69* 
tfHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1888. 
cultural Banks, has it is feared sealed the fate of 
this scheme for ameliorating the condition of the 
Agricultural classes. It has shown, if this was hot 
apparent before, the utter impracticability of work- 
ing such Banks, in this country, where the Govern- 
ment is the landlord and will have to actively aid 
the Banks in enforcing their demands in case of 
default. Business men now clearly perceive these 
fatal objection's and are disposed to wash their hands 
entirely of the concern. We cannot permit the 
Subject to sink into oblivion, however, without allud- 
ing briefly to our own unfortunate experience in 
financing in the same direction Those Indian Banks 
whose Charters admitted of loans being granted on 
such security have, on reverses in the fortunes of 
their constituents, found themselves saddled with the 
properties on which the money was lent, and from 
Bankers converted into Managers of estates, their 
securities coming to them only on second mortgage, 
the Government, as the dominant landlord, never 
losing their lien for the annual assessment made by 
law a first charge, and moreover by law able to 
extinguish the claim of other mortgagees. For special 
products such as coffee, tea and cinchona, Invest- 
ment Companies have been tried without success, 
and such companies, have, after a short existence, 
gone into insolvency. The Indian Government have 
endeavoured by Loan Acts to improve the agriculture 
of the country and save the impoverished ryot from 
the grasp of the sowoar, but these enactments have 
also had a very partial operation, and the condition 
of the peasant proprietor has not been improved one 
iota. Here on the Nilgiris, the authorities in work- 
ing these Loan Acts, are met at the outset with 
an insurmountable difficulty in the indebtedness of 
the Badaga or Koter borrower to the local Sait. 
He applies for a loan, alleging that the money is to 
be utilised for the improvement of a particular 
holding, perhaps to construct stone retaining walls, 
to open up communication, or more generally, to re- 
claim waste land and clear away heavy scrub jungle. 
The money we will suppose, is sanctioned and perhaps 
reaches his hands wilhout material deductions. The 
first demand on the loan is for repayment of heavy 
advances previously obtained from the Sait and for 
which the land has already been mortgaged. The 
Sait contrives to post himself in every stage of 
jrogress of the application to Government, if he has 
not originated it, and pounces upon the money the 
moment the ryot gets it. The latter cannot resist 
the demand for fear perhaps that a knowledge of 
the previously concealed incumbrance might reach 
the ears of the Collector, and a compromise is affected 
by which the projected improvement, for which the 
money was specially given, oannot be carried out. 
This is no hypothetical case. Loans have been refused 
and applicants restrained from applying for them for 
these and similar reasons. 
Planters, as a rule, do not seek for loans under these 
Acts, the amounts that can be obtained being quite 
inadequate for their requirements; 
The means of helping the impecunious Indian cul- 
tivator has yet to be devised, and until money is 
forthcoming for agricultural improvements, the 
depresssioa of the landed industry of the country 
must continue. — Nilgiri Express, 
♦ 
SPONGE FISHING. 
To the Editor of the " Chemist and Drug/gist." 
Sir, — In the Daily Telegraph of December 23, a lead- 
er appeared, having for its theme a report of the United 
States Consul at Beyrout on the Syrian fishery. The 
report has been either badly summarised or is inac- 
curate in some of its details. We therefore beg to 
offer a few remarks which will correct any wrong im- 
pressions your readers may have received by its 
perusal. 
In the first place it is obviously incorrect to state that 
the spooges " have to be freed from sand." Seeing 
that the sponges never contain any sand in their or- 
iginal condition, there is no necessity to free them from 
that which would have practically suffocated the living 
animal as it is found by the divers. 
Secondly, the Daily Telegraph writer states that 
" the common sponge is chiefly found in the waters 
whose fisheries the United States Consul has describ- 
ed." Now the Syrian Fishery referred to furnishes 
it is true sponges inferior in quality to those fished 
on the more important grounds off the coast of Barbary 
and elsewhere; but there are much commoner sorts 
obtained from other Mediterranean fishing grounds, 
notably, those off the coast of Tunisia, and these latter 
alone furnish more than all those of Syria. But the 
great sources of supply, of the common sponges are 
the West Indies, the Bahamas of Cuba, &c, and also 
the Keys of Florida. In these localities useful sponges 
grow in greater variety and quicker than elsewhere, 
and they are also fished by simpler means. These 
kinds we now import into this country to a very con- 
siderable extent, and they are used in the smallest 
villages, where sponges were scarcely even thought of 
years ago. 
The Consul's report also states that below a depth of 
25 to 175 feet, there are no sponges worth taking to be 
found. This may apply to Syria, but it is far from 
applying to the more important fisheries of the 
Mediterranean. We employ divers who regularly de- 
scend in diviDg apparatus to the great depth of thirty 
fathoms. The pressure on their bodies at this depth 
is about 751b. to the square inch, and as the effect 
of this is to temporarily impede and almost suspend 
the circulation of the blood, it may readily be im- 
agined what sufferings these brave fellows undergo. 
Bat the very reason which induces them to face it 
is that they find the best sponges at these greater 
depths. They are all Greeks, and of course are of 
exceptionally fine physique. We have been assured 
by the best submarine engineers that no English di- 
vers go down so far. Our Greeks can consequently 
be allowed their claim of being the best divers in 
the world, although it may be that there is some- 
thing in the temperature or specific gravity of the 
waters of the " tideless sea " which favours its native 
divers. — Yours faithfully, 
Ceesswell Bbothers. 
[It will be observed that the sponge grows at a 
depth of 30 fathoms, or 180 feet. We have never 
heard of pearl shells being found at a greater depth 
than one-third of that specified, most of the fishing is 
done in 6 and 7 fathoms. It will observed that even 
with diving apparatus, descending to a depth of 180 
feet produces very serious effects in the shape of pres- 
sure and otherwise. — Ed. T. A.~\ 
THE PRODUCTION AND PROPERTIES OF 
THE FINEST FIBERS. 
At a meeting of the Physical Society in London, 
March 26th, a paper was read " On the Production, 
Preparation and Properties of the Finest Fibers," by 
Mr. C. V. Boys, m. a. Engineering has made the 
following abstract: — 
The inquiry into the production and properties of 
fibers was suggested by the experiments of Messrs. 
Gibson and Gregory, on the " Tenacity of Spun Glass," 
described before the Society on February 12 th, and 
the necessity of using such fibers in experiments on 
which Professor Rucker and the author are engaged. 
The various methods of producing organic fibers 
such as silk, cobweb, etc., and the mineral fibers, 
volcanic glass, slag wool and spun glass were referred 
to, and experiments shown in which masses of fibers 
of sealing-wax or Canadian balsam were produced by 
electrifying the melted substance. 
In producing very fine glass fibers, the author finds 
it best to use very small quantities at high temperatures, 
and the velocity of separation should be as great 
as possible. The oxhydrogen jet is used to attain the 
high temperature, and several methods of obtaining 
a great velocity have been devised. The best results 
obtained are given by a crossbow and straw arrow, 
to the tail of which a thin rod of the substance to 
be drawn is cemented. Pine is used for the bow, be- 
cause the ratio of its elasticity to its density (on 
which the velooity attainable depends) is great. The 
