THURSDAY, JUNE 25. AFTERNOON SESSION, 



5 P - M - 



Chairman: SIR H. HESKETH BELL, K.C.M.G., Governor of 

 the Leeward Islands. 



THE CHAIRMAN : Gentlemen It is due to an unfortunate 

 circumstance that I have the honour of presiding over this 

 meeting. Sir Louis Dane was to have done so, but he has, 

 unfortunately, been taken ill. I am sure everyone here will 

 join with me in wishing him a speedy and complete recovery. 

 We are going to have the pleasure now of hearing a paper 

 by Mr. Frank Shuman on " The Utilization of Sun Power 

 for Irrigation and other Purposes in Tropical Agriculture." 

 Mr. Shuman has had a very long experience in regard to this 

 fascinating subject, and I am sure he will explain it to us in 

 a most interesting manner. 



THE UTILIZATION OF SUN POWER FOR IRRIGATION AND 

 OTHER PURPOSES IN TROPICAL AGRICULTURE. 



By FRANK SHUMAN. 



Although unlimited power is daily thrown to the earth by 

 the sun, it is only lately that a practical means of utilizing this 

 power has been discovered. It is not generally known that 

 the unconcentrated rays of the tropical sun will boil water, 

 but such is the case, and in order to obtain power of any 

 required amount, it is only necessary to collect sufficient sun- 

 light and throw it upon a boiler. 



By concentrating -the sun's rays it is possible to obtain 

 sufficiently high temperatures to melt the hardest me'tals, steel 

 having been thus melted 1 , and also a sixpenny-piece in seven, 

 and a half seconds. But such high temperatures are not 

 necessary for power purposes, and in the sun-power plant 

 described only five concentrations are used. The solution of 

 the problem of producing mechanical power from the sun's 



