4S8 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOUI.TURIST. [January r, 1892. 
violets OD short firm stems, the leaves are similar 
to the English Violet. Then there is the White 
Violet which grows in low lands and swamps, has 
a mass of long narrow leaves and any quantity of 
email white violets. They are beautifully marked, 
and I have often thought how much handsomer they 
would be for Bouttonieres than the blue ones — the 
ilowers are the same size as the English Violet — 
sometimes larger. They are slightly fragrant. 
The Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium Sempervirens) 
with its deliciously fragrant bell-shaped flowers and 
lovely foliage makes atristic many an unsightly 
stump and neglected cottage, and decks the woods 
with its glory. The wild honeysuckle (Azalea Nu- 
diflora) is a shrub found growing on edges of creeks 
and branches. The flowers are borne in clusters, 
very fragrant and in all shades of pink and light 
red. The pistils of the flowers are very long- 
hence the name— Wild Honeysuckle. This is a valu- 
able plant for bees. The White Elder makes a tree 
here and is also found near water. The flowers are 
valuable for bouquets, etc., and the berries make 
fine jellies, jam and pies. The jelly is very benefi- 
cial when used as cough medicine. The flowers 
make a tea excellent in cases of dropsy, and it ia 
useful in many ways, in fact everyone ought to plant 
an Elder in their yard. We have any quantity of 
the Prickley Pear Cactus which has large brilliant 
yellow flowers in the spring, and is followed by 
small fruit a pear, which becomes a deep red when 
ripe, and is fine for jelly and pickles. The Prickley 
Pear has medicinal qualities, but I am not "posted." 
The Dog Banana (Asimiua Grandiflora) is a low grow- 
ino- shrub with large straw colored and deep maroon 
flowers followed by clusters of small bananas which 
are said to be edible. The Easter Lily (Zephar- 
anthes Tretea) a pure white delicately scented lily, 
springs up singly out of the ground in low places. 
It is much used in floral decorations. A species of 
clematis with beautiful foliage and delicate flowers 
renders the low swampy lands very attractive in spring. 
We have a large variety of ferns, mosses, etc., fine 
for aquariums, also a species of the Eesurrection 
fern Then there is the Milkweed with its long 
pods' containing silky floss. I hear it is a rubber 
olant. The Magnolia blooms in April and May. 
We have the Swamp and Highland. The Swamp 
Magnolia has the handsomest foliage. The Sweet 
Bay makes a large tree, the flowers are about the 
siz;e of the top of a small teacup. The Bay does 
not bear seed, but the Magnolia produces an abuu- 
^^Duting the summer and fall we have an endless 
variety of flowers— Lillium Luteum a double yellow 
Dond lily- fills our creeks. They are showy but 
have an obnoxious odor. We have the double white 
Pond Lily in swamps and lakes, also in little arms 
of the river. The white "Crinum" or Spider Lily 
is very sweet and thrives in the creek edges. The 
Veiled Lily (Pancratium) is found m Southern i lorida. 
The purple Iris (Fleur de .luce) grows along the 
creeks and swamps. It is a showy flower. The Scarlet 
Hibiscus waves its flaming banner m the grey marsh 
erass and two species of Althea with handsome 
iilver'v leaves flourish there also. One has a medium 
sized deep rose flower, the other a very large light 
Pink with maroon centre and pistil like the Calla. 
liullrushes and a species of Agapanthus are also at 
home here We have a miniature snow-ball, cream 
colored and fragrant, which grows along the creek. 
