48 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1897 . 
The results of some of the work done in the 
laboratory by Mr. Keeble, who was here in 1894-95, 
have appeared in two papers — one, “ On the Liorau- 
thaceae of Ceylon ” (our common parasites on trees) 
in the Transactions of the Linneaa Society ; aui one 
“ On the hanging Foliage of Tropical Trees” (as is 
w.-ll seen in Amharstia) in the “ Annals of Botany,” 
1845. 
13. — RECEIPTS FROM SALES. 
The receipts of the year were: — Total Sales 
R3,.i60'78; Number of Purchasers 761, 
The estimated value of plants and seed supplied 
gratis is: — Total Rl, 12201. 
14. — ^EXPENDITURE. 
The total cost of the Department for the year 1898 
has been: — Total B15,O44T0. 
John C. Willi.ams, 
Peradeniya, April 20, 1897. Director. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Tin? INDIAR'J ? Ii?g-BU.'3INESS.— Owing to the 
increase in the -‘yele industry the consumption 
of indiai'ubher h.is increased to such an extent 
— says the Chemist and Driijgist, tliat it is esti 
mated that last year alone over o:ie hundred 
niillioas of trees' were destroyed for the purpo.se 
of supplying the requirements of the markets. 
At present very few attempts at planting India- 
rubber trees are made anywliere. 
The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon 
and Burma, piiblislied under tbe authority of 
the Secretary of State tor India in Council. 
Edited by W. T. Blanford.— The mail bring.s us: 
— Hymenoptera. — Vol. I. Wasps and Bees. By 
Lieut. Colonel C. T. Bingham. It is a hand- 
some book of 570 pages ovith full index. Tiie 
Lon don publishers are Messrs. Taylor and Francis, 
RedLion Court, Fleet Street. Calcutta : Thacker, 
Spink, & Co. Bombay : Tliacker & Co., Limited. 
The whole series will be invaluable to naturalists. 
Ceylon Tea.— India and Ceylon have taken 
the positi )ii of tlie linest tea growing districts in 
the world, and there is little probability that 
they will ever be ousted from it. Ceylon es- 
pe-ially is looked upon with favour by both 
growers .and dealers, whilst} the tea to which it 
o’ives it} name stands unrivalled in the estimation 
of the consumer. With a con.sbantly increasing 
demand, and that, too, for the linest qualitie-s, the 
position and prospect of the te.a planters is by no 
ineans unfavourable, and the estates which come 
before tbe public as tbe piopeiby of joint stock 
companies offer opportunities for investments 
which are not to be despised in tliese days ef 
redundant capital and low rate of interest. — 
Financial paper. 
Precious Stones.— We direct attention to a 
curious letter on this subjest in a Madras paper, 
reproduced on another page. The writer seems 
to know a good deal about precious stones ; but 
is be aware that tlie simplest (aqd yet one 
of the best) tests applied to gems by M, Nor- 
denskjold— tbe Norwegian who first got round 
Asia by Behring’s Straits— wliose special forte was 
Mineraloo-y, was by comparing the brightness of 
ihe stone in artificial and in sun light. The bril- 
Haney ouflit to be as great under gas, candle 
or match'^as in the ounlight. M. Nordenskjold 
e.xamined all tbe gems in the Colombo Mu.seiim, 
in sunlight and then by striking a match in a 
dark corner. Ceylon may be said to have a 
monopoly of cat’s-eyes, Alexandribes, and of the 
finest sapphires. Siam and Burma compete in 
vabiee. 
Rubber Supply. — A Zanzibar contemporary, in the 
last issue received, devotes a large proportiou of its 
.suace to a consideration of the rubber supply of 
E ist Africa. Indi.a-rubber is reported to be very 
scarce just now, and tbs souroe-i of supply to be 
dioiiuishiug. Such, however, is not the case, for 
although the West Indian rubber supply is fail- 
ing, there is an abundance in tropical Afric.a. From 
ooeau to ocean across Equatorial Africa, we are 
told, a belt of more or less richly yielding rubber 
trees is to beffouud. Negroes who(dis lovered thevalue of 
the tress which the white miu was t.ipping, began lop- 
ping them down, an d tho;isands of d -ad trunks are now 
to be found disfiguring the forests. "Whether the yield is 
increased or uot by cultivation of the tree is a disputed 
point. Cultivated rubber !uay proveto be cheaper and 
in the (better long run thau :.ae wild product by reason 
of tbe skill inipOi tod into t'ne industry. Only the richest 
Yariehiesof tree or vine would be grown, the collection 
and tueatment of the juice would be conducted in a less 
wasteful manner, and there would be no adulteration. 
— IniUnn and Eastern Engineer. 
Shanghai Croton-Seed. — .At the la.st drug- 
sales there was shown a sample of croton-seeds 
from Sliangliai which failed to find a buyer, 
pre.samably on account of tiie difference in ap- 
pearance from the u.sual Ceylon .seeds. The 
sample in question was of a dirty dark brown 
colour, partly covered with a lighter brown seale- 
like covering. When cracked the seeds were found 
to be white, but showed some tendency to 
shrivelling, indicating a want of freshness. Con- 
sidering that the Croton Tirjliuin, which furnishes 
the croton-seeds of commerce, has such a wide 
distribution from Cliina and the Malay Islands 
to Malacca, Burma, Bengal, Assam, and Ceylon, 
it is surprising that regular supplies from most 
of tliese countries do noc find their way to the 
London market. The seeds, however, are some- 
times imported into India from Cliina, via Singa- 
pore. They are regarded by the Cliiaese as e.x- 
tremely poisonous, ami Porter Smith says, “ K 
single decorticated seed was formerly prescribed 
in dy.sentery and diarrhuca as a revulsive remedv” 
by the Chinese. The seeds in question were quite 
genuine. — Chemist and Druggist. April 17. 
A Dec.aying Industry.— The po.ssible disap- 
pearance of tlie art of dyeing in India is pointed 
out in an able monograph jirepared by Mr. N. N. 
Banerjee under t!ie au.spices ol the Bengal Govern- 
ment. The number of profes.siotial dyers in India 
ii fast diinini.shing. Aniline dyes and cheap 
European goods are killing their trade. They are 
being compelled to turn their attention to new 
handicrafts, just as French competition and the 
vagaries of fashion caused the ribbon makers of 
Coventry to seek a new livelihood in the manu- 
facture of bicycles. Aniline dyes have made 
every man his own dyer. Formerly, the com- 
plicated processes by which indigenous dyes are 
prepar-ed made the dyer a specialist. Nowadays, 
anybody can dissolve tlie chemical powders sent 
out from Europe, and colour his own clothes. The 
amlirie dyes are more brilliant, and, to the native, 
they have the superlative merit of cheapness. They 
are not so fast, and they lack the delic.acy of 
colour, wliicli, judging by the specimens annexed 
to the luonograpli, distingniish the Indian dyes. 
But their very gaudiness makes tlieni more 
popular, and so the fate of the native dyer is sealed. 
Silk-dyeing, cotton-dyeing, and c trpet-dyeing — 
all are declining. The fault, it should be added, 
is to some extent due to tlie conservatism of the 
native dyers themselve.s. They persistently adhere 
to their etude methods of preparing their dyes, 
and show a lamentable lack of ingenuity in pre- 
paring new designs. — Pioneer, May 22. 
