352 
THr. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[November i, 1890 . 
Trinidad has its “Agricultural Board” — not 
giving spfC'al attention to any one industry orbranch 
of agricul'ure, but to all. At ameelingof the Colonial 
Institute Mr. Morris, the Assistant Director at Kaw, 
spokeof.he Agricnl'ural Board in the following flatter- 
ing terms : — “ At Trinidad Mr. Fowler has very ably 
assisted Sir William Bobinson in developing industries 
in that island, and more especially in regard to the 
work of the Central Board of Agriculture. This 
Board an-t its local branches will undoubtedly do 
much good, not only by directly encouraging indus- 
tries, but by bringing persons en, gaged in them 
into contact with the best markets for the pro- 
duce in this Country and in the United States. 
The Netheblknd3-India Agricultural Company 
held its annual meeting on the 8th inst., when 
the report for 1889 90 was presented, which shows 
that a good profit has been made. The disease in 
the leaves of the coffee trees was only observed to a 
small extent. The crop of the four undertakings 
amounted to 6,290 piculs of coffee, being about 300 
piculs above the estimate, which figure would have 
been more if a fearful inundation had not destroyed 
a large quantity on the Sonosehar Estate. The 
quality of the coffee was very superior, and the prices 
fetched were high — viz ,from c. 55J. to c. STj. Accord- 
ing to the profit and loss account there is a net profit 
of f. 84,704, and a dividend will be paid to shareholders 
jjf 13 per cent, or f. 45 per share — L. and G. Express. 
Tender for the Mysore Ruby Mines. — The 
Dewan of Mysore has, says a Bangalore paper, 
informed Messrs. Streeter & Co , the great gem 
merchants of New Bond Street, London, that the 
Mysore Government cannot entertain any proposal 
having for its object a monopoly of any particular 
industry, nor can it grant an exclusive right to 
prospect for gems tor five years in so large an 
area as a whole taluq. A tender for a square 
mile or so will be entertained. The Mysore ruby 
mines are said to be even superior to those of 
Burma, and Dr. Clarke speaks of specimens shown 
him from the limestone rocks of Banawar as being 
“ orienlal of the purest water and not spinslles.” 
— Indian Engineer, 
Railway Sleepers foe the Hindupde Railway. — 
It is stated that the Mysore Government have 
decided to utilise the forests of Mysore for the 
supply of teak sleepers for the Hindupur Railway. 
About 80 miles of this line will be in Mysore 
territory and the requirements being about 2,f’00 
sleepers per mile, 1,60,000 sleepers will be required. 
The sleepers are Oft. long 8 inches wide and 4 
nches deep, or one and a third cubic feet each, 
nd will cost about E2-4-0. Mr. Lee, son of Mr, 
Standish Lee, Sanitary Engineer of Mysore, has, 
it is believed, obtained the contract for preparing 
the sbepers from the rough logs as delivered by 
the Mysore Forest Department. — Indian Engineer. 
Artificial Tea. — The Germans are endeavouring 
toestabliiha new industry in the production of an 
article which they call artificAl tea. They take the 
leaves of the wild strawberry plant and add to 
them the young leaves of bramble and woodruff, 
and (he beverage brewed from the mixture is said 
to bo of nearly the same taste as the tea of India 
and China. There is nothing artificial about thi.s 
German tea, but it is a mistake to suppose that it 
can be produced ini-xpr naively. It will cost quite 
as much as the imported tea, especially if it should 
be required in sir;h quantity as would r"nder it 
nccesiary to cultivate the herbs riquired in ils 
fabrication, fi'he cultivation and preparation of tea 
ore not morn expensive than the gathering and 
drying of substituted leaves would be. — “ Science 
Gossip ” in Melbourne Lead(.r. 
