Jan. 
rtiE  I'KOPiCAi.  agriculturist. 
473 
riie  Cliainiiiiii  also  stateil  tliat  the  additional 
liabilities  in  Mauritius  were  incurred  with  the 
full  approval  ami  knowledge  of  the  shareholders 
last  year.  The  imiuiry  was  instituted  fur  the 
])urpo.se  of  seeing  whether  the  estates  in  Mauri- 
tius were  likely  to  he  worked  at  a profit  or  at 
a h)ss  in  the  future,  and,  as  the  result  had 
shown,  the  directors  had  every  conlidence  that 
they  couhl  he  worked  at  a profit. 
The  Secretary  added  that  the  company  had 
called  u))  altogether  £9U,0G0,  including  the  l‘2s 
call  ina'le  in  June,  £19,0UU  were  outstanding, 
which  left  £71,000,  and  they  had  paid  off £72,000 
worth  of  debentures  up  to  date. 
After  some  further  discussion,  the  rei)ort  and 
accounts  were  adopted,  and  the  other  formal  busi- 
ness transacted.— Times. 
COCO-NUT  OR  COCOA-NUT. 
Once  again  we  call  special  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing editorial  note  from  the  l‘li(ii'i)iaceutical  Journal  of 
London.  We  have  for  several  years  back  with  the 
concurrence  and  approval  of  the  highest  authority 
in  the  island  (the  Director  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Oar- 
dens)  adopted  “ coconut  ” in  all  our  publications. 
Emerson  Tennent,  the  greater  Historian  of  Ceylon, 
did  the  same.  The  difficulty  usually  is  to  get  people 
at  home  to  aid  in  a change  of  the  kind,  but  now 
that  the  step  has  been  taken  by  so  good  an  authority 
ill  England,  we  trust  all  writers,  printers  and  pub- 
lishers out  here  will  follow  suit  and  do  what  they 
can  to  make  the  convenient  and  indubitable  form 
of  “ coconut  ” universal.  We  would  especially  appeal 
to  our  contemporaries,  to  the  Department  of  Public 
Instruciion  (and  Agriculture  ?),  and  last  not  least,  to 
the  Government  Printer  to  adopt  what  is  so  clearly 
and  scientifically  shewn  to  be  the  correct  form.  If 
we  could  only  convince  “ Mincing  Lane  ” we  should 
like  next  to  see  “cacao”  adopted  for  the  produce  as 
well  as  the  tree  ; but  this  is  more  difficult,  “ cocoa” 
as  pronounced  being  a universal  household  as  well  as 
“market”  word  for  this  food  product  and  drink,  in 
England.  Still  if  “coco”  is  kept  for  the  nut,  there 
will  be  much  less  risk  of  “cocoa”  beans,  nibs,  or 
paste  being  supposed  to  come  from  the  palmtree. 
Here  is  the  paragraph 
“Coco-NOT  OR  Coco.wNUT.— A discussion  as  to  whether 
this  should  be  spelled  c-o-c-o  or  c-o-c-o-a  has  recently 
been  published.  The  palm  ^ ielding  the  coconut  and 
the  tree  which  furnishes  the  substance  u.scd  as  a 
beverage  an  I called  cocoa,  are  know  by  bontamsts, 
and  hence  by  pharmacists,  to  have  no  connection 
nevertheless,  many  persons  outside  that  intelligent 
circle  have  an  idea  that  both  are  products  of  the 
same  trees,  or  are  connected  in  some  way  and  even 
botanists  do  not  agree  as  to  the  correct  spelling  of  the 
word  coco  in  coconut.  The  evidence  on  the  subject 
is  briefly  this  In  early  botanical  works  and  bonks 
of  travel  coco-nuts  arc  mentioned,  the  word  coco 
being  derived  from  an  Indian  word  coc  or  cocus,  used 
to  indicate  the  fruit  of  6’ocos  nuafera  on  account  of 
a fancied  resemblance  of  the  base  o the  endoc.arp 
with  the  three  circular  impressions,  to  the  face  of  a 
mo  key  whose  conversatiomO  powers  were  limited  o 
ffitS  a sound  like  coco  or  coeus.  According  to 
Sei-  authority  the  w rd  " coco  ” in  Portuguese 
means  anything  which  friRitens  children,  the  mon- 
key liL  expression  on  the  cn.iocarp  being  perhaps 
used  for  that  purprse  Luiuicus  in  foimmg 
th^  genus  thco.«i  probably  founded  .the  name  on 
ihL  vaiiarions,  and  how  it  came  to  be  known 
as  cocoa  (c-o-c-o-a)  nut  is  not  quite  clear,  but  theie 
R notffing  to  waiTant  such  a method  of  spelling. 
Now  that  the  leaves  of  ErnUn-oxi/lon  Coca  aie  also 
articles  of  commerce  and  known  as  coca  (c-o-ca),  it 
becomes  a matier  of  much  importance  to  discri.ni- 
nate  carefully  between  the  three  substances  of  similar 
names  but  widely  different  nature. 
THE  LAN  TANA. 
