Sept.  2,  1895.] 
Siqyjunment  io  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist.” 
2ig 
boiling  alcohol,  filtered,  and  the  residue  again 
treated  in  a similar  manner.  To  the  orange- 
brown  filtrate  an  alcoholic  solution  of  lead-acetate 
was  added  drop  by  drop,  as  long  as  a colourless 
precipitate  was  formed.  After  this  had  been 
removed  by  filtration,  the  filtrate  was  evaporated 
to  a small  bulk,  and  poured  into  five  times  its 
volume  of  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  A viscous, 
yellow  precipitate  was  thus  obtained,  which  in- 
creased in  quantity  on  standing  ; tliis  was  collected 
upon  calico,  then  first  rinsed  with  cold  water,  and 
afterwards  digested  with  boiling  water.  The 
turbid  yellow  liquid  thus  obtained  contained 
resinous  matter  in  suspension,  but  this  was  readily 
removed  by  means  of  ether.  Afcer  boiling  the 
clear  acpieous  solution  excess  of  hydrochloric 
acid  was  added,  and,  on  cooling,  it  deposited 
long,  oi'ange-coloured  needles,  which  were 
collected  and  washed  with  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid.  To  purify  this  product,  it  was  dissolved  in 
boiling  dilute  alkali  and  the  solution  digested 
with  animal  cliai’coal,  filtered,  treated  with  hy- 
drochloric acid,  and  allowed  to  cool ; the  yellow 
needles  which  separated  were  collected  washed, 
with  water,  and  dried  at  the  orilinary  temperature. 
The  product  weighed  0'3o  gram. 
h’or  analysis,  this  was  converted  into  the 
plantinochlorido  in  the  usual  manner,  and  the 
I’esulcing  amorphous,  yellow  powder  dried  at  100°. 
0'294  gram,  on  ignition,  yielded  O'OoSo  platinum 
= 18‘19  p.c.  The  formula  (C.^o  H,,  NO,)  2 Hj  Pt 
Cl  5,  requires  Pt  = 18'02  percent.  The  analytical 
numbers  accorded,  therefore,  witli  tliosc  given  Ijy 
berherine-platiiwchloride.  Its  identity  with  this 
substance  was  shown  by  a comparison  of  the 
reactions  of  tlie  hydrochloride  above  referred  to, 
with  berberine  hydrochloride  obtained  from  other 
sources.  The  inner  bark  of  this  root  (60  gi'am.) 
was  found,  on  examination  by  the  above  method, 
to  contain  but  a trace  of  berberine,  so  small,  indeed, 
that  this  was  probably  derived  from  traces  of  the 
preceding  yellow  powder  still  adhering  to  it.  It 
contained,  however,  some  quantity  of  a sticky, 
resinous  product,  which  was  insoluble  in  water  or 
dilute  acids,  but  readily  soluble  in  ether,  and 
appeared  to  be  identical  with  the  similar  substance 
present  in  the  yellow  powder.  The  quantity 
obtainable  was  too  small  for  extended  examination, 
and  the  preliminary  experiments  were  not  success- 
ful in  e.xtractiug  from  it  any  crystalline  substance. 
The  central  woody  portion  of  the  root  yielded  no 
berberine. 
We  have  already  heard  a good  deal  of  the  insecti- 
cidal properties  of  adhatoda  vasica  known  in  Sin- 
halese as  adhatoda  and  agaladara.  A quantity  of 
dried  leaves  of  the  shrub  from  the  Imperial  Insti- 
tute collections  was  sent  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr, 
Lander  Brunton  to  Professor  Giacosa  of  the 
University  of  Turin  for  examination. 
Professor  Giacosa  reports  that  by  following  the 
method  of  examination  described  by  Mr.  Hooper 
in  the  Phannaceutical  Journal  for  April,  1888,  he 
has  been  unable  to  discover  any  alkaloid  in  the 
leaves,  but  that  these  are  especially  rich  in 
potassium  nitrate.  Dr.  VV'att,  the  Reporter  on 
Economic  Products  to  the  Government  of  India, 
suggests  that  the  unsatisfactory  results  obtained 
from  expeiments  on  dried  leaves  in  Europe,  may 
be  due  either  to  the  fact  that  (1)  the  active 
properties  possessed  by  the  loaves  in  the  fresh 
gtate  are  in  some  measure,  if  not  wholly,  lost 
when  they  are  dried  ; or  that  (2)  there  are  certain 
periods  in  the  growth  of  the  plant,  ’or  certain 
seasons  of  the  year,  when  the  alkaloid  is  present. 