Two species of Begonia, one with coarse leaves and 
duU red trumpet shaped flo\yers and the other with 
handsome foliage and brilliant red flowers. The 
Vircinia Creeper (Ampelopsis Quinquefolia) grows 
luxuriantly here. We have one lovely species of 
Passion flower (Passiflora Incarnata In the low 
land is found the Wild Tiger Lily (Lillum Catoabcei) 
II is deep orange red with dark spots. Golden rod 
L'rowH to perfection here, and I must not forget 
the purple Thistle, which tiu-nishes us with silky 
while pompons for our hats. In tho swamps there 
is the Tulip tree and wild Laurel, tho latter is good 
for flavoring meats and sauces. Sassafras grows 
wild hero. Life everlasting " ia a amail plant ga- 
at the drug stores. They also skin our prickly Ash 
for the same purpose. It seems a pity ! We have 
a Sumac, too, and numerous other vines and flowers 
which I will not mention for this grows already too 
long. The "Yucca" — commonly called Spanish Ba- 
yonet — is a grand old' shrub. It sends up a head, 
or spike rather, from which hang suspended dozens 
of pure white waxy bells. 
I feel that I have only told you half, but space 
forbids. This neighborhood before the war was an 
indigo plantation, and many bushes still remain as 
an emblem of past and gone grandeur. I read the 
letters of our sisters with great interest and hope 
you will ail come forward and tell us of the flora 
of your State. — " Aida," in Home Journal. — Florida 
A(jric ultimst. 
^ . 
THE INDIAEUBBER INDUSTRY Oh' 
DUTCH GUIANA. 
The caoutchouc, or indiarubber, is produced in 
Dutch Guiana under different species, the most im- 
portant of which is "balata" or "milk of the bullet 
tree." the export of which, says Consul Wyndham, 
of Paramaribo, is attaining considerable proportions, 
and will, it is believed, be very productive for a time 
only, as there is no forest conservancy law in the 
colony. Persons who are granted tracts of land for 
the gathering of this product are uncontrolled in 
their method of drawing the milk, which results in 
trees being totally destroyed to get the greatest 
amount of milk by the quickest and most inexpensive 
method. The district where the largest quantity of 
" balata " trees are known to exist iu the colony is 
that bordering on the Correntyne River, known in 
Dutch Guiana as the "Nickerie district" and large 
tracts of land have been given to an English firm 
to collect balata. Balata is treated by the manu- 
facturers simply as a superior kind of guttapercha, 
and therefore its name disappears when manufactured ; 
nevertheless balata is distinctly different from gutta- 
precha, and this is manifested in some of its physical 
characters — for instance, it is somewhat softer at 
ordinary temperature and not so rigid in the cold. 
Besides the bullet tree, there are trees or plants 
known as the Tonchponfj, which gives a valuable 
rubber, and again BartahaUi and Bmthroiic, to which 
collectors do not appear to have given a name. The 
indiarubber balata industry, although carried on in 
the colony of Dutch Guiana in a desultory way for 
a long time, has never until quite recently assumed 
sufficient importance to cause the local government 
to legislate upon it. As yet the law only lays down 
the regulations imder which concessions are granted, 
and does not deal with the super-vision or treatment 
of the trees, or the method of extracting the milk. 
Caoutchouc or indiarubber is yielded both by trees 
and vines. Those already mentioned are, as far as 
it is known, the principal ones in the colony, and 
the method of collecting the milk is by cutting down 
trees, by incisions, and by circling the tree. In 
each case there is no protective law, and the trees 
are generally ruined. The chief port of export is 
Demerara, and as yet no export duty exists, but as 
the production increases it is expected that it will 
not escape taxation. Nothing has been done to 
cultivate the plant, neither does the soil seem 
to favour its growth except in some peculiar 
circumstances. Consul Wyndham says that new 
laws are contemplated for the leasing of lands to 
prospect for balata. An article on the "Balata 
Industry," taken from the report of Mr. G. S. Jenman, 
Government Botanist, British Guiana, will be found 
in the Journal, vol. xxxiii, p. 92 i.— Journal of the Society 
of Arts. 
Tea is called by Bome physiologists a " savings 
bank," in which tissue is preserved. Tea is classed 
by Bcieutifio men as coming under the head of 
paratriptios, a class of substances which serve to 
prevent waste in the body, so that by their help 
and stimulus greater privation can be endured and 
more work aooompoliBhed. Ooffae and Tobacco come 
(inder the same olasgifiop^tion.— 4mcric(i/i Gmir, 
