August i, 1891.] 
fHF TfJOPJCAL AGRICULTURIST, 
IIS 
displayed in the country post Offic.’s to enable (ar- 
meri to rfloORniao them. The report alao (iBitRests 
that washes of' snlphate of copper (blue vitriol) 
should be applied to pottto crops not oidy to chuck 
the outbreak of the disease, but to prevent it. 
Reoent oxporiraeatB in France and Belgium have 
proved the efli'racy of his rotnofly, as also of sul- 
phate of iron (greia vitriol) washes. 
Fros.— Theold Greeks had a notion that certain parts 
of the ng wore good for digeatioD, andthnir obf-ervatum 
i« borne cut by recent investigations. In 1880 M. 
Bouonut pointed out that tho fruit and brancho" of 
the fig-tree coDUiued a fcrnientive jiiici which digested 
albummoitl substances. Quite rom ntiy, Dr. Mussi has 
isolated tho digestive principle, which he calls “ erndina," 
after Arrarfe, tho digestive part of tho fig. The juice, 
when filtered and evaporated, and then treated witli 
alcohol, fields a wl.ite precipit’itc, which, on being dried, 
beeoniea yellow. Treated with water it swells, and tho 
insoluble residue, when dUsolved in acid or alkali, digests 
rooist fibrin. It differs from pepsine by preserving its 
digetivo properties in alkaline liquids, and from papaine, 
iQ itsactiou not being destroyed by hydroobloric arid. In 
aneutt nl liquid it bus no digestive power ovk^r starch. 
Au imitation wine is made from figs in France and 
Algeria, by steeping the fig.sin warm water and feruieu- 
tingfcheliquorobtniiied. When mingled witha little wine 
1^ I'idifficulb to tell it from genuine wme; but M. 1*. 
tJuarles has found that by evaporating it, a residue is lets 
containing a considerable quantity ofniaimiie. Asths 
substance is only an excepiioual iDgrediontin wines, and 
18 Dover present in anything like the samo quantity, it, 
therefore, btcomes a teat of grape and fig wine.— 
Criobe. 
THKOUGII SUMATlTA. 
(From tho Bataviaasch JVKUWsllad.) 
The intended vvorking of the Ombilien coal fields 
nf u construction ot a mdvsay to the "West Coa.-.t 
Sumtra has for a long time attracted gc-neial atten. 
ton. People became Btill more interested when they 
earned that Mr. Yzorman, the well kuown Chief- 
for the cunstruction of the State railway, at 
toe head of a cciinmlssion, intended to ma'xo a journey 
overland to the East Const in conniotiou with the 
P®'®*hle carriage of coals to that coast. Ooncerniug 
long and difficult journey on font, wo wore not 
wuhout fears for tho fata of the travellers in this 
^rra laco^ntVa of our Oolonisl dominion, and wo re- 
oived the news with joy that the scientific exp^.di^ion 
mlfii difficulties, and with the loss of one of its 
Poait by the treacherous mnrcler of Inspector Van 
ice, had mot engineer J. Aiidrd de Ja Porto at 
safety. It can •sWnish nobody therefore 
th T? iiitolligenfc audience atsenilded ftt 
^ Gardens to hear the inhere ting in- 
which Mr. Yzermsu had been invited by the 
>j«*t?***f^*^V'®** Natnrul Uiatory Society of 
acres, the expo.iitioa 
tn»» Bfiu ^“"Iveture WBB illiistra'ed by a largo 
ruiw thrn *"* Kfouuil. A braoch of the Kwaulan 
Sinvkar. ooalfii'ldn; falls into lake 
win^s ita louthern border and 
to apokn I 'f be object of the expedition was 
riv^r Of ,1. “'■‘.‘’“.’■“''"'"y®'' “'a Jeft aide of th.s 
thn k- I on the Fast Coast of Samatni 
rircr a ‘‘OKth ‘hi* 
ooala **^7 a "lado use of in tho oioort of 
ooaa On the l7lh Fob. ad who ware to lake pnt 
tho .1 Wile aaaenibled nt Si Djoendjaing, 
o m" V ® ^“''‘roller of the united VII. Kotlas: 
Brides M r. Yaerman there were Mr. S. II. Koorders. 