The Kol.a Nut, of which a good deal has been 
said lately, is rapidly increasing in favour as an 
indispensable adjunct to a traveller’s kit. The 
French Alpine Club has just adopted it as a sti- 
mulant and nutrient in their mountain-climbing 
expeditious. The nuthas, it is stated, been found 
to act most usefully in strengthening a person’s 
“breathing powers” and kerpiing off muscular 
fatigue. The German military authorities have, 
it is said, determined to employ it in the German 
ar ’ y. The acting principle of the nut is caffeine. 
— Indian Agricnltnrut. 
The “Aweto”: A Vegetable Caterpillar. — 
The Graphic of 30th Aug. has the follow. ng : — 
The oddest insect iu existence — so odd, that unless it 
were vouched for and explained sci'-ntifically would be 
considered a hoax — is the Aweto. It is uot ea'iy to de- 
cide whether it ought to be classed under the fauna 
or flora of New Zealand, for it is as much vegetable 
as animal; and, m final stage, it is a ve.;etablo, and 
nothing el.‘ 6 . This is the Vegetable Caterpillar, called 
by naturalists Hijiialis virescens. It is a perft et cater- 
pillar ; and a fine one also, growing to three and a 
half inches. Until it is full grown it e mduots itself 
very much like any other insect, except that it is 
never fonnd anywhere but in the neighbourhood of 
the Rata tree, a large scarlet-flowered myrtle, and 
that it habitually buries itself a few inches under 
ground. Then, tvhen the Aweto is fully grown, it 
undergoes a wonderful change. For some inexpli- 
cable reason, the spore of a vegetable I'nngu.s, the 
Spihceria Bohertsii, fixes itself directly on its neck, 
takes root, and grows, like a dim native bulrush, 
from six to ten inches high, without leaves, and with 
a dark-brown head. This stem penetrates the earth 
over the caterpillar, and stands up a few inches 
above the ground. The root grows simultaneously 
to the body of the caterpillar, which it exactly fills 
in every part, without altering its form in the 
slightest degree, but simply substituting a vegetable 
substance for an animil substance. As soon as this 
process is completed, both the caterpil'ar and fungus 
die, and become dry and hard, but without shrivelling 
at all. The tiling is then a wooden caterpillar, so to 
say, with a wooden bulrush standing up from its 
neck. Papier mdclic, perhaps, would better describe it 
than wood. It can be taken out of the ground en- 
tire, and preserved for any time. Where the Aweto 
is found, many specimens can be obtained. It is a 
light green when alive, and the Maoris eat it in 
its soft state, when it re-embles marrow. When 
dry, they powder it for use as a flesh-dye in tatooing. 
It is certain that the caterpillar and fungus weie 
made for each other, as tlio Ilipialis virescens is 
never found without Spheeria Rohertsii growing out of 
it, and Sphari a Rohertsii is never f un.d without this 
caterpillar attached to it. — Our engraving i.s from 
a sketch by Major-General Rob'ey, and the speci- 
men is in the po-sessiou of ' ointe L. de Jonffroy 
d’Abbans, French Oonsul at Zurich. 
Major-General Bobley has gained fame lately as 
a badineur ; but in this case we do not tlii' k that 
he is “pulling the leg” of the public. A similar 
fungoid growth is not uncommon in the case of 
the white grub in Ceylon. In fact, as our ento- 
mological referee states: — 
This fungoid disease is not confined to the larva of 
one species of moth alone. I have noticed it occa- 
sionally on mole cricket.s from several local ties, and 
on other insects that rfs'de underground, and which 
have succumbed to its attack. It mu.st not be sup- 
po'ei from the statement tint ‘‘the Ilipialis vires- 
cens is never fouud without S^dMrin Rohertsii coming 
out of it,” that every individual of the species is fated 
never to reach the perfect state Irom that cau.»e, for 
bow could reproduction be • ffected y I send here- 
with a book in which you will find a descriplion aud 
figure of the fungus. 
The figure given in the book sent is of Torrubia 
mUitaris on the pupa in moth, and is very 
similar to the ono drawn by Major-General Robley, 
