6o4 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST 
[March  i,  1B97. 
phology,  classificatioD,  natural  liistcry,  cconcn'ic 
kotany,  do. — which  do  not  require  the  use  of  a micros- 
cope. * * • The  principal  pait  of  the  Look  consists 
of  a dictionary  in  which  the  whole  cf  the  families  and 
the  imponant  genera  of  ficwerirg  plants  and  ferns  are 
dealt  with,  ine  families  are  tieated  very  fully, 
more  so  than  in  any  ordinary  text-l  ook  of  systi matie 
botany,  whereas  the  genera  are  treated  much  more 
briefly  unless  they  show'  some  feature  of  special 
interest  that  is  not  common  to  the  family. 
M'e  may  now  give  a very  few  .specimens  of  tlie 
information  contained  in  the  second  volume  ; 
.selecting  two  iiahns  and  our  staples  tea  and 
coffee  : — 
Areca  Linn.  Palmae  (iv.  G).  About  1.5  sp.  Malacca 
to  New  Guinea.  A,  Catechu  L.  is  laigely  cultivated 
in  trop.  As.  for  its  seeds  (Areca  or  Betel  nuts).  The 
infl.  is  below  the  oldest  living  leaves,  monoecious, 
with  the  5 dis.  at  the  bases  of  the  tw'igs,  the  $ 
above.  The  seed  is  about  as  big  as  a damson;  it 
is  cut  into  slices  and  rolled  up  in  a leaf  of  Betel 
pepper  (/'i'per  /j’e?/e)with  a little  lime.  When  chewed, 
it  turns  the  saliva  bright  red : it  acts  as  a stimulus 
upon  the  digestive  organs,  and  is  supposed  by  the 
natives  (who  use  it  habitually)  to  be  a preventive  of 
dysentery.  For  ,-l.  oleracea  Jacq.  see  Oi'eodoxa. 
Cocos  Linn.  Palmae  iv.  7).  HO  sp.  trop.  S.  Am., 
W.  Inch  C.  nuci/'era  L.  (coconut  palm)  in  all  trop. 
countries,  and  largely  cultivated.  It  grows  especially 
well  close  to  the  sea  and  its  fruit  is  capable  of  float- 
ing long  distances  uninjured,  hence  ic  forms  a char- 
acteristic feature  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  (p.  lilO). 
It  is  a tall  palm  with  pinnate  leaves  and  dense 
monoecious  infl.  The  fruit  is  one-seeded.  The  outer 
layer  of  the  pericarp  is  fibrous,  the  inner  extremely 
hard  (the  shell  of  the  cocoirut  as  sold  in  shops).  At 
the  base  are  three  marks  corresponding  to  the  three 
loculi  of  the  ovary,  two  of  which  have  become  obli- 
terated. Under  one  of  these  marks  is  the  embryo. 
The  testa  is  thin  and  is  lined  with  white  endospeim, 
enclosing  a large  cavity,  partly  filled  with  a milky 
fluid  which  serves  as  a water-supply  in  germination. 
The  uses  of  this  palm  are  many;  it  furnishes  many 
of  the  necessaries  of  existence  to  the  natives  of  tro- 
pical regions — edible  fruit,  ))alm  wine  (cf.  Borassus), 
sugar  (cf.  Arenga),  leaves  for  thatching,  palm-cabbages 
( the  young  bud  cut  out  of  the  top  of  the  tree),  &c.  The  fibre 
(;oii)  of  the  pericarp  is  used  in  many'  ways— in  mak- 
ing coconut  matting,  c-rbles,  brushes,  &c.  Coconut 
oil  is  obtained  from  the  eirdosperm ; by  pressure  it 
is  separated  into  a solid  pait  (stearine,  used  for 
candles)  and  a liquid  (oleine) ; the  remains  of  the 
endosperm  (coconut  cake)  are  used  in  cattle-feeding. 
The  outer  wood  of  the  tree  is  hard  (porcupine  wood) 
and  is  used  in  making  ornaments,  &c. 
