440 
Su^Umni io the Tropical Agriculiurist,'* [Dec. 2, 1901. 
its French name, "aubergine": this is probably 
because the London market is supplied from 
Pmnce. The brinjal is largely grown in India ; 
it is also esteemed in Germany, Italy, and other 
European countries, but more especially in the 
United States of America. It is an nnnunl, but 
it continues bearing for some time in Queensland. 
I have had it fruit tiiree years in succession. I 
have grown the white kind, which is also edible, 
and recently a white, striped with purple, which 
was as good as the purple. 
How great are the possibilities of Hawaii as a 
fruit and vegetablf^ growing country, will be under- 
stood, says an exchange, when it becomes known 
that four crops of potatoes have been produced in 
successson on the same piece of land within twelve 
months. Radishes become edible in ten daj's after 
showing. Strawberry vines bear fruit all the 
year. The berries are of the finest flavour. 
Cabbage grows all the year, and it apparently 
makes no difference whether it is planted in the 
spring, summer, autumn or winter. Parsley once 
sown, grows forever, apparently. Lima beans 
continue to grow and bear for over a year, and 
they have to be gathered every week after start- 
ing to bear. Cucumbers bear the entire year, and 
so do tomatoes, which, with proper attention 
bear for years. Raspberries bear for six months. 
Pineapples come into bearing when the plants 
are four months old and bear in abundance for 
years. Lettuce can be planted at any time and it 
develops quickly. The same is true of celery. 
Those who have been interesting themselves 
in rhea cultivation in Ceylon will be interested 
to learn that there is at the Buffalo Exhibition 
a machine which defribiates ramie from the green 
stalks. The exhibitors of the invention are the 
Egssun-Packer Defribator Co. of New York. It is 
reported to have been worked with success in the 
Held in Florida, cleaning 4 tans of green stalks 
per day and requiring less than one horse-power 
to operate. 
Indian Gardening publishes a most interesting; 
article, detailing a curious discovery m:ide by 
Mr. N. G. Mukerjee, jr. A., M.B.A.C., Professor 
of Agriculture, Civil Engineering College, Sibpur, 
in the cultivation of rice, which should have 
an important practical bearing on this crop 
— in Bengal at any rate. Mr. Mukerjee has, in 
fact, succeeded in evolving an aus paddy with 
aman tendencies, in addition to producing 
superior varieties of aus paddy. It is expected 
that the discovery will be of material benefit 
to cultivators, and our contemporary recommends 
that steps should be taken to make known tlie 
discovery far and wide. 
Here is a simple, inexpensive and practical con- 
trivance for keeping birds out of fruit trees, which 
might answer for scaring away sparrows from 
paddy, parakeets from Indian corn, squirrels 
from cacao, custard apples, &c. It consists in 
hanging a small mirror on the top limb of 
the tree. There should be at least six inches 
of string to the mirror, so that it can swing 
about when moved by the wind. It is said that 
the flash of the mirror creates a scare. One 
or more cheap mirrors used thus on e:\c\i tree are 
said to have answered well in the Philippines, and 
the birds do not grow familiar with the contri- 
vance as in the case of scai'e crows. The experi- 
ment suggested is well worth trying. 
Soot and lime are very useful in keeping off 
slug?. The material should be sprinkled arouna 
the rows so shat the slugs cannot crn.ss the 
line formed. When this is done there will be 
little to fear from slugs, and where the operation 
is neglected, they are in the vicinity of crops, 
they will come out and devour the leaves in 
the most destructive manner. Land affected with 
slugs should be kept free of weeds and rubbi.=h 
and the land constantly stirred up and kept open. 
