63a 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICCLTURIST.  (March  2,  1896. 
PICKINC8  WITH  A LOCAL  APPLICATION. 
The  following  reference  to  the  late  Editor  of  the 
Cei/lou  Ohsei'ver  is  from  the  proceedings  of  the  Agri- 
Horticultural  Society  of  Madras  and  is  taken  over 
in  the  A'e/<;  Bulletin  of  October  last  : The  cultiva- 
tion of  Liberian  Coffee  was  strenuously  advocated  in 
Ceylon  by  the  late  Mr.  A.  M.  Ferguson,  c.m.g.,  who 
published  at  Colombo  an  excellent  “ History  of  the 
Introduction  and  Progress  of  the  cultivation  up  to 
1878.’’  It  however  made  little  progress  owing  to  its 
unsuitability  for  the  “ topping  treatment  ” which  the 
Ceylon  planters  had  been  in  the  habit  of  applying 
to  Arabian  coffee,  and  latterly  owing  to  the  superior 
attractions  of  tea. 
Haberlandt’s  “ Tropenreise  ” — to  judge  from  the 
review  of  the  work  in  “ The  Forester  ” (New  Jersy) 
— would  seem  to  be  a most  exhaustive  and  enter- 
taining book,  containing  gi-aphic  accounts  of  'I’ropical 
Vegetation  particularly  as  seen  in  the  ludo-Malasian 
Peninsula.  On  hi.s  reiurn  journey  Dr.  llaberlandt 
spent  a few  days  in  Ceylon  before  leaving  for  Egypt. 
A correspondent  of  the  Indian  A(jriculturist  (who  is 
careful  not  to  reveal  his  secret)  writes  as  follows  on  the 
subject  of  clearing  for  tea  planting ; — 
It  has  always  been  a wonder  to  mo  why  tea- 
planters  ever  spend  any  money  on  their  jungle  clear- 
ing, instead  of  making  it  yield  them  a large  profit  in 
the  very  first  year,  and  also,  probably,  so  prepare  the 
soil  of  the  new  clearing  that  the  growth  of  their 
now  tea  would  be  more  advanced  than  it  is  by  their 
present  method.  I have  seen  the  simply  marvellous 
effect  of  the  method  I have  in  view  on  a rice  crop 
grown  on  such  a clearing.  I do  not  insist  that  the 
effect  will  be  the  same  on  tea,  the  plants  being  so 
very  different ; but  it  is  just  possible  that  it  might 
be.  At  all  events  the  new  tea  land  would  be  not 
only  cleared  at  no  expense,  but  would  also  yield  a 
large  profit  in  the  first  year,  which  gain  would  go 
towards  lessening,  perhaps  entirely  covering,  the  ex- 
penses of  the  new  tea  extension.  The  outlay  on  jungle 
clearing  is,  as  now  done,  unavoidable,  so  it  ought  to  be 
worth  the  planter’s  while  to  try  if  it  is  not  possible 
to  avoid  it,  in  these  days  of  heavy  labour  difficulties 
and  expenses.  If  any  planter  has  any  curiosity  about 
the  matter  and  the  enterprise  to  try  the  experiment 
on  his  next  small  clearing  job,  I shall  be  most  happy 
to  give  him  all  the  information  in  my  power,  and 
should  be  delighted  if  my  suggestion  turned  out  a suc- 
cess, and  feel  proud  that  I had  introduced  a profitable 
new  idea  into  Assam. 
The  name  and  address  of  the  writer,  which  our  tea- 
planters  may  be  anxious  to  know,  is  Bnkit  Gantang 
(Larut). 
The  average  consumption  of  tea  in  India  is  only 
one-fortieth  of  a pound  per  head  of  population.  In 
England  the  consumption  needs  five  pounds  per  head. 
Veterinary-Major  Kemp’s  report  to  the  Indian 
Government  makes  the  following  reference  to  the 
Indian  butter  trade.  “ Dairy  enterindse  in  India  has 
been  rapidly  taken  up  and  the  market  is  now  almost 
overstocked  with  butter  of  all  kinds  and  qualities. 
The  II  odern  dairy  machinery  we  presume,  facilitates 
matters  considerably,  but  it  also  assists  to  deceive 
the  public.  Now  it  some  times  happens  that  milk  and 
butter  are  bought  from  a dairy  where,  in  many  in- 
stances, not  a single  cow  or  buffalo  is  kept.  'I’lie  milk 
is  purchased  from  the  bazaar  (loirala.  who  obtains  it 
in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  befoie  from  ill-fed 
or  liise  sed  cows.  The  milk  is  exposed  to  a vitiated 
atmosphere,  kept  in  dirty  vessels,  and  frequently 
mixed  with  polluted  water.  From  this  milk,  butter  is 
made,  and  although  perhaps  more  attractive  to  the 
eye  and  taste  is  still  no  less  dangerous.” 
