4H 
THE  TROPICAI 
AGKICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  I,  1896. 
agi'ee  in  declaring  the  Ramie  hbre  to  be  superior  to 
any  other  libie  in  length,  strength,  and  beauty,  as 
it  is  line,  silky,  and  brilliant.”  When  Ramie  is  once 
planted,  it  lasts  from  10  to  18  years  before  it 
requires  replanting.  It  merely  needs  ordinary  att  . n- 
tion,  such  as  keeping  the  land  clean  and  similar 
attentions.  It  crops  three  to  four  times  a year  and 
pays  for  manuring.  Particulars  as  to  seed,  cultivation, 
*c.,  can  be  had  of  Mr.  D.  Edwards-Radclyffe,  56, 
Gloucester  Crescent,  Regents  Park,  London,  R.W. 
We  shall  be  glad  to  see  this  or  some  similar  jn'o- 
cess  prove  a great  commercial  success,  as  the  solution 
of  the  proper  utilization  of  Rhea  fibre  must  be 
accomplished  sooner  or  later,  and  the  inventors  who 
succeed  in  this  will  not  only  have  the  approval  of 
the  whole  textile  community,  but  will  also  rea.p  a 
large  reward  for  their  labours. 
NEWS  FROM  BRITISH  CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 
Employers  of  labour,  or  persons  recruiting  labour- 
ers in  the  Central  Aiigoniland  District,  are  re- 
quested in  all  cases  to  pass  any  labourers  whom 
they  may  recruit  in  such  district  before  the  Collector 
for  Central  Aiigoniland  before  leaving  the  district. 
It  has  been  found  that  the  Central  Aiigoniland 
natives,  who  have  only  comparatively  recently  come 
directly  under  European  influence,  have  not  in  many 
cases  understood  thoroughly  the  terms  which  have 
been  proposed  to  them  for  service  in  the  Shire 
Highlands.  When  these  men  are  passed  before  the 
Collector  for  their  own  district  everything  can  be 
made  distinct  and  clear  to  them  by  him,  and  alt 
future  misunderstandings  provided  ag.iinst. 
Mr.  R.  E.  Codrington,  the  Collector  for  the  dis- 
trict, is  willing  to  take  steps  for  the  forwarding  of 
parties  of  men  to  employers  who  may  require 
them. 
If,  however,  labourers  are  taken  out  of  the  dis- 
trict and  not  passed  until  they  arrive  at  their 
destination,  so  many  misunderstandings  have  arisen 
that  it  may  be  found  necessary  to  limit  recruit- 
ing in  this  district. 
II.  M.  Acting  Commissioner  therefore  trusts  that 
employers  of  labour  will  follow  the  course  now  laid 
down. 
(Signed)  Alfued  Shaiu’F.,  H.  M.  Acting  Commis- 
sioner and  Coni. -General. 
Zomba,  9th  September,  1896. 
— Britinh  Centred  Africa  Gazette. 
♦ 
TEA  SEED  OIL. 
A Ceylon  subscriber,  Mr.  O.  Collett,  has  kindly 
sent  us  the  following  for  publication,  with  a note 
however  that  he  thinks  it  very  unlikely,  as  wo  do, 
that  it  would  pay  anyone  to  grow  tea-seed  instead 
of  tea-leaves.  Nevertheless,  as  a bye-product,  tea- 
seed  (>il  may  in  the  near  future  be  no  inconsider- 
able factor  in  estate  profits ; — 
City  An.vlvst's  Office,  56,  Koli.upitiy.y  Ro.u>, 
CoLojiiio,  20th  April  1896. 
Examination  of  a.  sample  of  tea-seed  oil,  received 
on  the  J6th  instant,  from  M.  O.  Collett,  Binoya 
Estate,  Watawala. 
The  oil  was  clear,  of  a golden  yellow  colour,  its 
specitic  gravity  at  90°  E.  was  9,125,  distilled  water 
at  the  same  lemperature  being  taken  as  unity.  At 
this  temperature,  olive  oil,  with  which  the  sample 
was  compared,  hid  a specific  gravity  of  90,901. 
The  comparison  was  made  witli  olive  oil,  as  it 
is  considered  the  best  lubricant  amongst  the  vege- 
table oils.  The  oil  had  the  reactions  of  a non-dry- 
ing oil. 
The  viscosity  of  the  oil  at  9(P  E.,  the  temperature 
of  the  air  at  the  time  at  which  the  experiments 
were  made,  was  slightly  less  than  tliat  of  olive 
oil.  A measured  quantity  of  the  oil  took  1 minute 
8 seconds  to  run  through  a small  orilice,  as  com- 
pared with  olive  oil,  which  took  1 minute  10  seconds. 
