters, within the lines 
defining the bed of oysters, is ascertained, and a corres- 
ponding percentage of the whole area of the bed is 
deducted from the area, and the remaitider represents 
the area for oysters ; which area divided by the area to 
an average dive given by the divers produces the 
number of dives required to clear the whole bed of 
oysters ; and that number of dives multiplied by the 
average number of oysters to a dive for the whole bed, 
as also given by the divers, gives the total number of 
oysters on the whole bed. Of course the accuracy of 
such an estimate depends upon the accuracy of the 
estimates given by the divers of the number of oysters 
obtainable to a dive and of the space cleared by a dive. 
Hitherto, however, my estimates framed in this 
manner have been less than the actual number of 
oysters taken up at a fishery. 
J. DoNNAN, Inspector of Pearl Banks, 
THE BAMBOO AND ITS USES. 
Small coppices of bamboo form one of the most 
striking features of the farm, or estate— as fruit 
orchard in Natal — to use the more common coast 
designation. The bamboo serves many purposes. 
Primarily, as a shelter to the fruit crops from 
wind, it is of great value. Then it has very 
material and direct uses, and on tliis account 
Mr James urges general cultivation throughout 
the colony. On the coast, the growth, of course, 
is more luxuriant than can be expected in the 
upper and colder parts of the colony, but, as 
there are immense varieties — many excellent 
kinds growing in parts of Japan and China, 
■where tiie winters are of intense severity — he 
believes that even for the coldest parts of S,'>uth 
Africa suitable varieties might be found. When 
he first planted a few clumps, some twenty years 
ago, he did so with two objects in view : 
first, to give shelter ; and, seconilly, for selling to 
Indians as poles for their house construction. 
A ready sale for the poles is found from 3d to 
Is each. The top height ot his bamboos is about 
seventy feet, but there are kinds which reach 
in India 120 feet, the diameter at the base being 
one foot, and from sections of this thick part the 
Indians make barrels for oil. 
The bamboo fruit box often seen in Durban, aniF 
sometimes in Maritzburg and beyond, was, so to 
say, invented by Mr James. He now has imi- 
tators, and he would be glad to see more. The 
boxes are of great strength, and, for permitting 
the tree circulation of air among the fruit, they 
are perfect. The only sawn vi^ood required is for 
the ends. The ends for the small boxes— weighing, 
with contents about one hundred pounds — are solid, 
while for larger boxes the ends are square frames, 
and are filled in with small bamboo slats. Tliese 
boxes can be made of any size, and, as they 
cost i^less than h ilf what boxes cost made ot 
ceiling boards, they would serve admirably for 
sending certain kinds of farm or garden produce 
from, a distance to market. The manufacture is 
sinjple, and, moreover, it is easily learnt by Indians, 
or by intelligent natives. The poles, which are 
ijaken from plants at least ten years old, are first 
allowed to dry. They are sawn to the required 
length, rather a small-tooth hand saw being used. 
The lengths are then split ; a bamboo of four- 
inch gives about live slats. For this work, the 
man I saw at work was using a jplough coulter, 
which had had the upper end shaped into a han- 
dle by the village blacksmith. The trimniing 
follows. This was done by an Indian, squatting 
on his haunches. His tools were a side axe and 
a bush knife. The latter was the implement mo.st 
used, and the rate at which he trimmed the 
length was astonishing. The nailing of the boxes 
together was done witti a sort of automatic ease 
and regularity. Mr James has always in training 
several of the hands, so as to avoid ever being in a 
fix for want of capable workers. Here are the 
prices : — 
The sawn timber ends 
Hoop iron 
Wire nails 
Labour and bamboo. . 
s. D. 
0 6 
0 1 
0 IJ 
0 6J 
Total 1 3 
Such iis the cost of a bamboo box two feeb 
two inch by one foot six inch, and nine-inch 
deep, which, filled with citrus fruit, weighs almost 
exactly one hundred pounds. The increase of cost 
is comparatively small, owing to the fact that the 
timber required for the ends is not solid, bub, as 
explained, is made into a square frame. Mr James 
is convinced that a factory lor the making of 
these boxes and other articles from l»an) boo would 
do a profitable business. The difficulty li«8 in the 
want of bamboo. It is not commonly enough 
grown to justify the manufacture being under- 
taken as an independent business. Ten years 
would have to go by before purposely-planted 
bamboos on a large scale would be fit for 
manufacture. 
The bamboo isimpressed into many more services 
by i\Ir James. The walls and doors of his sheds 
and stable are bamboo, the ladders for gathering 
frcit are bamboo, the water troughs tor the 
poultry are bamboo, and even the handles for 
hammers andjthe kitchen Kattir's axe areof bamboo. 
Most Colonists know how soon the handle ot the' 
last-named implement comes to grief, and when 
they learn that a bamboo handle successfully re- 
sists the bad treatment it gets fr«m average 
kitchen boys, they will realise how tough must be 
the fibre of the bamboo. In some parts of the shed 
walls I noticed the "borer" was busy, while other 
sections were untouched. Mr James is of opinion 
that, if bamboo is cub at a certain time of 
the year, the "borer" makes no entrance 
but what that time is he has not yet concerned 
himself to determine. 
"Some people," said Mr James, "find the 
propagation of the bamboo difficult. I cannot 
say I have found any diffiulty. It should be 
planted as satrar-cane, the holes being a little 
deeper, and about thirty feet apart. The lengths 
planted should be about four feet or five feet 
and great care should be taken not to ""injure 
the shoots. In damp rich soil they groV bio- 
and strong, and on dry poor soil, thinner and 
harder. "Very poor, dry soil gives the best whip 
sticks''.— Natal Mercury, July 13, 
