THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 189S. 
708 
Prospecting for Plumbago.— W e learn from 
Sladawelatenne tliat Caplahi Trcgay is still very 
Lusy i> o.specting for plumbago and seems as 
sanguine as evei’. 
EucalyptU-S Trels have grown so well in the 
Nilgiris that they threaten to pu.sh houses, near 
wliich they grow, out of e.\istence, and .steps are 
to be taken to have them felled. — C/c.oaiii an.l 
Druggist. 
A i)KY Region 1—Tiic rainfall of Suitiago, 
Chil.i, last year measured 335 20 milli uetres 
[nearly 13^ inches.] The mean average for the 
last 31 years was 328 millimetres [nearly 13 ins.] 
The rainy months are May, June and July, the 
rainfall in May last year measuring 2uii 48 milli- 
metres [nearly 8 10 inches.] 
Rise in Rubb Ji. — In consequence of the 
advance in the price of crude rubher.s, the prin- 
cipal linns (seventeen in number, and several 
of the first importance) notify— says the Britinh 
Trade. Journal, March 1st— -the traue that their 
prices for mechanical rubbers are advanced 
10 per c-ent. from the 10th nit. 
Java Quinine. — We {IJiilk-h and Colonial Drug- 
gist) heard a few weeks ago that a quantity ( f 
quinine sulphate made by Bandoeng ([uiniite 
f.ictory in Java, to which \ve have refer- 
ie(i several time.s of late, was on its way to 
Europe, and our .Vmsterdam repiesentativc now 
.says that 21 cases of ipiinine, each containing 12 
tins, holding one kilo, have arrii ed in Amsterdam 
per ss. “ Talaman ” from Java, and will probably 
come very shortly on the Amsterdam market. 
Kola N cits. -According to Knebel, who discovered 
kolanine in kola uiit.s, this ghicoside is broken up 
under the indaence of a special fei nient, into caffeine, 
glucose, and a red colouring matter. He considered 
that the action was not completed till the nuts were 
dry, and that, therefore, the dry nuts contained a 
relatively greater amount of caffeine than the fresh 
nuts. Fraiivois has, however, e.xamined the fresh 
and the dry nuts very carefully, and finds that 
dessication does not at all alter the proportion of 
caffeine contained in the nuts (alL^wing for the mois- 
ture driven off, of course) ; nor are the tints containing 
the greatest proportion of red colouring matter richest 
in alkaloid, which should be the case, according to 
Knebel. — Jlepcrtoire de PharmarAe. 
Amsterdam Bark Market.— Our Amsterdam rejtre- 
sentative sends us further information concerning 
the Amsterdam bark auctions of last week. The 
bark offered was distributed among the following 
species and varieties : Siiocintbra, 36,626 kilos. ; 
Ledgeriaua, .608,162 kilos. ; Calisaya, 368 kilos. ; Offi- 
cinalis, 1,092 kilos. ; Hybridis, &c., 36,424 kilos. Root 
Bark formed 43,942 kilos among this. Our readeis 
would notice ttiat in the haste of going late to press 
with last week’s telegram, the separate purchases 
were added up incorrectly, the total sold amounting 
really to 12,223 kilos of quinine, which left 16,724 
kilos unsold. A printer’s error made the purchases 
of the Frankfort and Stuttgart factories appear as 70 
kilos instead of 0 kilos. — British and Colonial Druggist, 
March 4. . , 
Wood Oil. — The Oousular Deiiartinent at 
Washington liavc been collecting information 
relative to the source of wood oil, so e.xtensively 
u-sed by tlie Chinese a.s a varnish. IVoodwork in 
China is almost universally varnisheil witli this 
011 ami on native crafts on tlie inland tvaters 
of 'china the oil takes the place of paint. Owing 
to its poisonous nature, it is .-suggested as a useful 
component of ships’-hoitom compo.sitions for iire- 
venling marine growths. The e.xploitation of the 
wood-oil tree ]iromises to reveal the secret of 
Chinese india-ink, as it is stated that tlie sort 
produced by burning the wood oil is the basis of 
the most expensive kind.— and Druggist, 
i''eb, 2U. 
