848 
THE TROS^ICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[June i, ligt. 
NOTES ON POPULAK SCIENCE. 
By Dr. J. E. Taylor, t.l.s., y-g-s., &c. 
Editor of “ Sciisnce Goseip.” 
Mr. E. H. Actou lias receii'ly shoivn that, not- 
witlistaudiug the prevalent opinion to the contrary, 
some green plants can assimilate carbon from cettain 
organic compounds in the absence of carbonic acid from 
the atmosphere. Pie prepared what he calls a normal 
“culture solution” for tlie purpose, aud he concludes 
that green plants cannot normally obtrm carbon for 
assimilation from any substances except carbo-Eiydrates, 
bnt that a compound may be a source of carbon to 
the leaves although not to the roots. 
A capital and most tbor. ughly-practical scientific use 
of observation has ju-t been made of the well-known 
fact that aniline dye kills nil sorts of bacteria and 
bacilli. These dyes, are, medically speaking, quite 
h.armless. So two German physiologists hive (after 
various experiments with guinea p'gs, rabbits, &c., all 
of them successful; bfgaa to treat human subjects 
affected by bacterial diseases with auilmo. Skin ulcers 
and even eye diseases, wounds and sores suppurating — 
in short all diseases in which micio-orgaiiisma take 
part — are being successfully treated with ti is chcair 
and common dye, given in small d luted doser. 
Perhaps the most expensive taste in the W'_ rid, next 
to horse-racing, is tl.e cultivction of orchids. How 
miny rich people cultivate these li iwers (which repre- 
sent the tulip mania of two centuries ago) is best 
shown by the fact that “a new orchid journal” is 
announced. It is to be edited by a Viscount. 
An interesting, if not important paper h = s just been 
read before the (ieologicil Socitty on “ Tte Borrow- 
dale Plumbago, its Mode of Occurrence and Probable 
Origin,” by Mr. J. PoTothw.tite, of Keswick. Many 
of my Australian leioers who ir. il irom tuo old country 
will rem mber the fbmous Cuuib^ilimi black l ad, 
drawing pencils of tneir childhood’s < ay. The raw 
material came from Borrowdtde. This w is in the ch.ys 
before the graphite now used for “ blacklead pencils ” 
had been discovered as a waste product 111 tlir m-rtm- 
tacture of coal gas. The Borrowdale plumiago or 
native “blacklead” occurs in Vrins traversing certain 
kinds of igneous rocks, which themselves break through 
volcanic deposits. Mr. Poslethwaite showed th;.t many 
thousand feet of volcanic rocks must have supervened 
between the Borrowdale phimbago-bsGiing beds and the 
overlyiug Btluriaii shales. He . thinks he has found 
strong similarities between the plumbago-bearing rocks 
in Borrowdale and the diamond bearing rocks of South 
Africa; and also that the conditions under which tbe 
plumbago was originally formed in one lake district 
approached more closely to those which gave rise to 
the Kimberley diamonds than to those which originated 
the plumbago veins in North Amerio. His opinion 
is that the molten magnia, in its upw ird coiirs.’, p.!SS( d 
through a deeply-seated stratum of Ciirbomiceoua ir,ate- 
rial, and tore off numerous f ragmen i.'^. The, prei-iden.t 
of the Geological Society (D.''. Archibald Geiki- ), ia 
the discussion which ensued, suid there were only two 
possible sources of supply for diimonds and graphite — 
derivation direct or indirect from organic matter, and 
(as in tbe moat ancient archtnan rocks and meteorite.s) 
as an original mineral. Of cenrse there is net! What 
chemist or geologist could imagine any other derivation 
for them . — A uAralatiian. 

HOW TO UbE THE TOMATO. 
By Mlss Maugaukt Kydee. 
(From 'J'lic J.adica’ Treasury.) 
If the liousekeeper of half a century ago could .step 
into the modern kitclieii and store-room, how extreme 
would be her earpri-c to soo into what general use 
88 a 1 article of food the “ love-apple ” of her day has 
gr -wn ! Then it was cultivated ouly for ornament ; 
iiow, prepared in a variety of ways, it takes its placo 
on the liUilo for lircaltfasl, lunc.lieou, and dinner. 
