Vol. XVIII. No. 460. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS, 



;?87 



A NEW FORM OF TRANSPORT 



Sir Frederick Lugard, Governor of Xigeria, in his 

 recent address in London on ^Foral and Material Pro- 

 gress in the British Tropical Dependencies,' referred 

 to the Pedrail as the 'best form of roller-track vehicle 

 yet devised.' He was speaking of the difficulties of 

 transport in countries like West Africa, and declared 

 that the development of the material resources of Africa 

 might be summed up in the one word ' transport.' 

 Sir Frederick went on to say that one of the advantages 

 of the Pedrail was that it required no road in its 

 locomotion, and, indeed, made its own in its own 

 progress. Moreover, it was economical, for whereas 

 human carriers when employed by Europeans conveyed 

 goods at a cost of from 2s. to 2.s. (kl. per ton mile, for 

 long distances, the Pedrail claimed to carry at a cost 

 oiM. to 6ci a ton mile. 



This information is taken from West Africa for 

 November 8, 1919, which also gives the following 

 technical account of this new vehicle : — 



The Pedrail may be described as a flexible type of trans- 

 port vehicle in which load wheels are discarded in favour of 

 a form of mechanism for placing down on the road surface an 

 endless succession of feet.' 



The foot, or part coming directly in contact with the 

 ground, has an area of such proportions that the pressure per 

 square inch on the ground is from 5 to 10 or perhaps even 

 1.5fti. varying in different classes of vehicles, that is from one- 

 fifth to one-half the pressure per square inch of a man walking. 

 In the 1-ton size the feet are made of wood, but in larger 

 machines pressed steel is employed. 



The feet are attached to what are termed 'foot carriers' 

 by means of a special resilient form of connexion which 

 allows each individual foot to be dispUced when turning 

 corners, the resiliency of the connexions being sufl5cient to 

 restore the feet to their original positions immediately the 

 latter are relieved from pressure on the ground. 



The foot carriers are linked together around the main 

 frame of the Pedrail by means of steel trough-shaped slippers, 

 forming an endless series. These are constrained to move 

 around" the frame of the Pedrail, the foot carriers laying 

 down their respective feet successively, and lifting them 

 up again after the vehicle has moved over them. 



Around the edge of each Pedrail frame is fixed a bird 

 steel rail or roller- way. Between this steel rail surface and 

 the surface of the slippers is interposed a series of 'live' 

 rollers, formed into a continuous chain. In its motion 

 forward, the whole vehisle moves on these rollers. No 

 drivincr strain whatever comes on these chains ; they are 

 used simply and solely as an an ti friction medium They 



5 Camphor Oil from the F M.S. Hud Maiiritius^ BnUeliii 

 ofth' Imperial Institute, 191(i, |ip.5T7-85. -^ nf u 



C Camphor in the F.M.8. Agncv.lti>,ral Bidletri, F.M is., 



August 1909. ^ ^ . • 1,^ 1 r. 



7 Camphor in Dominica. Report on .\gncultural Depart- 



"'^" 8 Camphor in St. Vincent, Report on Agricultural 



Deuartment, 1918-19. , ci ».- . 



^9 Insects injurious to Camphor. E.cptru,ient i>tatxoa 



Record, Vol. XXXI p. 849: alsoRfport on Florida Experiment 



^'^*i°0'DiseLs of Camphor. Aar-cuHund Bulletin, F.M.S,, 

 April 1911. 



are provided with two sets of rollers, revolving io planes at 

 right angles to one another, so that pressure due t > the 

 vehicle running on a side slope is taken on ' live ' rollers as 

 well as that due to the vertical weight of the vehicle, friction, 

 thereby being reduced to an exceedingly small figure. 



The shape of the Pedrail frame is important, iDasmucli 

 as on this depends the velocity at which the feet approach 

 the ground. 



At each end of the Pedrail frajae, specially shaped sprr.cke* 

 wheels are provided, which gear with the chain of foot carriera, 

 and in self propelled Pedrail vehicles one of these sprocket; 

 wheel shafts i.s driven, whilst on the other sprocket wheel 

 shaft brakes are mounted. 



The body of the vehicle, which contains the loa i ia 

 mounted on the Pedrail frame by means of suitable bearers. 

 Springs may be interposed between the body and the bear- 

 ers, but for some purposes the spring connexions attaching 

 the feet to the foot carriers are found to provide sufficient 

 springing for the load. 



It is very probable that the Pedrail would prove 

 useful in parts of the West Indies, particularly ia 

 British Guiana, The makers are Pedrail Transport 

 Limited, Wyfold Road, Fulham, England. 



A NEW BEAN DISH. 



The following interesting note has been supplied 

 by Mr. A. E. Collens, F.I.C., Acting Government 

 Chemist and Superintendent of Agriculture for the 

 Leeward Islands : — 



It may be desirable to point out that recent trials t 

 have made, indicate the mature (but not necessarily dry)beaa 

 of the Vilmorin's Stringless Bonavist, to be a delicate and 

 highly appreciated side dish. These beans should be boiled 

 for about five minutes «ith about a teaspoonful of bicarbon- 

 ate of soda (in an earthenware or enamelled vessel, as an- 

 iron receptacle or traces of iron discolour them to a darfc 

 pink or blackish hue). The water is then strained off and 

 the beans slightly washed — ti cool them; they can then be 

 readily and easily pulped, leaving the skin behind. The 

 pulped portion (cotyledons) is then boiled with suffioienB 

 salt and black pepper till soft, and then served up lightly 

 buttered. They have a slightly suggestive taste of split peas 

 pudding, but much more nutty and delicate. 



The green pod is coming into use locally as a side 

 legume, and its cultivation for this purpose is being extended 

 as its merits become more known. 



A copy has been received of the Imperial Educatioa 

 Conference held on June 11 and 12, 1919, at Australia 

 House, Strand, London. Two of the many interesting 

 subjecis discussed were the interchau^eability of credit for 

 work done by students transferring from one University to 

 another within the Empire ; and i'terchiogeability of 

 matriculation standard.^ within the Kmpire Attention wig 

 also given to the question of co ordination of resear. Ii and 

 distribution of information as to the technical and commer- 

 cial needs of the Empire. (This latter subject w.n nbly 

 dealt with by Sir Frank Heath, K.C.B.. Secretary, Ooveri*. 

 ment Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.) 



