November i, 1889.I THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
309 
Steam Plough at Dehra. — In his paper on "The 
Mahratta plough" in the Asiatic Quarterly Sir 
seorge Birdwood made merry over the notion that 
team-ploughs could ever be introduced with 
success in India. A correspondent of the Pioneer 
writes from the Doon saying that steam-plough 
is a great success there, and is doing capital work, 
rolling over the jungle in fine style and rapidly 
clearing the lands. — Indian Agriculturist. 
A Monster Piece of Coal. — A piece of coal, 
weighing 5 tons 10 cwt., has been cut at Abercarne 
Colliery, to be sent to the Paris Exhibition as 
a specimen of the Welsh mining industry. It 
measures 7 feet 6 inches high, 5 feet 6 inches wide, 
and 3 feet 6 inches deep. It was hauled for a mile 
along the working to the pit's bottom, where it 
hadi to be trimmed before being raised. Five other 
blocks each 22nd tons, will accompany it. — Indian 
Agricultruist. 
Tanning by Electricity. — Thoprooessof tanning 
by electricity will be prominently brought before 
the public at the Paris Exhibition by French 
tanners and leather manufacturers, who have worked 
it successfully for nearly a year. By this pro- 
cess an establishment of moderate size, without 
costly machinery, will, it is said, be able to tan 
heavy hides in 96 hours, in place of the 12 months 
now required, and this at half the cost per pound 
of leather produced. — Indian Agriculturist. 
The Ouchteblony Valley. — In the Ouehterlony 
Valley, a correspondent writes to us, it has been 
raining incessantly without a gleam of sunshine 
for many days, and the abnormal fall of rain 
gagued from the 1st to the 15th September is 10} 
inches. As coffee crops now require sunshine, it 
is apprehended that the heavy and continuous rain 
will affect the produce, which will otherwise pro- 
mise a bumper crop this year. The public health 
in the Valley at present is not satisfactory, but 
the services of Dr. James Leach, the hardworking 
and painstaking Medical officer of the place, are 
much appreciated by the people. — Madras Times, 
Sept. 23rd. 
Quinine Prospkcts. — On this topic, the 
American Drug Reporter of Aug. 21st has the fol- 
lowing deliverance : — 
As to the probability of the improvement iu quinine 
becoming permanent, or continuing for a considerable 
length of time, there are a number of contingencies to 
be considered, the effect of which may be to negative 
the proposition. Aa often pointed out in these columns 
the imports of quinine into this country have for the 
past four years at least, exceeded our consumptive re- 
quirements by an annual average of several hundred 
thousand ouncep. This surplus, which is estimated at 
between seven hundred thousand and one million 
ounces is of course in existence, and unless it is con- 
trolled by strong hands, of which there is room for con- 
siderable doubt, it must continue to be more or less of 
a drag upon the market. There is also, according to 
the best authority, a large surplus stock in London and 
the Continental markets, which at any time may come 
out to stand in the way of an advance or cause reaction. 
As an offset to this it is asserted that all the bark im- 
ported into London during the last two years has been 
manufactured into quinine, and with constantly dimin- 
ishing supplies atthesource of production (Cevlnn). even 
granting the existence of a heavy surplus of quinine 
it will soon be absorbed. Such arguments fail to con- 
sider Java bark as a factor of the situation, yet the 
produot ef the Dutch East Indies is already playing 
a most important part in determining the cost of 
quinine, and is apparently destined to become the lead- 
ing feature of the situation in the near future. At pre- 
sent the Java product has an upward tendency, which 
seems to be based upon the improvement iu the Ceylon 
bark, rather than upon any inherent strength of its 
own unless the reports we have seen of receipts at 
Amsterdam are crroueouB. 
" Cubebs." — This valuable peper which is used 
in medicine, has hitherto been unattainable in Ceylon. 
Now however, we are glad to learn that plants have 
taken kindly to the soil and climate of Peradeniya, 
and it is hoped that propagation from cuttings will 
be undertaken ere long. 
Gold in Western Borneo. — Mr. E. L. Gordon 
has succeeded in obtaining from the Dutch Gov- 
ernment leases for four gold concessions in 
Sambas, Western Borneo. Two of these are in 
favour of Mr. B. Liddelow and the other two in 
favour of Mr. Gordon. The area of the concessions 
covers in all about 160 square miles, and they 
have been tested and examined by experts sent 
from London for that purpose and with very 
gratifying results. The assays made by Johnson 
Mathey & Co. have shown a very high percentage 
in the quartz sent home. A company or com- 
panies will be floated in London by the Straits 
Prospecting Syndicate almost immediately to work 
the concessions. — Indian Agriculturist. 
Trinidad is a sugar colony, but happily it has other 
staples which show a large increase in output, thus 
making up for the deficiency in the sugar crop. 
The export of susar in 1888 amounted to £724,163, 
as against £800,n95 in 1887. But the total exports 
in 1888 amounted to £2,132,761, as compared with 
£1,870,612 in 1887. The cocoa crop was an excellent 
one, the export being valued at £611,876, as com- 
pared with £354,420 iu 1887. Among the other ex- 
ports asphalte, bitters, coconuts, and molasses figure 
for considerable sums. The revenue, £480,522, is in 
excess of the previous year by £24,355, and of the 
expenditure by £17,000, though the latter was nearly 
£39,000 more than in 1887. Trinidad has a debt of 
£552,680. Coolie labour is largely used in Trinidad; 
1860 immigrants having been introduced from India 
in 1888, while 435 returned, after serving their terms. 
It argues well for the treatment of these immigrants 
that many of them renew their oontracts after their 
time has expired, while others return to settle in 
the colony after having gone home. A new steam 
service has been established round the island, touch- 
ing at Tobago and direct into New York, in con- 
nexion with the fruit trade, which is a arrowing one. 
It is, moreover, hoped to extend the railway sys- 
tem, and so bring the capital and the seaboard into 
communication with the fertile districts of the in- 
terior. The resources of Trinidad are certainly capable 
of great development. — London Times. 
Shaft Sinking by the Poetsch Freezing Pro- 
cess. — It may be known by our readers that the 
application of freezing to the piercing of quick- 
sands was suggested some time ago in America. 
Since then the Poetsch Sooysmith Company has 
been carrying on operations according to this 
system, and the results have been very encouraging. 
The process commences by placing a series of 
verticle pipes in a circle around the space to be 
excavated. These pipes are closed at the bottom 
and a stream of cold brine is circulated through 
them. The result of this application is that the 
surrounding earth becomes frozen, and assumes 
the characteristics of a solid rock, so that the 
excavation may be conducted without the usual 
difficulties attendant on the sinking of a shaft 
through quicksands. The first successful boring 
conducted on this principle was at the Chapin 
Company's mines at Iron Mountain, Michigan, 
where the shaft was about 15 feet square by 100 
feet deep. The Company are now making arrange- 
ments to open up the extensive anthracite beds at 
Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, which were un- 
workable on account of the superposed deposits 
of dangerous sands. It is confidently expeoted by 
the Poetsch Company that their system will enable 
a great number of mines to be worked in per- 
fect safety which have hitherto been inaccessible. 
— Industries. 