During the Iiot days lliul come in the latter part 
of tli'j Hummer, when h'-efstoak and cliops have 
ceased to tempt the appetite, no moro dtsitablo dieh 
can be sent to the breakfast table than broiled 
tomatoes. They take the place of meat, aud provide 
a relish. 
To piepare this c’isb, s leet medium-sized ripe to- 
matoes ; wash, aud cut in two. Place the pieces on 
a perfectly chan wire broiler, the cut side down, 
over a clear fire. When cooked almost through, turn, 
and cook until soft. Seive on a hot platter, with 
cut side up. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper tn 
each piece, after pouring a teaspoonful of melted 
but er over them. 
Forlunch, atempting salad cm be made of tomatoes. 
STect one dezeu ripe tomatoes; peel, out in thin slices 
and set on toe ice. Make a dressing of the jolks of 
four eggs boiled hard, and rubbed to a paste with a 
tablespo. nful of salad oil ; add half a tea.spoonful of 
pepper, one of salt, one of white sugar and two of 
mustard. Stir in tie yolk of a raw egg beaten to a 
froth, and, last, one tiacvip of vinegar. Put this on 
the ice to get cold, riuI when reauy to serve, puur 
over the tomatoes. 
This salad may be made a very ornamental dish 
by selecting the tomatoes of a uniform size aud bright 
colour, cutting eff a round from the stem end, 
removing tUe seed--, ai d tilling with the dressing. 
When prepared in tins manner a single tomato should 
be served to each person, on a small dim plate, 
resting on a bed ot grcc-n. 
Tomato toast is an excellent dish as well as an 
economical way of using inferior tomatoes. Pare, 
slice, and cook haifripe tomatoes until very tender ; 
add sweet milk sufficient to make plenty of gravy ; 
■seKSon with pepper, salr, and p'eniy 01 butter. Have 
the bread nicely toasted and placed in a deep disb, 
and pour the cooked tomatoes over it. 
At dinner the tomato can bo offered as soup, as a 
relish, or a desseit, as the cook may deci <; to pte- 
p.iffc it. Either of these two recipes for soup is 
recoromen et; 
Tomato Houp, No. I. — Scald and peel good ripe 
tomatoes; stevv them one hour, and strain through 
a course .sieve; stir in a very li tle wherttn flour to 
gwe it body, and brown sugar in the proportion of 
a t.aspoonful to a quart of soup; then boil five 
minute;. 

FAST TKAVELLING. 
The following is the record of the fastest mile a 
single man has thus far travelled by various methods 
of locomotion.— Swimming, 26.32 ; walking 6.23 ; 
snow shoes, 5.39f; rowing, 5.01; runnmg, 4.12^ ; 
tricycle, 2 49 2-5; bicycle, 2.29 4-5; skating, 2.12 
3-5 ; trotting horse, 2,08| ; running horse, 1.39| ; 
railroad tram, 40j seconds. — S. F, Fress, April 22nd. 
Harness Dressing. — The following is recommended 
as the best dressing for harness, a few applica- 
tions will prevent it becoming dried up in this hot 
climate : — 
Pure rubber . . . . 1 ounce 
Benzine .. 18 ounces 
Tallow or oil . . . . 2 lb. 
Disstlve the rubber in the benzine, then add 
the oil. The benzine carries the rubber into the 
pores of the leather, preventing it ever becoming 
hard. — Mildura Cultivation. 
That Wonderful Ceylon Tea which is described 
as having caused such excitement in Mincing Lane 
could bo equalled, says a Darjeeling correspondent, 
anywhere in the Indian tea districts. Probably 
about half a maund of it per acre could be turned 
out lor a season before the concern went into 
liquidation. “ I have seen similar samples of tea 
turned out here, simply and solely for exhibition 
purposes, and have a small bottle of it by me 
as I write. The manager in India who tried this 
sort ot thing on an extensive scale would very 
soon be obliged to join the unemployed list, and 
to remain on it." — M, Mail, April 28th, 
