Nov.  1,  1895,]  Si%pplement  to  the  “ Tropical  AgricaltiiristT 
365 
An  instance  of  bacteria  canning  fermer.tatioti 
may  be  found  in  the  case  of  wines  which  turn  into 
vinegar.  A yea.«t  causes  the  fe. mentation  of  toddy 
into  a liquid  containing  alcohol,  and  a ])rotozoa 
causes  a fermentation  in  butter. 
The  class  of  bacteria  Unit  causes  juitrefaction  is 
important  in  tliat  some  of  liiein  are  msefnl  and 
otliers  dangerous.  These  bacteria  hasten  the 
disintegration  of  bodies,  and  if  not  for  llieir 
presence  we  will  find  all  dead  bodies  to  have 
mummified.  The  mummies  of  Egypt  have  been 
preserved  by  the  use  of  certain  ingredients  which 
preA’’ent  the  attack  of  putrefactive  bacteria.  In 
putrefaction  certain  alkaloids, are  found 
which  are  very  poisonous  substances.  The  poi- 
soning as  a result  of  taking  tinned  meats  iSrc.  is 
produced  by  ptomaines. 
The  other  class  of  bacteria  are  those  that  pro- 
duce disease  It  may  be  questioned  that  if  it  is 
true  that  varieties  of  bacteria  are  found  iii  the  air, 
water  and  dust  and  even  in  myriads  on  our  own 
bodies,  how  could  it  be  jiossible  to  attribute  the 
cau.se  of  a disease  to  any  of  tliese.  But  the  parti- 
cular disease  germs  are  met  with  in  t he  blood  and 
tissues,  and  when  these  are  artilicially  cultivated 
and  introduced  into  the  healthy  animal  body 
cause  disease  of  tlie  same  nature  a-i  that  which  the 
original  person  or  animal  suffered  from. 
“ I’oul  air  is  full  of  germs,  water  may  come  from 
a polluted  stream,  or  be  contaminated  with  sewage 
from  leaky  drains,  cesspools  or  with  soakage  from 
cemeteries  carrying  the  contagia  of  tyjdioid  fever, 
diptheria  or  chidera.  Rags  and  dust  bins  are  the 
hamlets  of  germs,  meat  and  milk  may  come  from 
animals  suffering  from  tuberculosis  or  other  disease 
and  be  unfit  for  human  food.  Pure  air,  pure  water, 
pure  food,  pure  surroundings  and  a pure  life — such 
are  the  weapons  with  which  we  must  oppose  these 
invisible  enemies  of  mankind  and  avert  the 
dangers  to  which  we  are  otherwise  exposed.” 
AV.  A.  D.  S. 
THREE  WELL-KNOAVN  CEYLON  GRASSES. 
The  introduction  of  Panicnm  ma.vimum,  Guinea 
grass  (when  and  by  whom)  into  Ceylon  is  not 
definitely  recorded.  It  is  known  to  iiave  been 
growing  here  in  18:14.  The  late  Dr.  Gardner 
introduced  what  he  supposed  to  lie  a new  fodder, 
but  it  eventually  turned  out  to  be  identical  with 
Guinea  grass.  It  was  introducetl  into  Jamaica 
about  1744  from  the  coast  of  Guinea..  Lunan 
in  his  Hortus  Jamaicensis  says  that  this  most 
valuable  grass  is  a native  of  Africa  and  was 
introduced  into  the  West  Indies  by  a mere  acci- 
dent. A gentleman  by  the  name  of  Ellis  brought 
over  some  birds  from  the  cost  of  Guinea  and 
with  them  some  seeds  for  their  support;  the 
biids  dying  soon  after,  the  seeds  were  thrown 
away  as  useless.  From  these  seeds  grew  up  some 
luxuriant  grass  whicli  attracted  iMr.  Ellis'  notice, 
and  he  had  a. horse  and  a co.v  bro^ught  wiiere  it 
was,  when  both  greedily  ate  of  it.  It  was  then 
tramsplanted  into  a garden  and  gradually  culti- 
vated, till  it  became  one  of  the  most  paying  and 
useful  plants  in  Jamaica. 
