THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[JuLy  r,  1896, 
56 
Calcutta,  which  had  been  attacked  by  white  ants. 
The  supports  left  by  the  ants  to  boar  the  weight  of 
the  earth  and  rubbish  that  lay  .above  the  beam,  ^011- 
sist  mostly  of  akuobiu  the  centre  strengthened  by 
a little  of  the  surrounding  wood-tissue,  exhibiting  the 
wonderful  wisdom  of  the  termite  in  his  depredations. 
— M.  Mail,  June  3. 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(Prom  the  Chemist  and  DiUfi(jist.) 
London,  May  21. 
C.M't'EiXE.— Unaltered  in  price,  at  from  ISs  to  19  per 
lb.,  according  to  (piality.  Tliere  has  been  a good  dea 
of  dissatisfaction  lately  among  wholesale  dnu.gu>ts  ami 
shippe  s at  the  practice  of  caffeine-manufacturers  to 
book  one-ewt.  orders  at  the  minimum  price  and  to  allon 
the  quantity  to  be  taken  out  as  required.  Ihis  prac- 
tice is  said  to  be  spoiling  the  wholesale  tiade,  aiul 
it  has  been  arranged  to  make  a combined  representation 
to  the  manufacturers  asking  them  not  to  sell  belo\\  uie 
list  prices  and  to  insist  upon  the  entire  contract  bein„ 
taken  up  at  oiice. 
Kssentia  Oils.— It  is  expected  that  the  quotations 
for  Crotton  oil  will  shortly  be  further  advanced,  on  ac- 
count of  the  extreme  scarcity  of  croton-seed.  Lliwe  oil 
remains  quite  neglected  ; the  demand  has  fallen  ott  con- 
siderably lately. 
V.tNiLL.v  is  extremely  tirinly  held,  and  according  to  the 
importers,  there  is  every  prospect  that  prices  may  still 
advance  by  several  shillings  for  tine  qualities. 
SlMCES.  — White  pepper  is  very  flat  with  sales  at  auction 
of  middling.  Veiiang  at  .Sd,  brown  Ceylon  at  3jd,  and  tine 
ditto  at  4pl  per  lb.  For  J une-August  delivery  3Jd  per 
lb.  has  been  paid  privately. 
MR.  E.  M HAY’S  VISIT  TO  AUSTRALIA. 
A FLOWER  AND  FRUIT  EXPERIMENT  IN  CEYLON. 
Mr.  E.  M.  Hay  of  Goorook-oya,  Ave  are  glad 
to  learn,  has  returned  from  a visit  to  New 
Zealand  greatly  benefited  in  liealtli  from  his  visit 
to  the  Britain  of  the  south.  Auckland,  Mr.  Hay 
confided  to  an  Ofiseri’cc  representative,  was  his  head- 
, quarters,  and  at  the  famous  Rotorwa  Springs,  a dis- 
trict, the  climate  of  which  has  for  him  many  charms, 
he  has  laid  in  a store  of  health  and  strength. 
In  Australia,  he  doubtless,  would  have  had  an 
enjoyable  time  but  for  an  attack  of  fever.  All 
the  same,  Mr.  Hay  has  not  been  idle  in  the  course 
of  his  tra\’els,  ami  as  a result  he  is  about  to 
make  an  experiment  in  orange  and  lemon  culture, 
a subject  Avith  which  he  in  an  fait  and  an  enthusiast 
to  boot.  In  the  steamer  “Orient,”  by  Avhich  be 
came  from  Australia,  Mr.  Hay  lias  brought 
several  cases  of  orange  and  lemon  grafts.  Despite 
the  long  sea  voyage,  the  grafts  are  in  excellent 
heart  and  appear  full  of  vitality.  Tlie  orange 
and  lemon  plants  Avitli  which  he  is  to  experiment, 
<'roAvn  at  Bydney,  originally  came  from  Elorida, 
and  they  are  the  results  of  high  and  very  care- 
ful cultivation.  The  orange  contains  a very 
limited  number  of  seeds,  has  a very  thin  skin, 
and  is  of  exguisite  flavour.  The  lemons  arc  of 
the  very  finest  grown  in  Elorida.  Mr.  Hay  intends 
to  send  some  of  the  grafts  to  the  Royal  Botanic 
Gardens  at  Peradeniya  and  Avith  the  others  he 
is  to  experiment  on  his  estate  of  Denmark,  Ula- 
pane.  'I  he  elevation  of  tlie  estate  is  about  1,700 
feet  and  it  is  Avell  suited  foi  the  cultivation  of 
oranges,  though  he  does  not  think  that  lemons 
will  grow  so  Avell  on  it.  Mr.  Hay  jiroiioses  to  graft 
the  oratP'es  on  to  pumelo  trees  of  which  there  .are 
a <mod  n?any  on  the  iilace,  and  he  may,  by  way  of 
ex^ieriment,  probably  send  some  of  them  to  an  estate 
in  Uva,  the  premier  fruit  district  of  Ceylon. 
