September i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
213 
iu itself a cure for Hcmilria Vastatriat. Where In- 
dian planters score over their Ceylon brethren is in 
the climate. Hear Marshall Ward. " But another 
series of events suggested an equally important con- 
nection with atmospheric moisture. Of two series 
of plants in the same exposed verandah, I found 
that those placed on the edges of the verandah 
and kept wetter on the whole (from drip, driv- 
ing rain, etc.,) appear to become worse " diseased " 
than more sheltered ones (what about shade Dr. 
Bourne?). "Experiments then proved that plants 
strewn with spores and placed in wardian cases be- 
came diseased in a fortnight to three weeks, if the 
interior of the cases was kept wet and the atmos- 
phere surcharged with moisture ; whereas in very dry 
oases no such infection tout place." I am responsible 
for the italics. In India we have long unbroken 
droughts. These check the progress of the pest. 
To return: — "These and other experiments now 
before you led to the establishment of the connec- 
tion between rain, dew, &c, and the outbreak of 
disease, and is in agreement with the known facts 
Hemileia flourishes especially in damp steamy districts 
and breaks out suddenly and badly iu close hot 
weather after rain." So with black rot, so with a 
mushroom bed. But we planters asked for a cure 
and we got a life-history. The life-history may be 
interesting to science but to a planter's pocket it 
has hitherto brought anything but profit. Another 
idea which Indian planters have been shrewd enough 
in largely, nay universally, availing themselves of is 
fresh seed, The more vigorous coffee from the south, 
the Coorg variety, has nearly altogther displaced 
the old Mysore tree. Then Indian men score 
enormously over Ceylon in having a good soil which 
responds to cultivation. Since leaving Ceylon for 
rive years I cannot say I have seen leaf disease in 
Mysore. The fungus is here at times, but with lots 
of manure and liberal treatment a planter, with the 
new variety of coffee, should average five hundred- 
weight an acre, which, with present prices, should 
make him happy. To conclude, I repeat that the 
long droughts are the salvation of Indian estates. 
Mysore, 18th August. W. A. Tytler. 
[Mr. Tytler ought to have added that " a per- 
fect cure" was found in lime and sulphur. The 
resulting sulphurous gas was fatal to all the spores 
it reached. But, aa all the spores in the island could 
not be reached, the remedy proved ineffectual. — En.] 
LIQUID FUEL. 
Mr. Isaac M. Sowers, ex-Mayor of Oil City, is at 
home for a low days ifrom'a cruise in the, West. 
Mr. Sowors is one of the Standard Oil Company's 
petroleum fuel brigade and a gentleman whose long 
experience has made him thoroughly conversant with 
tlio oil business in all its branches, lie has for several 
months been working in the interest of fuel oil, with 
headquarters at Chicago. The subject of utilizing Lima 
crude for fuel is one . that is receiving a great deal 
hi' attention from business men and manufacturers. 
It i9 a subject of special interest to the producers 
of Ohio, who have 2,500,000 barrels of crude above 
ground and no market for it. A representative of the 
Di, rick called upon Mr. Sowers and was given some 
points in regard to the progress that is being made 
in introducing Lima oil as fuel. " Liko every in- 
novation," said Mi. Sowers, " tho public take to it 
Slowly ; but we aro working on solid ground and are 
making onr way gradually and satisfactorily. All our 
rocent experiments have been successful, and I hoar 
of good results being met with by other gentlemen 
in the field. I have been much encouraged by the 
roftults obtained in Chicago Our tests obtained at 
tin- (,'alumot Iron and Steel Works have boen very 
gratifying. " 
In reply to a question if the proprietors of the Calu- 
met works were satisfied with tlio result of their 
touts, Mr. Sowers said they wore eutiroly satisfiad, 
as they aro now supplanting their coal with Lima 
crude. ' Onr testa there woro made in a Bunnell's 
open hearth furnace for melting steel iu which wo did 
all iho work they had been doing with coal, at 50 pel 
cent less cost and eliminated over !i0 per cent of the 
sulphur and phosphorus. These results could not tint 
be gratifying to the iron manufacturers as well as to 
ourselves. These extraordinary tests mean, in my 
judgment, that coal will have to go, except in such 
places as it can be laid down for consumption at a 
mere nominal cost. Ordinarily coal cannot compete 
in price with liquid fuel, to say nothing of the sup- 
erior product that may be turned out from the oil. 
