Nov.  2,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTUP  1ST. 
347 
paid  a special  visit  to  Mbweni  for  the  purpose  of  not- 
ing the  condition  of  the  coffee  plantations  started 
by  Sir  John  Kirk  at  the  close  of  his  time  here. 
Mr.  Crabbe  was  well  pleased  with  the  condi- 
tion of  many  of  the  trees,  and  as  the  crop 
was  ripe  and  falling,  he  opened  some  berries 
and  considered  some  of  the  beans  quite  fine. 
He  made  several  recommendations  which  were  duly 
transmitted  to  the  Rev.  J.  Key,  who  takes  great 
interest  in  the  plantation,  but  who  was  unfortunately 
away  from  home  at  the  time.  The  tea,  which  is  now 
in  full  blossom  and  affords  a pretty  sight,  well  worth 
a drive  to  visit,  Mr.  Grabbe  considered  a poor  kind 
and  for  the  leaf  hardly  worth  growing,  and  he  did 
not  recommend  its  extension  The  cacao,  he  con- 
sidered planted  in  too  windy  a site,  but  walking  about 
the  shamba  pointed  out  many  spots  on  which  he 
thought  it  could  be  planted  to  better  advantage.” 
A New  Use  fou  the  Wild  Tamarind  Plant.— In 
the  botanical  section  of  the  British  Association,  Mr. 
D.  Morris,  assistant  director  of  the  Royal  Gardens, 
Kew,  contributed  a paper,  which  in  his  absence 
was  read  by  Mr.  Seward,  on  “ The  Singular 
Effect  Pro.luced  on  Certain  Animals  in  the  West 
Indies  by  Feeding  on  the  Young  Shoots,  Leaves,  Pods, 
and  Seeds  of  the  Wild  Tamarind  or  Jumbai  Plant 
(Leuccena  glauca,  Benth.)”  The  properties  of  this 
plant  had  received  little  or  no  attention  in  this 
country.  It  is  commonly  found  along  roadsides  and 
in  waste  places  in  tropical  America.  The  plant  was  much 
more  plentiful  in  the  Bahamas  than  in  Jamaica ; 
it  was,  in  fact,  distinctly  encouraged  in  the  former 
islands  as  a fodder  plant.  The  people  Were  fully 
aware  of  the  singular  effect  it  produced  on  horses, 
causing  them  to  lose  the  hair  from  their  manes  and 
tails,  it  also  affected  mules  and  donkeys.  Its  effect 
on  pigs  was  still  more  marked.  These  animals  as- 
sumed a completely  naked  condition,  and  appeared 
without  a single  hair  on  their  body.  Horses  badly 
affected  by  jumbai  were  occasionally  seen  in  the  streets 
of  Nassau,  where  they  were  known  as  “cigar-tails.”  Such 
dilapidated  animals,  although  apparently  healthy, 
were  considerably  depreciated  in  value.  They  were 
said  to  recover  when  fed  exclusively  on  corn 
and  grass.  The  new  hair  was,  however,  of  a 
different  colour  and  texture,  “so  the  animals  were 
never  quite  the  same.”  One  animal  was  cited  as  hav- 
ing lost  its  hoofs  as  well,  and  in  consequence  it  had 
to  be  kept  in  slings  until  they  grew  again  and  hardened. 
The  effects  of  the  jumbai  on  horses,  mules,  donkeys, 
and  pigs  .were  regarded  as  accident  il — due  to  neglect 
or  ignorance.  The  plant  was  really  encouraged  to 
supply  food  for  cattle,  sheep,  and  go  its.  The  latter 
greedily  devoured  it,  and  were  not  perceptibly  affected 
by  it.  It  would  be  noticed  that  the  animals  affected 
were  non-ruminants,  while  those  not  affected  were 
ruminants.  The  probable  explanation  was  that  the 
rumiuantd,  by  thoroughly  mixing  the  food  saliva  and 
slowly  digesting  it,  were  enabled  to  neutralise  the 
action  of  the  poison  and  escape  injury.  The  seeds 
probably  contained  the  deleterious  principal  in  a 
greater  degree  than  any  other  part  of  the  plant.  The 
effect  upon  mankind  is  not  stated,  but,  if  it  be  at 
all  analogous  to  that  upon  pigs,  the  plant  should 
o>me  into  use  as  a homeoeopatnic  remedy  for  baldness. 
