524 
THE  TROPICAT.  AORICUl/rURISl . 
[Feb.  I,  1S96. 
togethrr  with  tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  amf  other  sub- 
stances for  which  such  prepared  hops  are  appli- 
cable— No.  20  of  1891' — Mr  H.  A.  Siielling’s  inven- 
tion (Specification  filed  18th  September  1891.)— i/u/turt 
& Eastern  Engineer,  Jan.  1th 
milTISH  ('ENTKAL  Al'llK’A. 
(hroiii  the  British  Central  Africa  <!azrtte,  Zomha, 
Oct.  1.5th,  1S‘),5.) 
It  i.s  matter  of  con.sidcrahle  .satisfaction  to  know 
tliat  since  the  return  of  Mr.  Robert  Rmdianan  to 
Rritish  Central  Africa,  by  the  improvements  in 
method  of  preparing  tobacco  wliicli  he  has  iii- 
trotluced,  Messrs.  Buchanan  Brotliers  have  now 
been  able  to  place  on  the  market  a su])ply  of 
native  grown  tobacco  as  good  as  any  average  kind 
imported  from  abroa<l.  Smokers  pronounce  the 
samples  submitted  to  them  to  he  e.\ cel  lent,  and 
a large  sale  is  already  si)ringing  up.  Mr.  Whyte 
has  e.xamined  this  tobacco,  and  has  funiisheil  us 
with  the  details  on  which  this  note  is  founded. 
Since  at  the  ])resent  time  we  are  almost  wholly 
dependent  on  coiiee  as  our  main  ox])ort,  the 
action  performed  iiy  Mr.  Buclianan  Brotliers,  in 
showing  that  really  lii'st  class  lohacco  can  bo 
grown  in  this  l*rotector.at(>,  is  a ma.  Icr  of  some- 
thing more  than  local  importance.  This  enter- 
prising brm.  deserves  the  thanks  of  the  commu- 
nity for  adding  an  inijiortant  and  prosperous  in- 
dustry to  the  few  other  inducemenis  whi<di  tempt 
Europeans  to  inve.st  their  caiiital  in  this  Pro- 
tectorate. 
Showers  of  rain— some  of  them  very  heavy — 
have  been  falling  in  the  Mlanje  and  Zomba 
Districts,  and  possibly  elsewhere  in  the  Protecto- 
rate during  the  month  of  September,  a very  un- 
usual occurrence  for  the  time  of  year.  On  the 
1st  of  October,  a great  deal  of  rain  fell  at  Zomba, 
and  we  understand  that  as  much  as  tuo  inches 
were  registered  on  the  same  date  at  Fort  Lister, 
in  consequence  of  this  unusually  moist  “dry” 
season,  very  few  hush  lires  have  taken  place, 
ami  although  bush  lires  are  not  really  benelicial 
to  the  country  under  ordinary  circum.stancos, 
they  are  .actually  much  needeil  at  the  present 
time  for  the  destruction  of  the  locusts.  This 
plague  is  certainly  diminished  in  intensity. 
Mr?  Marshall  reports  that  the  Tanganyika  Dis- 
trict is  now  almost  free  of  locusts  .and  they  .are 
little  heard  of  on  Lake  Nyasa.  They  continue 
to  swarm  on  the  top  of  Zomha  mountain 
on  the  ujiper  pl.ateaus  of  .Mlanje  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fort  Lister,  on  Mount  Cholo,  and  on  the 
hills  in  M.atii)W'iri’s  country.  It  would  .almost 
.seem  as  though  locusts  were  beginning  to  prefer 
the  elevated  regions  to  the  plains.  The  have 
up  to  the  present  done  little  or  no  dam.age  to 
c'ardens  or  crops.  Nevertheless,  for  the  bast 
week  they  have  visited  regularly  every  d.ay  the 
Residency  grounds.  Imtthe  firing  of  guns,  shouti7ig 
of  men,  and  Ideating  of  drums  have  been  up  to 
the  present  effectual  in  dispersing  them. 
AUSTRALIAN  FLIWVERS. 