On Monday we go into the Union Steel Works, 
Chicago, where they have (>:•! large boilers. If we 
succeed in demonstrating that we can fire their boilers 
successfully — and I have no doubt on this point — the 
owner will be ready to contract for liquid fuel, not 
only for his boilers, but for his heating furnaces as 
well. On Monday we also begin operations in St, 
Paul and Minneapolis, in the Brush and Edison elec- 
tric light establishments there. They want an econ- 
omical power for driving their large dynamos, and 
I am sure we can give it to them. I have been 
negotiating with the managers of the Minneapolis Indus- 
trial exposition to fire their battery of boilers during 
the coming exposition. They are also figuring with 
coal men, but I have reason to believe tbe latter will 
not be able to compete successfully with us. This is 
oil furnished in Chicago at 63 cents per barrel. 
Mr. Sowers stated that his tests so far indicated 
that for the purposes of making steam or manufacturing 
iron, from three to three and one-fourth barrels of 
oil were equivalent to a ton of good coal. 
" Do you believe oil fuel will ever be generally uspd 
for domestic purposes':"' 
"Yes, I think it will be. It is now being used 
in residences in Aurora and other towns in Illinois 
for cooking purposes, and I am told with the best 
possible results. It is furnished there at 4 cents a 
gallon, which is cheaper than coal, and then it ib much 
cleaner, more convenient, aud absolutely safe. The 
device used for burning it is cheap and simple, so 
that it becomes a matter of practical utility for any- 
household." — Derrick. 
♦ 
THE DATE PALM AT LAL BAGH. 
In the last Report on the Lai Bagh, we find the 
following notice of this valuable palm. The Report is 
written by Mr. Cameron, the Superintendent of the 
Gardens: — Acting on the suggestion of Dr. Bonavia, 
Civil Surgeon at Etawah, who is an authority on the 
subject, I applied to Government and obtained sanc- 
tion for the expenditure of Rs. 200 on introducing 
the Arabian date palm (Plunn.v dacti/tifera) direct 
from the Persian Gulf. This work has been promptly 
and so far successfully carried out, thanks to Mr. 
Girdlestone, the Acting British Resident, who kindly 
gave me a letter of introduction to Colonel Ross, the 
British Resident at the Persian Gulf. In October we 
received 116 offsets of the finest varieties of date, aud 
excepting 0 which I believe are dead, tbe offsets are 
doing fairly well. Being unrooted, the present dry 
season is much against them, but when the raius set 
in, I hope to see a decided improvement in their 
condition. Last January we received from the Persian 
Gulf 41 lbs. of seed in pulp, and these have been 
distributed. The offsets and seeds arrived in capital 
order, and I am indebted to Mr. A. R. Hakim 
Khan Bahadur, Assistant to the Political Resident, for 
much valuable information which accompanied them. 
But prior to receiving the above consignments, I had 
obtained some seeds from Mr. Ridley, Superintendent 
of the Horticultural Gardens, Lucknow, where the date 
palm is already domesticated through the efforts of 
Dr. Bonavia and Mr. Ridley. This .seed produced 6!! 
healthy seedlings, which are now growing vigorously. 
An attempt was mado to introduce the date pulm iu 
1872-73, which resulted in failure; but Dr. Ronsviais 
sanguine of success, mid I shall do everything iu m> 
power to support such a worthy object. Writing to 
me a few days ago, tlio doctor urges the importance 
of sowing and planting periodically in the following 
words: — "I am very glad to hear you have made so 
good u start with the date palm. If you go on »o«ini: 
uml planting every year, when thoy begin to fruit you 
will have the satisfaction of knowing that every year 
