Ajpril 2) i888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
693 
free end of the rod is hold between tho fingers, and 
when tho middle past has been heated to the required 
tomporature the string of tho crossbow is suddenly 
released, thus projecting tho arrow with great velocity 
and drawing out a long, fine fiber. By this means, 
fibers of glass less than 1-10UO in. in diameter can bo 
made. 
The author lias also experimented on many minerals, 
such as quartz, sapphire, ruby, garnet, feldspar, fluor 
spar, augite, emerald, etc., with more or less success. 
Ruby, sapphire, and hour spar cannot well be drawn 
into fibers by this process, quartz, augite, and feldspar 
give very satisfactory results. Garnet when treated 
at low temperatures yields fibers exhibiting the most 
beautiful colors. 
Some very interesting results have been obtained 
with quartz from which fibers less than 1-100,001) inch 
iu diameter have been obtained, it cannot be drawn 
directly from the crystal, but has to be slowly heated, 
fused and cast in a thin rod, which rod is attached to 
tho arrow as previously described. 
Quartz fiber exhibits remarkable properties as it 
seems to be free from torsional fatigue, so evident 
iu glass and metallic fibers, and on this account is 
most valualo for instruments requiring torsional control. 
Tho tenacity of such fibers is about 50 tons on tho 
square inch. 
In tho experiment on tho fatigue of libers, great 
difficulty wus experienced iu obtaining a cement 
magnetically noutral, and sealing-wax was found the 
most suitable. 
An experiment was performed illustrating the 
fatigue of glass fibers under torsion, and diagrams 
exhibited showing that the effect of annealing them is 
to reduce tho sub-permanent deformation to about 
one-tenth its original amount under similar conditions 
Annealing quartz fibers docs not improve their 
torsional properties and renders them rotten. 
Besides the use of (mart/, for torsional measurements, 
the author believes that quartz thermometers would be 
free from the change of zero, so annoying in glass ones. 
Uo exhibited an annealed glass spir d capable of weigh- 
ing a millionth of a grain tairly accurately, and also a 
diffraction grating made by placing tho fine fibers side 
by side iu the threads of fine screws. Gratings so made 
give banded spectra of whito light. 
The author regretted that his paper was so incom- 
plete, but thought the r< suits already obtained would be 
of interest to the Society. 
Professor W. G. Adams congratulated the author on 
his most interesting paper, and considered the results 
to be of great importance. He believed tho banded 
spectra exhibited by the grating wi re probably due to 
internal reflection withing the fibers. 
Mr. Cuuyngham asked whether the glass mirror used 
iu tho torsional experiments was magnetic, to which the 
author replied that this WAS probably, but even this 
assumption did not explain all the peculiarities observ- 
ed. — OH, r<xiat ami Drug Reporter. 
+■ 
A TRAINING COUjKGE FOR 
PLANTERS. 
There h is lately been an interesting correspondence 
in our columns ou the subject of coffee grafting. One 
of the correspondents urged Government to try by a 
series of experiments to iuiprove tho coffee bush, so 
that it may withstand leaf disease ; whilst another 
strongly deprecated all ( lovernment interference. 
Why should Government move iu the mutter, or bo 
nuked to do so? An} person employed by tho Govern- 
ment to carry out a series of experiments might just as 
easily bo engaged by the planters of India a:.d Ceylon, 
an I Would be under their direct control. There are 
uvei one thousand lvirope.ui planters 111 (Jnyluu, mid 
tie- total number iu Smth. India nri-l be considerable, 
yot very little hat been dune by them to gain reliable 
information, to gather statistic*, to curry out a series of 
experiments, ami to publish i.e., ,,n practical agri- 
culture. The Editors of the Tropical Agriettitwut 
have donn n great di d for Ceylon, and the Mo**rs. 
