592 
TfIR  TROPICAT.  ACxRlCUI/rURIST.  [March  2,  1896. 
of  English  apples  from  the  hills,  to  say  nothing  of  pears 
apricots,  grapes,  strawberries,  and  other  smaller  fruit 
why,  you  would  be  better  off  there  than  you  were 
even  m the  days  in  which  American  apples  used 
to  be  imported  with  ice,  and  sold  at  the  rate  of  eight  for 
T 1 apples  here  than  ever 
\ Calcutta  in  the  best  days  of  American  apples. 
And  the  experiment  of  importing  apple i from  Australia 
would  have  no  chance  against  fruit  which  could  be 
'*^1  *'■  market  within  four  or  live  days 
of  its  being  plucked.  The  Calcutta  market,  moreov.^r, 
18  only  a single  place  where  Himalayan  fruit  could 
be  offered  for  sale.  All  the  stations  along  the  railway 
route,  and  indeed  every  accessible  spot  on  the  plains, 
would  be  available  for  the  sale  of  the  Himalayan 
fruit,  were  culture  attempted  on  a large  scale.” 
All  this  is  perfectly  true,  but  we  are  inclined  to  think 
that  in  the  Ni’ghiris  the  wrong  sort  of  people  went 
in  for  the  industry  and  that  the  system  they  worked 
on  was  rotten.  They  were  evidently  people  who 
did  little  or  no  work  with  their  own  hands,  but  small 
capitalists  who  planted  orchards  near  villages  so  as 
to  obtain  cheap  native  labour.  Result,  villagers 
reaped  and  ate  of  the  fruit  with  gusto  after  having 
drawn  good  wages  to  grow  and  guard  it.  The  pro- 
prietor’s profits  might  be  gauged  solely  in  a.r  expen- 
sively bought  experience  and  a profound  knowledge 
of  the  capacity  of  his  Aryan  brother  in  the  picking 
and  stealing  line. 
But  there  are  evident  signs  that  a revolution  is 
looming  over  Anglo-Indian  society,  the  d preciation 
of  the  rupee  is  bound  to  affect  even  those  moving  in 
the  highest  grades,  much  more  so  the  middle  and  lower 
classes,  and  they  will  no  longer  be  able  to  send  their 
ohlidren  home  for  education  or  go  there  so  frequently 
themselves.  Schools  therefore  must  yearly  inci-ease 
in  numbers  and  be  gradually  followed  by  the  hills 
of  India  being  colonised  by  many  of  the  parents  of 
children  educated  there.  To  supply  these  colonies  and 
schools  with  vegetables,  fruit  and  poultry,  we  look  to  tha 
poor  white  and  a robust  class  of  Eurasians  who  will 
start  small  farms,  market  gardens  and  orchards,  woking 
themselves  without  the  aid  of  native  subordinates 
such  people  ought  with  fair  work  and  economy  to 
be  able  to  make  a far  better  living  in  the  Himala- 
yas or  Cashmere  tlian  they  would  be  able  to  do  in 
a country  so  played  out  for  agriculture  as  England. 
Calcutta  and  most  of  all  the  big  Indian  cities  suffer 
during  the  hot  weather  from  a want  of  English 
vegetables  and  fruits,  but  so  favour  hill  stations  can 
scarcely  supply  local  demands.  Let  Government  en- 
courage soldiers  who  have  served  their  time  to  settle  out 
here  andaid  them  w'ith  lightly  rented  land  grants 
and  small  loans  where  necessary, and  the  worthy  folk 
will  soon  create  a valuable  industry  and  colonise  the 
hills  with  a race  from  which  India  can  cull  her  future 
soldiers  and  policemen. — Indian  J'lantens'  Gazette. 
ANACAUDIU.U  OCCHDENTALE,  Llun. 
(Tub  Cashew  Xri.) 
The  fruit  of  Anacardium  is  weU  known  to  West 
Indians,  who  besides  eating  it  in  the  fresh  state, 
make  conserves  of  it  in  various  ways.  Though 
sweet,  it  is  at  the  same  time  very  astringent  and 
said  to  be  useful  in  cases  of  dysentery  and  diarrlnex. 
