214 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULtURISt. [September i, 1 S 90 
its endosperm. In this manner they obtained special 
information with regard to the secretory powers of 
the embryo, and the chemical modifications of its 
absorbed nutriment, which it woud have been impossi- 
ble to have obtained by any other means. 
As the resLilt of cultivating the excised embryos 
upon various nutrient solutions, more specially of 
the carbohydrates, Messrs Brown and Morris showed 
that while cane sugar, invert sugar, dextrose, loevulose 
maltose, rafiBose, galactose, and glycerol have all more 
or less nutrient value, mi'k sugar and mannitol do 
not in any way contribute to the growth of the tissue 
of the young plant. Of all the substances they tried 
they found cane-sugar had by far the gratest nutritive 
power. Maltose, although the natural food of the 
embryo when attached to its endosperm, is decidedly 
inferior in this respect to cane sugar. This may be 
due to the fact that the maltose, directly it is 
absorbed by the growing embryo, becomes transformed 
into cane-sugar in the living cells, and in this form is 
passed from cell to cell. When cane-sugar is supplied 
ready formed to the young plant there is a saving of 
chemical energy to the living cells, which receive it 
in a form in which it is directly available for its 
requirements. The two young experimenters expressed 
their opinion that the transformed starch of the 
endosperm is absorbed by the embryo in the form 
of maltose, aud that the seat of production of the 
cane-sugar which germinated grain contains is the 
tissues of the embryo itself. 
A new green vegetable colouring matter has just 
been announced by Mr. O. Michie Smith. It has 
been extracted from the green pulp of the fruits of 
Trichosanthes palmato, and has thefore been christened 
trichosanthin. It yields a solution nearly resembling 
chlorophyll, but possesses a very difllerent spectrum. 
It is thought that in trichosanthin we have in the 
colouring matter a substance in which the “ blue 
chlorophyll,” of Sorby and the “green chlorophyll” of 
Professor Stokes are replaced by some other substance 
easily decomposed by reducing agents and acids. 
A new and dangerous parasitic fungus on the vine 
has just been described by M. Lagerheim to the 
Paris Academy of Sciences, It is a uredo, and accumu- 
lates in den.se clusters on the leaves. So far it has 
only been met with in the neighbourhood of Kingston, 
Jamaica. 
The following fact is worth evei’ 5 hody making a 
note of. We imagine we have done our duty by the 
water we drink when we filter it. Now, it has been 
just demonstrated that when filters (or rather the 
filter-beds) have been too long- in use, they are noth- 
ing better than g-erm-disease breediiig’-bods. One 
of the best and simplest filtering-beds I know of is 
composed of common cinders. It ought to be taken 
out and made red hot (or calcined) about once a 
month. That will destroy anything. Then a fresh 
and calcined layer of fine sand should be strewn over 
('if red sand all the better, as the iron will fix de- 
composing organic matter). I have never had the 
slightest difficulty with my filters, beyond tlie trouble 
involved by treating them as above mentioned ; and 
a man who will not take the trouble to keep bis 
drinking water clean would not take the trouble to 
keep his face clean. 
At length it seems that the frequently talked-of 
idea of utilising the motive power of N iagara Palls will 
come into operation and turn the spindles of commerce 
instead of serving no other end than that of allowing- 
fools to go over in barrels. It is intended to bore 
a tunnel from the water level below the falls undei- 
the high bank of the river, extending through the 
rock to the upper river at a point about a mile 
above tlie falls. There a head of 120 ft. of water can 
be obtained. I’he tunnel is thence to extend parallel 
witli the river for a inilo and n, half at an average 
dejdh of ICO ft. below the ground, and about 400 ft. 
distant from the navigable part of flic river. The fall 
of water thus obtained is estimated to produce 
120,000-horsc power. Mills will be supplied with tho 
power at lOrue distance from the falls, so that the scenic 
features of tlie latter will not be iiiterfertd with. 
—AvMrv.luiian. 
INDIAN TEA COMPANIES. 
Mr, Ernest Tye, Secretary, Indian Tea Districts 
Association, has compiled for the Rome and Colo- 
nial Mail a list of the; Indian Tea Companies 
in London, numbering 63. No fewer than 10 
of these Companies own such large areas of 
land as from 3,500 acres in the case of 
jhe Tarrapore, Cachar, to no less than 9,185 
opposite the Assam Company, There are two 
Companies below the colossal Assam, with 
over 8,000 acres, one with 7,000, one with 
5,096 and one with 4,715, Of course, with such 
areas, there can be no scarcity of timber or 
fuel. Indeed we believe that in many cases the 
coolies employed have lands on which they culti- 
vate rice, — portions of the areas owned by the 
Companies being swamps or irrigable. 
Out of the 9,326 acres owned by the Assam Com- 
pany the proportion under the heading of “ acreage 
and mature plants ” is 7,520, and the yield per 
mature acre is given at 356 lb. The cost of pro- 
ducing the tea was 9|d per lb., and the value in 
bond, including seed, <S,c., was lljd. The dividend of 
this Company, which some years ago ranged about 
20 per cent, was, for 1889, 10 per cent. The capital 
per acre is put down at the low sum of £ 20 , due 
to the fact that the present Company purchased 
the property at a very small sum in comparison 
with what it cost the originators of the en- 
terprise, who suffered the fate so common to pioneers. 
The Land Mortgage Bank of India is in a very 
different position, owing, no doubt, to loans on 
estates which had to be taken over. The 
capital per acre, in this case, is so high as £43, 
and although a profit of nearly £14,000 resulted 
from 7,467 acres mature plants, yielding 306 lb, an 
acre, value lOJd per lb. no dividend was declared. 
We have next four Companies in succession which 
divided 10 per cent in the case of three and 12 ^ 
per cent for the fourth. The values of tea in these 
cases ranged from lOd to llfd, while the cost 
ranged from so low as 7Jd to lOd. The Company 
which produced its tea at 7jd got 452 lb. per acre, 
while the Company which shows the very highest 
yield per acre in the list, viz. 121 lb., has 8 d down 
as the cost and lljd as the value. This was 
the Company which divided 12J per cent. 
The highest dividend of all, however, 18 per 
cent, is opposite the Cherra Tea Company, 
Limited. The capital of this Company is down at 
£114,500, for an area of 2,836 acres, or £40 per acre. 
The acreage in bearing is 2,645, from which a crop 
of 1,389 was gathered, or at the rate of 489 lb. per 
acre. The cost per lb. was only 6 Jd and the value 
lOjrd. It thus appears that the best dividend was 
not declared by a Company having the highest yield 
or the teas of which sold at the best price. A 
cost of production equal to only 6 ;}d per lb. seems 
low enough, but the next figure for cost of produc- 
tion is only 5Jd. But, alasl the tea was of a value 
only one penny higher, so that the surprise is that 
even a dividend of 2^ per cent was declared. A 
Company which produced its teas at 6 |d and sold 
them for 9.vd, divided 10 per cent- So did another 
Company although the tea cost lOd and sold for 
1-0, Another Company which divided 10 per 
cent, produced its teas at 7/jd and sold at 10 }|d. 
The Shumsbernugger Company gave a dividend 
of 13 per cent. The capital of this Company 
is down at £ 21 , 000 ; acreage 812 ; capital per acre 
£26 ; acreage mature plants 677 ; yield 313,000, 
