788 
Supplement io the " Tropical Agrculturist." 
[May 1, 1902. 
portion of soil particles and deposit them in a 
compact or puddled condition. One of the prin- 
cipal advantages of surface cultivation during the 
growing season of plants is doubtlessly to be found 
in the breaking up of the rain-puddled surface of the 
soil ; and as a mulch will do this effectively it 
will greatly reduce or entirely replace the culti- 
vation necessary on this score. In addition to 
surface cultivation there is always a certain 
amount of deep cultivation necessary. But even 
this can be reduced more or less by the use of a 
mulch, as the latter has the tendency to preserve 
the soil in a loose and open condition. This fact 
has been proven both by measuring the volume of 
air contained in a definite volume of mulched and 
unmulched soil, and by noting the shrinkage 
taking place in similar samples of soil mulched in 
various ways and those not protected by such a 
covering. To quote the figures without a detailed 
account of the experiments might be misleading. 
It will be sufficient to mention that in each case 
the mulch prevented the soil from becoming as 
compact as it otherwise would have become. In 
addition to this direct influence a mulch also tends 
to attract worms, which, by their burrowing, 
actually loosen the soil and possibly assist in 
rendering some of the plant food more readily 
available. Furthermore, any of the mulch decay- 
ing supplies the soil with vegetable mould at the 
surface, the place where it is so much needed. 
You will have noticed the check that a mulch has 
on weeds. And it is self-evident that a loose 
soil with no crust and a moist surface will allow 
the rain to enter more readily and will suffer less 
from surface washing. 
» 
GENEEAL ITEMS. 
The neglect of the ground or pea-nut'in Ceylon 
is to say the least of it remarkable, seeing that 
it is well suited to most parts of the Island. In 
America during a fair year the ground nut crop 
average! 6,000,000 bushels, and that is only a 
small proportion of the world's crop of fully 
25,000,000. The Americans eat about 4,000,000 
bushels of nuts a year, either in candy or the 
original kernels. The nut is largely used to 
adulterate Coffee and Cocoa. 
Ground-nut oil, which is perhaps the most 
valuable product of the plant, is of a pale straw 
colour, very thin, clean and tasteless. It does 
not become rancid and even improves with 
keeping. The yield is variously stated to be from 
16 to 30 per cent, the higher quantity being 
assisted by heat but determined in quality. 
Its largest use is in adulterating olive oil. 
while it is also used for sewing machines and 
small machinery, for soap-making and as a 
cooking oil, also "for burning. The residue or cake 
is used as a milk-yielding cattle food as well 
as a manure. 
Some time ago attention was drawn to the 
value of the parched nuts as a diet for consumptive 
patients. The taste for parched nuts is so uni- 
versal in America thot a ground-nut stand is to be 
Been at nearly every street corner in the large 
towns. The Cape Colon]/ Ar/ricultural Journal, 
to which we are indebted for the above notes, 
makes a plea for the cultivation of the ground- 
nut along the Eastern Coast lands. 
In composition the white of egg consists of 
proteid matter dissolved in water, while tlie yolk 
contains in addition to proteid, fat and coloring 
matter. The results of analysis areas follows: — 
White: 85"7 water, 12 6 proteid, •25 fat and ••'jOnsh. 
lott.- 50-9 water, 16-2 proteid, 81-75 fat, 1-00 
ash. White and Yolk together: 73'7 water, 14 '8 
proteid, 10"5 fat, 1*0 ash. 
A correspondent of the 'Natal Agricultural 
Journal gives the following recipe wliich lie has 
found most successful for mange in dogs : Wash 
the skin first with warm water and soup (whale 
oil or Carbolic is preferable). Then apply 4 oz. 
of whale oil, 1 drachm of creosote, 1 oz. sulphur. 
Grind the sulphur into a little oil and creosote 
and then grn dually add the rest of the tar and 
oil, Rub thoroughly into the skin. 
Fergularia odoratissima, known among the 
Chinese as the "Night-Scented Orchid" is what 
is called the "tonkin creeper" in Ceylon. It is, 
of course, not an orchid, but a member cf the 
order Asclepiadaceae. The flower is a great 
favourite among older members of the Ceylonese 
population, and is often placed among articles 
of clothing owing to the scent it imparts. An attar 
is said to be extracted from the blossoms. The 
fruit is incorrectly supposed by some to be the 
scented bean called "Tonka" or " Tonga" which is 
borne by Dipteryx odorata, a leguminous plant 
and the seed of which is used to scent snuff and 
communicate a pleasant odour to clothing, 