An  investigation  as  to  (1)  can  only  be  carried 
out  on  the  fresh  leaves  in  a laboratory  in  India, 
while  a careful  collection  of  the  leaves  of  the 
A-dhatoda  at  different  seasons  would  be  necessary 
to  afford  material  to  finally  clear  up  the  points 
raised  by  (2).  As  there  seems  no  doubt  from  the 
experiments  carried  on  tea  estates,  that  the  fresh 
leaves  pos.'^ess  insecticide  properties,  further  ex- 
periment on  the  nature  of  the  substance  which 
gives  tlie  leaves  these  properties  may  furnish 
interesting  information. 
VINES  AND  LINE  SUPPORTS. 
( Communicated.) 
The  news  that  grape  vines  are  found  to  thrive 
by  the  side  of  Ph-gthrinas  in  Bombay,  and  that 
tire  cultivation  is  a simple  affair  would  justify 
similar  experiments  being  made  in  Ceylon  with  a 
view  to  the  cultivation  of  grape  in  an  extended 
scale. 
In  Jaffna  it  is  become  the  fashion  to  have  a 
grape  vine  in  every  compound,  but  beyond  imitat- 
ing an  e.xisting  fashion  and  contributing  a luscious 
fruit  to  I he  table,  no  attempt  has  been  made  by 
the  comfortable  and  easy-going  folk  in  the  penin- 
sula to  extend  its  cultivation  as  an  industry. 
And  this  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  there  its 
cultivation  is  by  no  means  an  easy  affair.  Besides, 
tlie  vines  are  permitted  to  cover  a large  area  of 
ground  over  pandals,  and  one  large  vine  well 
attended  to  and  manured  is  amply  sufficient  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  the  grower.  How  well 
single  vines  can  be  made  to  bear  has  been  illus- 
trated in  the  well-known  vine  at  Hampton  Court. 
And  this  fashion  set  in  Jaff’na  has  been  the  method 
which  has  obtained  in  Ceylon  all  along  wherever 
a vine  was  grown,  whether  in  Kandy  or  Colombo, 
or  Dumbara  or  Wahacotte. 
The  report  of  Mr.  Hoole  in  the  June  number  of 
the  Magazine  on  Viticulture  in  India,  at  least  in 
the  vineyard  referred  to  by  him,  affords  a sugges- 
tion for  extended  experiments  on  the  lines  indi- 
cated by  him.  It  may  be  that  the  Erythnna  does 
supply  nitrogen  in  quantity  to  satisfy  the  limited 
wants  of  a grape  vine  checked  in  its  growth  and 
dwarfed  to  the  limits  of  the  umbrage  afforded 
by  its  host;  or  it  may  be  that  the  vine  is  afforded 
certain  natural  and  indispensable  conditions  at  the 
foot  of  its  living  host  which  enables  it  crop  with- 
out much  artificial  management  beyond  a supply 
of  manure  annually. 
As^regards  the  theory  of  nitrogen  supplied  by 
the  Erythrina,  while  it  may  be  interesting  to  cocoa 
planters  to  have  it  definitely  settled,  it  may  be  also 
interesting  to  growers  of  pepper  to  know  that 
the  Erabadu  and  the  Badap  do  not  show  any 
better  pepper  vines  on  them  than  any  other 
host  from  .lack  to  lioorie,  on  which  I have 
permitted  my  pepper  to  creep.  I have  found, 
however,  that  a live  host  is  better  than  a dead 
stump  for  crop.  The  conclusion  that  is  forced 
upon  one  is  that  the  decaying  leaves  help  to  enrich 
the  soil  and  thus  to  increase  the  crop.  But  there 
is  yet  another  inference.  A growing  tree  is  known 
to  supply  itself  with  a large  quantity  of  water 
from  the  ground  by  means  of  it§  roots,  and  this 
