May i, 1895.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
seaboard and the foot of the mountain's upon which 
alone Europeans can reside and pursue their plant- 
ing industries. It follows that to reach the centres 
of traffic collection the railway lines from the coast 
have to he carried through very rugged country to 
high elevations. The features of the hills, there- 
fore, dominate the selection of route. Tins cannot 
be varied so as to come into touch with all the 
estates the railway is required to serve. Owing to 
this it is generally the case that stations have to be 
located at considerable distances from the points of 
production. The produce of estates has, in conse- 
quence, to be carted, often for many miles, over 
roads of steep gradient to reach the railways. Heavy 
charges are from this cause imposed upon the 
planters, while during the crop season the supply 
of carts is far below the amount required. 
It is for the foregoing reasons that the ques- 
tion to which we have referred is now occupying 
the attention of our planting colonists. They 
ask if it would not be possible to devise means 
whereby the cost and risk of this intermediate 
transport might be materially lessened. As we 
have written, this demand creates a problem 
not easy to be solved oft-hand. Most of the 
roads that have to be traversed abound in very 
severe gradients and wind with sharp curves 
around the spurs of the mountains. How, it is 
asked, can some system of light railways or 
tramways be laid along such roads ? Manifestly, 
considering how widely the estates are spread, 
it can only be a cheap system that will meet 
the requirements of planters. How can this he 
made consonant with the conditions we have 
named? So far as we are aware, tramway 
lines or railways of a light and cheap class 
have never yet been attempted under simi- 
lar conditions. We are without data, there- 
fore, upon which to start with. Given gradients 
rising, we may assume from what is known to 
us, to 1 in 10 or 12, coincidently with curves of 
but a very few yards radius, the difficulties 
that must attend any attempt to utilise roads 
of such a description for any kind of rail 
haulage as yet experimented with must be various 
and great. We can by no means admit; how- 
ever, that they will be deemed to be unconquerable. 
At first sight some kind of rack railway would 
seem to be demanded if steam is to be adopted 
as the motive power. But this description of 
line is exceedingly costly, and requires a constant 
stream of traffic to make it pay. Except for oc- 
casional stretches of relatively straight roads it 
would seem to be outside of consideration. Animal 
draught, which would the most readily lend 
itself to the peculiarities of formation, could 
scarcely meet tin; case, for it is the scarcity of 
draught animals that forms one of flic grounds 
for the demand that has now arisen on tin- 
ingenuity of engineers. The cable prin- 
ciple would bo ill-adapted to the winding 
character of these bill roads. The solution of 
the problem w ill probably be found in miihc ap 
plication of electric power. In all mountainou.- 
regions water power for generating this is almost 
always close at hand. The (irsl cost of the elec- 
tric power would for this reason be the minimum 
as compared with that of any other description 
of haulage power that can be considered in con- 
nection with the problem thai has to obtain so- 
lution. Further, by its employment any amount 
of power Tiecessary to overcome the excessively 
steep gradients constantly to be met with could 
be secured, and the expenditure of electricity for 
the varying demand for this would only lasi so 
Jong fts that demand was made. The train- 
would ot course be light, the speed may be rela- 
tively slow, while the narrow gauge that could 
alone be laid along the mountain roads as at 
present constructed would lend itself to over- 
coming the excessively sharp curves that would 
have to be dealt with. 
But we must not pretend to attempt more in 
the way of suggestion as to how the case put 
before us may best be met. As we have said, 
the demand is of a wholly novel character, and 
may have to be met by devices equally novel, 
and as yet untried. For this is not a case in any 
degree similar to those mountain ascents by rail- 
way that have before this been successfully over- 
come. The necessities of the planters, and the 
restrictions imposed by these, make it, indeed, 
one siii generis. It seems to us that it can best 
be dealt with in the initiative by some of the co- 
lonial ( Governments that are interested ottering a 
premium for the most likely designs for some 
selected route. The first essay should be re- 
garded as strictly experimental only. Should 
failure attend it, this would . at least have 
served to furnish data on which to base a fur- 
ther trial ; and, as we conceive the experiment 
would be well worth what it might cost, for we 
can readily estimate the advantages that a 
successful result would secure. Lines of the 
character we have described would probably be 
readily subscribed for by the owners of groups 
of estates not within easy approach to stations 
on the main lines of railway. They could furnish 
perfectly accurate estimates of the traffic that 
they could place on such feeding-lines, and they 
would therefore know with certainty beforehand 
the amount of outlay that might be justifiably 
made upon them. Already, as we are aware, 
contractors in this couutry are being approached 
upon this subject, and Ave think the attention 
of inquirers generally may usefully be directed 
to this new field for the exercise of their ingenuity. 
STEAM ENGINE BOILERS AND SCALE. 
Tea Planter asks : — What should I put in my tea- 
nouse boiler to prevent the formation of scale, which I 
am told is carbonate of lime ? The water here con- 
tains considerable lime, and forma a very hard white 
scale, which I would like to know some way of 
preventing. 
Answer. — You cannot prevent the deposit of scale, 
except by the use of pure water. Any scale formed 
can be softened and removed by the application of a 
half-pound, or so, of caustic soda to the feed water 
once a week or a fortnight, according to the amount 
of scale formed. Boil the caustic in the boiler for 
that working day, and then blow down and clean out 
the boiler. After one thorough cleaning, a little 
caustic soda every few days and blowing down a few 
inches twice or thrice the next day will keep the 
boiler in good order for three months or so, when 
again, a thorough cleauing will be necessary.— 
Indian Engineer. 
lliicouns of the Geological Sukvev oe India. — 
Vol. x xviii, part 1 1895* Contents :— Annual Report 
of the Geological Survey of India and of the Geo- 
logical Museum. Calcutta, for the year 1891 : The 
Cretaceous Formation of Pondicherrb by II. Warth, 
D. Sc., (Tubingen), Deputy Superintendent, Geo- 
logical Survey of India ; Some early allusions to 
Bantu Island, with a few remarks thereon, by F. 
It. Mallet, l.ii.s.. late Superintendent, Geological 
Survey of India : Bibliography of Barren Island and 
Narcondani, from LsSl to ls;l"l, with souio remarks 
by F. li. Mallet, v.n.s., late Superintendent. Geo- 
logical Survey of India; Donation j to the Muscauj t 
Additions to the Library. 
