126 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Auc. i, 1894. 
HYDRAULIC MOTOES. 
It is probably but little known, with you in 
Ceylon — writes a home correspoD dent— how very 
successful has been the result of the working of 
the Hydraulio Power Company in London. Al- 
though that Company has had to compete with 
many varied forms of power-produoing, such ae 
gas-engines, oil-engines, electric-motors, ttoarn 
and several other readily applicable sources, yet 
hydraulio power is steadily gaining on all of these 
in the estimation of power users. We cannot 
state with precision how many miles of these 
Bingular-lookiDg pipes, with their oddly-shaped 
junctions have already been added to the mysterious 
net-work of gas and water pipes, eleotrio mains, 
sewers, and other concomitants of underground 
London. But many residents in London know the 
mileage to be large, and they daily witness its 
being extended throughout all quarters of the 
oapital. It may be oonoluded, therefore, that this 
hydraulio (or probably more correotly hydrostatio) 
power is widely appreciated, and that in some depart- 
ments it serves eoonomio purposes that none of the 
other eouroes of power-transmission that have boen 
above indicated so adequately fulfil. The question is 
whether it might not be found possible to provide 
a faoility of a similar kind for power-users in 
Colombo at a cost with whioh it would be impossible 
for any other description of power supply to 
compete ? Every child almost must know that 
the only thing required to obtain this power is 
either to draw the water from a higher level or 
to subject it to such weight pressure in accumulators 
as to obtain a pressure corresponding to that higher 
level. Power is, of course, necessary to obtain this 
pressure by the second method. In the case of 
Ceylon rivers, with their generally rapid water flow, 
it is pointed oat to us that power should be ready 
to our hands. From the Eelani, it is supposed 
might be obtained the water required to transmit 
that power to all quarters of Colombo. This we 
take leave to doubt. It would seem on prima 
facie evidenoe that foroe so obtained and so trans- 
mitted must be, relatively, to any other form of 
supply, almost oostless. We cannot estimate for 
ourselves what the demand might be for such an 
agent as we have described, but no doubt upcountry 
at least it would be considerable, and probably quite 
sufficient to make the investment of oapital in the 
plant and distributing mains a paying one. Into 
this branch of the question, however, we do not 
feel ourselves competent to enter. We were very 
anxious, Bome years ago, to get pressure from, the 
Labugama supply to drive a water-motor in our 
Printing Offloe, but were told, the pressure; was 
insufficient. We very much doubt, therefore, if 
intending users of hydraulio motors in Colombo 
now oould get an affirmative answer in referenoe 
to the pressure that might be obtained from Labu- 
gama proving sufficient to afford the power required. 
And yet we know there may be inventions of late 
years (as in the case of gas) to inorease pressure 
for a special purpose. If then the question re 
gardiog Labugama pressure could be affirm 
atively answered, it might oertainly be worth while 
to oonsider whether, in the neoessary event ol 
a second main being laid from that great 
reservoir to Colombo, this oould be made of 
sufficient strength and oapapity to form the medium of 
bringing to workshops so grand a source of power ? 
Probably the extra ooet of ktrengthenicg the teoond 
main to the required standard would not exceed 
that of the plant thai would have to be erected 
for utilizing the flow of the Kelani river. It 
seems a pity that a method that has been well 
tested elsewhere, and that has been proved to 
meet with so muoh public appreciation, Ehould 
not be made available for local wants, 
especially considering how favourably eiroumBtsnced 
somo of our towas — Eandy, Gampola, Nuwara Eliya, 
Badulla— are for obtaining it. In London, every 
gallon of water used (or this hydraulic supply 
has to be pumped by steam power. In many of our 
towns this costly operation would not be neces- 
sary. Neither should we have to pay, as the 
London Hydraulio Power Companies have to do 
for tha water passed through our mainB. The 
power so economically obtained oould De utilized, 
not only for factory pirposes, but fo r the pro- 
duction of elec.ricity for lighting purp oeeg an( j f or 
charging the mains for electrio traoti on on our 
tramways. Nor is it difficult to see that the same 
agency might be made to convey po W tr from the 
waterfalls af our upcountry dietriotB to estait6 
or groups of estates, whether above or below the 
level of the prime source of that power. 
EAST-HAI UTALE. 
WEATHBB— BBEADFBUIT— FHUITb FROM OVA BV RAILWAY. 
Joly 14. 
Since I l.»et wro'e nearly a month a;ro, we have 
been favoured with only a ooupl«of very moderate 
showers. The winds are variable, at timet easterly 
and n >rtherly, and from the South- West we do not ex- 
pect now nay regular rains, belore say 10th or 12th 
September next, bnt hope to get thunder showers low 
and again. I cannot remember a July or August 
without showers of rain, thongh of course it becomtB 
very sultry and hot before the periodical rains are 
experienced. 
In reading oyer G. A. Nevill'a Report (see page 
I was struck with bis valuable remarks regarding the 
breadfruit tree, and the fruit of it and oan from my 
own knowledge, affirm tbat in some of the West 
India Isles the species of breadfruit tree tbat is 
cultivated, is greatly superior to any I have seen 
as yet in Ceylon; but the tree requires a rich lo&m 
to produce large nutritious and palatable fruit. I 
have heard the South Sea Islands are most famous for 
the best kinds of breadfruit. Any way if introduced 
they might supplement the ubiquitous jakfruit, and 
help the goyia in hard seasons, and in districts where 
there is not a heavy rainfall. Now that the rail- 
way will soon reach Bandarawela— in dells and 
valleys where the soil is fairly fertile, all about 
here, and on the high lands for miles and miles 
in Uva— it would pay well to cultivate oraogep, 
peaches, and other suitable fruits. I have an orange 
tree here (4,500 ft. elevation) that bore I should say 
160 oranges last season, and has now over 100 joraages 
on it as this year's yield, and this on patana 
land ; but from time to time, this tree has been 
manured simply by throwing a few basketfuls cf 
cattle pen manure round the tree, and now and again 
wood ashes have been thrown olose to the trunk of 
the tree. I have also a couple of mango trees now 
bearing fruit, but the mango thrives best in low 
lying lands as also the plantain tree. I wonder the 
mulberry tree is not prized and cultivated, the juioe 
of it is so rioh, and would make a very accept- 
able " home made wine," and grows readily and 
without any trouble. The avoca-pear tree grows 
well on an adjacent estate, it might be profitably 
cultivated. The inside of the fruit eaten with pepper 
and salt in hot weather is to most palates very accept- 
able. I have seen two varieties of it and you may 
remember a fine tree that flourishes and yields 
famous crops at Peradeniya, 
