458 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  2,  1893. 
They  are  oelebrated  mines,  and  the  land  on  which 
they  are  was  not  long  since  sold  for  £000  an  acre. 
PHOPliftTY  IN  KUttNEGALLE. 
Woodslee  Estate. — I examined  a vein  of  plumbago 
in  this  property,  but  so  little  work  has  been  done  in 
it  that  there  was  hardly  anything  to  be  seen  on  which 
to  base  a judgment.  Bat  as  the  owners  wauled  to 
sell  the  property,  and  asked  a large  pries— £1,800,  I 
beiieve— I could  not  reoo  mmend  its  purchase. 
IX.— OPINION  ON  VALUE  OF  PLUMBAGO 
MINES. 
I oonsidor  that  the  Madspola,  Kirilliwalla,  and 
Tnnpelehana  mines,  especially  the  two  former,  if 
scientifically  worked,  would  be  a most  profitable  under- 
taking, owing  to  the  purity  of  the  plumbago,  aud  to 
the  width  of  the  veins.  All  those  who  have  w.  rked  in 
these  mines  affirm  that  the  plumbago  widens  and 
improves  in  depth. 
From  what  I could  learn,  their  owners  have  derived 
considerable  gains  from  them,  though  worked  in  a 
most  primitive  way  most  of  the  money  expended  beiDg 
wasted  in  unwatering  them  by  manual  labour. 
They  have  only  been  proved  to  a depth  of  120  feet 
at  most,  but  their  lateral  extension  for  over  100  yards 
has  been  confirmed. 
I think  it  only  rests  with  the  expenditure  of  capital, 
and  good  management,  to  obtain  from  them  a large 
out-put  of  plumbago  of  the  best  quality,  for  which  a 
gcod  market  could  be  procured. 
Here  the  wages  to  miners  and  surface  laborers  is 
most  reasonable,  and  would  render  the  getting  of  the 
stuff  at  the  cheapest  possible  rate. 
Pumping  machinery,  either  by  steam,  or,  in  the 
caBe  of  Madapola,  perhaps  by  water  piwe-,  would  be 
most  effective. 
Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  rook  in  which  the 
veins  are  situated  they  are  very  irregular  in  width, 
but  are  shown  to  widen  and  narrow  by  turns  when 
followed. 
A width  of  6 inches,  I estimate,  will  give  113  tons 
to  the  fathom,  and  in  the  hardest  ground  this  would 
not  cost  more  than  £7  13s  per  running  fathom.  Two 
men  should  get  out  2 tons  a month,  and  50  men  600 
tons  a year.  600  tons  at  £20  will  bring  £12,41.0. 
The  cost  of  production  beirg  £4,593,  will  leave  a profit 
of  £7,410  on  the  600  tons.  This  docs  not,  however, 
include  any  other  expenses,  except  those  of  actually 
getting. 
From  the  table  of  Exports  from  CeyloD,  in 
“ Ferguson’s  Oeylon  Handbook  aud  Directory,”  it  will 
be  seen  that  for  the  years  1880,  1885,  1886  and  1887 
the  export  of  plumbago  has  been  as  follows: — 
1880— 205,738  cwt.  1880—241,760  ewfc.: 
£205,738  value.  £241,760  value. 
1885—196,400  ewt.  1887—238,599  cwt. : 
£136,400  value.  £238.600  value. 
Judging  from  these  values  the  price  of  plumbago 
has  averaged  £1  per  hundred  weight,  that  is,  £20  per 
ton  for  these  years.  In  February  last  I was  told  it 
had  risen  to  £24,  but  fell  again. 
The  table  just  referred  to  gives  an  idea  of  the 
large  quantity  of  plumbago  mined  solely  by  natives 
eaoh  year ; but  the  value  they  receive  for  it  from 
the  merchants  does  not  appear.  Another  good  feature 
in  these  mines  is  their  situation  within  easy  reach 
of  a fine  river,  navigable  to  the  sea  at  Kalutara 
for  good  sized  scows,  and  with  a railway  connect- 
ing the  latter  place  with  Colombo.  There  is  timber 
on  these  properties  to  a certain  extent,  and  plenty  is  to 
to  be  obtained  in  the  neighbourhood.  Amongst  the 
natives  the  district  is  considered  to  be  a very  healthy 
one,  there  beiDg  but  little  fever  there. 
I can  most  highly  reoommend  the  Madapola,  Kirilli- 
wella,  Tunpelehaca  properties  to  the  Syndicate,  tbe 
first  two  mentioned  being  the  most  valuable.  The 
other  property  of  Ratmalgoda  is  also  well  worth 
securing,  though  quite  unproved  at  present. 
O.  Barrington  Bbown,  Asjoc,  R.M.S.,  F.G.S. 
London,  April  28tb,  1890. 
VARIOUS  NOTES. 
