Dec. r, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
379 
ROAD TRAMWAYS IN COMPETITION WITH, 
AND AS FEEDERS TO, RAILWAYS IN 
CEYLON. 
Our London Correspondent tells us he has bad 
referred to him the question as to whether the 
prospects before a Kollupitiya line of Tramway 
would not be injuriously affected by the faot of 
its running so close to, and parallel wi;h, our 
seaside Railway. We do not think that s.rious fear 
of the Rilway largely affecting the Tramway traffic 
need be enti r ained. Long distance trallio no doubt 
m ust gravitate towards the Railway, but it is to 
be presumed that distances of one or two miles, 
or even les?, would form the average journeys 
for whioh trAmoar passeugers would avail them- 
selves of the promised facility. We should say that 
suoh a die tat ca represents the bulk of the move- 
ment to aDd fro upon the Kollupitiya road. Again 
our seaside trains run at relatively long intervals. 
It would not be worth the while in most instances 
of persons only desirous of making tbe Bhort 
journeys we have mentioned, to await the departure 
of the trains. They would, we feel sure, prefer 
to use the irumoar which is limed to pass thr-m 
on this line at every ten minutes' interval. We 
believe the fioility for short trips and indisorimi- 
nated stoppages will induce the use of the tram- 
ways by many thousands who would not think 
of resorting to the railway stations. TheColomb) 
Municipality has doubtless considered all this 
before determining on the construction of a Kollu- 
pitiya trami ar linp, and we feel confident that it 
has done so upon justifiable grounds. One thing 
is certain, that useful as our seasi le railway has 
baen in serving suburban passenger traffic, its 
existence has by no means reduced the number 
of horses and carriages employed, while of late 
years a whole army of "rickshas'' has been in- 
troduced. 
80 much in referenoe to Tramways in Colombo 
as competitors with our Riilway ; but let us tell 
our London Correspondent and bis friend of the 
grand opportu' ity presented in Cejlon for laying 
down two-feet Tramways as feeders to our Railways 
Bnd for which undertakng, no doub', the Ceylon 
Government would be prepared to give every facility, 
bo far 88 allowing the tram rails to be lai t on trie 
tide of existing maoad m Z' d roads. Practical men 
in our midst, are, we believe, convinced that the 
following lines era feasible and would iring in a 
handsome return on the capi al invested : — 
LINES OF TRAMWAYS REQUIRED IN CEYLON AS FEEDERS 
TO EXISTING RAILWAY LINES : — 
Miles. 
(1) Nanuoya to Nuwara Eliya . . 5 or 6 
(2) Talawakele to Agrapatana .. 10 to 12 
(8) Hatton to Norwood . . 5 or G 
(4) Norwood to Bogawantalawa . . 12 
(a) Norwood to Maskeliya . . 11 
fjj) Wattegama to Madulkele .. 10 
(7) Bandarawela to Badulla . . 18 
(8) Haputale to Halduiniuulla . . 0 
In or.ur to get a beginning made in this 
direction upoountry, why should not that enter- 
prising firm, Messrs Brown & Co., Ld., of Hatton, 
take up tbe scheme of laying a Tanmvay up 
towards Bo^a.vaniaiawa and Maskeliya ? If a Com- 
pany were formed, we shtuld expeot the proprietors 
and residents in these districts to t.ke up a large 
proportion of tho shares. — In the Some way, Mcbbis. 
Walker & Greig should consider whether tLey 
oould not do a similar tervioe for tbe sister dis- 
trict aB well as for Uvu. If technical aid and a 
proportion if oapital are required from the eld 
oountry, they can, we feel Bute, be readily mae'e 
available. 
coconut cultivation on the north* 
east coast of india. 
We have reoeived tho following letter re- 
questing certain information as to the growth of 
the coconut tree : — 
No. 2,232, Kistna Collector's Office, Forest Branch 
Masulipatam, Dated 17tn Oct. 1894. 
From A. W. Lushington, Esq., District Forest 
Officer, Kistna. 
To the Editor of the Tropical Agriculturist, Colombo, 
Sin,— In the Nar^apar Taluq of Godivary District 
and Bandar Taluq of Kistna Oistiict some excellent 
coconuts are grown pro ucing nearly 200 fruits per 
annum. It is stated that these coconut trees must 
be transplanted 7 times withiu the first 5 years ; 
that otherwise the trees do rot produce until about 
10 or 15 years, and that even then they do not 
produce so prolirically. I take it thit the necessity 
for transplantation is due either to the exhaustion 
of ftrti izing ingredients of the soil or to the im- 
perativeness of checking the woody growth of the 
iree, thereby encouraging the fruit growth. Can 
you tell me which, if either of these solutions is 
correct ; and, if the f :rmer, whether the fertilizing 
ingredients of the soil could not be replaced by 
manuring aud what manure should bd used. — I have 
the honor to be, air, your most obedient servant, 
F. Mac O'learv, 
For District Forest Officer. 
In tbe first place, we may inform the 
Distriot Officer of Kistna that a yield of 200 
cooonuts per tree per annum is a crop almost, if 
nut qu te, unheard-of in tho v^ry best palm dis. 
triots of C eylon : 40 nuts per tree is a very good 
average for ordinarily cultivated plantations; 60 
nuts would be considered a splendid return and 
80 to 100 nuts the very maximum even from a 
limited number of trees cultivated in the mose 
liberal faehisn. At the same t me, we are not 
prepared to say what may not ba got from oooonut 
palms transplanted seven times in the first five 
years I In all our experience we never heard of 
aDy similar prooess : indeed, in Ceylon, any trans- 
planting is not considered desirable except from 
the nursery to the hole3 specially prepared for 
the growing nu's and in which the future palms are 
expected to grow and yield crops until after SO, 70 
or even lOOyeare, they are finallycut clown. Ab regards 
the BUppi sed reasons for the many transplanting?, 
the first is out of the question, for it would be far 
bet'.er to apply manure to the plant in its original 
location — cattle manure, castor-oake or rubbish 
mixed with salt if cheaply available. As to the 
second reason, there may be some bash of experi- 
ence in it, especially if the 200 nuts yield be a 
fact; but we should expect that trees bo checked 
in ' woody grewth" and forced into fruit-bearing, 
would be comparatively short-lived? It is true that 
10 to 15 years is the average age at wh.oh 
coornut palms come into bearing in Ceylon ; but 
is certain districts, and where liberal cultivation 
in adopted, the bearing of good crops in 7 years 
is not uncommon ; while Mr. W. H. Wright re- 
poris that the trees on bis splendid Mirigama 
plantation of a substantial giowth, are beariug 
freely in their fifth year. I', would be very in- 
teresting if Mr. Lushington tried an exper.ment 
after the Ceylon fashion alongside of one in the 
fashion described in his letter; but what wo 
especially would like to know is how long trees 
live that have been transplanted seven times '? Is 
there such a thing at Kiatna as a garden o( palms 
which after 40 or 50 years, still continues to bear 50 
r uta and upwards per tree per annum inorops)o*r 
jear ? tfb.ou.ld further ipformatiou be riquiieJ as. 