Mineral Production in Indi.a.— The follow- 
ing table .slmw.s ihe )iroducts for 1896 as to which 
reliable sta isiic- of out) utare avai'ablc accoidiiig 
10 br. Cco. Watf, C.I E. : — 
siult • . . . 1 .026,7 11 tons, 
final .. .. 3,818,013 „ 
Ivon ores . . . . 13,776 ., 
retiobum .. 15 057,01)4 gallons. 
The CoPi’EiiAii Market. — T he maiket is in a very 
unsteady state. Top prices were given during the 
week for all kinds amt grades. “ Carts” are seldom 
bought and the arrivals of boats during the week 
were up to thi avera.ge As much as R12 ‘25 per 
candy was paid, but the aA-erage for the week for 
well-diied Oalpentyn was Rll'oO. Maravilia, Ne- 
gombo and Madampe fetched 1138 to R40 per candy. 
It is believed that a large stock will he brought 
down to the maiket before long, as it is usual to 
receive a large quantity before Easter and the 
Sinhalese Kew Year. This time the stock will be 
greater than the corresponding season of last year, 
as the crops are expected to be heavy after the 
last small season. Owing to the prevailing prices 
in the maiket, the price of coconuts has in a 
measure g^ue up. They are also scarce, as dealers 
prefer to convert them into copperah and secure 
top prices, rather than sell them tor desiccating and 
shipping purposes.— Co/-, of the “ Examiner.” 
\\ .ATTEGA.M .4 ; Tea Price.s. — Tliei'e .seeiiis great 
differences in jirices of tea oii estates clo.se to 
each other in our district. Is it in the strength 
of the soil or in the maimfaeuire 
G 
n W M 
2,665 at -11 500 at -39 1,623 at ‘34 
1,010 at -32 595 at -31 1,321 at '28 
1,265 broken 
pekoe ’lO 
1,050 pekoe.. '35 
810 pekoe 
souchong -21 
160 dust . . '18 
50 Souchong ’20 
average '381 
570 at '29 
225 at -15 
680 at -23 
62 at 15 
-10 at -22 
•28J 
1,120 at -21 
32 at TO 
20 at -13 
•281 
Wood AsiiEy for Flower G.ardens.— T here 
is no particular ililierence between e/iual weights 
of ashes from hard or soft ivood. The reason 
for the erroneous common opinion on this point 
is dne to the lightness of soft wood ashes, wincli 
makes it necessary to use a very large bulk of 
them to get the equivalent of a small bulk of 
hard wood ashes. As to using ashes as a substitute 
for stable manure! where the latter cannot be obtain- 
ed it must he said that ashes are only a special 
fertiliser containing potash and a little jihosphoiic 
acid. Stable manure contains these and add.s 
a consideral)!e content of nitrogen, which is usu- 
aily the greatest need in flower growing. For 
this reason ashes do not make a good snb.stitute 
for a stable manure, l/nt in ashes and nitrate of 
soda Ihe various needs of the plants are minis- 
tered to. If leaf mould is to he had, its use in 
couiiectioii with as slie should produce good 
results. -A /nr';-//rG?. Agriculturist. ” 
USE.S OF Coconut oil.— An Indian journal 
says that in that country a large amount ol native 
soap is made from coconut oil by merely boiling 
it with dhobies’ eaith (impure carbonate of soda), 
.salt, quicklime, and water. The ley apparently 
is not [.repared separately as a rule, nor with 
any attention to causticity. Coconut oil is still 
used to some extent in India as an illnininant 
by the wealthier classe.-, and almost universally 
for culinary j/urposes, also for anointing the body, 
and as a hair oil. European, American, and 
native doctors also apply it in many ways as a 
medicine. In caiulle making, coconut oil i.s not 
nearly so much employed as it was in former 
days, palm oil and other materials having to a 
great extent superseded it, as have palm kernel 
oil and earth-nut oil in the case of soap makingi 
•^British and Culonlal D’rug'glst, Feb. 25. 
