reduce to a minimum the plant and stock of rolls to be kept by manufacturers; and a further subcommittee is deliberating on the most suitable tests to be applied to iron and steel material used in the construction of ships and their machinery, with the object of arriving at a common basis of agreement between the many divergent specifications and restrictions at present in vogue.

The committee on bridges and general building construction has been chiefly engaged in drawing up a series of standard beams and tees and in the consideration of "equal and unequal angles." Their standard list of beams includes only 30 sections—a considerable reduction on the number formerly in use-and some of the leading firms have already announced that they are returning their rolls to comply with the committee's standard list.

In railway matters, there is a committee on rolling stock underframes; another on locomotives, with subcommittees on component parts and types, on steel plates, on tires, axles, and springs, on copper and its alloys, and a third on rails. The last-mentioned is divided into two subcommittees; the first, on railway rails, is engaged in drawing up a series of standard flat-bottom rails and bullheaded rails, the former beginning at 60 pounds per yard and the latter at 20 pounds per yard, and rising by increments of 5 pounds to 110 pounds per yard; while the second, on tramway rails, has agreed on a standard series advancing by steps of 5 pounds from 90 pounds to 110 pounds per yard, which has already been finally approved by the Board of Trade.

The committee on electrical plants is divided into four subcommittees. One-on generators, motors, and transformers—is collecting evidence as to how far standardization can be introduced in the construction of those machines and their component materials. Another-on temperatures-is conducting experiments to determine the ability of different insulating materials to withstand heat, and also the deteriorating effects produced by their exposure to heat over long periods. A third is considering the standardization of cables and of underground conduits other than tramway conduits, and is engaged in drawing up standard tables which should simplify and cheapen the manufacture of cables. The fourth is occupied in the preparation of standard tables and specifications for wires and with other matters directly affecting the construction of telegraphs and telephones.

The remaining committees are concerned with screw threads and limit gauges, with pipe flanges, and with cement, there being also a committee for publications and calculations and another for finance.

Some two dozen representatives of public departments-such as the War Office, the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, and the Indian

Office-are serving on these different committees, and the Government has further shown its appreciation of the work by coming to its financial assistance with a grant of £3,000 ($14,598). MARSHAL HALSTEAD,

BIRMINGHAM, July 9, 1903.

Consul.

FRUIT CROP OF HUNGARY.

On the 30th of May the agricultural examiners of the Hungarian Minister of Agriculture reported as follows on Hungary's prospects for a fruit crop:

Danube, left bank.-Partly good; partly popr. Mostly pears and apples; plums in places only.

Danube, right bank. -Medium crop only, except in early fruits. Vermin in places. Apples, pears, and plums in sufficiency.

Danube-Theiss Delta.-April frosts ruined crop, which is all falling from trees.

Theiss, right bank. -Early fruits have suffered; less stone fruits, cherries, apricots, apples, pears, and walnuts only in places; few plums; other fruits plenty. In Bereg and Borsod counties, plenty of plums in certain districts; less pears and apples. In Gömör County one district shows full, another medium, a third small crop. In Saros County pears will be fine, apples poorer, plums poorest. In Ung and Zemplin counties there will hardly be a medium crop, especially in the district of Nagy Mihaly, where the melons, squashes, and cucumbers were frozen.

Theiss, left bank.—Only three-fourths of a crop expected, owing to frosts.

Theiss-Maros Delta.-Cherries few, on account of spring frosts, medium crop of plums. Of soft-seed fruits, apples and pears are very promising in places.

Transylvania.-Apples and plums promising; others fallen, from spring frosts. Insects have attacked buds throughout Brasso County FRANK DYER CHESTER,

BUDAPEST, June 8, 1903.

Consul

AMERICAN CORN MEAL AND HOMINY IN FRANCE.

For years the United States tried to acquaint European countries with corn and its products, but as far as France is concerned made little headway.

The corn meal sold here is not as good as that sold in the United States. Our exporters send this kind for

It is too coarse and hard.

its better appearance, perhaps, but the result is a very fine hominy instead of meal. Besides, the yellow product is packed separately from the white, hence a loss of the better taste obtained by grinding together. Further, from a French standpoint it is not only inartistically packed, but, in some cases, imperfectly so. It is usually put up in 2-pound pasteboard boxes, through the mucilaged or glued ends of which the contents often filter. These boxes retail at 25 cents. To this price, if ordered from Paris-as is necessary in this city and throughout this district-freight must be added. The reason for such an exorbitant price is not easy to see, since the tariff entrance on meal is only 96.5 cents per 100 kilograms (220.46 pounds), making the duty on a 2-pound box actually less than 9 mills. Another reason why corn meal has not found favor in France is that the efforts for its introduction were made to get the middle and wealthier classes to like it instead of the working people. The directions, printed exclusively in English, explain the making of johnny cakes, griddle cakes, corn-meal mush, and gems; but corn bread, to which use 75 per cent of the consumption in the United States is put, to serve with the vegetable course, is not mentioned. The French desire economical food, but it must be nourishing, and they know the most nourishing is the cheapest. What better fulfills these conditions than corn and its products? But before it ranks in France with eggs, cheese, butter, wheat bread, and such food, upon which the people now principally live, it must be ground and packed differently and sold at least 50 per cent. cheaper. If these conditions are fulfilled and the matter is pushed so that the working classes can become acquainted with the value of corn bread as a nutritive and economical accompaniment of all their vegetable dishes, there will be such a wholesale business done as to make the amount now sold but a dribble.

