and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— July, 1911. 



85 



A storm weir has been installed at each dam 

 to care for high floods. To prevent the loss of 

 water through underground seepage concrete 

 dykes have been put in, which catch all the sub- 

 flow. These dykes open into a settling basin 

 for the purpose of setting the water and cat- 

 ching the debris carried on the stream at flood 

 time. This will give an accurate idea of the 

 silt carried by each stream in flood time. The 

 deposit of silt in the settling basin is measured 

 from day to day, thus giving a correct idea of 

 the amount of foreign material carried by such 

 streams under all conditions. 



The rainfall is measured at the foot of each 

 watershed, and at a common point near the 

 beads of the two sheds, making three automatic 

 measurements. Besides the automatic regis- 

 tering rain gauges there are two ordinary 8 in. 

 gauges on each watershed. For measuring the 

 snow, 16 snow scales have been installed. The 

 depth at each is measured after each snowfall 

 aud tho water equivalent to the snow on the 

 ground is obtained by taking representative 

 samples. Soil temperatures which are highly 

 important are taken to depth of six inches and 

 are obtained by electric resistance thermometers 

 which are read each day. — Literary Digest. 



INDIAN AGRICULTURE. 



It is estimated that nearly 86 per cent, ot the 

 inhabitants of ludia gain their living in agricul- 

 tural pursuits. Yet it is a fact that agriculture 

 in itself is not deemed an honourable calling. 

 Students have traced this strange belief to the 

 Buddhistic times when it was conceived to be 

 the gravest sin to take the life of the minutest 

 of living things, and naturally those who dug 

 and turned the soil, crushing worms and ants 

 and the like, were lookei upon as sinners. But 

 the contempt for the tiller of the soil goes oven 

 further back, for when Manu created the four 

 great class divisions amongst the Hindus, he 

 placed Sudras, the agriculturists, as amongst the 

 lowest. At the present time the agriculturist 

 is not necessarily a Sudra. Brahmins and Raj- 

 puts will put their hands to the plough, and we 

 believe, it is only certain classes amongst the 

 Jains who carry their religion so far that they 

 will not dig the soil for fear of crushing some 

 minute insect. At the same time the distaste 

 for agriculture still remains, and if such great 

 multitudes are engaged in it, it is because they 

 have nothing else to which they can turn their 

 hands and because of their general apathy and 

 belief in Fate. There is no sign that the 

 business of agriculture is likely to betaken out 

 of the hands of the very ignorant people who 

 are engaged in it. And as it is only the very 

 ignorant who in the whole history of India have 

 over tilled soil, it is not surprising that this 

 fertile country should in the broad result be 

 yielding in food stuff* both as regards quantity 

 and quality, much less than other parts of the 

 world not so blessed by Nature but occupied by 

 a progressive and intelligent race of far- 

 mers. It may be said, of course, that nothing 

 is to be expected from the rayat. He is in debt 

 and so many zemindars' agents have so many 

 ways of robbing him of anything beyond what is 

 sufficient to keep him alive, that it is not to his 



interest to grow better and larger crops than he 

 is obliged to. That is, of course, true, but 

 the point is that if zemindars, who, particularly 

 in Bengal, are well educated men with interests 

 not entirely selfish, could be induced to take 

 in agriculture the same interest that rich 

 landed proprietors do in other parts of the world 

 a great impetus would be given to the scientific 

 utilisation of the soil. A few zemindars in 

 Bengal maintain what are styled home farms, 

 and it is with these that a beginning might be 

 made. It is not eveu necessary to spend money 

 on experiments. The Government has done 

 that and continues to do it, but the results of 

 the official experiments are not taken advantage 

 of, and, apart from the help given to European 

 planters, the money spent on the official experi- 

 mental farms has not produced an adequate re- 

 turn. — Times of India, July 7. 



TEA AND C OFFEE IN CHILE. 



The quantities of tea, coffee, and yerba mate 

 consumed in Chile are shown in the following 

 table, writes Consul Alfred A. Winslow, Val- 

 paraiso : 



loar Tea Coffee Yerba mate 



1906 ... -2,845,546 6,969/259 8,944,108 



1907 ... 2,329,239 5,938,592 8,925,444 



1908 ... 2,289,382 5,773,493 5,377,955 



1909 ... 2,752,279 8,541,863 7,788,242 



1910 ... 3,343,789 9 25 ',736 9,287,806 

 Either tea or yerba mate is served in Chile at 



4 p.m., not only in the homes, but at clubs, res- 

 taurants and hotels and many business houses. 

 A cup of tea and a roll or small cake in the club or 

 hotel cost from 8 to 12 cents United States gold, 

 while the business houses serve it tree rather than 

 have the clerks leave their work to go out for it. 



Ecuador supplies about 50 per cent, of the 

 coffee, Brazil 21 per cent., Guatemala 6 percent, 

 and the balance scatt9i'iug. Brazil supplies 45 

 per cent, of the yerba mate, and Uruguay about 

 37 per cent. England supplies 89 per cent, of 

 the tea and Germany 8 per cent. The duty on 

 coffee is §166 United States gold per 100 pounds; 

 on yerba mate, 83 cents per 100 pounds; and on 

 tea, §16 59.— American Grocer. 



CEARA RUBB ER INV ESTIGATION. 



The latest Bulletin of the Imperial Institute 

 gives a variety of interesting information 

 as to the recent investigation made by the 

 scientific and technical department of the In- 

 stitute. A considerable number of samples of 

 Ceara rubber have been forwarded to the Insti- 

 tute from British Colonies and Protectorates. 

 Referring to Ceara rubber from Ceylon, it is 

 stated the specimen weighed 10 oz., and con- 

 sisted of three square sheets of light-brown 

 opaque rubber, clean and well prepared, but a 

 little mouldy on the surface. The physical pro- 

 perties of the rubber were very satisfactory. A 

 chemical examination gave the following results: 

 — Moisture, 0'9 per cent ; caoutchouc, 913 per 

 cent ; resin, 3 - l percent ; proteid, 3*4 percent; 

 ash, 1"3 per cent. The specimen was valued at 

 probably about 8s. per lb. in London, with hard 

 Para at 10s. per lb., and good to tine plantation 

 Para biscuits at 8s. 10id. to 9s. per lb. This 

 rubber is of good quality and satisfactory in 

 composition, except that the amount oi ash is 

 unusually high. 



