510 
Siqiplemcnt  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist'' 
[Jan.  1 1897, 
RAPE. 
Dr.  Watt  in  his  Dictionary  of  the  economic  pro- 
ducts of  India  says  tliat  the  Indian  forms  of 
Brassica  Cumpestris  may,  %vith  at  least  a certain 
degree  of  certainty,  he  referred  to  three  primary 
sections ; — 
Section  1.  Colza,  wliich  corre.sponds  to  Rox- 
burgh’s Sinapis  Dichotoma,  and  tlie  abnormal 
forms  of  that  plant  wliich  have  came  to  be  known 
as  B.  trilocularis  and  13.  f/undrilocularis- 
Section  II.  Rape  or  Sinapis  ylauca. 
Section  111.  Toria  or  another  form,  most 
probably  of  rape,  which  lias  received  the  name  of 
S.  qlauca. 
There  is  every  iea.son  to  believe  that  II  and  III 
are  commercially  known  as  rape,  although  jKir- 
haps  the  last  may  he  occasionally  cla«sed  as  mus- 
tard. These  three  forms  individually  represent 
agricultural  products  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  .India. 
The  subdivisions  of  the  Indian  forms  of  B. 
Campestris  as  above  helps  for  one  thing  to  .separate 
the  oil  which  in  Indian  Commerce  is  called  raiie- 
oil  irom  that  which  might  with  advantage,  in 
order  to  remove  confudon,  receive  the  name  of 
Colza  as  well  as  both  these  from  mustard  oil  and 
other  oils  obtained  from  members  of  the  same 
genus.  It  is  enough  to  suggest  such  a separation  ; 
subsequent  research  may  reveal  further  connections 
and  sub-divisions,  for  there  are  many  iioints  which 
it  is  difficult  to  settle  definitely  in  the  pre.«ent  state 
of  information.  Perhajis  the  best  botanical  cha- 
racter which  can  be  cited  in  support  of  the 
proposed  separation  is  the  glabrous  nature  of  the 
ground  leaves  of  S.  Dichotoma,  corres])onding 
with  those  of  Colza.  The  seed.s  in  the  former 
are  smooth  and  light,  in  the  latter  smooth  or 
rough,  but  dark  coloured.  Rape  oil  (-S'.  Glauca) 
is  regarded  as  better  in  qualify  than  th  - oil 
from  6b  Dichotoma  (colza),  the  latter  being  chiefly 
used  to  anoint  the  body,  while  the  former  is 
largely  used  in  cookery  and  is  exported  to  Europe 
for  illuminating  purposes  and  to  meet  a demand 
in  Indiarubber  manufacture.  In  the  trade 
returns  of  the  export  of  rape  oil  and  .seed  from 
India  apparently  both  the  above  are  included  as 
different  qualities  of  rape,  if  not  the  oil  evpressed 
from  B Jiincea  (1  ndian  M ustard,Sin  Aba)  and  Dnica 
Sativa  (a  cruciferous  plant  clo.^ely  allied  to  mms- 
tard  and  exten.sively  cidtivated  in  N.  W.  India.) 
In  European  commerce  rape  and  colza  are 
names  which  unfortunately  have  come  to  be  used 
almost  synonymously.  The  separation  recom- 
mended of  the  corresponding  India.i  forms  has 
been  deemed  advisable  chiefly  with  a view  to 
more  clearlv  identifying  the  Indian  oils  allied  to 
mustard  The  oils  obtained  from  the.se  are  even 
more  distinct  than  the  oils  from  the  Kuropean 
ulaiits  and  their  re.spective  properties  are  well 
understood  and  appreciated  in  India.  In  India 
rane  seed  is  very  commonly  sown  mixed  with 
mustard  seed  and  almost  always  as  an  auxiliary 
with  grain  crops.  It  jirefers  loams  and  does  not 
thrive  on  clay  soils.  The  sowing  takes  phic  ■ in 
October  and  the  harvest  in  the  following  February, 
the  iilants  being  cut  somewhat  prematurely  to  pre- 
vent the  bursting  of  the  pods  and  the  slieddmg 
of  the  seed.  The  seed  is  ripened  by  o.xi.osure 
to  the  sun  for  3 or  4 days  on  the  threshing  floor. 
and  is  then  easily  separated.  The  Indian  seed 
known  as  Guzeratrape,  largely  crushed  in  Dantzic, 
is  found  to  yield  per  cent  more  oil  than 
European  seed,  and  leaves  a cake  richer  in  fatty 
matter  and  albuminoids  ; it  is  shipped  from 
Bombay  and  brings  the  higliest  price  of  any. 
