738 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1888. 
mane at mining works of any value existed, but 
numerous artificial water-channels were carried with 
easy slopes on the hillsides, the ravines being 
crossed by temporary aqueducts on bamboo fram- 
ing. The mines were of three kinds — the first, 
which was of the least importance at pre- 
sent, but which might be the most valuable in the 
future, consisted of workings in fissure veins of soft 
material found embedded in the crevices of the hard 
rock, caused by shrinkage in long past ages. It was 
probable that volcanic action accompanied the up- 
heaval of these mountain ranges, and that the already 
formed rubies were thrown up with a matrix of com- 
plex structure, since disintegrated by long weathering 
together with the metamorphic rocks clothing the 
skeleton of the old mountain limestone, whose ribs 
still protrude. There was no sign of any recent vol- 
canic action in the neighbourhood ; and the corundum 
was now found distributed through the clay formed 
from the breaking down of the gneissic rocks, and 
also in layers or beds in the valley bottoms near the 
river, apparently discriminated and arranged by water 
action. The crevices in the older rocks gave origin 
to cave mines, which were called "loos," where the 
soft earth was excavated in a primitive fashion and 
on a small scale. The second class of mine was called 
"myaw," or washing, and corresponded, but on an 
insignificant scale, with the hydraulic mining in Cali- 
fornia. The water was conducted by the channels 
to the lower hillside, which consisted usually of the 
softer remains of the secondary rocks in reddish or 
lighter coloured clays, containing rubies and sapphires 
though few and far between. The clay was cut into 
thin slices with a gardener's spade and washed from 
the funnel-shaped excavations through flumes or open 
timber channels, where the clay was dissolved away 
or carefully examined for the stones. No attempt has 
been made to wash the hillsides by water under pres- 
sure. The third, and at present the most important 
class of mines, was found in the flatter lands of the 
valleye, where, whatever be the absolute height of 
the ground, or whether in the neighbourhood of Mogok, 
or Yay-Boo, or Kathay, or Kyatpyen, at depths vary- 
ing from 10 ft to 30 ft., there was found a layer of 
corundum from a few inches to a few feet in thick- 
ness. It was difficult to account for the existence of 
this layer of nearly pure corundum lying on a bed 
of earth in which no stones were found, and covered 
by a similar layer of porous earth. It was prema- 
ture to forecast the future of the Ruby region, but 
with the careful handling which it was sure to re- 
ceive from the new governing powers we might fairly 
expect a rapid development of the mineral wealth. 
Subsequently, Mr. Streeter stated that information 
had reached him that the Mogok town contained 
3,392 inhabitants, Kathay 1,725 inhabitants and Kyat- 
pyen 1,553 inhabitants, and that the Government, in 
not carrying out the concession entered into by Lord 
Dufferin, had lost in the year three and three-quarter 
lakhs of rupees, or £37,500. — Times' Weekly Edition 
March 1st. 
♦ 
PLANTING EEPOKTS FROM THE HILL 
COUNTRY OF CEYLON: 
TEA AND THE SHADE OF CINCHONA IN DRY WEATHER. 
Nanuoya, 5th April. 
The dry hot weather, following on previous 
abnormal rainfall, has been most favourable to the 
health and flush-production of our tea bushes at 
this altitude, while the cinchonas have suffered 
but little. The belief here is that it was well we 
had not labour to spare from tea plucking to carry 
out the long-delayed work of trimming away the 
dense lateral growth of our groves of C. officinalis 
growing amongst the tea. The shade afforded 
during the drought is believed to have been entirely 
beneficial. The flushing of the tea bushes under 
the influence of the cinchona shade has certainly 
been and still is all that could be wished, and it 
does not seem probable that the flush thus partially 
shaded ia likely to bo to any appreciable extent 
deficient in the active principles which give tea 
the strength and aroma for which the dried leaf 
is valued. When the wet weather sets in, however, 
one of the first works to be taken in hand will 
be to trim away the luxuriant growth of side 
branches on our cinchonas, and with them the 
large clusters of seed, such as, at the commence- 
ment of the enterprise had such high market value. 
The cultivated tea has not flowered and fruited to 
the extent which might have been feared in such 
weather, and the clearing away of all blossom and 
fruit which exists, is understood to be part of the 
work of the pruners. But what a desolate sight 
an expanse of pruned tea is, unless or until the 
prunings can be forked into the ground. The 
absence from the tea of any affection worse than 
copper-coloured leaves, contrasting curiously with 
the general green and the golden flush, (and 
which we consider of no consequence) is matter 
for congratulation. Especially ought we to be 
thankful that the grubs of the beetles now 
so plentiful, from stag beetle to cockchafer, 
seem to find no attractions in the roots of any 
of our living trees, except poor old coffee. Tea, 
cinchonas, and exotic, or other cultivated trees 
seem to enjoy equal immunity, so that rotten timber 
and coffee roots seem to be at present the only 
homes of the voracious white grubs, so acceptable 
to our no less voracious Australian " magpies." The 
parent beetles can be obtained in large numbers, 
simply by repeatedly slapping one of our gum trees 
with the hand. The reverberation produced is 
sufficient to send the beetles which are feeding on 
the secretion exuded from the bark, tumbling 
down. An enormous collection of these hideous 
insects are climbing over each other in a wide- 
mouthed glass bottle, preparatory to becoming food 
for the great and greedy Australian shrikes, which 
yesterday et Nuwara Eliya were, I suppos°, the 
first of their kind exhibited at a Show in Ceylon. 
House flies abound this season, and I never 
knew horse flies and mosquitoes so troublesome in 
this district. A curious specimen of stick mantis 
was found today. It was about four inches long, 
and the resemblance to a twig was carried out to 
the extent of knobs, like buds on the body and 
colouring as of broken withered wood near the 
tail. Many may not know that this queer creature 
is so fierce and voracious as to be called " the tiger 
of the insect tribe." In addition to insects, which 
it saws to pieces, it feeds on small frogs and 
lizards. 
April 6th. — Yesterday evening the dark volumed 
thunder clouds came rolling down from the north- 
east as if they meant business, and a few big drops 
fell, but only enough to show 1 cent of an inch in 
the rain-gauge. There has been a dead calm since 
the 3rd, with really oppressive heat, so that the 
rain cannot be far off. This morning rises fine 
with some haze on the mountain ranges. 
O 
CEYLON PLANTERS AND TEA CONSUMPTION. 
No one can doubt the practical wisdom of the 
scheme which Mr. H. K. Rutherford formulates 
as an extension of that which, generally 
commended, is already associated with his name. 
Mr. Rutherford acts on the old proverb that " God 
helps those who help themselves." The experi- 
ence already gained of what can be done by tea 
producers and their friends to influence consumption 
is most encouraging. It can safely be said that 
the Ceylon planters and their numerous indigenous 
and foreign agencies have done much to stir up 
those interested in the much older enterprise of 
India to a due sense of the responsibility resting 
upon them. " Ceylon tea " has been advertised 