The  method  of  planting,  Mr.  Hay  explained,  Avas 
pretty  much  like  that  employed  with  coflee, 
jioles  were  cut  and  the  plant  set  up  in  good, 
soil.  In  Australia,  he  remarked  incidentally 
they  did  not  take  very  much  trouble  in  the 
matter  of  planting  though  they  were  A-ery  parti- 
cular Avith  regard  to  securing  eflicient  draining. 
A most  important  thing  lie  said  in  orange 
groAving  was  to  see  that  the  land  Avas 
thoroughly  drained.  There  Avas  nothing  more  im- 
patient of  Avet  feet  or  stagnant  Avater  than  the 
orange.  Mr.  Hay  has  also  imported  a quantity 
of  prize  chrysanthemums.  While  at  Auckland 
he  Avas  very  much  struck  Avith  the  appearance 
of  the  crysanthemums.  Some  of  them  Avere 
of  the  most  exquisite  colours,  and  in  several 
instances  a single  bloom  measured  quite  8 inches 
across.  The  juices  asked  for  such  Avere  very 
stiff,  but  he  succeeded  in  getting  cuttings  as  Avell 
as  a few  choice  dahlia  biooriLs.  Mr.  Hay  con- 
siders that  the  chrysanthemum,  if  properly  looked 
after,  would  do  very  Avell  in  Ceylon,  and  if  they 
do  not  thrive  in  Ulajiane  or  Nawalajiitiya.  he 
purposes  sending  them  to  NuAvara  Eliya.  Re- 
verting to  the  subject  of  New  Zealand,  Mr.  Hay 
expre.sses  unqualified  admiration  for  the  timber 
of  that  country — twenty  or  thirty  of  the  Avoods 
being  most  beautiful. 
THE  CITRONELLA  GIL  DISPUTE. 
As  some  of  the  parties  connected  with  this  (now 
happily  settled)  dispute  have  endeavoured  to  throw 
doubt  upon  the  correctness  of  our  announcement  of 
last  week  relating  to  the  terms  upon  which  the  in- 
cident was  closed,  AA’e  may  state  that  Messrs.  Domeier 
& Co.  confirm  the  accuracy  of  our  statement  in  every 
respect,  and  that  they  have  shown  us  the  memoran- 
dum, dated  May  20,  and  signed  “ Win.  W.  Green,”  in 
Avhich  Mr.  Green  confirms  the  terms  of  settlement 
verbally  agreed  upon  betAveon  himself,  on  behalf  of 
Mr.  Treatt,  and  Mr.  Domeier,  earlier  on  the  same 
day.  This  document  states  that  Mr.  Treatt  agrees 
to  give  to  Messrs.  Doineir  & Co.  “ approved  com- 
mercial citronella  oil  of  direct  import  from  Ceylon” 
against  two  of  the  contracts  in  dispute,  while,  with 
regard  to  the  third,  Mr.  Treatt  agrees  to  refund  the 
money  and  take  back  the  oil.  Mr.  R.  C.  Treatt 
further  undertakes  to  pay  the  arbitrators’  fees  and 
the  analysts’  foes,  and  it  is  agreed  between  the 
parties  that  “ no  other  questions  are  to  be  raised.” 
But,  although  the  Domeier-Treatt  case  has  thus 
been  settled,  we  understand  that  more  is  likely  to  bo 
heard  with  regard  to  yet  another  parcel  of  citronella 
oil,  purchased  from  Mr.  Treatt  by  the  London  re- 
presentatives of  one  of  the  largest  German  csseutial- 
oil  firms. — Chemist  and  Dmg(jist,  May  30. 
♦ 
“ CAMPHOR-SEEDS.” 
At  today’s  auctions  .5  1-cwt.  bags  described  as 
“ seeds,”  imported  from  Rangoon,  were  offered  for 
sale.  In  appearance  the  drug  very  much  resembled 
decorticated  cardamoms,  but  it  was  distinguished 
from  the  seed  of  JSlcttana  cardamOmum  by  its  strong 
camphoraceous  odour  and  taste.  The  older  druggists 
recognised  the  article  (which  has  not  been  seen  on 
the  open  market  for  many  years)  as  “camphor-seed” 
at  one  time  a regular  article  of  trade.  The  seeds 
are  those  of  Amomum  cardanioitmm,  Willd.,the  “ round 
cardamom  ” formerly  not  unfamiliar  on  our  market, 
and  are  closely  allied  to  the  official  cardamom  in 
medicinal  jiroperties.  In  the  south  of  Europe,  in  fact, 
we  believe  that  they  are  (or  were  Avhen  aA-ailablo 
in  trade)  often  used  as  a substitute  for  the  true 
cardamom.  The  habitat  of  the  parent  plant  is  Su- 
matra, .Java,  and  the  other  Malaysian  islands,  which 
accounts  for  the  importation  of  the  parcel  via  Ran- 
goon  instead  of  from  Ceylon  or  Southern  India.  The 
liuit  has  sometimes  boon  imported  in  the  cluster 
Avhich  it  grows,  and  which  has  earned  for  it 
the  1 rench  name  of  “Amome  en  gr,rv2>es.’'—Ch€inis't  and 
Druggist,  May  30. 