Cofl'ea  Linn,  llubiaceae  (ii.  1-1).  25  sp.  trop.  Old 
World.  C.  arahiea  L.  is  the  coffee  plant,  largely 
cultivated  in  the  tropics.  It  is  a shade-loving  jilaut, 
and  is  cultivated  in  the  shade  of  larger  trees.  The 
fruit  resembles  a cherry  in  appearance;  it  is  a 2- 
seeded  drupe.  The  pulp  and  the  endocarp  are  mecha- 
nically removed.  The  seed  (‘‘ cofi'ee-beaii’  ) has  a 
deep  groove  on  the  ventral  side.  By  soaking  it  in 
water  the  endosperm  may  be  softened  and  the  embryo 
dissected  out.  The  plant  is  subject  to  the  attacks  of 
many  insects  and  fungi;  one  of  the  hxiiav  {Ilemileia 
vastatrix)  was  the  cause  of  the  i uin  of  the  coffee  industry 
of  Ceylon.  [See  Haberiaiidt's  'J’lojieiircise,  p.  241.] 
Thea  Linn.  (excl.  Camellia  Linn).  Theaceae.  8 
sp.  India  to  Japan.  Often  united  to  Camellia;  T. 
has  stalked  nodding  firs.,  C.  sessile  upright  ones. 
The  chief  sp.  is  7\  sinensis  L.,  the  tea  plant,  largely 
cultivated  in  China,  India,  Ceyl  in,  &o.  When  grow- 
ing wild  it  foims  a tree,  but  i i cnl  i.ation  it  is 
kept  pruned  into  a small  bush.  Tlie  young  shoots 
are  nipped  off  at  certain  stages  (according  to  the 
kind  of  tea  desired)  and  undergo  various  subsequent 
treatments  (see  Tschirch,  Jndische:  Ileil  and  Nutr:- 
pflanzcii).  {^Sunoinymij : Hohea  1j.  and  T.  riridis 
L.=  7'.  sine7isis ; T,  Cumc'lia  iIoffmgg,=C'amef/ia 
opomVa.] 
Theaceae.  Dicotyledons  (Archichl.  Barietalos).  IG 
gen.  with  175  sp.  trop.  and  subtrop.  Treet  or  shrubs 
with  alt.  leathery  leaves.  Firs,  usually  solitary,  ? , 
often  partly  spiral.  K 5,  G or  7,  imbricate,  persis- 
tent; C 5,  rarely  4,0  or  cc , imbricate;  A oc , rarely 
5,  10  or  15,  free  or  in  bundles  or  united  into  a tube ; 
ovary  superior,  2-  3-  5-  10-loc.f  with  2,  4 or  oc  anna- 
tropous  OMiles  in  each  loc.  Capsule  or  drupe. 
Embryo  usually  curved ; endospeim  little  or  none. 
Tb.e  only  important  economic  plant  is  flVa  ; Camel- 
lia is  a favourite  in  green-houses.  Chief  (icticra : 
Thea,  Camellia,  Gord  nia,  Ternstroemia,  Eurya. 
Benth-Hooker  unite  to  T.  several  other  genera  to 
form  the  order  1’ernstroemiaceae  (q.v.).  Warming 
places  T.  Cistiflorae. 
The  ))ieface  is  dated  from  Gla.^-gow,  Augn.sb  10, 
1896.  — In  respect  of  tea,  Mr.  Willis  knows  by 
this  time  donhtle.ss,  tliat  the  ))lant  ohieily  culti- 
vated in  Ceylon,  as  in  India,  is  not  the  China 
species,  hut  the  Assam  hybrid  and  indigenous  kinds. 
