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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May I, 1884. 



assumiag, by degrees, a dark-brown tint, in from 15 

 minutes to half-au-hour, according to tlie strength of light. 

 The exposuie should extend so long as to make all the 

 nerves of tlie leaves shine, and the whole impression is 

 ilarkor than it is required to be, when finished, as it loses 

 depth in the subsequent operations. When well-printed, 

 withdraw the paper, in a dimly-lighted room, when 

 a most beautiful impression will be found on it, 

 with all the branching veins and shades of the leaf, brilliantly 

 defined in white on a dark ground. 



The picture is washed in a large dish of clean water' 

 and transferred to another dish, filled with the "hypo" 

 solution, from which it is removed after a few minutes, 

 and left to soak in three or four changes of water, for 

 several hours. After drying, the picture is completed and 

 can be examined in strong daylight. A brown or black 

 colour can be given to the impression, by floating the 

 paper in the " gold " solution, till the desired effect is 

 attained. This is best done before immersion io the 

 " hj'po " solution. 



For reproducing drawings, engravings, photographs, &c., 

 a strong printing frame is required. This instrument en- 

 siures absolute coiitact, and allows the progress of printing 

 to be e.-^arained from time to time, till the right point is 

 attaine.il. Engravings in the Crnqikio, Illustrated London 

 !Vew.^ and other papers, should be damped at the backs 

 and the printed letters removed by lightly rubbing with 

 an ink eraser. Engravings without printing on the back, 

 like J'unch's cartoons, can be copied as they are. The 

 printed side must be placed in contact with the prepared 

 surface, and exposed to the light till the lines of the 

 copy are a little dulled. The subsequent operations arc 

 similar to those in copying leaves. 



The copies are all reversed with white lines on dark 

 grounds. Exact copies of the origiual engravings, drawings 

 or leaves can be obtained by makuig prints from the 

 reversed copies. 



The only daawback in the above processes is the time 

 occupied. By keeping several frames in operation, and 

 washing and fixing a number of pictures at one time, 

 quick copying can be done. By a variation in the pro- 

 cess, from 40 to 60 copies can be printed in an hour, 

 in bright sunshine, but the manipulations are not easy 

 for a beginner. 



Drawings or writings to be copied should be done in 

 deep opaque or orange-coloured uik; Indian ink would 

 idso answer, if very thick. 



AN EX-CEYLON PLANTER IN MANITOBA. 

 (From a private, letter to a friend in Ceylon.) 

 Box 1 17, Brandon Post Office, Manitoba, 



Canada, 15th Jan. 1884. 



I came on to this country from Australia as you 

 may possibly Imve heard. I found my brother here; 

 lie has been farming iu partuership with a friend, and 

 as things go has done well. 



I have taken up two blocks of Syndicate land, one 

 of 320 acres and the other 160 acres. They are well 

 situated and in time will prove valuable, as one of 

 them is only about IJ mile from a station and the 

 other about the same distance from a siding and they 

 are only about 12 and 6 miles west of Brandon. Of 

 course, the v.alue of land in this country will entirely 

 depend on how the crops turn out and also on the 

 market for its wheat. At present, there is great dis- 

 satisfaction in Manitoba and the North-West : this is 

 chiefly due to the poor returns which the farming has 

 given during the past season which was partly caused 

 by early frosts which damaged the growing crops in 

 many parts of the country, but this was not excep- 

 tional to Manitoba as it also did harm in Ontario 

 and in many of the wheat-growing lands iu the States. 

 I am told that these frosts are quite unusual and may 

 not occur again, eo we must hope for the bi-st. 

 Another cause of the dissatisfaction is the high rates 

 of freight which arc being charged by the C. P. Rail- 



way which has the effect of keeping down the price of 

 even good wheat, and, owing to the conditions of 

 the railway charter by which the Company has a 

 monopoly, no other railway can be built south of 

 the prerent line by any other Company. We are 

 therefoie in the hands of the present Company, unless 

 we can get the Governrafent to break the contract. 

 Another cause of grumble is a duty of 35 per cent 

 which is churged on all foreign machinery : this is a 

 very htiivy tax on the farmers as they use a consider- 

 able amount of luachinery which is mannfacLured in 

 the Stales. The dissatisfaction eaus.d by ihe.se and 

 several uther grievances is at present luing shown by 

 mettings being held all over the country, and an as- 

 sociation has been formed which is called the " Mani- 

 toba and North-West farmers' Union." A great meet- 

 ing was held in Winnipeg lattdy, and it was decided 

 to send a deputation to the Government at Ottawa, 

 and if satisfaction is not got from the local Govern- 

 ment they will then be sent to England to the Privy 

 Council, and, failing there, I believe this country 

 (Manitoba) will go in strong for annexation to the 

 States,* which would be a state of things I would be 

 sorry to see, as I think few Governmente are equal 

 to the English, and perhaps uoue are. 



The life here is pretty rouLjh, but no doubt will 

 improve in this respect in lime; liie work is hard and 

 as much as miy man would care for. On the whole, 

 I consider I did fairly well last season, as I got nearly 

 100 acres broken on one place and 30 acres on the 

 other, so I ought to have a fair return next crop if 

 all goes well. This «ork was done with tno teams 

 of horses, and genei-ally with the help of only one 

 man about 110 acres of this land was backset (or 

 replouglicd), so that I'cally 210 .icrfS were gone over 

 in the season — when the laud is backset, it is ploughed 

 about 2 ft. deeper than the fii'st ploughing. What 

 crop 1 had last season did not give any return except 

 that it will help for horse food and seed. I did not 

 expect to sell any wheat, as I had only a small 

 acreaf;e and so was not disappointed as to that crop, 

 and, in fact, it did as well as I could expect, consider- 

 ing the season. 1 do not think fortunes .are going 

 to be made fiut of farming, but no doubt, with 

 good seasons and prices, a fair living may be obtained. 



My lard has been taken up from the Syndicate 

 on cultivation and pa}ment terms, and these terms 

 will have to be complitd with before 1 get my patent 

 for same. I had a letter some mouths ago from Mr. 



from Tasmania, but have not heard from him 



lately. 1 hope he and his are all well and that they 

 find the tanning life suit them. The climate here is 

 very pleasant in summer, but I must say 1 do not 

 like the loug aud very severe wiuteri ; when the 

 thermometer is low and a wind blowing the cold is 

 almost unbearable. Of course, the monotony of the 

 winter is broken at tunes by a spell of tine pleasant 

 weather. On the whole, I would not care to settle 

 down tor good in this land, and I will probably try 

 to sell or rent my farina aud will then make a move 

 either to a tropical or temperate region if 1 saw a 

 fair opening fur making a liviug there. 



COCONUT PLANTING. 



I have often wondered why, iu these times, when 

 there are so few really good openings for men with 

 small capital, coonnut planting has hitherto claimod 

 so little attention. Vet, for those possessing sums of 

 .tliOOO, or tven less, there is perhaps no more reliable 

 investment. 



Take Fiji, for example. There you may purchase 

 for little more than £100 a tract of land, of which ^ 



» Where there are heavier duties on imported machinery 

 than even iu Canada ! — Ed. 0. O. 



