THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[JuLy i, i8->4. 



Poonjee the first condensation takes place, and the fall 

 is so great that in a few weeks the plains of the Sylhet 

 district, lying at the foot of the hills, are converted into a 

 sea ; whilst a few miles inland, and at little greater elevation, 

 the fall is reduced to less than one-half. I spent my first 

 year in India at this station, and the 610 inches I regis- 

 tered on that occasion gave me an interest in rainfall that 

 I have never lost. 



At Mahableshwar, in the Western Ghauts the conditions 

 are Bomewhat similar, but there the fall is less, amount- 

 ing only to about 300 inches. In these instauces, we 

 have all the conditions favourable to the production of 

 rain in the highest degree,, but these excessive rainfalls in 

 certain elevated regions are quite local, and no more re- 

 present the average rainfall of all India than does the 

 dryness of the desert tracts in the north-west; or the 

 heavy fall on the hills on the west coast of Britain, in 

 Cumberland or Scotland, the average rainfall of Great 

 Britain. There is, however, an analogy between India 

 and Britain in this respect, much as they differ other- 

 wise in the nature of the distribution of rain, that the 

 heavy falls at Cherra Poonjee and Mahableshwar are 

 paralleled by the heavy falls on the slope of Ben Lo- 

 mond, Glengyle, or the Cumberland hills ; while the heavy 

 rainfall on our western coast — the result of the: warm 

 moist air coming from the Atlantic and Gulf Stream — 

 resembles the south-west monsoon, which deposits its 

 heavy rain on the A\ r estern Ghauts and on the coast of 

 Aracan— proximity to the Equator and high temperature 

 in the latter cases making the effect so much moro 

 striking. 



The average annual rainfall in Equatorial regions is, I 

 believe, about ninety-five inches ; in the temperate 

 regions thirty-five inches, that for the whole of Tropical 

 India is considerably less ; while for Hindostan it would 

 be reduced to a lower figure if we include in the average 

 the almost rainless Thur desert ; but, if the rainfalls of 

 the Himalayan be included, the average would, no doubt, 

 be considerably raised. The problems presented by the 

 rainfall are of a comparatively simple character in South- 

 ern India and Bengal, where the influence of the monsoon 

 is prominently felt ; but in the northern regions of Hin- 

 dostan, where the influence of mountains, river basins, 

 and the desert come into operation, there must of necessity 

 be perturbation of the direction of the air currents and 

 of the amount of rain. Further observations will, no 

 doubt, in time throw much light on these points. 

 Then follows a table of rainfall provinces, varying in 

 averages from 170 - 73 inches in Tenasserim down to 

 9'24 in Sind and Gutch. There is a very interesting 

 section on irrigation, which we must pass over for 

 the present, but we must quote what Sir Joseph 

 Fayrer says of the influence of rainfall on those dis- 

 eases which he spent his life in India in treating : — 



Another point of view from which meteorology is most 

 important in its bearings on the material prosperity of 

 India is the effect which it exercises over the sanitary 

 condition of the people. There can be little doubt t^at 

 public health is greatly affected by the rainfall, and that 

 fluctuations or extraordinary departures from the normal 

 state are attended by fluctuations in the standard of 

 public health. The diffusion and activity of epidemics are 

 probably influenced by it. It would be saying too much, 

 perhaps, to assert that the fluctuations in the death-rate 

 are altogether due to variations in the raiufall, but that 

 they are to a great extent influenced by it seems to be 

 proved by what obtains all over India. 



The following * appears to have been ascertained in 

 relation of climate to epidemics : — 



1. If epidemic cholera be about, its intensity will be 

 increased by continued dryness, evaporation, and high 

 temperature. If cholera exists under this form, heavy 

 rain will greatly diminish it, or wash it away. 



