68 
TMF Tf?0P1CAL AG«10ULTUm8T. 
[July i, 1891. 
TEA SUBSTITUTES AT THE CAPE, 
In reference to the articles on Tea and Coffee sub. 
situtes, now appearing in the Oardeners" Chronicle, the 
following notes concerning this colony may be of 
interest : — 
Cyclopia geniBtoides, Vent., is the commonest Berg- 
thee of the western province. It U used partly bb 
a mere substitute for ordinary Tea, and partly with 
an idea that it is good for coughs and difficulty of 
breathing. Its infusion is sickly, sweetish, and has 
a somewhat astringent after-taste; it is not unlike 
a sweet solution of liquorice. The liquorice flavour 
is, however, much more evident in the several He- 
lichrysa used under the name.s of Hottentot, Bos- 
jesraan, and| KafSr Tea. H. nudifolium, Less., H. 
BerpyllifoHum, Less., H. Leiopolium, DC, are all em- 
ployed without much discrimination, and the vernacular 
names change about among these species. I have seen 
Geranium incarnatum, L., gathpred as a Berg-thee 
on Boachberg, behind Soraerset-Easr. Mouronia ovata, 
Cav., biflora, DC, and Burkiana, PI , are only used 
medicinally in cases of diarrhoea, but are less prized 
than the allied Pelarg^onium reniforrae, Bot. Mag. 
The report of Cassia mimosoide', L., being used at 
the Cape as a substitute for China Tea is surely a 
mistake. The only Cassia I koow of as in use here 
is C. tomentosa, Lam., a naturalised plant, common 
in farm gardens and about villai;es; it is a capital 
substitute fo Ssnna, with or without the accompani- 
ment of Engelsche Zout, or Epsom salts, among the 
ooli-jured servants. I should doubt if any Cassia is a 
Tea in any other sense than "Senna Tea." 
The Malays of Cape Town are great on native 
Teas; they drink lots of infusion of "Als," Arte- 
misia afra, Jacq., under the idea it is good for the 
" peus,"~Anglice, paunoh— bus, I believe* partly for 
the peculiar buzziaess of brains which it causes, 
something like the effect of strong tobacco on a 
smoker accustomed only to golden leaf. I have often 
been told that it makes you feel " mooi," — that is, 
nice— a sufficiently suggestive term for those who are 
forbidden to indulge in the raooi-ness that comes of 
Cape braudy. Leyssera goaphaloides. Less., is brought 
down from the Lion's Mount every day in the seasoh 
to make " Goel-blommetjes-thee." It is credited with 
demulcent properties in cough and catarrh, but is used 
often merely as a herb drink. 
My worthy friend, the Rev. A. G. Hettascb, of the 
Moravian Missioa at Geoadendaal, sent a collection 
of _ thirty-three plants used medically or as herbal 
drinks by the Hottentots and off-colour people on his 
station, to the Colonial Exhibition in 1886. Whether 
they ever got there, or, like eo many other contributions, 
were dropped somewhere, I cannot say. But they 
were submitted to me for identification, and I published 
the list with Mr. Hettasoh'a notes on their uses, in 
the Volkshlad, December 29, 1885. A translation 
could DO doubt be made for anyone interested in Cape 
herbalism.— P. MacOwan.— GartZenei-^' Ghronicle. 
♦ 
PEARL nSHERY AND WATER TELESCOPES 
Sir,— I know the instrument " Water telescopes" o^ 
old. A long tin funnel 2ft. — 3ft. long; with a 
piece of plate glass at the lower end about 8 
inches wide, the upper end being about J the 
size. Wo used to use it to look for fresh water 
mussel in the Tay ; one would row the boat over 
where the mussel beds were supposed to be ; and 
another would lean over the stern with the telescope, the 
Rlass en i was put into the water about 10 in. just 
clour of the ripple and you could see the bottom of 
the river plainly, in spite of the dark peaty colour 
of the water. When we saw the mussels we used 
to fi-ih them up with a long stick with a couple of 
pit^ces of iron fixed at the end. The mussels con- 
tained small pearl', sj you see the water telescope 
has been uxed at a poarl finhery before now. — I am, 
yours faithfully, J. Maiioslat. 
