488 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[January i, 1892. 
violets on short firm stoms, the leaves are similar 
to the I'lnglish Violet. Then tliere is ttie White 
Violet which grows in low lauds and swamps, has 
a mass of long narrow leaves and any quantity of 
small white violets. They are beautifully marked, 
nud 1 have often Ihon^ht bow much handsomer tliey 
would ho for Bouttonieros than the blue ones — the 
flowers are the same size as the English Violet— 
sometimes larger. They ore slightly fragrant. 
The Yellow Jessamine (Qolsemium Sempervirens) 
witlr its deliciously fragrant bell-shaped flowers and 
lovely foliage makes atristic many an unsightly 
stump and neglected cottage, nud decks the woods 
with Its glory. The wild honeysuckle (Azalea Nu- 
illora) is a shmb found growing on edges of creeks 
and branches. The flowora are borne in clusters, 
very fragrant and in all shades of pink and hght 
red The pistUs of the flowora are very long— 
hence the name-AVild Itoneysnckle. This is a valu- 
able plant for bees. The White Elder makes a tree 
here, and is also found near water. The flowers axe 
valuable for bouquets,, etc., and the berries make 
too jellies, jam and pies. The Jelly is very benefi- 
cial when used as cough medicine. The flowers 
make a tea excellent in cases of dropsy, and it is 
iiafifiil in many ways, in fact everyone ought to plant 
on Elder in their yard. We have any quantity of 
the Prickley Pear Cactus which has largo brilliant 
yellow flowers in the spring, and is followed by 
small fruit a pear, which becomes a deep red when 
ripe, and is fine for jelly and pickles. The Prickley 
Pear has medicinal qualities, but I am not “ posted.’’ 
The Dog Banana (Asimina Grondiflora) is a low grow- 
ing shimb with large straw colored and deep maroon 
flowers, followed by olusters of small bananas which 
are said to bo edible. The Easter Lily (Zephar- 
onthes Trotoa) a pure white delicately scented lily, 
snrings up singly out of the ground in low places. 
It is much used in floral decorations. A species of 
clematis with beautiful foliage and delicate flowers 
renders the low swampy lands very attractive in spring. 
We have a large variety of ferns, mosses, etc., fine 
for aquariums, also a species of the Kesurrection 
fern Then there is the Milkweed with its long 
nods containing silky floss. 1 bear it is a rubber 
Slant. The Magnolia blooms m April and May. 
We have the Swamp and Highland. The Swamp 
Magnolia has the handsomest foliage. The Bwoot 
Bay makes a large tree, the flowers are about the 
size of the top of a small teacup. The Bay does 
not bear seed, but the Magnolia produces an abun- 
^^^Dming the summer and fall we have an endless 
variety of flowora— LilUum Luteum a double yellow 
pond lily-fills our- creeks They are showy hut 
We an obnoxious odor. Wo have the double white 
Pond Ijily in swamps and lakes, also in little arms 
of the river. The white “Gtinum" or Spider Lily 
is very sweet and thrives in the creek edges. The 
Voiledf Lily (Pancratium) is found in Soulhorii 1 lorida. 
The purple Iris (Plour do .luce) grows along the 
creeks and swamps. It is a showy flower. Tlie acarlet 
Hihisens waves Its flaming banner in tlie grey marsh 
S^ss and two species of Althea with handsome 
Sve% leaves flourish th«o also. One has a nie^iuii 
‘“s,? » j ’ffi s*oS‘ 
bomnete. We hwe a miniature snow-ba 1, cream 
oXred and fragrant, which grows along the creek. 
Two species of Begonia, one with coarse loaves and 
dull red trumpet shaped flowers and the other with 
h^dsXe foliage and brilliant red flowers. The 
Virginia Creeper (Ampelopsia ymnqnofolia) grows 
iXSfantly here. Wo have one 
Passion flower (Passlllora Inoarnata.) In the low 
taX is found the Wild Tiger LUy (LiUum Catesboil). 