2. Dryness, heat, and rapid evaporation reduces the 

 intensity of fevers. Baiu following, greatly increases their 

 intensity. But the effect is not what can be called im- 

 mediate. The rain must accumulate and the ground be 

 soaked ; as soon as drying up begins fever augments until 

 the evaporation reaches a certain iutensity, when it de- 

 clines. It is not so much the great amount of rain as 

 the soaking and saturation that does the mischief. In 

 some places fever declines very much when the country 



is completely flooded, but increases in intensity when the 

 rain ceases, and drying up begins. 



3. Smallpox in India does not appear to be related 

 to rainfall. It augments with increase of heat, and so 

 continues till colder weather arrives, irrespective of the 



I amount of rain. 



4. Bain with cold and high temperature range appears 

 to augment the liability to bowel diseases, but not to a 

 very great degree. 



Dr. Fayrer takes the popular idea of the influence 

 of forests on rainfall. 



An interesting discussion followed the reading of 

 the paper in which Dr. Cheevers said that when he 

 went to India the " raius " could be depe ided on to 

 commence on 20th June at Calcutta, but that since 

 trees had been so largely cut down there were great 

 fluctuations. This is attributing great results to small 

 causes. The truth is, people did not record observ- 

 ations carefully in the old times, one meteorological 

 phenomenon recorded by a native doctor being an 

 "east-west wiud. " Another filled the rain gauge from 

 a jug of water when his superior was expected. Col. 

 Grant, the African traveller, said : — 



I may allude to the equatorial region of Africa, in 

 which I was with Captain Speke, where we had only, 

 49 inches of rain. The altitude of the country is 4,000 

 to 6,000 feet and as one goes northward to 5o north 

 latitude add 2,000 feet altitude, the country is more of 

 a desert, and resembles parts of Ceylon in there being 

 a small rainfall. In the region of 3 o south latitude, 

 where the rains reach both the Congo and Nile, the fall 

 of rain may be 60 inches, 



The subject is so interesting, especially at present, 

 when we are waiting for the aivent of the biggest 

 of all big meteorological phenomena, the south-west 

 monsoon burst, that we need make no apology for the 

 length of our extracts. The difficulty with us, in- 

 deed, was to refrain from marking more for extract 

 than we have done from Sir Joseph Fayrer's most 

 interesting paper. 



STEATHELLIE TEA ESTATE AND ITS 



MACHINERY 



are thus described by a correspondent in the local 

 "Times": we persume the circular saw |is employed 

 mainly to cut timber into staves for tea- boxes: — 



But for the oppressive heat, it is pleasant and instruct- 

 ive to go over a well-ordered tea-factory, such as the one 

 I was that day shown. Few estates that I have as yet 

 been over have so well appointed and excellent machi- 

 nery and accommodation as Strathellie. Two of Jacksou's 

 rollers, one of his largest to hold 400 lb leaf, a smaller one, 

 holding about 80 lb, a full-sized Ansell's sifter, and two 

 large Siroccos seemed sufficient for all requirements of 

 the estate, at least at present. Owing to the lack of 

 water the large wheel was set apart to drive the largest 

 roller only, the motive power for the remaining machi- 

 nery being a small 4-horse power steam engine, which 

 drove the sifter, the smaller roller, and a circular saw. 

 The noise and the heat when all this machinery, sup- 

 plemental by the shriek of the circular saw is in full 

 swing, is quite iudesirable. 



I was unfortunate in not seeing Ansell's sifter at work, 

 for, I believe, this is the only one in the island; and 

 some time ago the Superintendent, Mr. Scovell, gave 

 Messrs. Davies & Co. the Agents for it a very good report 

 of the work it had done. The great fault of Jaokson's 

 machines appears to be the excessive friction and grading 

 the tea undergoes in its many journeys up and down the 

 whole length of the machine. This is obviated in Ausell's as 

 much as possible, and a fan at one end drives the tannings 

 out of the tea into a sack at the other end. I wonder that 

 more than this one have not found their way up-country, 

 but no doubt it is early yet. It seems to me that those 

 with tea machinery for sale have no field in India like that 

 Ceylon now offers for the sale of then various patents. As 

 regards rollers, I do not thiuk I am far out when I say that 

 the majority of planters prefer Jackson's to any other, 



