May 2, 1892.] 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
827 
by improvement cuttings — and leave Nature to do the 
rest. Protection from fire, the Hoard of Kevenue 
observes, is a tnero matter of money and labour, 
but toootnbine protection from grazing with the iieoea- 
eitioa of the ryot and the grazier is more difficult. 
An inetauce of the good results of effective froteotion 
is given in the “ matvollona growth.” in the Ananta- 
pore reserves, which are specially protected by stone 
walls. Tho question, therefore, which arises for con. 
sidoration is should not more he done in tho way of 
feuciiigi' Tho difficulty has been the matter of cost, 
but, as the Board remarks, if railway lines can afford 
to bo cffectniihy fenced, there would seem to be no 
roasou why foroata elionld not, at any rate where the 
foroata lie in largo compact blocks. “ Such fencing,” 
the Board continues, ” wou'd assist moat materially 
to protect both from fire and from thieves ; and with 
protection from the latter, all the obuoxions transit 
rules could be abolished.” 
To show tho effect of protection on natural 
growth, tho case is motionud of tho Ped- 
dapaleo forest in Viz>g.ipatam, which has been 
under special protection for five years. In Ncllore, 
in tho Srikarikot forest, experiments wore made to 
increase reproduotiou by cutting tho roots of tho 
eugenia jsuibolaiis, and Hie result is reported to be 
satisfactory, many slioots having come up. Experi- 
ments were also made in the fciliug of cisuarina 
trees in Nellore, and it was found that the hist 
season for coppicing waa from September to Novem- 
ber, and that tho ooppioe waa best when under 
shade and when the length of the stum left was not 
less than 4 feet. In Ouddapali, tbc growth of red 
Banders from seedlings is reported to have been suc- 
cessful : the ordinary bamboo seeded in most parts 
of Cuddapah and in the Nallamalais of Kuruool, 
In tho Nilgitia, the repro liictiou in the sUulas and 
the growth of coppice shoots in the eucahjptus plan- 
tation are reported to bo satisfactory. The reproduc- 
tion from seed of bamboos in the Nagalapuram 
reserve m Ohiugleput, tho germination of andal 
wood seeds in Salem, tho reproduction from coppice 
in the Shulukarui, block in South Coimbatore, aud 
the growth of kougoo seedlings iu places where clean 
catlings have been made iu the evergreen forests 
of Tirmevelly, are reported to be noteworthy. In the 
Tindivaniim and Villupiiram ranges iu South Arcot 
reproduction by coppice is said to have failed owing 
to the unfavourable rliaractor of tho season ; the 
ooppioe from casnarina shoots in tho Cuddalore range 
was also a failure. In North Aroot aud Salem the 
growth iu the open areas is said to have' been very 
poor, ohiolly owing to ovcr-grtiziug. Iu the mixed 
high forests of South Coimbatore, iu several of tho 
valleys uud hill slopes iu Mslnra and in parts of 
North Malabar, the unsuitable nature of the soil 
and the thick uuder growth of grass aud thorny shrubs 
have retarded uatnral reproduotiou. — Madras Times. 
-- 
THE CEYLON .MAUGOSA : A HINT ! 
There nro few people among tho many Euglish in 
Ceylon who do not know tho niargosa tree (Por. 
luargosera, and Tamil veipuni inarnm), but to many 
it is only known as a very tine “ shade ” tree, ouo 
that roared successfully, and treated with conimou 
generosity, will fairly last a century, and oven more. 
It yields first a rough hark or outer bark which 
Tamils have only lately begun to value as a rival 
to quinine, in fover caseB,* though adniinistovod very 
sparingly and in small quantities Its taste being in- 
tensely nausoous and bitter. Its leaves also are 
medicinal aud when burnt grem on a tiro in a brazier 
or earthenware chattie (as well as the dcad_ hark) 
will, if placed in any room, drive away or kill tho 
most obstinate and bloodthirsty of mosquitoes. The 
green bark is also successfully used as a “vermifuge’’ 
m tho treatment of buffaloes and country cattle, 
and pounded aud applied to a sore will kill off every 
Worm iu it. Tlio tiinbor sawn from this tree is noted 
* Trees in Colombo were harked to death forty 
years ago, jnst as (\xssia fistula trees aro being des- 
w’oyed now.-Eh, T. -1. 
