ro THE TROPICAL 
SOILS AND THEIR PROPERTIES. 
From a recent report of numerous investigations 
of soil from the Californian vineyards and orchards 
by Professor E. W. Hilgard, the following summary 
of the general conclusions should prove of value 
and practical use to all gardeners and hort'culturists. 
First, in no case has any natural virgin soil showing 
high plant-food percentages beeu found otherwise 
than highly productive, undT favourable physical 
conditions. But, on the other hand, the reverse is 
not always true, for the simple fact that heavy clay 
soils, rich in plant-food may advantageously bo dilut- 
ed with arid sand several times over, thereby increas- 
ing instead of diminishing their productiveness, be- 
cause of improved physical conditions. This fact is 
abundantly exemplified in the daily experience and 
practice of gardeners. 
Of coujse there must be a limit to the favourable 
efiect of such dilution, even if effected by means of 
sand, which renders the soil more readily penetrable 
by roots. 
In the case of dilution of heavy clay soil by sand, 
not only is there a necessary limit beyond which 
plants cannot make up by greater spread of root for 
the dimiuished amount of available plant-food exist- 
ing within a given space, but it is obvious and abundant- 
ly exemplified in Nature that this limit is materi- 
ally influenced by the habit of the plant root-system, 
and especially by its ability to develop abundant root- 
hairs. The better provided it is in this latter regard, 
the greater will be its ability to utilise plant-food 
spread through an extended space in a diluted form. 
The presence of one substance in the soil often 
exerts a material effect upon one or several others. 
Among these, the presence of an abundant supply of 
lime seems to be the most common and potent ; for 
the evidence that, in presence of much lime, smaller 
proportions of potash and phosphoric acid are adequate 
for profitable culture, than when lime is scarce, is 
overwhelming. Most potent of all appears to be the 
co-existence of large supplies of lime and of humus. 
On the other hand, investigation distinctly shows that 
the presence of much clay necessitates a large supply of 
the active plant-food ingredients than is necessary 
in light or sandy soils, simply, perhaps, for the reason 
that roots cannot penetrate clay as minutely and 
abundantly as sandy ones. 
These facts lead us to affirm that, in calcareous 
soils, minimum precentages of mineral plant-food 
will suffice for the purposes of maximum crops, even 
under the most exhaustive culture.— J. J. Willis, 
Harpenden. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
_ — 
Quinine Obtained Synthetically.— News come 
from Paris that quinine has been obtained synthe- 
tically by M. M. Grimaux and Arnaud, the former 
professor at the Eoole Polytechnique, and the latter 
the BUCoeSBor to Obevreul. The base cuprein 
oontained in the Bemijia pedunculata is treated 
with sodium, and after further processes, quinine 
"absolutely identical" with that obtained from 
Cinchona is produced. As the Kemijias are closely 
allied to Cinchona and the bark is used ati a substi- 
tute for that of Cinchona in Brazil, there may not 
be any great value in the discovery, except that it 
maj read to the production of other bodies. — 
English Mechanic. 
Superiority or Ceylon Gabadamoms. — The Che- 
mift and Druggist of 23rd May contains a report 
of a lecture delivered in Berlin by Mr. H, Helbing 
of London, on " London Drugs : their Varieties and 
their Substitutes." We shall give this in full in 
the Tropical Agriculturist, but quote here what 
Mr. Uelbing said about Ceylon cardamoms :— 
Mr. Hfilbiug showed leveuteen different samples of 
cardamomg, and observed that those from Ceylon, like 
Dearly all other drugs exported by that island, were 
carefully bleacheJ und packed. The; fineat of hia 
■pecimera wM grown from seed originally obtained 
from MyBore, in ludia, and represented about ton 
tioiCPi the valua of tho most coiumou unbleached 
'i:eliioherry fruit. 
AGRICULTURIST. [July i, 189T. 