Guzerat  rape,  regarding  the  superiority  of 
which  much  lias  been  written,  seem.s  to  be  a 
superior  quality  of  Toria  (6.  Glauca).  The  Bom- 
bay Gazettee  has  the  following  note  of  this  form. 
“ Rape  .seed  holds  the  first  place  among  oil  seeds 
and  the  third  place  among  crops  in  general.  Land 
intended  for  it  is  left  fallow  for  four  months  and 
ploughed  twenty  times  before  the  seed  is  sown. 
The  crop  does  not  require  any  watering.  The 
seed  is  sown  in  drills  in  Amvember  at 
the  rate  of  2 to  o seers  to  the  bigha,  and 
reaped  in  IMarch,  and  tlie  average  yield  varies 
from  400  to  800  lbs."  Besides  yielding  3^  per 
cent,  more  oil  than  European  seed,  the  cake 
contains  10  oer  cent  of  fatty  matter  and  34 
per  cent  >'.l•■lmi•!oids — botli  in  excess  of  the 
amounts  yiekled  by’  ordinary’  rape. 
general  items. 
Tlie  Indian  Agriculturist  in  reviewing  Dr. 
Ribbentrop’s  reports  on  Forest  administration  in 
India  says  : The  benefit  whicli  the  people  them- 
selves receive  from  forest  oiieratioiis  cannot  be 
represented  in  figures.  If  left  to  their  own 
devices  they  would  fell  timber  indiscriminately’, 
burn  clearings  for  cultivation,  destroy  young 
trees,  and  of  course  take  no  thought  whatever 
for  reproduction.  The  Government  steps  in  and 
its  Forest  staff  prevents  the  deforestation  of 
large  and  valuable  tracts.  Their  operations  are 
often  distasteful  to  the  villagers,  and  occasionally’- 
the  rogulati<ms  do  bear  hardly  upon  the  rural 
population.  The  latter  however  are  not  deprived 
absolutely  of  all  their  time-honoured  privileges. 
In  the  year  under  review,  the  value  of  forest 
produce  given  free  or  at  reduced  rates  to  right- 
holders and  free  grantees  amounted  to  59  lakhs 
of  rupees. 
The  experiments  with  various  kinds  of  paddy- 
on  the  Biirdwan  Farm  in  Bengal  have  led  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  better  prices  obtained  fo  r the 
finer  varieties  more  than  compensate  for  the  larger 
yield  of  the  coarser  crops. 
The  Science  and  Practice  of  Dairying  is  the 
title  of  a new  translation  from  the  German  by’  Dr. 
Aikman  and  Prof.  Wright.  The  author  is  Dr. 
Pleischmami,  Prof,  of  Agriculture  in  Koiiigsberg 
University,  Prussia.  The  publishers  of  the  English 
version  are  Messrs.  Blackie  & Son,  and  the  value 
of  the  book  10s  Gd. 
— Two  well-known  Dutch  analy’sts  have  sent  for 
signature  to  the  cocoa-manufacturers  in  Holland  a 
memorandum,  which  they  are  requested  to  subs- 
cribe and  to  forward  to  the  Dutch  Parliament. 
The  memorandum  states  that  serious  injury  is 
done  to  the  reputation  of  genuine  Dutch  cocoa 
by’  the  prevailing  practice  of  offering  for  sale  as 
cocoa  powder  a mixture  of  ground  cocoa  and  Hour. 
Parliament  is  asked  to  make  it  an  offence  to  sell 
