THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [April  i,„  1893 
632 
the  committee  of  the  association  held  recently,  the 
subject  of  the  new  railway  rates  was  discussed,  and 
a schedule  of  the  various  increases  was  taken  into 
consideration,  when  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to 
draw  the  attention  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  the 
secretary  of  the  Railway  Companies’  Association  to 
the  serious  injustice  of  the  rates  now  in  force, 
which  are  in  strict  violation  of  a promise  made  by 
the  railway  companies  at  the  Joint  Committee  of 
Lords  and  Commons.  A letter  addressed  to  a whole- 
sale firm  has  since  been  received  from  Sir  Henry 
Oakley,  in  which  he  intimates  that  the  special  rates 
for  tea  will  be  continued,  but  he  is  not  in  a 
position  to  state  that  they  will  be  precisely  the 
same  as  those  charged  before  the  new  rates  came 
into  force.  A notice  from  the  railway  companies 
with  special  reference  to  small  consignments  was 
read,  and  if  put  into  operation  as  from  the  1st 
instant,  it’is  calculated,  with  the  increased  tonnage 
rate,  to  add  one  shilling  per  chest  to  the  carriage 
to  eighty-six  northern  towns,  when  tea  is  sent  in 
lots  of  less  than  say  four  chests.  The  secretary 
was  instructed  to  particularly  bring  this  subject  be- 
fore the  Board  of  Trade  and  others  interested  in 
the  matter. — H.  and  C.  Mail,  Feb.  10. 
VARIOUS  NOTES. 
The  Artesian  Water  System  is  now  being 
largely  used  in  Queensland,  and  some  very  success- 
ful results  have  reoently  been  obtained.  On  the 
Charlotte  Plains  run,  near  Cunnamnlla,  an  enormous 
supply  of  water  has  been  struck  at  a depth  of 
1,848  ft.  It  is  estimated  that  the  supply  is  between 
4’000,000  and  5,000,000  gallons  daily.  This  is 
believed  to  be  the  greatest  artesian  supply  of 
water  yet  struck  in  Australia. 
The  Java  Exhibition  —The  exhibition  of  indus- 
trial and  natural  products  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies, 
which  is  to  be  held  at  Batavia  in  the  course  of  this 
year,  promises  to  be  a decided  success.  The 
agricultural  section  will  include  extensive  exhibits 
of  oinohona,  including  flowering  branches  as  well  as 
dried  baik,  indigo  and  other  dyestuffs,  spices,  gums 
and  resios,  essential  oils  and  medioinal  drugs  of 
native  as  well  as  European  use.  Prizes  are  offered 
for  the  best  treatises  on  the  cultivation  of  and 
commerce  in  cinchona,  pepper,  cubebs,  vanilla, 
cloves,  and  cinnamon,  and  for  the  best  project  for 
the  establishment  of  a oinchona-factory  in  Java.— 
Chemist  and  Druggist. 
Italian  Oranges. — The  produce  of  oranges  and 
lemons  in  the  south  of  Italy . was  last  year  very 
satisfactory  to  both  producers  and  merchants, 
having  reached  the  total  amount  of  57,000  tons 
of  the  value  of  285,OOOL  The  rise  in  the  price  for 
this  article  is  principally  owing  to  the  great  facilities 
granted  by  the  railway  companies,  by  which  means 
a great  quantity  is  exported  to  the  north  of  Italy, 
where  the  fruit  is  largely  consumed.  No  direot 
exportation  of  this  produot  was  from  Eaggio  Ca- 
labria to  foreign  countries,  effected  during  1891, 
save  a small  quantity  of  salted  citrons  for  Russia; 
although  it  is  well  to  note  that  of  the  quantity  of 
fruit  exported  from  Messina  to  foreign  countries, 
this  district  contributed  for  the  most  part,  espe- 
cially in  the  oranges,  of  which  that  province  does 
not  produoe  a great  quantity.  In  fact,  the  returns 
for  1891  show  an  exportation  of  97,000  boxes  of 
fruit  from  this  district  to  the  port  of  Messina, 
wherein  are  not  comprised  the  mandarines.  Also 
important  iB  the  production  of  dried  fruit  in  this 
district  particularly  of  chestnuts  and  figs,  the 
latter  being  considered  as  good  as  those  produced 
at  Smyrna.  The  quantity  exported  in  1891  was 
3000  tons,  of  which  1000  tons  were  direct  for  Malta. 
— Nilgiri  News. 
Indian  Potato  Blight.  — Dr.  D,  D.  Cunningham’s 
microscopical  investigations  into  the  Indian  potato 
blight  are  still  going  on,  and  elaborate  experi- 
ments are  being  pursued  in  the  practical  treatment 
of  the  crop  and  of  diseased  soils.  The  results  are 
expected  to  be  important,  and  will  be  made  publio 
in  due  course. — Pioneer,  Feb.  17. 