tor, H-'-m. lm, na.nral his-’ 
denn'ri ^ ®**i®‘ of tile topegraphical 
epaHni.nt at Padang, Inspector Van Baatten, 
hiviii Imiiterof the Padang 
^ghtands and luauku of H,u lUu. Eight, coolies 
WMe wanted for the baggage, instrnnipuis Ac. Pood, 
whrti clothing had to be carried, so that the 
expedition conHiated of about 250 raon. TUv 
journey along the Kwautan the lecturer dojcribeJ as 
OJ the mosb beautiful of the many oxoursioss on 
'he water he had made in the Archipelsgo, The 
step n’all of naked granite, porphyry and calyx, tinted 
ami shaded in hundreds of colours and crowned with 
gigiiit'c forest frees were very imposing. The river 
.here has cut out for itself a bed in the rooks frrm 
ten to twenty yards wide. High obo.o tho hisd of 
the traveller gigantic trees rear tluniaelves whoaii 
branches meet above tho stream which raus beneath 
their roots. Flowers of tho most brilliant oolonrs 
add life and glow to tho iiceeditigly boautifnl and 
natural soeno. A aoleinn stillucaa ruigns in the 
regioes. It is virgin nature. The beautiful and 
interesting surroundings did not prevent the at- 
teulion of tlie lioid travellers being fiequeuUy drawn to 
the dangers which boset them on account of 
swiftness of tho current, and great praise is 
due to the Malay boalmm of Salahd. Fallen treeg, 
blocked up tlie spaces between tho rooks. This was 
ouly a foreta.ste of the ilifliouIlieB which the voyagers 
were af'erwarda to meet. Mar Mokko-mokko the goods 
were taken ont of tlie boat., and bronght overland past 
the waterfalls and currents to be placed again lu the 
boats lower down. Tho place where this happened is 
called Solok and here a tunnel of 1800 meters will be 
uecesMary, which can however bo built in two sections 
ol 1,850 ami 450 meters. Having arrived at Arabatjong 
a c.mp was formed and aomo days' rest wore indulged 
in. Tlie rtc. ption by Tuai ku Kadi Radjs was very 
liearty. A flask ami ii shndafU/ were accepted as 
valuable presents by one of the chiefs which shows the 
jirimitivo condition of the people in these parts. Labo 
Ambalj uig is one of five rlistricts which in name 
rcoogniZH the authority nf tho Hadja of Basorah who 
has his n a. donee at Tjaraiitai on Kwantan. In this 
region callod ihe Kaniau the authority is arid to be 
mirily nominal and in <lie district Biibii Jambi snd 
Taloe which are hostile, tho Kadja has nothing to say. 
(In account of inlormaliou from Padang acoordi ng to 
wh'oli tho Taloors had declared themsilves to bo 
under tho iiuihorilv of the Radja of Basorah, 
Oontrollor Biiigat wciic to Tndrugiri to ask the 
obiet for lie oo-oprriticn and approval ot making 
surveys for construotioga railway. Tnesc wore gti nted 
and the travellers wont there but they ware firmly 
torbidden to eii sr the laud as they wanted notbitig to 
do with the Jilandus. Tiii re is now some ground for this 
oistriist. Tho authority of the Government in these 
regions is very woik. Oistriots under Dutch authority 
III C.I60 of war ngaint independent provinces always 
ask the Controller for assistance and he invariably 
refuses for some reason or other, giucr.ally from inabi- 
lity to grant it. The oiite Malay sees this at once and 
is miifw to suek our support. Another reason, said the 
speaker, for hostility to ns is tho latlies. The women 
0 uitretytutliuuustom in other Slalay countries have an 
extraoruinary amount of influaoce over t heir husbands 
and they make full use of it. tyh'le in other district, 
lilt) roan is spoken to as angkau and the woman ns Itau, 
the miles in Taloe are disdainfully addressed as kau. 
A Malay legend gives the following as the cause. Oiies 
upon a time some men ntd women were wooiiing 
in a ladamg when a gigantio tiger sprang roailng 
into the midst of them. Tho men instead of unit- 
ing to (Ser a courageous resistance took to their 
heels and left the women and oliildten in the 
lutoli. Thus came the men into bad odcur. 
Tho.s'' people gave proofs of their hostility and Mr. 
Yzetman to avoid political qaestions was obliged to 
turn aside so as not to pass thro' their land. On the 
seoond of March tha party left Logoi di Rambu. 
Messrs. Yzerman, UemmolBU and Koorders were in 
front, then came tho coolies who formed a long tram 
with Mr. Bakhuis behind. A lew paces off oamo 
Messrs. Alphen and Raalteu one armed with al 
lieaumout litto and tho other, witha revolver. Pcaaefu 
and without a thought of insecurity the journsy was 
continued. Wherever we had been we were received in 
friendly manner and wa had no suspicion that this 
day would have so sad an ending. Suddenly we in 
front heard rifle shots echoing thro' the jungle. Not 
suspeotiug any evil wa oontimied calmly nu our way, 
then cries from the coolies made us think romethin 
was wrong. Again shots were heard and the coolies 
bolted. Those close behind us threw away the> 