I.i.r, m are r. cloudy Irving to pro luce a planting 
literature for that Inland. XhftGoflon l'lu'itera ' Asso- 
ciation some years ago gave pruee tor a tonus of OMayi 
on coffee planting, and did much good by their action. 
But in spite of tho results already obtained, and the 
existence of several Planters' Associations in Southern 
India, it must be admitted that Planters, as a body, 
aro not compact enough, they do not all hold together 
as they should, and in many ways resent any inter- 
ference with them by the Government, even when it is 
for their good. For years, the Government of India 
has seut papers to the Planters to be filled in, showing 
the elevation of their estates, the acreage, the extent 
under cultivation, the products cultivated, and so lorth; 
and yot these are in too many instances eithor not 
returned at all, or are filled in in such a careless manner 
that the information is of little or no use, and this, 
even, when the assurance is given that the statistics 
called for are not of au inquisitorial nature, but are 
simply desired for the instruction of the Oovernment of 
India as to the real state of tho planting Industry in 
the country. If Government does not know the extent 
of land under cultivation, and its value and importance, 
the Planters are themselves greatly to blame for this 
want of knowledge. It is necessary that the various 
local Planters' Associations should look sharply after 
their own interests iu the way of roads, cattle trespass, 
and coffee stealing, but something more is wanted. 
Some attempt should bo made by the estate proprietors 
to start a College for giving to young planters the 
training necessary to cuable them to think and reason 
on true scientific lines. Youths are brought out from 
Kurope who have had no special agricultural training, 
are put on already opened plantations, and are sup- 
posed to learn everything by experience. Though 
there is no doubt that what a man learns by experience 
he is not likely to forget in a hurry, still, that ex- 
perience may often be bought at too great a cost either 
to the man himself, or to those who employ him. What 
is wanted is that theory and practico should go hand in 
hand. Iu forestry, a special training ia considered 
necessary. It is found that if a mau would succeed in 
arboriculture, he must have a certaiu knowledge of the 
habits aud formation of plants, the difference of orders 
and species, and the effect of climate, soil, and culti 
vation. 
Planters, taken as a class, are a superior body of men 
to those usually engaged in agriculture iu other parts 
of the world. In intelligence, resource, aud adapt- 
ability they can hold their own anywhere, but it is 
doubtful if there is a similar class of men omployed 
in any other profession who have less special training 
before commencing to earn their own living. In nearly 
every ease the youth who intends to be a planter begins 
by supervising work, about which he kuows nothing. 
Cannot, therefore, some scheme be devised whereby, 
either in India or Ceylon, a College could be started at 
which young men who wished to take up plauting as a 
profession could go through a two years' course of 
training ? But my, agricultural chemistry, surveyiug, 
a knowledge of the steam engine, drawing, practical 
gardening, iueluding grafting, pinning, aud all tho 
operations connected with arboriculture, aro all uecess- 
ary to a planter, as aro book-koepiug and a thorough 
kuowledgo of b isiue-ts habit -an I principles. A College, 
having arouud it a co.isi I r iblo acreage of land plantod 
with various tropical products, should not be very 
diffloult to maintain, and it would prove of imooeuse 
benefit in training 011 scientific principles a most im- 
portant body of men. Oue other great advantage of 
such a scheme is that young men getting the diplomxs 
and certificates of such a College would b : known, and 
those who baye to engage S.iporiutcudouts would have 
some guarantee of proficiency iu those whom they em- 
ployed. There can bo no doubt that iu the past men 
have been engaged at haphazard, and too often those 
with influence have had paste given to them for whloh 
they were unfit, though that could not be found out 
except by actual experiment. Some Mich seheme as ia 
proposed here might well be helped by < • ivoniineut ; 
it is one iu which nil owners of tropical estates might 
join. It will commend itself to all tho-e who hivo 
watched tho vicissitude, of coffee as a more certain 
way to improve the pUntAtions by improving tho men 
who m mage, them, thin by experimenting with sued 
or grafting.— dfadsu Afai!, 