June 0th, 1891. 
.-Local "ludepoudent " 
COCOA IN THE LONDON MARKET. 
A. late Ceylon Planter writing from Home says: 
The very high quotations for cocoa which you had at 
the beginning of April, were not really obtainable. 
They wete merely based on a single sal^ , at which two 
buyers were bidding recklessly against each other. 
No further eale took place at the same rat*. 
The brokers, however, think that the present rates, 
about 122/ for every good samples, are likely to be 
maintained for a time. They informed me, that the 
bright red outside colouring is the roost important 
thing. The Spanish buyers, for instance, value cocoa 
solely by its outside colour. I was not aware that 
cocoa beans were ei\ten as dessert. It appears that 
they are so used in Russia, and they are exported from 
London, to be eaten in Mexico. — Local "Independent." 
♦ 
The Diseases op the Coconut Tree. — The paper 
by Mr. M. C. Potter on this subject, which was 
annouuoed (or reading at the meeting of the Lin- 
nean Society on May 7tb, was not reached in 
oonsequenoe of the length of the coainianioations 
which preceded it. It stands over therefore until 
June 4th, 
The Proposal for forming a Ceylon Syndicate for 
working tin in Perak is taking definite shape, and 
that the arrangements are now only awaiting the 
arrival in this country of Mr. Campbell, who will 
finally have the determining of one or IWD points. 
The result will certainly be the appointment of Mr. 
F. D. Mitchell as manager of the concern, the leading 
men in it being Mi^-ssrs. D. Reid, H. K. Rutherford, 
and Sir G. H. D. Blphinstone. I understand th\tir 
Cecil Smith takes a deep interest in the enterprise, 
which will have all the aid and encouragement in his 
power to give. — London Cor. Local "Times," 
CoFFEB AND Tea Lands IN Tbavancobe. — A Eoyal. 
Proclamation has been issued giving notice that in 
consequence of large areas of land taken ap for 
coffee cultivation having been abandoned by 
the proprietors, a tax of two annas per acre 
will be levied on all lands acquired for coffee or 
tea cultivation whether such lands be under culti- 
vation or not and that it is optn to proprietors to 
renounce and resign to Government the whole or any 
portion of such lands in which case the tax upon 
the relinquished portions will be remitted. — Cochin 
Western Star, June 6. 
An Artificial Substitute fob Quinine. — 
As if to add the very last straw to the cinchona 
planter's back, the chemists have at length suo- 
ceasfully aooomplished the work so long set before 
them of manufacturing artifioial quinine, or a 
sufficient substitute for the same. For the details we 
refer to &n &rt\(Ae in. onr Tropical Agricultvrist; but 
the Chemist and Druggist may well add the remark, 
that the discovery gomes too late to be of any 
commercial value, since it does not even pay now 
to out down the Cuprea bark in the South American 
forests. Still here is one more reason why we 
need never expect to see cinchona bark again rule 
high in price. 
Fall in Tobacco Shakes. — We learn from out 
Amsterdam correspondent that an extraordinary 
decline has taken place during the week in the 
shares of the Dutch Tobacco Companies. For 
instance, the Deli Company's shares receded 80 
per cent., while the Deli Batavia Company shares 
are 113 per cent, lower. The shares ol the 
Senembah Company are quoted 250 per cent., 
against 296 per cent, last week, or a drop ol nearly 
50 points. The reason of this fall, notwithstand- 
ing the high dividends declared, is ascribed to the 
fictitiously high rate to which these securities have 
been driven up, and further to the un satisfactory 
quality of the arrivals of the present year's orop,- 
for which lower prices have had to be accepted. 
— L. and C, JSxpress, May 15th, 
