Feb.  1,  1S9G.] 
■583 
Sajiplemenl  tv  Urn  ‘‘  Tropical  AgricnUHrisl.'" 
continuation  on  Hellriegel’s  lines  is  assured  in  the 
hands  of  liis  friend  and  colleague  Dr.  Wilfarth. 
Louis  Pasteur,  “ the  most  illu.strious  scientist 
of  this  age,  or,  indeed  of  any  age,  in  his  own 
special  subject  of  investigati'^n,”  was  , horn  on 
December  27th,  1822.  His,  father  is  said  to  have 
been  a working  tanner  in  poor  circum^tauces, 
and  Pasteur,  after  completing  his  general  studies 
and  spending  -some  lime  in  teaching,  devoted  all 
his  time  to  Chemistry.  With  his  discoveries  in 
■fermentation  came  the  turning  point  of  his  career, 
for  thenceforward  he  forsook  chemistry  for  biology 
and  the  study  of  micro-organisms.  Says  Dr. 
Fleming  writing  of  him  in  1886  : — “To  have  accom- 
plished so  much  and  so  thoroughly  ; to  have  been 
the  pioneer  in  investigations  which  have  already 
(revolutionized  medical  doctrine  and  greatly  added 
to  our  knowledge  of  natural  phenomena  ■,  to  have 
effected  large  economies  in  important  industries 
and  agricultural  operations ; but,  above  all,  to 
have  -given  us-  the  means  of  averting  or  resisting 
baneful  and  pestilential  diseases,  is  the  honour  to 
which  Pasteur  is  entitled,  and  which  will  be 
greatly  accorded  to  him  now,  and  in  still  larger 
measure  hereafter.”  The  great  Scientist  breathed 
his  last  on  September  28th,  1893,  at  Garche  near 
Paris,  in  a house  v'hich  had  been  alotted  him  by 
the  Municipality  of  Paris  in  order  that  he  might 
pursue  his  studies  of  rabies  therein. 
Professor  Kiley,  the  greatest  Agricultural 
Entomologist  of  our  age,  was  born  in  Lomlon  on 
September  18th,  1843,  but  the  greater  part  of  Ids 
life  was  spent  in  America,  where  he  held  important 
official  appointments.  Some  idea  of  the  extent  of 
his  writings  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  in 
the  “ Bibliology  of  American  Entomology  ” nearly 
1,600  letters  appertain  to  Riley  alone.  It  is  said 
of  him  that  “ he  successfully  set  himself  the  task 
of  baffling  and  circumventing  the  cunning  devices 
of  insect  pests  in  all  their  bewildering  variety. 
In  the  cotton-fields  of  the  Southern  States,  in  the 
oi^ange  groves  of  Florida  and  California,  among 
the  farm  livestock  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the  hop 
gardens  of  Kent  and  in  the  vineyards  of  France  he 
found  work  to  do,  and  accomplished  in  a fashion 
which  the  world  had  never  befora  witnessed.” 
Among  the  results  of  his  work  in  the  last  few 
years,  two  may  be  specified  which  have  been 
epoch-making  in  their  iMfluence.  The  one  is  the 
u.se  of  kerosine  (paraffin),  emulsified  with  milk  or 
soap,  against  all  sucking  insects  ; and  the  other 
the  invention  and  perfection  of  the  “ Cyclone  ” or 
“lliley”  nozzles  which  are  in  almost  universal 
use  in  the  spraying  of  insecticides  and  fungicide.s. 
Professor  Riley  died  in  Washington  on  September 
14th,  189.3. 
^ 
GENERAL  ITEMS, 
The  manufacture  of  Turpentine  from  the  resin 
of  conifers  is  an  industry  which,  according  to 
the  Indian  Af/riculturist,  premises  to  pay  well. 
The  operations  carried  on  in  connection  with  the 
Forest  School  of  the  United  Provinces  of  India 
have  proved  that  the  industry  can  be  made 
profitable.  At  present  it  is  carried  on  deparl- 
mentally  under  conditions  that  keep  it,  for  all 
practicable  purposes,  in  the  experimental  stage, 
and  it  is  supposed  ih.it  if  private  enterprize  were 
to  take  up  the  manufacture  energeticall}’^  it  w.ill 
find  its  reward. 
In  the  number  of  the  Agricultural  Ledger  which 
has  just  appeared.  Dr.  Watt  throws  an  entirely 
new  light  on  the  preparation  of  Morinda  dye. 
Prof.  Hummel  and  Mr.  Perkin  of  York  College, 
Leeds,  have,  it  seems,  placed  within  the  reach 
of  Indian  dyers  an  inexpensive  process  for  sim- 
plifying the  use  of  the  dye,  and  point  the  way 
to  . the  production  of  a valuable  dye-material  for 
import  to  Europe.  {Morinda  tmetoria  is  the 
Sinhalese  Ahu,  and  M.  umhellata,  to  which  re- 
ference is  also  made  in  Dr.  Watt’s  article,  is 
locally  known  as  Kiri-ioel.) 
The  Inspector-General  of  Forests,  India,  gives 
the  following  “ Simple  and  infallible  means  ;of 
removing  leaf-bugs,  smut,  and  blight  from  plants,” 
w'hich  has  come  under  his  observation  in  Au.stralia: 
Take  a quantity  of  common  starch,  dissolved  to 
the  consistency  u.sual  when  required  for  getting 
up  linen,  choose  a fine  bright  morning,  and  before 
the  sun  gets  hot,  smear  the  starch  w'ell  over 
the  plants  affected.  In  some  fifteen  minutes  the 
starch  rets,  and  in  an  hour  or  two  it  all  peels 
•off,  taking  with  it  the  dead  insects,  along  with 
their  eggs  or  progeny,  and  leaving  the  plants 
quite  clean. 
The  following  figures,  showing  the  imports  into 
the  United  Kingdom,  will  convey  some  idea  of 
the  magnitude  of  the  oil  trade.  In  1892  the  im- 
ports into  the  United  Kingdom  were: — 
Oils  (Exclusive  of  Animal  Oils  and  Fats 
AND  TuBPENTINE.) 
Palm  Oil 
. £1,169,490 
Coconut 
191,380 
Olive 
762,.316 
Other  Oil  Seeds 
55.5,832 
£ 
2,679,218 
Seeds  Cakes 
Oil  Seeds  : 
. 2,147,099 
2,147,099 
Cotton  Seed 
. £2, 363, .375 
Linseed 
. 3,7.30,341 
Rape 
. 1,032.829 
Various  Oil  Seeds  . 
. 1,000,000 
8,126,.545 
£12,952,862 
The  Boston  Journal  of  Commerce  in  an  article 
on  Ramie  or  Rhea  Grass  makes  the  following 
remarks  : — 
The  great  importance  of  this  fibre  has  been 
for  many  years  ajipreciated  in  this  country, 
and  it  is  said  millions  of  dollars  have  been 
expended  to  render  it  available.  This  added  to 
the  millions  sterling  said  to  have  been  expended 
in  Europe  and  the  East  for  a like  purpose,  is 
evidence  of  the  vast  value  which  it  is  believed 
this  plant  will  add  to  textile  productions.  It  is 
three  times  stronger  than  Russian  hemp  ; it  is 
long  and  of  a silky  nature.  When  woven  it  will 
not  shrink  or  mildew.  It  can  be  easily  mixed 
with  cotton  or  wool,  and  when  mixed  with  silk 
its  beautiful  sheen  blends  perfectly  wdien  woven 
with  that  brilliant  costly  material.  There  are  at 
the  present  time  several  mills  in  Europe  engaged 