Dlauritius  gi'ass,  Panicum  molle,  is  erroneously 
so  called  as  it  is  not  native  to  that  country.  Its 
introduction  into  Ceylon  is  also  obscure.  The  culti- 
vation of  the  grass  in  Colombo  was  at  one  time 
confiued  to  a single  firm,  uiz.,  Messrs.  AVilson, 
Kicliie  & Co  , until  their  f.-iilure  .some  years 
ago,  wlieii  the  r<imils  and  Sinhalese  (jiarticularly 
tlie  former)  began  to  cultivate  it;  and  tlie  grass 
now  occupies  every  bit  of  l.iwlying  land  avail- 
able in  Colomlio  and  tlie  suburbs,  Trinius  <^^ives 
Brazil  as  its  u.ative  place,  luit  it  is  said  to  Inve 
originally  come  to  the  Botanical  Gardens  at 
Culcutta  fioin  Sumatra  about  ninety  yeaits  ago  and 
Mr.  William  Ferguson  thought  that  'it  very  likely 
spread  from  there  to  the  various  places  in  which 
it  is  now  cultivated.  Roxburgh  mentions  that 
it  was  Dr.  Charles  Campbell  who  brought  it  to 
Calcutta  in  1804. 
Oynoden  dactylon  is  the  well-know  doob 
grass  (also  called  Huryalee  and  Arugam-pillu  by 
the  Tamils).  It  is  considered  the  most  nutritious 
of  the  natural  grasses  for  cattle,  and  is  indi- 
genous to  the  Island.  Hitherto  it  has  been 
described  under  about  a dozen  scientific  names 
and  is  identical  with  the  Panicum  dactylon  of 
Liiuueus.  The  grass  occurs  over  a great  part  of 
the  world— in  England  and  other  parts  of  Europe 
India,  China,  Thibet,  Australia,  South  and  Central 
America  and  the  Cape.  It  is  believed  to  be  the 
Agrostis  of  the  Greeks,  and  its  perfect  flowers 
considered  “among  the  loveliest  objects  in  the 
vegetable  world.’  Its  usefulness  and  beauty  have 
led  to  its  being  made  “sacred”  to  some  of  the 
Hindu  deities. 
NEAV  METHODS  AVITH  TOBACCO. 
The  usual  method  of  harvesting  tobacco  leaves 
tor  curing  is  to  cut  away  the  stalks  of  the  plants 
and  afterwards  strip  off  the  leaves.  Another 
method  is,  however,  being  adojited  in  the  Southern 
States  of  America,  and  the  following  account 
tiom  the  Cultivator  and  Country  Gentleman  shows 
the  advantages  of  the  new  process  over  the  old  and 
sliould  be  of  interest  to  local  tobacco  growers  •— 
Under  this  system  the  routine  of  plantinc^  and 
cultivation  need  not  differ  essentially  fronf  that 
in  general  use.  The  first  important  divergence 
from  the  ordinary  line  of  practice  is  m ide  when 
harvesting  begins.  The  usual  way  is  to  cut  the 
stalk  at  the  ground,  at  the  time  when  tlie  largest 
p.art  of  its  leaves  are  ripe.  Just  previous  to  this 
topping  of  the  plant  is  done,  when  a number  of 
the  upper  and  immature  leaves  are  broken  off 
and  thrownaway.  By  the  new  plan,  the  leaves 
which  ripe  first  are  plucked  from  the  stalk 
leaving  therest  to  be  gathered  as  Hhey  mature’ 
The  bottom  leaves  which  .are  thus  saved,  as  thev 
are  the  first  to  ripen,  would  otherwise  decay  and 
be  ost  before  the  other  leaves  of  the  plant  are 
ready  to  be  harvested.  The  leaves  are  gathered 
at  several  different  times,  always  from  the  bottom 
until  nothing  of  the  jdant  13  left  in  the  field  but 
the  stalk  and  its  suckers.  Removing  the  first 
leaves  is  said  to  hasten  the  maturity  of  the  re«t 
so  that  the  entire  crop  may  be  sicured  earlier 
than  It  could  be  otherwise,  thus  lessening  tlm 
danger  from  rost.  Finally,  the  top  leaves,  which 
when  ripened  are  not  without  value,  are  saved 
Removing  a part  of  the  leaves  admits  the  sun- 
shine more  freely  to  the  others  and  also  to  the 
ground  at  the  roots  of  the  jiiant.  This  is  regarded 
as  essential  to  the  perfect  distillation  and  secre- 
tion ol  the  subtle  oil  that  gives  the  finest  wrapper 
leal  Its  delicate  aroma,  and  which  is  complete 
duly  m the  thoroughly  ripened  leaf,  ^ 
