THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [July i, 1889. 
prinoiple by the discoveries of science that we 
feel we may well anticipate the day when, as in 
times past, the force oi the, wine:., wh : h now passes 
by us untilized and almost unheeded, may aga a 
prove a feri.ile resource lo all those who have 
to employ extra-manual power. There is already 
well-known to us one method by which from time 
immemorial almos^, the power ot the wind has 
been stored so as to ins jie its regular reproduc- 
tion at will, namely the' impounding of water 
pumped up by win Ira s to a level above chat 
at waioh power is r quired to be ieve'oped. But 
as regards Deyion the use oi th 3 method must 
almost alrays be prohibited by nmr.y varied con- 
siderations which n ed scarcely be discussed. 
A second method of move modern adoption 
is the storage of air under compression ; 
but there are natur . difficulties arising 
from the intent did developed bv air during its 
expansion from I high 3tate ot tension whisn mast 
ever, it is to be feared, render this system of 
storage of power inapplicable to ordinary purposes, 
and a highly oharged air-vessel will generally, be- 
sides, be a source of danger. 
But the advance of soience, to which we have 
referred, is now bringing us close to a system of 
storage to which we may believe none of the f re 
going objections and disabilities will apply. We 
refer, of course, to electrioity. We are aware that 
there is still a difficulty to be conquered ,-wthat of 
wastage. Confidence is, however, felt that the day 
is not far distant when this difficulty will be entirely 
overcome, and then it is easy to foresee with what 
readiness the storage of eiecriaity will leni itself to . 
the complete utilization of wind power. A wind-miil 
is a maohine, which, in a certain degree " goes on for 
ever." It can be working, while we are sleeping, 
and at times when the use of the power it develops is 
not needed. If such a machine be applied to the 
driving of dynamos, the result to its working 
during the hours of rest, or when power is not 
needed to be drawn from it, could be stored to 
meet the exigencies of the periods when its motive 
force is operative. Once this is accomplished, we 
may expeot to see windnnlh taking the place of the 
chimneystacks whioh are beginning to be dotted about 
in many of our hill as well as low country districts ; 
and we may have thus a great natural power in re- 
serve against the day when fuel shall have become 
so scarce that steam can no longer be an econo- 
mical agent. 

"CEYLON ADVERTISER " NOTES. 
The marked success of the tea enterprise of Oeylon 
is making itself felt in a variety of ways in the great 
metropolis, and of this the Colonial Office authorities 
appear, by all accounts, to be made sensibly aware, 
according to reports that have reached us the Down- 
ing Street officials are literally inundated with ap- 
plications from persons seeking concessions in one 
form or the other in aid of industrial undertakings 
for the development of the island's resources. To 
the i r«c»,nt time,' however, we are informed that th* 
applicants, with but one exception, have failed to 
< v lieu tl'e Secretary of State for the Colonies of 
their aDilitj to carry out the'r proposals even when 
supported by the sought for concession. We suppose 
that the one favourable exception to this rule is the 
Ceylon Tobacoo Syndicate. 
Our readers may have heard of the action brought 
by a Glasgow buker and confeotioner against the 
Committee of the Cuylon Court at the Exhibition 
of laht year for breach of contract, asseHsing his 
losses thereby at £1,000. It appears he Lad been 
given the promise of the committee to supply eatables 
sudb bh oakes, bread, &c, in the Ceylon tea house, 
for which privilege he had paid a certain sum of 
money. At the close of the first month this con- 
cession was c ncelled as being in contravention of a 
coatr&cr made by u e General Committee with another 
firm Th" baker so. I the Oeylon committee, i I 
w»s awarded by the Jourt £150. Against this he 
appealed, and the higher Court has giveu him £500 — 
half the amount ciaimed, which will be met out of 
the gei 3! al fund of the Exhibition. 
Now that the cultiva ion of tobacco has attracted 
so muoh attention in connection with Ceylon, it may 
be as well that we remind our friends in th.it island 
that the enormjus dividends declared by some Sumatra 
•Jompauies have be in the result of their placing on the 
market a specially fine quality of leaf suitable for out- 
side wrappers of cigars. Thi3 fine leaf has b^en 
eagerly bought up for shipment to Florida and Vir- 
ginia and some to flavauna ; but it should be remem- 
bered that the demand for this high quality is not 
without a limit, and like fine broke i Pekoe, its supply 
may easily be overdone. Iu the island of Cuba to ere 
is out a limited production of very fine leaf of which 
true Havannahs are made. 
We constantly hear it said that it is all very well 
for the manager of the Hoolankande Estate to boast 
of the high prices paid for his tea, but that not only 
it cannot pay with such a small yield per acre, but 
that continuous fine plucking is certain to exhaust 
the trees We do not pretend to speak in regard to 
the latter point, but as regards yield per acre, al- 
though we have no data before us, we have been 
assured that the propri -tor informs his friends that 
Hoolankande yields within 20 per oeut. of any of the 
aliacent estates. 
TEA WITHERING MACHINES. 
A. planter writes:— "I have got one of Greig's XL ALL 
machines here which is worked with charcoal and I 
like the machine fairly well, and it finishes off a fiil of 
about 60 to 70 lb. half withered leaf in fifteen and 
twenty miautes; but I never use the machine when I 
can get a natural wither or even the he'p of the sua. 
But rather than keep my leaf three days iu the factory 
when it begins to decay and stink, I prefer to use 
Greig's XL ALL machine, and besides it economizes 
space in the factory and the tea I made by the ma- 
chine brought very nearly as much as the ordinary tea 
made in good weather. I have heard of" one or 
two complaints about the fireplaces cracking, but 
considering they are made of brick and clay, I think 
they do very well and cost very little to renew. 
I should not use the machine for drying tea, as I 
don't think it does the work well, but does fairly well 
for retiring teas before packing. I think tea withered 
in this machine ferments quicker than when made by 
a natural wither." 
+ 
COTTON CULTIVATION IN OEYLON. 
We understand that the natives in the Matale 
distnot are likely to take favourably to the cultiva- 
tion of cotton, especially if it oan be cultivated 
along with their kurakkan, and there is no reason 
why it should not. 
It may be information to some of our readers 
to know that nearly all the South Sea Islands 
::otton used for manufacture comes from the 
Southern States of the America.-. Republic. 
♦ 
A HINT TO NUWARA ELIYA RESIDENTS. 
It is as wall for your upcountry people to know 
thai peaty waters, or waters charged with vegetable 
matter, have a considerable solvent action on lead. 
This, of course, means that they are poisonous if 
