lThe tropical agriculturist. 
[Oct. 1, 1902. 
The Extraction of Sarsaparilla is free 
to every inhabitant of the Republic of Guate- 
mala who obeys the necessary rules. A written 
request for a licence, drawn up on stamped paper, 
must be presented to the political chief of the 
district, stating the locility where he proposes 
to work, the number of workmen employed, the 
length of time for which the licence is desired, 
&c. The person holding such licence may put 
up houses, huts or any necessary workshops 
under the condition that, on the expiration of his 
licence, such improvements remain the property 
of the Municipality or Departmental Govern- 
ment. One indispensable condition is that at 
least two roots be left on each plant, so that it 
may grow again, and, of course, persons holding 
licences for the extraction of sarsaparilla are 
expressly forbidden to engage in the extrac- 
tion ot rubber or any other substance than that 
named in the said licence. A minimum duty of 
one dollar (currency) must be paid on every one 
hundred pounds of sarsaparilla obtained, and 
the offices where the duty is to be paid are 
specified in the regulations. The licence is with- 
drawn if it is proved that the person holding it has 
destroyed all the roots of one or more plants, or 
has broken any other of the rules laid down. — B. 
and C. Druggist, August 22. 
EtiECTBic Power Plants in the Pacific 
States of America. — In a paper recently read 
before the New York Electrical Society, by Dr. 
F. A. C. Perrine, a full account is given of the 
the progress made in utilising the waterfalls and 
rivers along the Pacific slopes of the liocky 
Mountains for the development of electric energy 
and its transmission over long distances for use 
in town liffhtine, and for motive power in the 
mining and manufacturing districts of the Pacific 
States. Power is transmitted for distances rising 
from 50 to 80, to 150 and even 218 miles ! 
After this, how long is it to be before the Colombo 
Electiic Company utilise the great waterfalls 
from Maskeliya to the Kelani Valley ? Here is 
a case in the Far West, or very nearly the Far 
East from Ceylon : — 
" One of the most remarkable installations is that 
ftt the Snoqualmie Falls, Washington tJtate. These 
Falls are sltusted in the Cascade Mountains, amidst 
most beautiful surroundings of river, gorge, and mag- 
nifioent spruce foteats. To provide the power-house 
here, the startling plan was adopted of excavating a 
cavern within the very rock over which the Falls 
plunge. This was rendered necessary owing to the 
spray from the J^alls, which made it impracticable for 
any power-house to be established at their foot, 
and to have gone further down the river to a suitable 
site would have involved greater expense than the 
present work. To reach the cavern in which the 
power house is situated entrance is made by a little 
cabin near the fore bay to a shaft in which an 
elevator works, and which also contains the penstock, 
and 250 feet below the surface the machine-room is 
reached, in which are located six 1,500 kilowatt 
generators. This plant was one of the first in which 
aluminium was used for its transmission lines. The 
lines are carried over difficult mountains, and through 
continuous forests ot dense spruce and fir, which have 
been carefully cleared along the route to prevent the 
trees falling and interrupting the service. Current is 
transmitted at 60 cycles to the cities of Seattle and 
Tacoraa, where it is employed for lighting and for 
operating the railways. In Seattle the current is 
transformed by rotary convertors, but in Tacoma 
motor generators are used for this purpose and 
regulation obtained by a combination of synchronous 
and induction motors," 
Japanese Camp.hor.— The Nippon Camphor 
Company (Limited), of Kobe, has been taken 
over by the Monopoly Bureau of the Formosaa 
Government, and is carrying on the business as 
hitherto under the name of the Kob6 Branch 
of the Monopoly Bureau of the Formosan 
Government, at No. 4 Fukiai, Kumoidori, Kobe 
Japan. — Chemist and Druggist, August, 30. 
Oil of the Atlas Cedar.— The essential oil of 
the Atlas cedar, which has recently been strongly 
recommended as a remedy for venereal diseases 
equal to sandalwood oil, has been chemically ex- 
amined by Boisse (Bull. Comm. 1902, 291). The 
most important point which ohis examination brings 
out is that the oil contains sixteen per cent of a 
sesquiterpene alcohol. As is well-known, ordi- 
nary cedarwood oil only contains about two per 
cent of such alcohols, whilst it is to the pre- 
sence of a large amount of such bodies that 
sandalwood oil owes its efficiency.— C/iemisi a?icZ 
Druggist, August 9. 
Pisciculture 1— The disciples of Izaak 
Walton in Ceylon will, we are sure, appreciate 
the ariicle we reproduce from the Indian 
Field on this subject. (See page 252.) The 
at tide is published by our contemporary in 
view of the interest now "taken in the East 
anent the importation of trout ova from Home 
vvith a view to the introduction of that gamq 
fish to Ceylon, the Doon, the Neilgherries, 
and Kashmir " and consists of a lengthy 
communication regarding the acquarium 
and exhibit of hatching apparatus at the 
International Exhibition now being held at 
Cork which gives a short resum^ of the 
necessary process and period of incubation. 
" Ceylon Tea Absolutely Repulsive 
Such is the courteous expressionof personal opi- 
nion used in a letter to the press by Mr .Arthur 
Stanhope Aldrich, H.I. Japanese Majesty's 
Consul at Wellington (Palmerston North ?), 
a copy of which he sends us with his com- 
pliments. It is considerate of Mr. Aldrich to 
do so ; and in return we are not only reply- 
ing to some of his statements at once ; but 
are sending him a copy of our little pamphlet 
on Ceylon tea, showing the wide apprecia- 
tion of its good qualities, by the best judges 
of tea in the worid — in the United Kingdom, 
Russia and Australia. The people of North 
America are far behind as tea-drinkers and 
have to be educated up to the standard 
of the best teas. It is all very well for 
Mr, Aldrich to .stand up for the country he 
represents ; but his " absolutely repulsive," 
as applied to Ceylon tea, is too much and 
very unjustifiable altogether and he has to 
be told that Canton merchants, dealing with 
the finest and most delicate of China teas, 
have confessed the very high qualities of 
our teas which can be got of as delicate a 
flavour as any trom China. Of course, there 
is such a thing as bad tea to be got under 
the name of " Ceylon," but not nearly in the 
same proportion as there comes from China 
and even Japan, where Prussian blue and 
other deleterious substances are used tc 
colour the tea. Mr. Aldrich has evidently 
much to learn about Ceylon tea, as well as 
about the doings of the Chinese and Japa* 
nese in regard to much of their teas. 