(AUstract  of  ie[»ort  on  Forestry  from  the  Planters’ 
M onthly. ) 
The  lantana  of  which  mention  has  been  made  in 
former  reports  of  this  committee,  continues  to  spread 
with  vigor  in  almost  all  districts  of  this  country ; 
Puna,  as  Mr.  Rycroft  believes,  and  Kula,  Maui, 
according  to  Mr.  von  Tempsky,  being  happily  free 
from  the  invasion.  Where  it  attacks  cultivated 
ground,  or  intrudes  into  land  already  wooded,  its  lead 
eradication  is  no  doubt  desirable.  Mr.  Lowry  and 
Messrs.  Gay  and  Robinson,  for  our  1888  report,  de- 
scribed the  process  adopted  by  them  in  meeting  the 
difficulty.  The  young  plants  lightly  rooted  are  with- 
out difficulty  pulled  up;  the  older  plants  are  cut  off 
near  the  ground,  and  a few  drops  of  kerosene  oil 
are  poured  on  to  the  exposed  wood  of  the  remaining 
trunk,  after  which  the  roots  perish.  Mr.  R.  W.  Meyer 
and  Mr.  Colville  clear  their  arable  and  pasture  lands 
of  lantana  twice  a year.  As  the  committee  suggested 
in  1888,  the  lantana  is  probably  not  without  econo- 
mic use,  if  it  can  bo  restricted  to  valueless  or  only 
slightly  valuable  land  ; but  this  restriction  is  of  course 
the  difficulty  which  presents  itself ; and  no  remedy 
seems  to  exist  except  the  careful  clearing  of  young 
plants  where  they  can  be  reached.  Moreover,  where 
alntana  is  not  interfering  with  any  other  growth,  it 
is  as  Mr.  McBryde  points  out,  providing  the  seeds 
of  mischief  elsewhere.  This  gentleman  writes  that 
some  landowners  do  not  clear  their  lands  at  all,  or 
do  it  so  little  that  it  amounts  to  nothing,  giving  as 
reasons  that  the  clearing  would  cost  more  than  the 
land  is  worth ; whilst  others  after  constantly  and 
diligently  clearing,  find  themselves  constantly  injured 
by  the  pi'oximity  of  what  are  in  effect  nurseries  for 
propagating  the  plant. 
Of  some  economic  service  rendered  by  the  lantana 
Colonel  Spalding  speaks  as  follows,  in  a very  inter- 
esting letter  with  which  he  has  favored  the  com- 
mittee : “ I think  no  one  will  dispute  the  right  of 
the  lantana  to  be  regarded  as  in  tne  front  rank  of 
‘ noxious  plants,’  and  yet  I am  by  no  means  sure 
that  this  interesting  individual  has  not  been  maligned. 
Having  had  over  12  years’  experience  with  the  lan- 
tana on  Kealia,  I am  not  prepared  to  say  that  it 
has  been  altogether  an  evil.  The  dying  out  of  the 
kukui  trees,  some  years  ago  (a  circumstance  I cannot 
attribute  altogether  to  the  cattle)  left  our  middle 
lands  on  foot  hills  bare  and  exposed.  In  many  places 
the  soil  was  soon  washed  from  the  surface,  and  these 
lends  became  unfit  even  for  pasturage.  The  lantana 
aume  and  stayed.  Naturally  it  has  been  kept  out 
of  the  cane  fields,  and  only  allowed  to  extend  itself 
over  these  middle  lands  that  had  been  denuded  and 
rendered  almost  worthless.  It  has  continued  to  grow 
mauka,  to  some  extent,  but,  our  best  pastures  on  the 
upper  lauds  are  comparatively  free  fi'oiii  it.  Now  I 
find  that  the  lands  where  the  lantana  has  had  its 
homo  for  j'ears  h.id  gained  in  strength  of  soil,  and 
the  cattle  find  good  gmss  wherever  they  can  push 
througli  the  bushes.  I attribute  this  to  the  fact 
that  the  thick  bushes  prevent  the  hot  rays  of  the 
sun  from  drying  up  the  ground,  and  serve  to  retain 
the  moisiu.e  wiiich  causes  decomposition  of  fallen 
leaves,  and  vegetable  matter,  adding  to  the  strength 
and  richness  of  t!ie  soil.  I expect  to  see  the  lantana 
die  out  in  the  near  future,  and  leave  these  lands  in 
much  better  condition  than  if  it  had  never  grown.” 
Granting  that  the  plant  in  question  is  to  a certain 
extent  useful,  it  seems  likely  that  it  will  establish 
and  t«ke  care  of  itself  where  it  is  w'anted  ; and  too 
great  efforts  cannot  be  made  to  keep  in  check;  for 
in  a bilancc  of  advaiitag.ss  and  disadvantages  the 
jattor  will  be  found  in  mo .t  districts  to  predominate. 
[The  Lantana.  though  regarded  by  many  in  Queens- 
land as  a pest,  has  its  friends  and  these  are  in- 
creasing. When  well  grown  it  is  easily  uprooted-.by 
bullock  teams.  Colonel  Spalding’s  views  will  find 
many  adherents  in  this  country. — Ed.  T.A-I 