Timber Specimens fob the Chicago Exhi- 
bition : A Hint fo« Ceylon ?— According to L' Art 
dans les Deux Mondes, " a splendid collection of 
wood specimens " will be sent to the World's Fair 
at Chicago from Jamaica end the other West Indian 
islands. " These specimens . . . will have the 
appearance of bound books, one cover of which 
will be polished, while the other will show the 
natural aspect of the wood, and the back will retain 
the bark and will bear a tablet giving, in gold 
letters, the name of the species. This ' botanicdl 
library ' will be accompanied by notices explaining 
the localities where the tree is found, and the 
qualities and uses of its wood." 
PEE.iEHViNG Fkuit.— A CftUfomian p*per says:— 
"The liquid in wljich the Sta'.e B^ard of Trade has so 
succe.S'i fully preserved fruit for exhibition purposes is 
prep ired es follows :— Thirty gallons of filtered wat-^r are 
placed in a barrel, and on the water is placed a tin pan 
containing 2.5 cents' worth of sulphor. The sulphur 
is set on fire and the lop of the barrel is covered 
with a piice of oilskin, so as to retain the fumes. 
When the sulphur ceases to burn the covering is re- 
moved, allowing tha supply of oxygen in the barrel 
to be renewed, and after stirring the water the 
su phur is again set on fire and the top of the barrel 
is again covered. This operation is repealed until 
the sulphur will no longer bnrn, when the water is 
ready for use. Not only are fresh fruits preserved in 
this water, but where decay hac set in it is completely 
checked, aiiJ withered fruits have tbeir pluoiptiess 
and colour restored. All of the fruit in ' C»lifornia 
on wheels' has been treated in this manner, and there 
are jars of fruit in the rooms of the B'.ard that were 
prepared over a year ago, thu fruit s( ill appearing as 
if but plucked from the XxcusJ' —Adelaide Observer. 
Musk Plant Fibre. — At the meeting of the 
Ceniral Louisiana Agricultural Association last 
Wednesday evening, Mr. J. L. Bernard exhibited 
a specimen of fibre which was secured from the 
muek plant that compares favourably with any we 
have seen for the manufacture of bagging or rope. 
The seed of this plant was secured by Mr. Bernard 
from South Carolina. He says it resembles very 
much the okra and cotton, and is cultivated in 
the same manner. The seed are for flavoring pur- 
poses and command a good price. The fibre product 
was discovered by Mr. Bernard while having cotton 
stalks thrashed off his land. When the stalks of 
the musk plant were hit with the flying pole the 
bark peeled off, leaving the fibre clear. After 
remaining in the field all winter, exposed to the 
bad weather, the fibre was found to be very strong. 
Mr. Bernard says it will grow from the ratoon, the 
same as sugar OAne.— Indian Agriculturist, M^y 30th. 
Coffee from Bendekai (Hibiscus esculcntus)l — 
Captain Henry Willett, the pioneer ramie grower 
of Louisiana, who for many years has grown various 
fibrous plants at his place just below Algiers, recently 
exhibited a very aromatic ground coffee, which he 
said "was obtained wholly from roasted oh'a seed." 
This substance bad, during the last American war, 
bsen frequently used as a substitute for coffee. 
It not only has the same flavor to smell and taste 
as coffee, but it is thought the same tonic effect. 
Whether so or nor it makes a cheap and agree- 
able substitute for coffee, and as such it should 
be utilized. It will pay to raise ohra, because 
every particle of the plant can be utilized — the 
young pods for food, making the most delicious 
pickles ;* the ripa pods producing a coffee bean ; 
the bark a valuable fibre, while the woody portion 
makes excellent paper stock. This common and 
little (hitherto) prized Southern plant may yet 
exceed cotton as a wealth producer. — Indian Agri- 
culturist, May 30th. 
* The bendekai is an excellent vegetable, but we 
have never seen it pickled in Oejlon ? — Ed, Ti A, 