Many  and  various  are  the  effects  with  which  this 
tree,  its  fruit,  bark,  leaves  aud  seeds  are  credited, 
and  if  all  were  true,  it  would  indeed  be  one  of  the 
wonders  of  nature.  It  is  said  to  possess  aphrodisiacal 
properties,  the  leaves  to  be  cipabie  of  producing 
drunkenness,  the  nuts  or  seed  when  roasted  to  excite 
the  faculties,  especially  memory,  so  much  so  that 
a confection  made  therefrom  lias  been  called  Cun- 
fection  des  Ak/yav ; and  the  oil  from  the  nut  is  said 
to  be  epual  to  that  made  tiom  the  finest  olives 
— while  an  acrid  oil  is  produced  from  the  epidermis 
of  the  nut,  which  is  said  by  Barham  in  /lovtm 
Ameticanis  1791  to  “ cure  herpes,  and  cauceroiis  aud 
malignant  ulcers  abounding  in  rotten  flesh  ; it  also 
kills  worms  in  ulcers,  and  chigo“s,  it  takes  away 
freckles  and  liver  spots,  but  it  draws  blisters  and 
therefore  must  ho  cautiously  made  use  of.”  “ It 
has  been  observed  that  poor  dropsical  slaves  that 
have  had  the  liberty  to  go  into  a cashew  walk,  aud 
eat  what  cashews  they  pleased,  aud  of  the  roasted 
nuts,  have  been  recovered.  " Another  writer  brings 
an  indictment  against  the  West  Indian  fair  sex  for 
using  it  as  a cosmetic  when  they  have  become 
tanned  hy  exposure  to  the  sun.  He  describes  the 
process  as  follows:  *•  They  take  a nut,  scrape  off 
the  outside  skin,  and  rub  their  faces  with  the  ex- 
posed oily  surface.  The  face  swells  and  blackens, 
but  ultimately  the  tanned  skin  peels  off;  aud  al- 
though the  process  necessitates  rigid  retirement 
for  a fortnight,  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  “ re- 
emergo  with  a new  skin  and  complexion  as  fair  as 
a babe.”  It  has  been  also  stated  that  the  oil  is  to 
be  found  useful  in  Leprosy  and  that  the  fruit  is  a 
cure  for  the  disorder  which  causes  the  patient  to 
become  what  is  known  as  a dirt-eater.  The  oil  is 
probably  worthy  of  further  examination,  but  in  the 
absence  of  a Physiological  Laboratory  prepared  to 
undertake  original  work  we  are  bound  to  obtain  the 
interest  of  workers  in  European  or  American  Insti- 
tutions; and  as  these  are  for  the  most  part  fully 
engaged,  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  secure  their 
interest  for  the  examinatiou  of  tropical  productions. 
The  tree  produces  a beautiful  clear  gum,  which 
makes  a fine-  varnish,  and  is  said  to  possess  especial 
virtue  in  preserving  woods  from  insects.  The  sap 
of  the  tree,  like  its  congener  Seniecarpus  anacardium, 
produces  an  indelible  stain  upon  linen.  Professor 
Lindley  makes  Martins  responsible  for  a statement 
that  the  nut  has  a wonderful  effect  upon  chronic 
infl'iininat'oii  of  the  eyes,  especially  such  as  are  of  a 
scrofulous  nature,  when  simply  borne  or  carried  by 
the  persons  affected.  It  is  also  a common  belief 
in  Tiiiiidad  that  a necklace  collar  of  Cashew 
nu  s have  a remarkable  curative  effect  upon  some 
of  the  diseases  of  the  Canine  Race,  especially  for 
coughs,  or  distemper. — -1.  H.  H. — Trinidad  Bulletin. 
CULTUHE  IX  WESTEKX  AUSTRALIA. 
It  is  pleasant  to  learn,  through  the  agency  of  the 
Agent-General,  that  fruit  and  vegetable  culture  are 
making  satisfactory  progress  in  the  far-away  auri- 
ferous portion  of  the  globe  which  has  so  rapidly 
risen  into  fame  all  over  the  world.  Orchards  and 
vineyards  are  gradually  being  developed  in  valleys 
where  rivers  or  streams  of  any  capacity  run,  and 
ill  some  places,  as  in  Perth,  we  are  told  that  Grapes 
are  sold  at  4d.  per  pound.  Apricots,  Peaches,  aud 
Melons  also  are  gradually  coming  into  market,  and 
Strawberries,  Raspberries,  and  Currants  are  to  be 
found  here  and  there.  Of  course,  where  the  rainfall 
is  limited  in  extent,  cultivation  is  a ticklish  job,  but 
then  irrigation  is  made  to  assert  its  baueficeut  power, 
aud  as  population  gi’ows,  so  also  does  the  extent  of 
acreage  under  fruit  aud  vegetable  cultivation.  Land 
is  c'lieap  enough,  for  it  is  staled  that  the  cost  of 
freehold  in  f anus  is  soinethiug  like  iO.s.  per  acre, 
the  payment  being  extended  over  twenty  years  =6(f. 
per  acre  per  annum  I And  so,  possibly,  it  may  come 
to  pass  tliat  alluvial  gjld  may  by-and-bye  be  found 
more  easily  of  acquirement  than  ctiluvial — as  in 
California.  P.y-the-way,  it  may  be  noted  that  fruit 
trees  and  cuttings  are  sent  from  both  New  South 
Wales  and  Sjiitn  Australia.  We  are  reminded  by 
the  Agent-General  that  grass  seeds  ate  now  placed 
on  the  free  list  of  imports,  as  well  as  ga -den  seeds. 
In  the  tariff-free  list  are  to  be  found  bulbs,  fruit, 
and  oriiauiental  trees,  s..ious  aud  i.ratLs,  manures  of 
ali  kinds,  plants,  an.l  Vine  cuttings.  The  following 
pay  a duty  of  5 per  cent,  ad  valorem: — Agricultural, 
liorticultural,  and  vitioultural  implements  and  machi- 
nery (net  garden  roller.s);  wire  netting  and  steel 
fencing  wire,  standards  and  staples. 
Tne  iacreise  in  tne  value  of  timber  exports  is 
surely  worthy  of  mention  here.  In  1893  the  value 
of  this  export  was  T33,8'j8,  last  year  this  had  in- 
creased to  t‘74,809.  It  may  not  be  generally  known 
that  the  forest  region  of  extra  tropical  Western 
Australia  occupies  an  area  equal  to  the  whole  terri- 
tory of  Great  Britain — the  iutratropic  zone  of  forest 
is  also  enormous,  and  there  is  many  an  indication 
that  as  time  goes  on  more  and  more  of  the  timber 
produced  in  these  regions  will  iind  its  way  to  the 
mother  country.  A’.C — Gardeners’  i'hronicle. 