It is deep orange rod with dark spots. Golden rod 
grows to^lXtion here and . 1 must not forget 
the purple Thistle, which furnishes us with si^y 
white pompons for our .hats. In the waiups there 
is the Tulip tree and wild Laurel, the latter is good 
fox flavoring moats and saueos. Saasafraa grows 
wild here. ‘‘Lifo everlasting” is a small plant ga- 
thwed (the rpots) by tbe wwted people iind eoW 
at the drug stores. They also skin our prickly Ash 
for the same purpose. It seems a pity I We have 
a Sumac, too, and numerous other vines and flowers 
which I will not mention for tliis grows already too 
long. The " Yucca " — commonly called Spanish Ba- 
yonet — is a grand old] shrub. It sends up a head, 
or spike rather, from which hang suspended dozens 
of pure white waxy bells. 
I feel that I have only told you half, but space 
forbids. This neighborhood before llio war was an 
indigo plantation, and many bushes still remain as 
an omblem of past and gone grandeur. I read the 
letters of our sisters with great interest and hope 
you will all come forward and tell us of tlio flora 
of your State. — "Aida,” in Homo Journal. — Florida 
Agricrdlunst. 
THE INDIAHUDUEK INDLbSTllY OF 
DUTCH GUIANA. 
Tho caoutohono, or iudiarubbor, is produced in 
Dutch Guiana under different species, the most im- 
portant of which is “balata” or “milk of the bullet 
tree." the export of which, says Consul Wyndham, 
of Faramaribo, is attaining considerable proportions, 
and will, it la believed, bo very productive for a time 
only, as there is no forest conservancy law in the 
colony. Persons who are granted tracts of land for 
the gathering of this product ore uncontrolled in 
their metliod of drawing the milk, which results in 
trees being totally destroyed to get the greatest 
amount of milk by the quickest and most inexpensive 
method. Tho district where the largest quantity of 
" balata” trees are known to exist in the colony is 
that bordering on tho Correntyne Kiver, known in 
Dutch Guiana as the "Nickerie district” and large 
tracts of land have been given to an English Arm 
to collect balata. Balata is treated by tne manu- 
facturers simply as a superior kind of guttapercha, 
and therefore its name disappears w;hen luaiiufaoturod ; 
nevertheless balata is distinctly different from gutta- 
precha, and this is manifested in some of its physical 
characters — for instance, it is somewhat softer at 
ordinary temperature and not so rigid in tho cold. 
Besides tho bullet tree, there are trees or plants 
known as tho Tonclpony, which gives a valuable 
rubber, and again Jlarlabthli and Hushroitc, to which 
oollectors do not appear to have given a name. The 
indiaruhber balata iiidusti-y, although carried on in 
the colony of Dutch Guiana in a desultory way for 
a long time, has never until quite recently assumed 
sufficient importance to cause the local government 
to legislate upon it. As yet the law only lays down 
tho regulations under winch concessions are granted, 
and does not deal with the supervision or treatment 
of tlie trees, or tlie metliod of extracting the milk. 
Caoutchouc or indiarubbor is yielded both by trees 
and vines. Those already mentioned are, as far as 
it is known, tho principal ones in the colony, and 
tho method of collecting tho milk is by cutting down 
trees, by inoisions, and by circling the tree. In 
each case there is no protective law, and tho trees 
are generally ruined. The cliief port of export is 
Demerara, and as yet no export duty exists, but as 
the produolion increases it is expected that it will 
not escape taxation. Nothing has been done to 
cultivate the plant, neither does the soil seem 
to favour its growth except in some peculiar 
circumstances. Consul Wyndham says that now 
laws are contemplated for tho leasing of lands to 
prospect for balata. An article on tho “Balata 
Industry,” taken from the report of Mr. G. fcj. Jeniiian, 
Government Botanist, British Guiana, will be found 
in the Journal, vol. xxxiii, p. 92 3. — Journal of the Society 
of Art), 
Tex is called by some physiologists a “ savings 
bank," in whiob tissue is preserved. Tea is classed 
by seienlifio men as ooming noder the head of 
paratripties, a olass of substances whioh serve to 
prevent waste in the body, so that by their help 
and stimulus greater privation oan be endured and 
more work aooompoliebed. OoSee and Xobaooo oomo 
Vindei (he same olasiifloation, Grocer, 