for keeping off white-ants. A valuable and parti- 
cularly clear gum exudes from the bark, naturally 
in small quantities, but when bruised in large sheets 
and yellow drops like icicles 1 Books hound with 
this gum nro never bored or oaten by worms, and 
“painted” on an abra.sioH or skin wound will take off 
all pain. Tho yield of the tree in the shape of Jfruit 
isinarvollous, and these furnish food to crows, goats and 
hundreds of the smaller of the feathered tribe, and tho 
ground under margosa iu fruit is daily and nightly 
carpeted with fruit. The leaf or seed of the margosa 
contain a valuable, rich and clear oil, sometimes burnt in 
earthen lamps, but specially valnable for fly blown 
sores in horses, elephants and cattle.* It is also 
used medicinally in iw// minute doses. It smells 
atrocioiisli/, but is very valuable as a lubricant for 
steel, iron, Ac., from which it keeps mat, and would 
doabtloas answer well as a lubricant for machinery 
and rolling gear. It is generally sold in the markets 
at 7.'> cents a quart bottle (Ceylon ynart), being 
expressed in rough wooden inills, chekkus or by 
pounding, but when treated in a superior oil mill 
might be worked cheaply ; but once a mill has worked 
for mai-gosa oil it becomos practically useless for 
anything else. R. A. 
■ - 4 ^ 
I’.VCKIXG ORANGES BY STEAM. 
Kditou “Eahmsu anu Phitit-Ukoweh.’’ 
If one wishes to see systematic orange packing it 
will repay him to look iu and see Mr. Sampson, at 
Boardman , with all his practical methods. Ho uses 
a steam motor to propel a throe-hank Ayer's Sizer 
aud many wrapjiing machines. One mania constantly 
aud easily turning trays of oranges into tho hopper 
of the sizer. Two men, one standing on each side 
of tlie hopper, assort tho oranges, 'ilie seconds all 
go to the sizer on thu left, tho firsts to tho two on 
the right. He has no russets, and hardly more than 
lU per cent, are seconds. Here yon can see a 
machine which comes near to a living, moving being, 
which responds promptly to the will of tho operator 
and Bupplemeuta his intelligence. Under such a 
man as Air. Sampson, who has tho genius to know 
a good thing w’hon ho see it and get tlio best work 
out of it, who actually compels it to do only the 
best work, give mo tho Ring Chain Sizer. From the 
sizer, like drilled soldiers ou the parade, tho oranges 
steadily move on to where the wrapping machine 
picks ihom up, prints ou each wrajipor tlio brand of 
llie grovo, neatly and securely twists tho wrapper 
arouud tho orange and thou doposists it iu tho bins 
wliero tho packers aio arranging them in the clean 
cases. This machine wrapping is done with sucli 
care tliat ogga would go Uirough tho same process 
uninjured. 
TEA IX FOOCHOW. 
We have been forestalled in a rejoinder 
we intended to publish to Merchant’s letter of 
anth ult., by the writer ol a ‘ oommuuioatod ’ 
artiolo ou the subject of the letter. As ho hap- 
pily hits upon the points wo purposed bringing 
lonvard, there is no oooasiou for us to write 
at length about them. The points are simply 
those ; First, that tho real reason of manure not 
having been used on the tea gardens is, that it waa 
not ptoourable in suflioient quantity. We gave this 
as a reason on the Kith January iu an article headed 
‘ Tea Frospeots,’ on the inlormation obtained from 
upoouutry teamen in an interview we had had with 
them, and it should be noted that they did not 
oppose the use of mannre ; they merely stated it was 
not proourable. Seconit. The idea of using chemioal 
manures had never ooourred to them. They had 
never heard of them. But we have to ask, who 
knows what they would do if the advantages were 
* And iu lieu for mercury tor killing maggots iu 
woiiudu i?r BOKJS iff llie Umiiau fiubjogl,— lip, X. a, 
