June i, 1895.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
791 
profitable investment? At any rate, we should 
be glad to hear of any Electric Tramway, 
successfully working at the present time, in 
Europe or America? 
LABOUR SUPPLY : HOW TO ECONOMIZE. 
A good Prospect for Engineers and Inventors 
is offered in the increasing scarcity of labour, 
for, of course, it will now be more than ever incum- 
bent on planters to utilise every possible " labour 
saving" machine that is put within their reach, 
whether for the factory or the held. We have 
not heard much lately about ".Thompson's Pa- 
tent Tea Pluckers" ; but we suppose they are 
bound to come to the front again, in an im- 
proved form, some day. Then, again, how 
important to encourage tramways and light 
railways in order to save labour in 
various forms. We need say nothing of the 
advantage gained, in some cases, from wire 
shoots for carrying firewood, grass and we sup- 
pose tea-leaf in bags to the factory ; and still 
more the great advantage through proprietors 
doing all in their power to give their coolies 
comfortable, healthy" lines" to live in, in order to 
ensure their health and power to do a good day's 
work. In the Kelani Valley and other feverish 
districts, especially, ought this to be seen to. 
PLANTING AND METEOROLOGY. 
(Communicated. ) 
It is a striking fact that the elements of Meteoro- 
logy are usually somehow left out in the ordinary 
curriculum of a liberal education, which may possibly 
help to account for a good deal of ignorance prevail- 
ing on the subject. The one almost univeral obser- 
vation in the planting districts is the daily rainfall. 
How often do we see a gauge placed in position 
according to the orthodox rules? Many people seem 
to imagine that a bungalow wall or a large tree a 
few feet off are not worth consideration. How often 
have we known the rainfall of one estate, to save 
the trouble of duplicate measurements, assumed to 
be correct for another a mile or so away ! I should 
even venture to doubt the accuracy of the rainfall 
on a single point of a large estate as representing 
the average rainfall on the whole. 
While on the question of rainfall, it may be worth 
pointing out the usefulness of the wet and dry bulb 
thermometer. The instrument is not expensive and 
is easily read, and forms a not wholly untrustworthy 
means of foretelling the weather of the next few hours. 
Perhaps the one instrument about which the 
greatest confusion of ideas exists is the aneroid baro- 
meter, a confusion if I may say it, which a note in 
Ferguson s " Hand-book " p. 30.") (Ed. 1803-1894) hardly 
tends to dispel. 
Instrument-makers in England have deluded the 
ordinary public into a somewhat childlike faith in 
the words "Bain," " Change," "Pair." and so forth 
which arc usually found on the ordinary instrument. 
Even at home these arc to bo taken as ouly very 
approximately correct, while with the very minute 
variations of atmospheric pressure in a place of the 
latiiudo of Ceylon, they are, of course, practically 
usoless. Hence, probably, arises the idea that aneroids 
can be "set" for Ceylon. It may possibly sound 
superfluous to say that the barometer (aneroid or 
mercurial) indicates simply and solely the atmospheric 
pressure at the placo and time of the observation. 
The practical non-variation of the barometer in 
this country, however, though it makes the instrument 
almost useless for prognosticating the weather, renders 
it far more easily applicable than at home to the 
calculation of altitudes: and such calculation can be 
easily effected by the use of a table quoted iu Fergu- 
son's "Handbook" and Rutherford's "Pocketbook" '! 
It must bo borne in miud, however, that the aneroid 
is essential. An inaccurate instrument, and readings 
taken by it are not accepted by the Meteorological 
Office at home. 
I should be curious to know whether the Meteoro- 
logical Records in this country show any marked 
barometrical variation during the burst of the mon- 
soon. Some correspondent can doubtless answer this 
question. 
I believe I am correct in saying that it is not 
wise to accept as absolutely correct the different al- 
titudes marked up on the railway station name 
boards. Perhaps some correspondent can shed some 
light on the subject. It is strange how prone we are 
all to believe in the accuracy of anything printed, 
but any figure depending on an isolated observation 
should always be received with enlightened scep- 
ticism. 
[We take it that the Railway Engineers are 
responsible for the station altitudes, and seeing 
how particular they have to be in working out 
and applying their gradients, for every mile on 
the railroad, we can see no room for the scep- 
ticism of our esteemed correspondent. — Ed. T.A.] 
PLANTING IN FIJI. 
(By an ex-0ei/l'on Planter.) 
Hurricanes Galore !— Tobacco Cultivation. 
Fiji, Feb. 19. 
Fiji has again, on Oth Jan. last, been visited by 
a disastrous hurricane which has done an immense 
amount of damage to houses and plantations. The 
coconut estates to windward have suffered terribly, 
a great number of trees being blown down and 
others with their tops twisted off. There will be no 
copra to speak of for two or three years. This is 
especially hard on the planters as their places were 
only just recovering and bearing after the 1886, 1888; 
1889, and 1892 hurricanes. The two we had in 1886 
and 1889 were especially strong, but the one we 
have just experienced, for the time it lasted, for 
damage done and loss of life, takes I think the 
palm.* 
To do any good here one ought to plant some 
product that will give a return between the 
months of March on to the following December, as 
the hurricanes occur during January, February, and 
March. Although it is a ven/ unusual thing to hap- 
pen we cannot as yet say we are out of the wood 
and may have another blow next month, but I 
trust we shall be spared. Five hurricanes in ten 
years is too much of a joke and if it does not 
mean ruination it certainly means that no money 
can be made unless, as stated above, some cultiva- 
tion is undertaken which will give crops before 
the hurricane months set in. In this case one would 
have to face damage done to buildings only. 
The last tobacco cultivation spec : turned out a 
failure. Another expert engaged by a Co. is out 
and the experiment is to be thoroughly tested this 
time. Every help is being given by the Governor 
who is very anxious that tobacco planting should 
prove a success in Fiji. 
The Japanese introduced as labourers by the C. S. 
R. Co. have turned out an utter failure. A good 
number of deaths have occurred amongst them, a 
great number have always been laid up in hospital 
and they did not do the work expected and in ad- 
dition their wages, &c. came to nearly double what 
a cooly costs. 
The experiment of introducing them has been a 
COStl] one and it is lucky that a rich Co. liko the 
C. S. R. Co. undertook it. A steamer has como out 
and lias taken the balance of the men home. 
Sir J. R. Thurston goes home on leave shortlv. 
He well deserves a holiday. 
Only one vessel went recruiting this past soivson 
She returned with 1-10 recruits. 
The new coolies will shortly be arriving. They iU 
be brought by steamer this year. 
* Tho coconut palm, certainly 1— P.D, 