Says  the  Indian  Ayriculturint'. — 
Divi-Divi  is  of  immense  value  in  tanning,  dyeing,  and 
for  making  ink  ; for  each  of  these  purposes  the  pod,  or 
beau,  is  used.  Divi-Divi  contains  a very  large  percen- 
tage of  tanning.  Used  in  tanning  this  product  accele- 
rates the  process,  and  gives  to  the  leather  a clean, 
healthy  appearance.  The  Divi-Divi  tree  thrives  on 
any  soil  from  the  sea  level  up  to  some  two  thousand 
feet  above.  It  is  imported  into  India  chiefly  from 
Maracaibo,  Paraiba,  and  St.  Domingo,  but  it  is  un- 
der cultivation  in  many  other  places.  A large  plot 
of  land  near  Madras  is  now  under  cultivation,  with 
excellent  prospect  of  success. 
An  article  on  the  “ Advance  of  Chemistry  ” in  the 
Xen'  Orleans  Times- Uemoerat  refers  to  Vanalline  as 
the  greatest  success  in  artificial  flavouring,  and  re- 
marks that  this  product  is  keeping  down  the  price 
of  vanilla  beans,  and  it  is  likely  to  drive  the  latter 
out  of  the  market.  Already  the  chemists  are  manu- 
facturing oil  of  banana,  oil  of  pineapple,  oil  of  pear, 
oil  of  apple,  oil  of  raspberry,  and  many  others.  The 
essential  oil  of  banana  obtained  by  distilling  the 
fruit,  is  identical  chemically  with  the  laborator}-  pro- 
duct.  Oil  of  banana  is  a compound  of  acetic  acid 
and  amyl  alcohol,  tho  latter  being  the  chief  consti- 
tuent of  fused  oil.  Oil  of  bitter  almonds  has  been 
counterfeited ; though  chemically  different,  it  has  the 
same  flavour  as  the  real.  The  chemists  now  know 
how  to  counterfeit  lactic  acid,  which  is  the  sour  prin- 
ciple of  sour  milk.  They  also  make  citric  acid,  which 
is  the  sour  of  the  lemon.  A recent  achievement  of 
great  importance  is  the  manufacture  of  salicylic  acid 
from  carbolic  acid.  One  of  the  best  remedies  for 
gout  and  rheumatism  is  salicylic  acid  ; also  it  is  use- 
ful as  a preservative.  Formerly  it  was  obtained 
from  the  wintergreen  plant  and  from  certain  varie- 
ties of  willows,  and  it  was  very  costly.  At  present 
it  is  made  by  the  ton,  and  is  extremely  cheap — too 
cheap  in  fact,  inasmuch  as  it  is  freely  employed  to 
give  a better  keeping  quality  to  bottle  and  other- 
wise preserved  foods.  It  kills  the  bacteria  that  pro- 
duce decomposition,  but  in  the  stomach  it  destroys 
the  digestive  ferments,  and  on  that  account  it  is  in- 
jurious to  health. 
The  Botanical  Department,  Jamaica,  in  a bulletin 
referring  to  coconut  cultivation,  refers  as  follows  to 
the  method  of  treatment  adopted  in  Bombay  : — 
It  is  calculated  that  in  India  there  are  480,000  acres 
under  the  coconut,  and  the  cultivation  is  attended  to 
carefully.  In  Bombay,  for  instance,  after  the  seed- 
lings are  planted  out,  they  are  watered  every  day 
or  two  for  the  first  year,  every  two  or  three  days  for 
the  second  and  third  years,  and  every  third  day  for 
the  fourth  and  fifth  year.  “ During  the  rains,  from 
its  fifth  to  its  tenth  year,  a ditch  is  dug  round  the 
palm  and  its  roots  cut,  and  little  sandbanks  are  raised 
round  the  tree  to  keep  the  rain-water  from  running 
off.  In  the  ditch  round  the  tree,  321b.  of  powdered 
dry  fish  manure  is  sprinkled  and  covered  with  earth, 
and  watered  if  there  is  no  rain  at  the  time.  Besides 
fish  manure  the  palms  get  salt  mud  covered  with  the 
leaves  of  the  croton-oil  plant,  and  after  five  or  six 
days  with  a layer  of  earth ; or  they  get  a mixture 
of  cow-dung  and  wood  ashes  covered  with  earth  ; or 
night-soil,  which  on  the  whole  is  the  best  manure.” 
( Watt's  Diet.) 
In  the  same  bulletin  we  read  : — 
In  the  tropics  of  the  old  .vorld  generally,  it  is  custom- 
ary whem  the  plant  is  one  year  old  to  dig  round 
tho  roots  and  apply  ashes  once  a month  ; when  the 
tree  is  two  years  old  to  open  up  every  year  at  the 
beginning  of  the  rains  the  roots  to  a distances  of  4ft. 
to  (>ft.  from  the  stem,  to  apply  ashes  and  dry  manure 
to  the  roots,  and  leave  the  ojiening  until  the  end  of 
the  rainy  season,  then  to  fill  in  again  the  soil  which 
had  been  removed,  and  level  the  ground.  During  the 
time  the  roots  are  exposed,  tho  older  won. -out  root- 
ests  may  be  cut  away  and  the  roots  of  other  plants 
removed. 