Oper.vtions  in  “ Futures.” — In  certain  quarters 
gambling  in  futures”  has  been  seized  upon  as  the 
disturbing  new  condition  of  the  produce  market.  It 
is.  however,  a suggestive  fact  that  dealings  in  “futures” 
originated  iu  a period  of  abnormal  disturbance  in 
prices  consequent  on  the  outbreak  of  the  American 
Civil  War.  At  the  outset,  at  least,  transactions  of 
this  nature  were  simply  methods  of  insurance  ; the 
planter  in  raising  his  crop  was  glad  of  au  oppor- 
tunity of  approximately  securing  beforehand  au  ade- 
quate return  for  his  outlay,  and  the  user  of  raw 
materials  was  equally  jileased  to  have  a means  of 
securing  ahead  a supply  of  material  at  a price  fairly 
proportionate  to  that  at  which  he  could  contract  for  the 
sale  of  the  fabrics.  Iu  more  recent  years  this  system 
has  extended  to  the  distributer,  who,  having  had  to 
face  incalculable  variations  of  exchange,  has  also 
insured  himself  by  what  are  practically 
operations  in  exchange  “ futures.”  In  the 
Economic  Section  of  the  British  Association  on 
Monday,  Mr.  Elijah  Helm,  Secretary  of  the  Man- 
chester Chamber  of  Commerce,  read  a paper  on 
“ Mercantile  Markets  for  Futures.”  He  described  the 
origin  and  purpose  of  dealings  in  futures.  It  consti- 
tuted, he  said,  a method  of  insurance  to  producers 
and  distributers  against  the  risks  of  fluctuating  prices, 
for  the  system  had  accentuated  the  fall  of  prices,  of 
commodities  within  the  last  twenty  years.  Its  deve- 
lopment had  been  assisted  by  the  telegraph  and  the 
telephone.  It  could  be  differentiated  from  pure  gam- 
bling. He  maintained  that  the  system  properly  orga- 
nised and  controlled,  was,  on  the  whole,  economic- 
ally beneficial,  and  that  the  demand  for  its  legislative 
suppression  was  not  justified.  Mr.  Charles  Stewart,  who 
followed  with  a paper  on  cotton  futures,  described  what 
they  were  and  how  they  operated  in  practice. 
Cotton  futures  were,  he  said,  “hedges,”  first  as  sales, 
second  as  purchases.  The  syftem  of  dealing  in 
futures  was  the  natural  outcome  of  the  expansion  of 
trade,  particularly  the  future  of  the  devel  pment  of 
such  by  telegraph.  The  increase  in  the  size  of  the 
crops,  the  small  margin  of  present-day  profits,  the 
greater  speed  in  transit,  the  increased  magnitude  of 
producing  concerns,  and  the  necessarily  greater 
increase  in  capital  for  their  requirements,  were  all 
demonstrated  in  the  explanations  given  of  the 
practice.  In  the  course  of  the  discussion  it  was  pointed 
out  that,  but  for  the  system  described,  pi. inters 
would  run  serious  risks,  as  they  used  to  do  iu  old 
times,  when  every  producer  sent  his  cotton  to  the 
market  at  the  same  time,  and  so  depressed  prices ; 
whereas  now  a planter  could  sell  his  cotton  whilst  the 
crop  was  growing. 
The  Dock  Companies  and  Shipowners. — The  cir- 
cular issued  by  the  Loudon  and  India  Docks  Joint 
Committee  with  reference  to  the  arrangement  for  dis- 
charging cargoes  on  the  quays  for  shipowmers, 
who  desire  to  retain  their  fixed  berths  propo- 
ses the  following  terms  : — (1)  That  the  ship- 
owners pay  to  the  Joint  Committee  a sum  of 
six  pence  per  ton  weight  on  all  goods  discharged 
within  the  docks,  except  those  upon  which  the 
Joint  Committee  receive  landing  charges,  and 
also  excluding  bulk  grain.  (2)  That  the  ship- 
owners deliver  goods  entered  for  overside  de- 
livery, free  to  the  Joint  Committee’s  craft — 
i.  e.,  on  the  same  terms  as  to  other  consignees’ 
craft.  (3)  With  the  above  alterations,  the  terms 
of  the  existing  agreements  and  arrangements  to 
remain  unaltered.  In  the  event  of  these  terms 
being  generally  accepted,  the  committee  purpose  issu- 
ing a revised  scale  of  rates  for  the  use  of  their  dry 
docks  at  about  10  per  cent,  below  that  now  in  force. 
Fixed  berths,  it  is  added,  will  be  available  on  similar 
terms  at  the  Tilbury  Docks,  as  well  as  at  the  Victoria 
and  Albert  Docks,  and  to  a limited  extent  and  the 
West  India  Dock.  The  charges  are  calculated  on 
the  ton  of  2,240  lb  weight.  In  view  of  the  fact,  that 
neogtiations  are  proceeding,  the  date  on  which  existing 
agreements  and  arrangements  termiutate  has  been 
postponed  until  November  1. 
INDIAN  I’ATENTS. 
Applications  in  respect  of  the  uudermentioned  inven- 
tions have  been  field,  daring  the  W'ook,  ending,  26'h 
September  1803,  under  the  provisions  of  Act  V of 
1888. 
Fo  ■^unprovements  in  mac'iiiies  for  breaking  balls  of 
rolled  tea  leaf  and  sifting  the  same. — No.  333  of  1896. 
— Natnan  William  Horatio  Sharpe,  engiaeer,  of  26, 
Perth  road,  Stroud  green,  London,  for  improvements 
in  machines  for  breaking  balls  of  rolled  tea  leaf  and 
sifting  the  same. 
For  an  invention  to  be  called  “ Quiulivan’s  simple 
and  unique  machine  for  hulling  pad.jy  into  clean  or 
cargo  rice  by  steam,  cattle  or  hand  power.” — No.  4.  of 
1896. — Thomas  Quinlivan,  engineer  and  miller,  resi- 
ding iu  the  city  of  Ba  igoon,  of  tl  o proiiuco  of 
Burma,  for  an  invention  to  be  calle.l  " Quiulivan’s 
simple  and  unique  machine  for  hulling  paddy  into 
clean  or  cargo  rice  by  steam,  cattle  or  hand  power.” 
Specification  filed  29lh  July  1896. 
