840 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
fJONE I, 1894. 
effioient and cheapest " eooroe " ol energy we 
have. A vast amount of energy is stored op in 
ooal ; but of this at presmt we are able in the 
steam engine to extract only one-eighth for work 
done. Coal ia in fac*: one o( the stores of eUctric 
energy, from which we may some day find a way to 
extract the full power for use aa we may want it. 
Given a "battery" into which coal can be put in 
such a way as to cause it to give up the whole of its 
energy on the spot, and we should have batteries 
of all sizes everywhere, driving our Hoips and 
our trains, turning our machines and lighting 
all oui Htreets and houses. But that time 
is not come jet. When it does, a tea- 
bouse manager will say to Mutu Samy :— " Drop 
a lump of coal into battery A" — being all he will 
want to roll a thousand pound of leaf ; or, " put 
a pinch or two of coal-dust into battery B," and 
this will light up bis factory by night as if it 
were day ! 
These rffleotions are the result of reading 
an article in Nature, by E. P. Bamber, on 
" Electric Traction." In case this ia ever to 
become a practical question in Colombo, it may 
be well to state that as regards motors for 
the cars, there exist at present six different 
syetems, viz : — 1. Using the rails on which 
the cars travel as conductors. 2. Having a 
special rail as conductor, either beside or 
between the rails on which the car travels. 
3. Using under-ground couductors with an open 
conduit cr slot in the road. 4, Having an in- 
sulated underground conductor. 6. Overhead con- 
ductors. 6. Storage Batteries. All these systems 
are in practical application, — " overhead con- 
duotors " taking the lead so far ; but secondary 
or storage batteries, on account of their simplicity 
and immediate applicability are specially suitable 
for use on existing tramways, the objection to them 
being their weight and the necessity of renewing 
them from time to time. There exists, however 
a special difficulty in making these batteries 
at the same time light and durable, and the 
weight of each is so much extra weight 
to be carried by the car. Still, it would 
seem that " present conditions " are entirely 
in favour of light tramway cars so driven, fol 
lowing one another in frequent suooession, and 
travelling at a moderate speed. This is the con- 
clusion arrived at. But what we have to bear in 
mind is that electrical machines, under " preEent 
conditions," can rarely be used with advantage 
and economy, and that the greatest economical 
difficulties are eccountered with traction motors 
A turbine directly applied transmits 6 or six- 
tentbs of the energy of the head of water, 
to its work. An intervening electrical ma- 
chine would cause a loss of nearly half of 
this energy, and when other prime movers are 
used the loss is still greater. 
■ ♦ 
ENEMIES OF THE COCONUT PALM ; 
WANTED:— '! LEGISLATION"; AS WELL AS 
AN "ENTOMOLOGIST." 
It there remain any doubt on the part of the 
Government, as to the special importance of securing 
the seivices of an Entomologist at this time, 
we think the letter of " Proprietor " on page 
836 ought to dispel it. When we find that 
not only is the great Tea Industry in need of 
such services ; but that the still greater and in 
some respects more important Palm culture of 
the island, stands specially infested with insect 
enemies, we trust there will be no hesitation in 
appointing a Soientiet to help both natives and 
colonists at this juncture. The queelion may be 
asked, indeed, as to whether the eervioee of Miei 
Ormerod herself could not be secured for a year 
or two from the Boyal Agricultural Society of 
England. She must have pretty well exhauEted 
her Eugli&li field of inquiry, and if ber employers 
offered no objection, we feel sure that a trip to 
and limitrd stay in, Ceylon, would not be at all 
ucacoeptable to this accomplished Entomologist. 
From the letter before us, as well as from ecme- 
wbat contradictory reports which we find in oar 
Manual and files, wc can see that there are many 
points about the lifc-bistory and ravages of oar 
coconut beetles that are by no means satisfac- 
torily settled, "Proprietor" speaks of the enor- 
mous percentage of loss of 40 oat of every 130 
trees of certain ages, experienced in the Puttalam 
district. Wc cannet help thinking this statemeut, 
made in our columns by a native correspondent 
must be an exaggeration, unless the ease be one 
of a specially neglected garden? We spoke of 
beetle-catoherB bringing in as many as 40 " Kuru- 
meniya" beetles and a few of the " Kandspanuwa," 
daily io the Deduru-oya district ; and certainly 
the destruction in that region has been heavy 
enough in some parts, though by no means we 
trust so high as 33 per cent of the growing palms. 
Still, the loEs is very severe and warrants both 
inquiry acd action. 
Our correspondent speaks of the need of " legis- 
lation," and we are most ready to back up bis 
opinion and to support any movement in this 
direction ; for, we think the time has fully come 
when the villagers— and for that matter, the larger 
propiietors too— should be compelled by law to 
deal promptly and thoroughly with their aSeoted 
palms, so as not to allow them to become breeding- 
places for a multitude of beetles which eventually 
fly over the Ian j, far and near, and attack the palms 
of their more active and conecientioiie neighbours. 
We do not think there would be much difficulty 
at this time of day, in getting the owners of 
coconut gardens and estates, to understand tlie 
necessity and importance of official interference. 
But as a matter of right procedure and aa 
affording the fullest justification for the Govern- 
ment, it would be well perhaps for the Executive, 
first, to be placed in possession of e Keport on 
the question from their duly-appointed Entomologist 
— whether Miss Ormerod or some one else. It 
should not take a Scientist very long to arrive 
at the conclusion that the case presented, was one 
for legislative and executive interference even 
though also for further careful scientific investi- 
gation. The first step therefore is to secure the 
appointment for a certain term, of an Entomo- 
logist as moved for by Mr. W. D. Gibbon and 
carried at the annual meeting of the Planters' 
Association — such appointment to be in the interests 
of the Agriculture of the island ; but more especially 
in those of Tea and Coconuts. 
In this connection we would call atteation to 
a further interesting letter from Mr. E, N. Heanly 
(see paga 837) on the application of mica-sbeatbingto 
palms and cacao trees as a guard against the depre- 
dations of rats and squirrels. Who will give a trial 
to the proposal ? We have received a packet of mica 
sheets which certainly are wonderfully cheap and 
should be eatily applied, and whicb are at the 
disposal of anyone who will experiment and report 
to us. 
CEYLON TEA PLANTING COMPANIES. 
Our columns contain quite a number of 
Annual Beporls from the Directors of Ceylon 
Tea Planting Companies and the Proceedings at 