In  making  the  above  extracts  we  feel  injustice 
is  done  to  iNlr.  Willis,  in  not  giving  the  explan- 
ation of  the  abbreviations  used,  such  abbrevi- 
ations as  well  iis  other  explanations  being  pro- 
minently shown  in  the  ]iages  before  ns.  Alto- 
gether, how’ever,  we  feel  sure  these  two  handy 
manual  volumes  will  be  much  aiipreciated  in 
Colleges  and  Schools,  as  well  as  by  botanical 
students  everywhere,  making  the  name  of  our 
new  Director  and  his  good  work,  familiar,  not 
only  in  the  mother  country,  but  throughout  all 
British  Dependencie.s. 
♦ 
KANDAPOLA  TEA  COMPANY,  LIMITED. 
llegistered  January  14,  by  Mullens  and  Bosanquet, 
11,  Queen  Victoria-street,  E.C.,  with  a capital  of 
.t‘200,000  in  .£10  shares,  10,000  of  which  are  six  per 
cent  cumulative  preferences  sh  ires  and  10  000  ordi- 
nary shares.  Object,  primarily,  to  acquire  the  follow- 
ing estates  or  plantations — viz,  the  Kandapola  estate, 
and  the  Monkswood  estate,  adjoining  thereto,  both 
situate  in  the  district  of  Kandapola,  in  Ceylon ; the 
Frotoft  esta'e,  and  iho  Bushbrook  estate  adjoining 
thereto,  both  situate,  in  the  district  of  Bamboda, 
in  Ceylon;  nnd  the  Erroll  estate,  situate  in  the 
district  of  Dikoya,  in  Ceylon  ; to  develop,  deal  with, 
and  generally  turn  to  account  the  same  in  such 
manner  as  the  company  shall  see  fit,  and,  generally 
to  carry  on  in  all  or  any  of  their  respective  branches 
the  businesses  of  tea  planters,  tea  merchants,  tea 
exporters,  general  planters  and  growers,  fruit  and 
vegetable  producers  and  preservers,  coffee,  cocoo, 
sugar  and  cinchona  merchant?,  wine  and  brandy 
makers,  brewers,  manufacturers  i f all  kinds  of 
vegetable  products,  farmers,  pastnrers,  cattle  and 
horse  breeders,  graziers  and  agriculturists,  mine 
ov/ners,  colliery  and  quarry  owners,  shipowners, 
charterers  of  vessels,  shipbuilders,  inetallurgists, 
dealers  in  gold,  silver,  and  other  ))recious  metals, 
pearls  and  other  precious  stones,  and  as  carriers  by 
sea  and  land;  (o  lay  out  towns  and  villages,  aii3 
to  promote  immigration  thereto.  The  signatorieg 
are  : — Shares. 
B.  A.  Bosnnquct,  H8,  Mincing-lane,  E.C.  ..  1 
(t.  F.  Traill,  Co'o.mbo,  Ceylon  ..  1 
J.  H.  Alexander,  GG,  I nverno.ss- terrace,  W.  ..  1 
W.  B.  Alexander,  GG,  Inveniess-terrace,  W.  ..  1 
G.  S.  .Bo.sanquet,  Bitchet  Woods,  Sevenoaks  ..  1 
E.  T.  S.  F.  llarvey,  35,  Lithos-road,  South 
Hampstead  . . 1 
W.  H.  Couithope,  20,  Birobin-lane,  E.C.  ..  I 
The  number  of  directors  is  to  be  not  more  than 
seven  nor  less  than  three ; the'rirst  are  the  first  three 
signatories  to  the  memorannnin.  (jualificalion,  50 
shares.  Bemuneration  .t'lUO  each  per  annum,  and 
£150  for  the  chairman.  Begistered  office:  38,  Min- 
cing-lane, E.C. — Jl.  (C-  C.  Mail,  Jan.  20. 
The  Cui.Tiv.tTioN  or  Lihf.ui.vn  Coi-’i-m;  i^,  a Pam- 
phlet on  the  Opening  up  and  Management  of  a 
Liberian  Coffee  Estate  in  the  IMalay  Peninsula,  by 
II,  Hiittenbach  (reprinted  from  i\\Ci  ScUuKjor  Journal,) 
which  has  been  sent  us  : it  seems  very  useful. 
