Oct. 1, 1B86.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



287 



that sui;h a. plant likes open damp compoimds of a 

 light uature to grow iu. ftiu-h facts aud obst-ivatious 

 we can coutinually turn to account. In coucImmoii, 

 however, I would say that we must not he too 

 ready to throw over all '' rules of thumb " because 

 they are old aud we are new, and cannot see rea- 

 sons for them at first. We have many time;^ in the 

 investigations required lor this tstay been unable to 

 find any reason, much less ihe right one, for viirious 

 fp«ults we have met with; how important is it. then. 

 thai in our own practice that we should be re.son- 

 able enough to accept all rules of thumb when we 

 see them produchig good results, onlj breaking such 

 rules when we can better the result. Our reasoning as 

 to cause and effect should not be with the object 

 of breaking down these old traditions of experience, 

 but in the honour of our noble profession to show 

 the common and resonable sense which underlies 

 them. — V. Sp.wErjj. — iiurdi-ners' ( Utroitirlc 



TALC IN CEYT-ON. 



Talc is found in abundance in Ceylon and is very 

 widely distributed. It is a component part of most 

 of the primitive rocks and is found in all the crystal- 

 ine limestone or dalamite of the country. Very 

 beautiful and perfect specimens are found in the pure 

 white limestone of the higherj ranges of the mount- 

 ains. 'J'his limestone is perfectly snow white and so 

 compact it hardly shows a crystal in fracture. In this 

 are found perfect cubes of talc, black in colour, sharp 

 on the edges without sign of decay, in part bedded 

 in its natural matrix; the cubes are small. I have 

 never seen them larger than an inch and a half 

 square. They separate perfectly clean and sharp on 

 the edge from the lime rock and can be split into 

 infinitesimally fine flakes. 



Talc in larger quantities is found all over the count- 

 ry, general lyg in proximity to Plumbago, and like 

 that mineral, to which it is nearly allied, is found 

 ni pockets, and is soon worked out. Ceylon talc is 

 usiuilh black in the block, but when split into flakes 

 gives a neutral tint or a rich brown yellow. This 

 talc is commercially inferior, but might be used by 

 photogr iphers as producing a subdued yellow light, 

 and not easily broken in a travelling outfit. All 

 Oeylou talc which I have seen is more or less broken 

 and twisted in the strata in which it had originally 

 leen imbedded an thrown up. Talc near the surface 

 is usually fo decayed as to ho worthle.ss, and the 

 deeper the deposit the better and more perfect it 

 is. The best specimens I have seen are from near 

 Haldamulle. They were pure, almost free from faults 

 and nearly white, appproaching closely to what in 

 commt-rce is called rviby tale, which is silver white 

 with a faint pink tinge, aud when .split fine very 

 transparent, giving to fire light or lamp light a 

 bright warm luddy glow in passing through it. 



Talc is largely used in India and China for decor- 

 ative purposes in Temples, for fans, screens, paintings, 

 spangles on embroidery, and for lanterns &c., &c.. 

 In England and America, especially the latter country, 

 i^ is principally and very largely usetl for light in 

 an hracite stoves, lamp shades, and similar purposes. 

 Like plumbago it is alsost indestructible by heat. 

 Although the " waste " produced in dressing is now 

 be^ug used as a lubricator ground to an impalpable 

 powder, talc is only valuable wden got in good 

 sized sheets free from faults and of good colour but 

 there is an unlimited market for good qualities, 

 and if attention were once directed to tale mining 

 a very valuable native industry may spring up. I 

 nee no reason why finely ground talc should not be 

 largely used in the manufacture of crucibles, either 

 as an admixture with plumbago or free. Tt is far 

 more pure and free from ((unrtz and grit than our 

 best plumbago. — J ajies IitviXE. [Wo have some samples 

 from HaldummuUe from 3 to 4 in. square. We can 

 find ft ready market for sizes from 4 to 9 in. square, 

 packed in I lb. packets containing pieces of only 

 one size. — Ed.1 — " Ceylon Advertiser." 



CoiFKK — It is always a pleasure to chronicle really 

 successful coft'ee plantnig. The Daily Post writes thus 

 of a veteran planter of Kadur in the M^s.ire Territory. 

