Oct. i, i* 94 .] THE TROPIC \L AGRICULTURIST. 
225 
down in Colombo till he office ol City Analyst is 
put upon a basis that will admit of analyses 
being made at a nominal cost. 
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(Extracts from the City Analyst's Annual 
Report for 1891.) 
Colombo, lLth January, 1892. 
The number of substances examined and 
reported upon was ]06. This does not include 
determinations connected with gas examination, 
nor the testings of cinchona bark and citronella 
oil. Many of the examinations made have in- 
cluded full quantitative determinations of all 
the important ingredients present in the samples, 
involving, in some cases, the expenditure of 
several days' work on a single substance. 
Town Water. 
It is sa.id by some authorities that public water 
supplies have a tendency to deteriorate. I am 
glad to report that, as yet, nc deterioration in the 
quality of the water supplied to Colombo has 
taken place. On the contrary, the average of the 
analyses for the past year indicates a decrease in 
the results of three out of the four more signi- 
ficant determinations, as compared with previous 
years. 
3 d 
.0 
g- © g 
g-s 
8 2 
C D 
O X! 
sct: 
* « 
O 
Grs. 
o| S 
» d | 
M Grs. 
Grs. 
0 
Grs. 
.Tune to Nov. 
1887 
per 
gal. 
•0009 
per 
gal. 
•0097 
per 
gal. 
•0735 
per 
gal. 
•0.319 
Jan. to Dec. 
1888 
•0008 
•0076 
•0620 
•0360 
do 
1889 
•0006 
•0059 
•0690 
•0308 
do 
1890 
•0011 
•0058 
•0450 
•0316 
do 
1891 
•0010 
•0050 
•0.340 
•020.3 
I append in tabular 
the past year, by 
form the twelve analyses for 
which it will be seen that, 
between the 14th March and 18th April, there 
was a phenomenal rise in the free and saline 
ammonia to ■0025 grain per gallon. This propor- 
tion is, however, still much less than is present in 
ordinary rain water, and it is worth noting that 
the sample of water which gave this result was 
drawn a week after what was regarded as the 
burst of the little monsoon. With the advent of 
the south-west monsoon the free and saline 
ammonia again rose, though only to -0011 grain 
per gallon, which amount was maintained till the 
close of the year. The albunienoid matter was 
greatest in March, and at its lowest in July, 
October and December. 
Some determinations, viz., total solids, solids 
volatile on ignition, and chlorine were discontinued 
from August. These, though important deter- 
minations when analysing water for the first time, 
have, with the exception of the second, been 
always so far below the limit recognised for the best 
class of waters that I considered they might safely 
be discontinued. The significance of the solids 
volatile on ignition is sufficiently indicated by the 
albunienoid matter and oxygen absorbed. On the 
other hand, 1 have added two other significant 
determinations, viz., the colour as determined by. 
the tintometer, and the zymotic power of the 
water, as determined by treatment with sterilised 
culture medium. [The word zymotic is used here 
in its strictly etymological sense). I have made 
as yet comparatively few determinations with 
these tests ; but, so far as I have observed, a low 
degree of colour in the Labugama water is associ- 
ated with a low zymotic power, the latter property 
increasing with the colour. 
In my last year's report I pointed out that the 
Labugama water contained more organic mat 
than is present in the various London \\ r a tei 