Engineering  Feat  at  Niagara  Falls. — Says 
Dr.  J.  H.  Taylor  in  the  Australasian 
Before  the  Chicago  Exhibition  opens  an  event  of 
enormous  practical  scientific  importance  will  have 
taken  place  in  America.  Some  weeks  ago  I gave  a 
description  of  the  enormous  engineering  feat 
which  has  been  going  on  for  more  than  two  years 
past  at  the  Niagara  Falls.  This  was  the  boring  of  a 
sloping  tunnel  or  tube  through  the  solid  rock,  from 
below  the  Falls  to  the  Rapids  above.  Practically  it 
was  “tapping  Niagara.’  The  tunnel  is  now  com- 
pleted, and  it  is  announced  that  the  jpower-plant  for 
transforming  the  energy  supplied  by  the  bead  of  water 
into  electricity  will  be  in  operation  by  March.  It  is 
anticipated  that  an  electric  current  will  be  generated 
equivalent  to  75,000  horse-power.  This  is  an  enor- 
mous supply,  but  a mere  trifle  as  compared  with  the 
mighty  energy  which  now  wastes  itself  in  tumbling 
over  the  Fails.  Forty-five  thousand  electrical  horse- 
power will  be  transmitted  from  the  Niagara  tunnel 
to  the  city  of  Buffalo  , many  miles  away,  and  30,000 
electrical  horse-power  is  to  be  conveyed  to  other 
places. 
Coffee:  Coorg,  Feb.  20th. — This  season's  crops 
in  the  Bamboo  have,  on  the  whole,  been  disap- 
pointing. Individual  places  could  not  have  done 
better  considering  that  the  strength  and  resources 
of  the  trees  had  been  somewhat  severely  taxed  in 
the  previous  bumper  season.  One  estate  (Dubarie) 
of  something  over  300  acres— which,  if  I am  not 
mistaken,  is  described  as  the  “plum’’  of  the  Bam- 
boo— gave  70  tons,  or  80  I am  told,  which  is  very 
good  after  something  over  100  tons  the  season 
before  especially  when  the  ills  which  coffee  has  to 
contend  against  in  these  days  are  taken  into  ac- 
count. A crop  of  forty  tons,  which  was  considered 
a very  good  outturn  for  the  acreage,  was  obtained 
off  another  place,  and  17  tons  off  a third  of  under 
200  acres  in  extent,  which  had  given  its  25  tons 
in  the  previous  season.  These  are  the  strikingly 
bright  spots  in  a dark  picture.  On  some  few  estates, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  crops  were  phenomenally 
short.  One  extraordinary  instance  may  be  mentioned 
where  a place  of  over  300  acres  gave  a crop  of  only 
5 tons  ! if  I am  correctly  informed,  this  is  one  of 
the  estates  on  which  extra  precautions  are 
taken  against  borer  in  the  way  of  having  the 
flies  caught  and  destroyed  and  washing  the 
stems  of  the  trees  with  a mixture  which,  from 
what  I can  learn  of  the  matter,  appears  to 
be  composed  of  lime  and  sulphate  of  copper. 
The  best  ont  uru  at  the  ooast  ouriug  worss  of 
t.e  fir.-t  shipments  oi  coffee  from  the  Suntikoppa 
District  was  90J  bushels  or  so  of  parchment  to 
the  toe,  which  may  be  Considered  very  good,  as 
outturns  sometimes  range  up  to  95  and  97  per 
ton.  The  above  outturns  were  obtained  from 
the  parchment  of  only  two  eetaee.  The  average 
even  in  these  cjses,  calculated  oa  the  several 
shipme  its,  will  rise  to  probably  about  93  bushels, 
if  not  more,  per  ton.  Last  season  I stated  that 
Duuke.d  Estate  had  given  the  best  outturns  on 
reoord.  I took  the  figures  from  information  sup- 
plied to  you  some  time  previously  by  the  Manager 
of  the  Coimbatore  Curing  Works.  I believe  they 
gave  rise  to  quite  a commotion  in  the  Bamboo.  There 
was  no  reason  for  this,  as  the  figures  (79)  were,  I 
believe,  quite  a common  outturn  dowu  the  Ghauts  in 
the  old  days.  Nothing  has  been  attempted  in  the  way 
of  drying  coffee  under  shade.  On  one  estate  years 
ago  it  was  noticed  that  the  coffee  was  oi  better  quality 
and  always  fetched  higher  prices  than  that  of 
any  of  the  neighbouring  estates-  This  was  attributed 
to  a belt,  ot  trees  on  one  side  of  the  barbaoues  which 
ca>t  a shade  over  the  latter  during  the  hottest  part 
of  the  day,— Madras  Mail. 