American grits, which are sold in few cities outside of Paris, are of a good quality, packed in 4% and 5 pound sacks inartistically but securely tied. These retail for 1.75 francs (33.8 cents), an inexplicable contrast to that of corn meal. Perhaps one of the difficulties attending a large introduction of grits is that the French eat no early morning meal. Still there is no reason why they should not be taught to like a palatable dish at noon or evening.

ROUEN, July 7, 1903.

THORNWELL HAYNES,

Consul.

PETIT GRAIN, OR ESSENCE OF ORANGE LEAVES.

In

The industry of making essence by extracting the same from orange leaves dates back to the time when the Jesuit priests held sway over the Indians, more than one hundred and fifty years ago. those times the trees were planted by the priests with an eye to their value for essence making. They imported the seeds of the oranges suitable for this purpose, for orange groves abound in the districts where the priests lived. To-day they form immense forests in those sections, which are full of small establishments for extracting essence. The natives for some time have looked upon essence of orange as a valuable healing ointment. They apply it to wounds and cuts-also to wounds of beasts where worms are likely to infect-declaring that it has such a penetrating force that it permeates every part of the flesh affected, curing the diseased parts very quickly. They also inform me that it is a fine hair tonic; by rubbing into the scalp it causes the hair to grow. Its application in the soap-making and perfumery industries are well known in commerce.

The essence is principally manufactured by French people. However, there are people of other nationalities, including the natives, who manufacture it. The orange peel is prepared for shipment and used for the purpose of making bitters, marmalades, etc. The essence is shipped in large, hermetically sealed cans, which are packed in strong wooden boxes. The law of this country grants free exportation to "petit grain" manufacturers. The quality of the essence seems to be very good, and most of it is shipped to France, from which country, I believe, it finds its way to the United States. Some is shipped to the United States direct, in which case, I am informed, it is made a little cheaper for the American market. I am also told that in some cases in gathering the leaves of the trees for essence of orange, large branches are cut and even trees felled. The wood thus wasted could be exported to the United States for the manufacture of toothpicks, etc.

I have been making reports along the line of raw materials of, and such things as are manufactured in, this country that would be suitable for export, for the reason that importers here assign as a difficulty in buying American goods the demand in the United States for cash in exchange for documents, whereas European exporters grant six and eight months' time from date of invoice, collecting interest for the time, drawing a draft against shipment, which is usually sent with the bill of lading through some bank, to be collected; and for the further reason that there is a disposition among

the producers and exporters of these raw materials to ship them to good firms in the United States who would permit them to draw a thirty days' sight draft attached to the bill of lading and insurance to the amount of 50 or 65 per cent, the balance to be applied to the payment for goods that may be sent out here.

ASUNCION, June 3, 1903.

JOHN N. RUFFIN,

Consul.

AUSTRALIAN TREES.

The rapid decimation of forests in the United States has awakened the question as to the best manner of their restoration. It is thought profitable to consider the claims of trees not indigenous to America to be cultivated on the denuded lands, especially on hilly, rocky ground, or ground unfit for farming. On this account I wish to call attention to some of the native trees of Australia. These trees are being successfully grown in California and in other States similar in climate to California.

The forests of Australia generally have a monotonous appearance. This is caused by the presence everywhere of the Eucalypti, of which there are many species. There are, however, trees of other genera, notably of the Angophora, etc.

The parklike appearance of the open forests and the beauty of the many flowering shrubs win admiration in spite of the sameness of the trees. Even the dull, grayish blue of the foliage of the gum trees, when relieved by the yellow blossom of the wattle, including the graceful myall or the beautiful and shapely kurrajong, is not without its attractiveness. The trees for the most part are straight and cylindrical in the trunk, and when full grown their first branches. are at a considerable height from the ground. The roots of the eucalyptus often lie at no great depth from the surface, an adaptation of nature to the peculiar climatic conditions of the country. The finest specimens of most of the timber trees-those yielding the most valuable timber-are found on ridges and hillsides and in places frequently too rough and stony for cultivation. This circumstance is in many ways fortunate for the state. In the course of settlement, when the rich plains are denuded of their trees and when scarcity will make timber more appreciated and valuable than it is at present, land not adapted for agricultural settlement will still be available for the cultivation of the finest trees. Among the many trees of commercial value, immense specimens of red gum (E. rostrata) and apple trees (Angophora subvelutina), on the northern river flats, mark the course of the streams, while on the ridges and mountain sides