 "The twelfth of this month will have completed a 

 quarter of a century since Mr. Henry Courpalais set 

 foot oD the Sumpagay Estate, in the Terekere taluk. 

 During this long t -rm of a planter's life he has had. 

 what seemed t.i be, alaiost insurmountable difScultie* 

 to contend wiih; but he fared them like a ninn .ind 

 hi.s per-evernucp has been crowned with snccer.s. Ferv., 

 if any, can boast of having been as prosperous as he 

 has been; and now. at the end of a quarter of a cen- 

 tury, he can point to estates in as flourishing a con- 

 dition as it is possible to e^et them. He goes in largely 

 for shade and abundant manure, but, better than al 

 this, he superintends every thing himself. Herein lies 

 the secret of his success." We congratulate Mr. Cour- 

 palais on his enterprise and success.- Nilgri E.rpresn. 

 Coconuts and Rke. — To return from controversy to 

 my subject, the rainfall has been such as to delight 

 the .soul of every Coconut Planter, and where plant- 

 ations are in proper cultivation and in good heart, 

 the prospects for " ne.xt year " are cheering, always 

 provided that drought does not destroy what the rain 

 has helped to put on. Our i'ala crops are fast ripen- 

 ing and becoroiut; fit to be harvested. I do not think 

 they will be large, as heavy rain at the time of sowing 

 helped to wash away the thin coat of mud overlying 

 fields, which helps to give the young blades a start. 

 Fields generally are free from insect pests, though 

 my field happening to seed early had all the flies con- 

 centrated on them. Through the courte.sy of Me.s.srs. 

 Brown & Co., of Colombo, I received a small quantity 

 of carbolic powder to be used as a remedy against 

 the fly plague. Unfortunately it reached me too late 

 to be of use, and the villagers prefer charming their 

 fields and watching for results, to being daily engaged 

 in dusting their fi'^lds with the powder. The one re- 

 quires the expenditure of a few cents, and the other of a 

 littleof their latent energy, i need not s.ay they choose 

 the former as least troublesome expedient. I shall give 

 the powder a fair trial next season. Local '' Examiner." 

 Thk Tka tJuESTiON.— Arthur Young, the famous and 

 most able writer on farming of the last centin-y, hald 

 very strong views about the tea (juostion. Oddry 

 enough they bear a curious resemblance to the waou- 

 ings now being issued by various doctors and food 

 reformers both in America and England. The fol- 

 lowing words were written more than 100 years ago 

 by Arthur Y'ouug in the eighth of his " Farmer's 

 Letter."! to the People of England " : — " I therefore, am 

 tempted to think that the present laws relative to 

 the support of the poor are univerral encouragers of 

 idleness, drunkenness, ami tea-drinking, and that as 

 such they are highly pernicious to the welfare of 

 the Kingdom, and here I cannot but observe that 

 as low a figure as tea-driukiu"g may make in this trio, 

 it is, nevertheless, of wonderful extent and con.se- 

 quence. As much superfluous money is expende.l on 

 tea and Sugar as would maintain 4,000,0fi0 more sub- 

 ject.s in bread. If it is considered what a fatal enemy 

 excessive tea-drinking is to the human body, how 

 much it impairs the vigour of the constitution and 

 debilitates the minil, the pernicious influence of it 

 will be apparent. It has been asserted that excessive 

 tea-drinkmg is of more fatal consequence to the in- 

 crea.se of the human speeiesthan even the immoderate 

 u.se of spirituous liquors, nor should it be forgotten 

 that the trade we carry on for tea is totally against 

 us in the btlanci^ It is a brancli of commerce by 

 which we perpetually lose ; thus burying our money in 

 an unfathomaljle gulf for a pernicious commodity that 

 tend.s to our very ruin. Our legislature taxes every 

 necessary of life : surely this vile superfluity calls aloud 

 in its ahuse for greater restrictions. But what are 

 we to think of a conduct, diametrically opposite, of 

 lowering the duty \ipon this pernicious drug, that 

 the people ma}' be able so much the easier to con- 

 sume their health, their time, and their money I To 

 enable them universally to drink it twice instead of 

 once a day. What wretched politics ! Such an idea 

 is congenial alone with the last ruin of the state !. — 

 Agrienltvre. 