The  oil  gets  gradually  thicker  as  it  is  cooled,  but 
retains  its  transparency  at  3-1°  F.,  at  which  tem- 
perature it  can  still  be  poured,  although  sluggishly. 
With  regard  to  the  lubricating  properties  of  the 
oil,  I tested  the  same  on  a jinricksha  wheel.  When 
the  axle  was  lubricated  with  this  oil,  and  the  wheel 
set  in  motion,  it  continued  to  revolve  for  1 minute 
23  seconds.  When  olive  oil  was  used,  and  the  im- 
petus given  was  as  nearly  as  I could  judge  the  same, 
the  wheel  revolved  for  exactly  the  same  length  of 
time.  When  lard  was  used,  the  wheel  revolved  for 
1 minute  42  seconds.  Freedom  from  free  acids  is  an 
important  point  in  favour  of  a lubricating  oil.  In 
this  respect  the  oil  compared  very  favourably  with 
tlie  sample  of  olive  oil  with  which  1 comjiared  it  ; but 
it  should  be  stated  that  by  long  keeping  olive  oil  deve- 
lops free  fatty  acids.  The  olive  oil  I used  was  from 
a newly-opened  bottle  of  J.  T.  Morton’s  fine  sublime 
olive  oil,  but  of  com  ose,  it  might  have  been  long  in  stock. 
The  oil  was  also  compared,  with  respect  to  free  acids, 
with  coconut  oil ; the  latter  was  found  to  contain 
about  one-third  more.  The  oil  is  prized  in  Japan  as 
a lubricant,  and  the  result  of  my  experiments  goes 
to  confirm  this  good  opinion. 
As  regards  its  hmning  qualities,  I made  a rough 
test,  which  showed  it  to  be  quite  equal  to  coconut 
oil  at  ihe  temperature  of  Colombo  as  regards  its  illu- 
minating effect. 
I understand  that  the  oil  has  been  found  quite  suit- 
able for  the  manufacture  of  soap,  but  I have  made 
no  experiments  in  this  direction,  as  I fancy  that  in 
the  matter  of  price,  the  oil  could  not  compete  with 
other  soap-making  materials. 
(Signed)  M.  OocunAX,  F.C.S.,  City  Analyst. 
— Plantin;i  Opinion,  Oct.  10. 
— 
AOlUCUl.TUKK  IN  TIIK  AUSTIIALIAN  CoLONIKS. 
— We  have  to  hand  an  interesting  and  e.xhaustive 
rejiort  by  Messrs.  Halse  and  Alner  Avho  were 
commissioned  liy  the  Department  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  reiiort  upon  the  agriculture  of  the 
Australian  colonics,  and  specially  on  wlieat 
growing.  We  were  always  ready  to  admit  that 
the  Agricultural  Departments  of  the  Australian 
colonies  were  admirably  workeil,  and  the 
report  to  hand  only  tends  to  confirm  us 
is  this  belief.  We  cannot  too  highly  commend 
the  liberality  of  the  Government  in  voting  large 
sums  for  the  encouragement  of  agriculture.  The 
Agricultural  Department  of  Victoria  has  been 
allowed  the  following  votes  ; — 
For  the  importation  of  new'  varieties  of 
seeds  and  plants  ...  ...  £3,000 
For  siqiply  instruction  in  connection 
w itli  the  introduction  of  new'  vegetable 
products  and  improvement  of  e.xistiug 
agricultural  methods  ...  ...  £43,000 
For  the  introduction  of  new  inacliinery 
and  ajipliances  to  perfect  the  treat- 
ment of  new  agricultural  ]»roducts 
and  to  improve  pi'esent  agricultural 
methods  and  for  prizes  for  the  new 
inventions  in  general  agricultural 
appliances  ...  ...  ...  £4,000 
For  pulilishiiig  agriculture  reports  in 
connection  with  educational  work  ...  ,£11,000 
These  are  only  some  iiistanees  of  what  the 
Government  is  doing  for  the  agricultural 
advancement  of  the  colony,  for  which  we  note 
that  an  aggregate  annual  vote  of  no  Ics.s  than 
.£•272,253  is  supplied  to  the  agriculture  depart- 
ment. Gur  ollicials  might  w'ell  stare  aghast  at 
these  figures  after  their  experience  of  the  luirsi- 
MioniDUS  agriciiltuial  policy  of  the  local  Govern- 
ment. It  is  high  time  that  some  tiroperly  or- 
ganized scheme  for  the  agricultural  advance- 
ment of  this  colony  came  to  he  seriously  con- 
sidered. 