“ There  is  nothing,”  we  are  told,  “ that  astonishes 
the  stranger  visiting  Australia  for  the  first  time  so 
much  as  the  variety  and  beauty  of  its  flowpr.s.”  Au.s- 
traliais,  indeed,  a Land  of  floral  loveliness,  and  no- 
where has  Nature  been  more  lavish  in  lier  gilts  of 
bud  and  blossom  than  in  New  South  Wales,  where, 
at  almost  every  point,  the  landscape  is  an  endless 
panorama  of  surpassing  beauty.  There  is  a plethora 
of  colour  in  the  flowers  that  everywhere  meet  the 
gaze.  “ They  are  not  placed  here  and  there  only,  to 
give  one  the  impression  of  limit ; they  cover  moun- 
tains and  valleys  in  all  kinds  of  form  and  shades  of 
hoaiity.  Cliiiihcrs,  rich  in  ciimson,  and  inter- 
sjicrscd  with  every  other  colour,  ar.i  multiiilii-d  by 
million.s,  and  scattered  with  a prodigal  hand  that 
know;:  no  stmt  nor  bound,  save  tint  of  inlinitnde 
itself,  until  every  shrub  and  ])l.mt  and  busli,  robed 
in  .spkndour,  makes  the  country  gay  with  blue 
and  gold,  and  many  coloured  dyes.”  Tlie  gorgeous 
colouring  of  the  Australian  floral  kingdom  is  hardly 
to  be  excelled  elsewhere,  .\inong  the  favourite  native 
flowers  is  the  stately  Waratah,  or  Native  Tulip,  as 
it  is  sometimes  incorrectly  designated.  It  grows  to 
the  height  of  four  or  five  feet,  Iho  slender  stem 
being  siiriiiouuted  by  a large  dahlia-shaped  flower  of 
the  deepest  crimson.  It  is  sometimes  grown  as  a 
garden  flower,  but  thrives  best  in  the  bush.  Ths 
Native  Rose,  which  has  no  resemblance,  save  in  its 
delicate  pink  tint,  to  the  favourite  garden  flower,  is 
exceedingly  plentiful.  The  blossom  is  small  and 
mode.st,  but  wonderfully  enduring,  and  forms  a 
charming  addition  to  an  Australia'n  bouquet.  The 
which  a beautiful  specimen,  em- 
bedded iu  icc,  \vas  lately  sent  to  the  t^fucen,  is  so 
called  from  its  being  most  abundant  in  rocky 
country,  wmere  its  masses  of  vellorrush-wdiitc  blos- 
soms stand  out  in  picturesque  relief  from  the  dense 
background  of  dark  green  foliage.  The  Gigantic  Lily 
IS,  perhaps,  the  most  magnificent  of  Australian  native 
flowers.  Prom  a cluster  of  gracefully  bending  leave.s, 
rises  a stalk  to  a height  of  from  ten  lo  liftocn  feet, 
crowned  with  about  a dozen  (adinson  ilowcrs,  fuming 
natural  bouquet,  about  a foot  in  diameter. 
The  Magnolia  gr.anditlora  is  found  in  parts  of  the 
iriouiitaiii  regions,  its  large  white  flower.s  and  deJi- 
cious  fragrance  rivalling  those  of  the  cultured  plant, 
lire  wild  Lobelia  is  sometimes  found  as  iihundant  as 
buttercups  in  an  English  meadow,  but  its  presence 
IS  much  disliked  by  pastoralists.  as  cattle  will-  not 
eat  It.  The  red  flowers  of  the  Trumpet  Jasmine 
are  very  beautiful,  as  are  also  the.  pale-yellow  flowers 
of  the  wuld  Iloneysuckle,  while  the  rich  masses  of 
Golden  \Vattle-bloom  are  among  the  ioveliekt  at- 
tractions of  an  Australian  landscape.  The  Christmas 
Bush  is,  perhaps,  the  most  popular  of  all  Australian 
rowers.  It  takes  the  place  of  English  holiv  as  a 
Cluistnias  decoration,  the  flowers  being  sinall  and 
of  a reddish  tint.  Largo  quantities  of  the  flowers  are 
sold  in  Sydney  at  Christmas  time.  There  are  many 
other  flower.s  no  less  beautiful,  such  as  the  Elanuel 
h lower  and  Native  Fuchsia,  hut  the  for  egoing  will 
serve  to  iliu.stiatc  the  rare  and  unsurpassed  heauty  of 
the  floral  wealth_  which  has  made  Australia  a helaiiical 
paradise. — (Julouies  and  India,  Doc.  21. 
DJEU  GUI  FEE. 
On  his  peent  journey  to  tlie  Mlanje  District  H 
M.  Gonjuiissioner  made  an  interesting  discovery.  Iti 
the  v-alley  of  the  little  Nyungwi  stream  which 'flows 
direct  into  the  Ruo  about  ten  miles  west  of  the 
counuence  of  tlie  Ijikiimila  and  tlie  Kuo  and  (dose 
to  the  place  where  the  Nyungwi  is  cros-ed  Irv  the 
main  ro.ad  to  Fort  Anlerson,  tlie  Commissioner 
found  growing  a siiecies  of  wild  coffee  anparentlv 
identical  with  that  which  is  met  with  in  the 
interior  of  Mocambeque,  on  the  Zambesi,  and 
at  Inhambaiie.  By  a happy  chance  this  wild  coffee 
vvas  not  only  in  blo.ssom,  but  bore  the  ripe  ber- 
ries at  the  same  time.  In  growth  (he  tree  was 
very  straggling,  and  somewhat  resembled  the  origi- 
nal ciiltivated  coffee  tree  in  the  Rlantvre  lUiasion 
grounds  Tins  wild  coffee  was  found  gr  ;wincr'(or 
several  hmidrcd  yards  along  the  hanks  of  the  sueam 
The  Commissioner  collected  a large  number  of  the 
berries,  some  of  which  were  r-ipo,  and  tiiese  will 
be  planted  in  the  gardens  at  Zoinb.i.  Specimens 
were  also  collocted  of  tho  Ic-n-es  flowers  ami  fruit 
for  transmission  to  Kew  for  ideiitili  ution. 
It  has  generally  licen  stated  hvthe  Goi’miiissioncr 
liim.self  amongst  others,  that  there  is  no  wild  coll'ee  in- 
digenous to  Nyasalnnd,  and  coi  t iinly  up  to  the  present 
discovery,  it  was  believed  that  no  sjieciinens  of  tire 
wild  coffee  had  been  found  by  any  one.  Tlie  Com 
nnssiouor  se.arclied  diligently  in  ahiiost  all  the  other 
stream  valleys  that  ho  crossed  in  the  Mlanje  Dis 
tract  for  other  specimens  of  tiro  wild  coffee,  but  was 
not  able  to  find  any, 
