May ], 1901.1 THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
775 
FOREST ENGINEERING. 
We have to acknowledge receipt from the 
author of a copy of "A Manualof Forest En- 
gineering for India" by Charles Gilbert Ro- 
gers, Fellow of Cooper's Hill, iJeputy 
Conservator of Forests, Imperial Forest Ser- 
vice of India— Volume I — Price Pour Rupees, 
English Price Six Shillings. It is a very 
useful conipilatioii of some 300 pages with 
over 140 illustrations, after the style of the 
well known Roorkee Treatises. From the 
preface we learn : — 
This Manual ha.s been wiittea by order of the 
Government of India for the use cf Forest Officera 
in India in the first iu'-tanoe, but will, it is hoped, 
prove of some practical vaJue to the general public, 
and especially to that section of the community who 
are engaged directly in the management of tea- and 
coffee gardens, indigo concerns, and in agricultural 
pursuits generally. 
The Manual has been divided into the following 
parts : 
Part I. — BuiWing Materials. 
Part II. — Building Construction. 
Part III.— Eoad Mating. 
}'art IV. — Bridges. 
Part v.— Transport of Timber. 
Part VI-— Wells. 
Part VII. — Construction of Embankments and 
Water Ciianaels. River Training Works. 
PartVlIi, — Demarcation of Forests. 
Parts I and II will form the first. Parts III and 
IV the second, and Parts V to VIII the third and 
last, volume. The first two volumes contain inform- 
ation which will be useful to anyone who is inter- 
ested in simple engineering problems, while the third 
volume contains those parts of the subject which are 
of more special interest to a Foresc Officer. 
Mr. Rogers has had the help of experts, 
in different departments, and the Manual 
as a whole cannot fail to be a very valuable 
one. 
A SUCCESSFUL MATABELE HUNTER _ 
Mr. Phillip Stelhvagen, the hunter, returned 
to Beira from Cherinwoma and the Zambesia dis- 
tricts by the Matahele. During; Ids absence from 
town lie has shot big game which have yielded 
him about 7 tons of heads and horns, including 
many tine specimens and probably some records. 
One pair of bufi'alo horns^ the pick of 42 shot, 
measure.s 52 inches from tip to tip, which must 
be almost a record for a cow. Mr Stellwagen has 
been very successful in his trips lately, and evi- 
dently works very hard on the veldt, and has a 
knovfledge of a very prstty bit of hunting country 
which always yields good sport. He is also well 
spoken of by shootino; parties to which he has been 
atta?,!ied, n.« the guarantee of a good hag, — Central 
African Times, March 9. 
ejp, 
SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS FOR INDIA. 
TWO IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS. 
Planter.^', agriculturists, aud gar<leuers in this 
coantry have reason to congratulate themselves 
on the attention now being given by the Govern- 
ment of India to the appointment of scientific 
experts. VV e have quite recently had a com- 
petent entomologist added to the staff of the 
Indian Museum. We have now to record the 
arrival at Calcutta of two other experts, viz., Mr. 
Isaac Henry Burkill, M.A., F.L.S,, from the lioyal 
98 
Gardens, Kew, as As.si.stant Eeporfcer on Eco- 
nomic Products to the Government of India, who 
has taken up his duties, and Dr. Butler as Cryp- 
togamie Botanist for India. This gentleman 
ara-ived here last Friday from Ceylon, where he 
spent a short time on his way to Ca'cutta. He 
has now taken up ids duties at the Royal Bo- 
tanic Gardens, Calcutta, unJer Dr. Prain, the 
Superiutemlent. Dr Butler has worked under 
Professor Van Teigliem at Paris on fungi, and 
under Mous Pnivault at Antibes. Before he 
studied in France he was a pupil of Professor 
Hartog, at the University of Cork. The officers 
of our "Indian Agriculturist Bureau" scheme, 
sketched out in our issue of 8tli December, 1898, 
are gradually being appointed, and we hope to see 
before long tlie formation of the Bureau un fait 
accompli. — Indian Gardening and Planting, 
April 11th. 

CEYLON IN 1889 AND 1901. 
(Return to Ceylon after an absence of twelve 
years of an old planting correspondent.) 
ARRIVAL AT GALLIi. 
After a passage of 18 days in the " Clan Koss " 
from Natal, we sighted land on Good Friday and 
as the mist rolled away Adam's Peak was the 
leading feature. Being too late for entrance into 
Galle harbour we anchored within a cable's length 
of the Bell-Buoy and -waited till daj light to 
come in. 
There were a number of waterspouts around the 
ship, some of them very near us the day before we 
came in sight of lands. 
The weather was good from the day we left 
South Africa and there were numerous flying-fish 
to be seen every day skimming the waves. 
The late rains had brightened up all vegelation 
and Galle looked very beautiful as we entered the 
harbour. Clearing our baggage at the Customs, 
we (four passengers) made straight for the Kail- 
way Station, crossing the esplanade where a 
Cricket Match was in progress and a number of 
lookers-on in the grandstand. The Easter holi- 
days seems to have commenced, to judge by the 
number of people travelling by train. We had 
never before journeyed by the sea-side railway and 
this was an agreeable change from the old Coach, 
keeping the sea in view through openings in 
the deep fringe of Coconut-palms. The rail- 
way trip to Kalutara South Station was 
very enjoyable. Kalutara is a lovely place with 
a very large and comfortable Resthouse. The 
servants there are very attentive, and a good 
breakfast prepared at short notice. We were 
not in want of much rest after a fortnight on 
board the steamer and took advantage of a 
break in the weather to drive out and see the 
lea estates of Kalutara. Driving is cheap here, 
especially the neat little bullock hackeries with 
hoods complete, the roads fairly good, and the 
tropical mass of vegetation lining the roadways 
most piotures~que and romantic ; almost every 
conceivable fruit tree and palm making lovely 
avenues aud rendering grateful shade from the 
setting sun. 
The climate of Kalutara islsomewhat trying to 
men o f advanced age ; and the bungalows being 
perched on the elevated ridges, there are some 
stiff climbs to make before shelter is found. 
We have already visited half-a-dezen thriving 
tea plantations in 
