24 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[July i, 1890. 
Jamaica — The last Bulletin of the botanical depart- 
ment contains articles on the cnltur© of Ooca Erythroxy- 
lon) Coca), and on the abandonment of Orange culture in 
the Azores, due to a disease (“ gumming ’), and to 
the unremunerative prices obtained by the growers, 
Other articles refer to the manufacture of Lemon 
esseuce in Sicily, and fruit-candying in Italy. 
Gardeners' Chronicle- 
In the Queensland Botanic Cardens, Jlockhamptoii, 
which is under tha Tropic of Capricorn, as a curiosity 
in the adaptability of plants, I may mention that last 
week we had Pine-apples and Apples gathered from 
the same bod, tha Apples are small, but well flavoured. 
A few days ago, a station owner out West told me 
there was a species of Ipomea (I. calabra, tuberous 
rooted) growing in the scrubs on his station used as 
food by the blacks ; he describes the flowers as deep 
purple, and promised to have some of the tubers 
taken up, and sent down the first chance. AYe are 
having a grand season here. I would like you to see 
how things are growing with us at present. — J. S. 
Bna.Aii, Rockhampton. — Gardeners' Chronicle, 
CoiiPABAxivE Sales in London of Indica, 
Ceylon and Java Teas. — From the figures in 
Gow, AVilson & Stanton’s circular, for packages 
brought to auction in the 11 months from 1st June 
1889 to 2nd May 1890, it will be seen that while 
Javas decreased by 18,462 packages and Indians 
increased only 87,685 on 1,012,634 packages, the 
increase in Ceylons was almost 100,000, the exact 
figures being 99,997 increase on 345,255 packages. 
Taking percentages, Ceylon is very far in advance 
of India, — an increase in our case of about 30 per 
cent, against about 8 per cent for India. 
A New Flower.— The latest Field gvies the 
description of a flower which would appear to be 
admirably suited to adorn our Indian gardens in 
winter:—'* A new plant, that seems to have a 
great future before it, is Gerbera Jarnesoni, and 
from what we have seen of it, both in this and 
last season, it should become of use in private 
gardens. It flowered in the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
last June, in the cool house; but a plant was also 
tried in the border, and gave great hopes of this 
Trausvaal wilding as a hardy plant for the border. 
It was found by Mr. Jameson, near Barberton, in 
the Transvaal, and to Mr. Tillet belongs the 
honour of first introducing and flowering it. The 
leaves are of the richest green, hairy on the under 
side, and arranged in a rosette way, the flowers 
each about 4 in. across, and borne singly on a stem 
about 12 in. high. The shape is distinct and striking 
each petal being narrow, and the whole so arranged 
as to form a large star, the colour of which is orange 
scarlet. Even if not of sufficient hardiness to stand 
the winter, it will make a useful pot plant for the 
greenhouse, as not much heat is required.”— Pioneer. 
Planting Trees in Towns. — Some time ago Mr. 
Robert Walker, the efficient and hard-working 
keeper of the Victoria Park, read a couple of 
papers ** On the Planting of Trees in Towns.” 
The papers were interesting, and fitted to bo ex- 
tremely useful ; Mr. Walker’s_ own experience in 
planting trees along the margins of streets and 
in other urban localities being considerable, while 
his information on the subject, including the choicer 
of proper varieties according to locality, character 
of soil and surroundings, &o., is extensive. W e 
are now glad to see tbe papers, as *' revised by 
the two Aberdeen members of Mr. Ruskin’s Guild 
of St. George,” issued in a very neat and attrac- 
tive form, with some eight choice tree illustrations 
showing on plate paper examples of the Silver 
Biroh, the Horse Chestnut, the Lombardy Poplar, 
the Spruce, the lime, the Oak, and others. We 
commend the print to the attention of all in- 
torosted in the highly commendable work of 
improving the amenities of the city.— Free 
Preti, May 3rd, 
AETinciAL Gems at the Paris Exposition are said 
to have surpassed anything ever before shown, 
some of the specimens puzzling even dealers and 
experts. The artificial pearls were especially suc- 
cessful, no means being found to distinguish the 
genuine from the artificial except the use of a 
file. — Fiji Times. 
London Purple. — A correspondent in Kent who 
has damaged his Apple trees by using the above 
substance with wa'e* in ths proportion of one to 
twenty, thereby following the in^trnctions given him 
by the firm which supplied it gratuitously, is much 
to be pitied. The safer proportion would be one 
tablespoonful of London Purple to one gallon of water, 
for use on trees in leaf, — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
The Mango Season. — Those of us who have 
been looking forward to the mango season cannot 
but be disappointed at the poor specimens of this 
year’s crop which are everywhere being offeredfor 
sale. We are, most of us, under solemn promise 
to our friends “ to be sure to send them some 
good mangoes,” and, though we would fain escape tbe 
mild vituperations and covert innuendoes of ‘‘pie 
crust promises” &o , which are sure to fall on our 
devoted head until we pledge ourselves more deeply 
for the future, we feel that we cannot send them 
the wretched things that are ofiered to us as man- 
goes. For the lover of the mango likes his mango 
good ; a good mango is something to remember. It 
is as Mr. Elphinstone, the historian of India, says, 
the beat Indian fruit, at once rich and delicate, and 
all other fruits are comparatively insipid beside 
its intensity of taste. 'There is something in it, 
which is nothing less than voluptuous. — Madras 
Times, May 23rd. 
Silk . — In a review of the trade in silk for 1889, 
the Weehhj Mail, an English journal of Yokohama, 
observes that this industry is becoming more im- 
portant every year. New plantations are laid out, 
new filatures and re-reeling establishments are 
started, new firms and companies begin business, 
swelling the volume of the trade, and constant im- 
provements introduced into the growing and reeling 
of silk are making the Japanese product more 
popular with manufacturers in Europe and America. 
Not only are ‘‘Japan raw” and ‘‘Japan waste” 
becoming universal favourites with the consumers 
of the world, but the goods woven in the Japanese 
looms are finding their way to Europe and America, 
where the beautiful fabrics of artistic Japan are 
greatly appreciated. In 1889 the great staple ex- 
port, raw silk, figures in the returns for the large 
total of 40,808 piculs (of 133 l-31b. each) valued 
at $26,332,900, as against 46,963 piculs, valued at 
$25,899,700, in 1888. In the month of June, when 
all attention was given to the harvest, a partial 
failure of the orop in Italy turned special attention 
to Japan. It was then believed that the Japanese 
export would be greater than that of any previous 
year and would amount to 50,000 piouls ; but in 
the result neither the cocoon crop nor the autumn 
crop of bivoltini turned out as satisfactory as was 
anticipated. The export of waste silk, including 
pierced cocoons, was 27,915 piouls, valued at 
$2,509,500, against 34,382 piouls, valued at $2,794,700, 
in 1888. The trade in manufactured silks grows 
year by year. Large factories, with new and im- 
proved machinery for warping, winding, weaving, 
and dyeing, are being constantly erected, and tha 
industry is fast developing in Japan. The United 
States is at present the best customer for thesa 
goods, but England, Prance, Germany, Canada; and 
Australia are rapidly entering the field as comj 
petitors in the purchase of these fabrics. At the 
present rate of progress, the value of woven silks 
exported will soon exceed the value of the tea 
annually shipped from Japan.— London Times, 
