6sB 



tUE THOPtdAL AGHICULTUmSf. [March I, 1^87. 



To the Editor of the " Ceylon Observer'" 

 ELECTRICITY FOR TEA MACHINERY. 



SiK, — With reference to Mr. Grigg's letter of 

 Oetober 25tb upou the above subject, I should like 

 to give with your permission, some practical iuform- 

 alioU concerning the transmission of power by means 

 of electricity. It is a moFt interesting question and 

 when thoroughly understood, will, I have no doubt, 

 be of the greatest importance to employers of 

 machine-power within reasonable distance of 

 water-power. 



Until recently, one of the chief stumbling blocks 

 to the employment of electricity was the dilficulty 

 of obtaining a cheap and efficient electric motor for 

 converting the electric current into mechanical 

 power; this has now been entirely overcome and 

 motors can easily be obtained having an efficiency 

 of at least 80 per cent and higher according to 

 their power. The dynamo for generating the elect- 

 ricity has also been considerably improved especially 

 as regards regulation, and, therefore, this part of 

 the question may be dismissed as having been 

 practically solved. 



The remaining question now is that occasioned 

 by the wires conveying the electric current, this 

 unfortunately is the prohibitive factor whei-e power 

 has to be conveyed over great distances. Of course 

 where waterpower is used, this loss does not matter 

 so much if there is an abundance, as the working 

 cost is in no way increased, though the first cost 

 is owing to a larger generating machine being 

 i-equired. It is impossible to give a fixed rule for 

 determining the loss of power per mile in the 

 conductors, because this is dependent upou their 

 size and, therefore, cost. It is a question for tbe 

 employer of the power to decide according to the 

 circumstances of the case, weather he increases the 

 first cost of the conductors and therefore decreases 

 the loss of power or the converse. 



Now as regards the first cost, I will give some 

 figures showing the approximate cost of an elect- 

 rical plant (in London packed) for transmitting 

 10 horsepower 1, 2, 3 and i miles. The plant 

 includes the generating dynamo, motor and neces- 

 sary length of copper conducting wire : — 



a 



to 



s 

 o 

 a 



<o xit 



•-rg 



Id 

 U2 

 O 



Per cent., 

 i ,, 15 



2 ,. 30 



3 .. 30 

 i .. 10 



hi ^ 



Ph OjD 



2'^ 



<'| 



H, P. 

 IG 



18 

 18 

 20 



u 



3 



a 

 o 



xn 

 O 



a; 



32 

 64 



158 

 300 



Added to this must be added the loss in the motor 

 say 15 per cent and also that of the generating 

 dynamo say 10 p'-r cent. 



The figures given in the column of " loss in con- 

 ductors" may be very considerably reduced by 

 using currents of much greater tension, but as 

 these become dangerous 1 have not thought it 

 worth while to go into that part of the question, 

 seeing that what is required is a practical 

 solution of the problem for employers of mo- 

 tive power oot having any special knowledge of 

 electricity. 



Among the important advantages that electricity 

 offers as a motive power is that the current can 

 be used for lighting any buildings ,oft the estate 

 when not used for the machinery. As an example 

 the above would work 10 arc lamps of 2,000 can- 

 dle-power each or UO incandescent lamps of 20 

 caudle -power each, and finally store the electricity 

 in accumulators when not required either for 

 lighting or power. 



The maintenance of the plant when once erected 

 would be very small indeed. I do not think that 

 the damp climate would affect the dynamos as 

 suggested by Mr. Griggs as the wires are made of 

 copper and covered with insulating material. 



Apologizing for the length of the letter,— Yours dc, 

 F. GEEKE HOWARD, Electrical Engineer. 



36 Cleveland Street, London W. 



ABRUS PRECATORIOUS. ' 



Minuwangoda, 21st Feb. 1887. 



yiE, — While perusing the current number of the 

 r. J, today, I came across that the seeds of the 

 Ahrus rrecatoyions are an official drug recently 

 introduced to Ceylon and America. 



The Abrus Precatoriuiis called olinda in Sinha- 

 lese is a creeper which I have seen growing abun- 

 dantly in the low-country. The leaves have a 

 peculiar sweet taste and the seeds are scarlet with 

 black spots. The seed of this may be collected if 

 there is any market value. Kindly, Mr. Editor, see 

 whether there is any market value for it, if so, it 

 will become a good minor industry for the poor 

 interior goyas — and perhaps it may be cultivated to 

 a large extent with profit. — Yours faithfully, 



W. A. D. S. 



The Jiiiericait Grocer says, that a French savant 

 claims to have discovered in cotton-tree seed a nutritious 

 matter, presenting some most remarkable features in 

 its composition. An analysis of the seed of Cotton 

 trees, of which several varieties are cultivated in Bolivia, 

 shows that this is the richest of all known grains 

 in nitrogenous substances. He is convinced that Cotton- 

 tree seed will make a flour destined to fake an im- 

 portant place as a food for man. 



A\ American paper has apparently become very 

 philosophical, and puts forward the following remark- 

 able observation; — "A life devoted to the extermin- 

 ation of cockroaches is nobler spent than a life de- 

 voted to the gathering of Orchids." This will perhaps 

 prove an alarming discovery to some similarly thought- 

 ful readers, but we do not anticipate that many will 

 be induced thereby to undertake the "nobler'' em> 

 plojment. — Jeurnal of Horticulture 



Novel Method of Podltby Raistxg. — A French 

 correspondent of the Fhenix A<]nculturist gives the 

 following novel methods with poultry in one of the 

 departments of France. He says : — The farmers in 

 the department of the Tarn laise large quantities of 

 fow's which they sell at considerable profit in the 

 neighboring towns, Their hens are carefully chosen 

 with .special reference to their laying qualities, for 

 lot' g before artificial hatching was generally practiced, 

 these managing people had found a way to hatch 

 chickens without bens. One turkey hen can cover 

 thirty eggs and can be made to hatch three sets 

 of eggs the fame season, But if she can hatch 

 three sets of eggs she c.innot raise three sets of 

 chickens at the sar^^e time. To obviate this difhculty 

 a fat capon is shut in a basket with four or five 

 little chickens, the baskets covered with a cloth and 

 placed in a dark spot from twenty-four to forty-eight 

 hours, iiccordiug to the tractability of the capon. 

 Whtn turned out with his chickers and othtrs added, 

 for he can take care of twenty-five, he is a better 

 nurse and provider than the hen herself. He is larger 

 and covers them better, is stronger and better able 

 to defend them against birds of prey and other enemies, 

 — Soidkern ^lo.nter. 