French  Tomato  Pickle.— First  of  all  you  must 
have  a peck  of  green  tomatoes.  Then  you  will  also 
require  six  large  onions,  half  a pint  of  salt,  one 
pint  of  brown  sugar,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  curry- 
powder,  two  table  spoonfuls  of  turmeric,  two  teaspoon- 
fuls of  ground  cinuamou,  two  teaspoonfuls  of  ground 
clove,  two  teaspoonfuls  of  ground  allspice,  two  tea- 
spoonfuls of  mustard,  three  quarts  of  vinegar  and 
one  quart  of  water.  Slice  the  tomatoes  and  onions 
and  put  them  in  a large  bowl  or  stone  jar.  Sprinkle 
with  the  salt,  and  let  them  stand  over  night.  In  the 
morning,  drain  off  (he  liquid,  and  put  the  vegetables 
in  the  preserving  kettle  with  one  quart  of  vinegar 
and  one  quart  of  water.  Let  them  boil  for  five 
minutes,  and  then  drain  off  the  liquid.  Return  the 
drained  vegetables  to  the  preserving  kettle.  Mix  the 
spice  smoothly  with  a part  of  the  two  quarts  of 
vinegar.  Add  to  this,  the  remainder  of  the  vinegar 
and  the  sugar  to  the  vegetables,  and  heat  to  the 
boiling  point.  Cook  for  fifteen  minutes  after  the 
pickles  begin  to  boil.  Put  it  up  in  small  jars  and 
seal. — Good  Housekeeping. 
Waste  Products. — In  the  cu:rent  number  of 
the  North  American  Review,  Lord  Playfair  shows 
how  waste  products  are  made  useful.  He  says 
there  are  some  perfumes  which  are  really  oils  and 
ethers  extracted  from  flowers.  There  are  others 
which  are  made  artificially,  and  curiously  most 
frequently  out  of  bad-iiuellirg  compounds.  Fusel 
oil  which  has  a most  sickening  odour,  after 
treatment  with  acid  and  oxidizing  agents,  is  used 
to  make  the  oil  of  apples  and  the  oil  of  pears.  Oil 
of  grapes  and  oil  of  cognac,  we  also  learn,  are  little 
more  than  fusel  oil  largely  diluted.  On  the  other 
baud,  oil  of  pineapples  is  best  made  by  the  action 
of  putrid  cheese,  or  by  distilling  rancid  butter  with 
alcohol  and  oil  of  vitriol.  It  is  to  be  feared  that 
his  lordship’s  disclosures  will  be  a distinct  shock 
to  the  feminine  mind.  Probably  they  would  prefer 
to  be  left  in  ignorance  of  the  fact,  as  Lord 
Playfair,  following  Lord  Palmerston,  states  that 
“ dirt  is  only  matter  in  a wrong  place.” — Sola’s 
Journai. 
Indian  Patents.— Nov.  2nd. — No.  269  of  1892. — 
Br-resford  Lovett,  a Colonel  in  the  corps  of  the  Royal 
Engineers,  at  present  Chief  Engineer  in  the  Military 
Works  Departments  and  residing  at  Aucklands, 
Ootacumund,  for  “Cleaning  grain,  such  as  gram, 
liolti  and  rioe,  from  grit,  gravel  and  sand.”  No. 
271  of  1892. — Henri  Galopin,  of  Temple  Court 
Place,  Chancery  Lane,  Melbourne,  in  the  Colony 
of  Victoria,  Scientific  Engineer,  for  Improvements 
in  and  connected  with  apparatus  for  “Usng 
Liquid  Fuel  for  Lighting  and  Heating  purposes." 
No.  46  of  1892. —Eva  Jennie  Hall,  wife  of  Hugh 
Hall,  residing  at  No.  1010,  Sixth  Avenue  South 
in  the  City  of  Stillwater,  County  of  Washington 
and  State  of  Minnesota,  one  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  for  “Improvements  in  and  relating 
to  needles  for  use  in  sewing  maohines.”  (Filed 
23rd  September  1892  ) No.  56  of  1892. — Andrew 
Charles  Guy  Thompson,  Engineer  and  Tea  Planter 
of  Sagmootea  Tea  Estate,  Nowgong,  Assam,  for 
“Transporting  or  conveying  material  or  substances 
from  one  point  or  piece  to  another  and  is  specially 
adapted  from  its  portability  and  ready  means 
of  applying  tension  and  epeedy  discharging  ap- 
paratus to  such  works  as  conveyance  of  eaiili  or 
soil  (commonly  -called  top  dressing)  or  making 
up  earthworks.”  (Filed  17th  October  1S92.)  No- 
158  of  1S92. — Samuei  Cleland  Davidson  of  Snccco 
Works,  Belfast,  Ireland,  Merchant,  for  “Improve- 
ments in  the  manufacture  of  tea  leaf  into  black 
tea.”  (Filed  14th  October  1892  )— Indian  Engineer, 
Nov.  12. 
