668 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April t, 1898. 
WHAT WE EAT AND DBINK- 
ADULTERATION AND NOMENCLATURE. 
Dr. r. L. Teeil, f.i.c., public analyst for Isling- 
ton, in a report to the local vestry, issued yester- 
day, states ihat in one instance lecently, he 
found ‘’the custrrn of the trade” was for a \endor 
when asked for ••coflee” up to Is 6d per pound 
to hand the purchaser a mixture of fifty per 
cent, of chicory and fifty per cent, of coffei in a 
wrapper marked “ This is sold as a mixture of 
coflee and chicory.” Another defendant declared 
that unless pure” coffee was asked for, this mix- 
ture was always given to the purchaser. 
Dr. Teed adds “ It seems to me that if this 
perversion of the meaning of words goes much 
further, it will become necessary for tradesmen to 
compile a dictionary of their own, so that the 
simple-minded public may understand the mean- 
ing they attach to the words, which, up to now, 
referred to unsophisticated foods. Demerara sugar 
is no longer that article, but yellow crystals, 
unless you ask for pure Demerara ; butter is a 
mixture containing ten per cent, of margarine, 
uiilessyou ask for ‘ pure’ butter ; whisky is a spirit 
(mostly potato), and adulterated with an unknown 
percentage of water, unless you ask for ‘ pure ’ 
whisky, when as likely as not you will be sup- 
plied with the same spirit, but at a strength of 
twenty-five under proof. Cocoa powder is choco- 
late powder (a mixture of sugar and cocoa), unless 
you ask for ‘ pure ’ cocoa ; yellow wax is no longer 
beeswax, but earth wax, unless you require it 
‘pure’ while paraffin wax is unblushingly sub- 
stituted for white wax, which is bleached bees- 
wax ; and so on. It is about time this subversion 
of English words was put an end to. It began 
with fraud, but now it is the ‘custom of the 
trade.’ ’’—Home pajier. 
JAMAICA. 
THE VIEWS OF SIR H. A. BLAKE. 
Sir Henry A. Blake, late Governor of Jamaica, 
naturally takes a keen interest in the welfare 
of the island, and his address last week before 
the members of the London Chamber of Commerce 
was an exposition of the condition and possi- 
bilities of the colony. Jamaica is not dependent 
up6n any one industry, althougli sugar-planting 
is a very important factor. The island contains 
2,692,000 acres, of which about 2,340,000 are 
cultivated. At present the area under the culti- 
vation of the staple crops, is 3J,000 acres in 
sugar, 19,000 in bananas, 25,000 in cott’ee, 11,000 
in ' Coconuts, and 1,700 in cacao. The value 
of the crops last year was' £360,000 from 
sugar, £315,000 from bananas, and £169,000 from 
oranges. So that fruit-growing is developing 
ratridly into an enterprise of leading importance. 
Sir Henry Blake thinks that Jamaica has a right 
to ask the co-operation of the mother country 
in establishing a direct line of steamers between 
that colony and England. By that means the 
orange and banana industry of Jamaica would 
be largely improved. There is a large demand 
tor both these products provided they could be 
brought to England in proper conaition, and this 
can only be done by the establishment of a special 
boat service. Sir Henry Blake argues that Jamaica 
and the other West Indian colonies being weak- 
ened and ruined for the direct benefit of England, 
the home Government should come to their rescue, 
Barbadoes, which is entin ' v deperdent on sugar, 
is in a very serious condition, .-is is British Guiana, 
and in the event of the failure of the sugar in- 
dustry it will be necessary fA^ this country to 
spend a large sum of money to provide these 
colonies with a means of revenue. — if. d* C. Mail, 
March 11. 
THE “COCOAS” OF LABGEST SALE. 
In onr Green Supplement th’.s week is announced 
the result of competition in which readers were asked 
to record their votes for the twelve cocoa prepara- 
tions having the largest sale. The result of this 
competition is a striking testimony to the vslue of 
enterprising and judicious advertisement. During 
many years cht mists have taken a share in the dis- 
tribution of cocoas, the names of some of which had 
become household words throughout Great Britain, 
but the result of this competition shows that these 
have been out-marched by a preparation which some 
three or four years ago was unknown. The fact 
that so large a proportion of a body of chemists 
all over the kingdom return Dr. Tibbies’ Vi-Cocoa 
as having the largest sale is primarily due to the 
spirited policy adopted by the proprietors in making 
their specialty known to the public and to the trade, 
and while we do not wish to detract in any way 
from the credit to which they are entitled for this 
success their is no doubt that its achievement has 
been rendered a somewhat easier task than would 
otherwise have been the case by the supineness of 
the older manufacturers . — British at.d Colonial Drug- 
gist, March 18. 
INDIAKUBBER. 
Fears are sometimes expressed that the supply of 
rubber from Para will stop some day, but our Consul 
at Para is not of that opinion. Writing at the end of 
December, he says that the majority of authorities 
on the subject are of opinion that there is absolutely 
no fear for the exhaustion of the supply of rubber in 
Amazonian States. In some cases this produce is 
transported as much as 6,000 miles before it reaches 
Para, but it is found that the prolonged transportation 
improves the rubber, so that when it arrives at its 
destination it sells for higher prices than that collected 
nearer the mouth of the river. 
Our Consul at Zanzibar remarks that Africa may 
be said, roughly speaking, to be full of rubber from 
Zambesi to the Sahara. Hitherto the rubber brought 
down to the coast has been mainly collected by natives, 
who, under the pressure of hunger, have gone into 
the forests, tapped the vines and taken the balls 
thus extracted (one the size of a cricket-ball representa 
about a day’s work) to the nearest Arab or Indian ; 
but the German firm of Hat sing & Co. have set the 
example of collecting the rubber in a systematic 
manner, and it is expected that in a few years v 
regular and better supply will be obtained . — Chemist 
and Druggist, 
Blood Poisoning Fbom Tea Bushes. — It will be rem- 
embered that Mr. B. M . Waller, of Poyston, Dikoya, 
was unfortunate enough recently to suffer blood 
poisoning in the thumb of his right ha' d as the 
result of a cut from a pruning knife, and that eventu- 
ally, after consultation with Surgeen-Captain Hal- 
laran in Kandy, that medical officer removed the 
injured thumb successfully, thereby preventing the 
probable loss of Mr. Waller’s hand. We are asked 
to contradict the statement, however, that Snrgeon- 
Captain Hallaran, in connection with this matter, 
stated that he had “ often " seen blood poisoning ensue 
on wounds got in pruning tea bushes, as he said no 
such thing, nor had he seen anyone who had injured 
his hand with pruning a tea bush till he came across 
Mr. Waller’s case, which was one of “ epitheliomatous 
disease of the right thumb.” It is pointed out to 
us that professional men who have spent their lives 
in Ceylon and elsewhere amongst tea planters must 
have thought Surgeon-Captain Hallsran’s statement 
extraordinary, but, as a matter of fact, he never 
made it. 
