July I, 1899.1 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
SI 
Dools are very numerous, as in watei-iogsed country, 
or where the inhabit auts are not suffideatly advanced 
to take the necessary precau'ions, we can scarcely 
expect the recent observations to bs of much 
,iso_at least for some years to come. Aud this 
limitation must, I fear, exclude most of the rural 
are-\s in India. V/here, however, the breeaiug pools 
are not very numerous and where there is anything 
approaching a compstent sanitary establishment, we 
may, I think, hone lo ro'-.p tiie benetit of ihese dis- 
coveries. Aud this should apply to the most crowded 
areas such as those o£ cities, lowns and cantonments, 
and a!so lo tea, coffee, and indigo estates, and per- 
baps to military camps. For instance, malaria causes 
an enormous amount of sickness among the poor in 
most Indian cities, ilere the common species of 
mosquitoes breed in the precincts of almost all the 
hon=e'= and cau therefore scarcely be exterminated; 
but pools suitable for the spotted-winged varieties are 
comparatii-ely scarce, being found only on vacant 
areas, ill-kept Rarden'% or beside roads, lu very ex- 
ceptional portions wheie they can neither dry up 
quioklv nor contain lis!), '-i-'hus a single small puddle 
may supply the danserous mosquitoes to several 
square miles containing a crowded population : if 
this be dttected and drained off— whicn vm!1 generally 
cost only a very few rupees— we may expect malaria 
to vanish from that particular area. The same con- 
si 'erations will apply to military cantonments and 
estates under cultivation. lu many such malaria 
cases the bulk of the sirkness aud may oiteu, I think, 
originate from two or three small puddles of a few 
square ^ ards in size. Thus in a malarious part 
o£ the ("aotonment of Seounderabad, I found the 
lar\a3 of spotted-winged mosquitoes only after a 
long search in a single little pool which could be 
filled up with a few cart-loads of town rubbish. In 
making these suggestions I do not wish to excite 
hopes which may ultimately prove to have been 
unfounded. We do not yet know all the dangerous 
species of mosquilo, nor do we even possess an e.'c- 
haustive knowledge of the haunts aud habits of any 
one variety. I wish merely to indicate what, so far 
as I can see at present, may become a veiy simple 
means of eradicating malaria. 
HOPE FOE THE PUTUEE. 
One thing may be said for certain. Where previously 
we have been unable to point out the exact origin of 
the malaria in a locality and have thought that it 
rises from the soil generally, we may now hope for 
much more precise knowledge regarding its source; 
and it will be contrarv to experience if human inge- 
nuity does not finally succeed iu turning such informa- 
tion to practical account. JMore than this if the dis- 
tinguishing characteristics of the malaria-bearing mos- 
quitoes are sufficiently marked (if for instance, they 
all have spotted wings), people forced to live or travel 
in malarious districts will ultimately come to recog- 
nise them and to take precautions against being 
bitten by them. Before practical results can be 
reasonably looked for. however, we must fiuj pre- 
cisely — ., - , , 
(a) What species of Indian mosquitoes do aud do 
not carry human malaria. . 
(h) What are the habits of the dangerous varieties, 
I hope therefore, that I may be permitted to urge 
tho desirability of carrying out this research. It wiil 
uo longer present any scientific dithoulties, as only 
the methods already successfully adopted will be re- 
quired. The results obtained will be quite un- 
equivocal and definite. 
FUETHEK INVESTIGATIONS. 
But the inquiry should be exhaustive. It will not 
suffice to distinguish merely one or two malaria- 
hearing species of mosquito in one or two localities ; 
we should Uarn to know all of them in all parts of 
the country. The investigation will be abbreviated 
if the dangerous species bs found to belong only 
to one class of mosquito, as I think is likely ; 
aud the researches which are now being energeti- 
cally eutered udoq in Germany, Italy, America and 
Africa will assist a,ny which may be undertaken in 
India, though there is reason for thinking that the 
malaiia-bc.aring speeits differ in various countries. 
As each species is detected it will be possible to at- 
tempt measures at once for its extermination in given 
localities as au experiment. I regret that, owing to 
my work connected with \ala azar, I have not been 
able to advance this branch of knowledge as much 
during my term of special duty s.a I had hoped to 
do ; but I think that the solution of the malaria 
problem which has been obtained during this period 
will ultimately yield results of practical importance, 
— Madras Mail, June 1. 
THE INDIAN SUGAR INDUSTRY. 
We have, from time to time, placed before 
oiir readers the substance of the grievances 
of the Indian sugar producers, and we have 
been able to sympathise with them in the 
unfair competition created by foreign 
bounties, and generally to approve the 
action of the Indian Government in pro- 
claiming countervailing duties to counter- 
act the effect of these bounties. Those who 
oppose the imposition of the new duties, 
have taken their stand partly on principle, 
alleging a violation of free triide, and partly 
on injustice to the consumer whose sugar 
has been rendered dearer to the extent of 
the duties imposed. The obvious answer to 
the first objection is that it is the bounties 
which are a violation of free trade, and that 
the sole object of the duties is to remove 
from the shoulders of the local producer the 
burden which is placed thereon by foreign 
bounties — and thus to promote free trade 
and equal competition. The consvmier will 
probably be inconvenienced to some extent ; 
but it is only the well-to-do consumer into 
whose diet refined sugar enters and who 
can afford to bear the small burden for the 
benefit of the poverty-stricken agriculturist, 
who is handicapped in the sale of his canes 
by the immense quantities of beet-root, 
bounty-fed sugar Avhich is ijoured into India 
from Continental manufactories. A further 
objection has since been urged, that the 
duties are intended really for the benefit of 
Indian reriners who cannot turn out sugar 
of the quality of French and German sugar. 
An Indian contemporary publishes informa- 
tion which he has collected at some pains 
to combat this view, whose energetic ex- 
ponent has been Mr. Harold Cox, who has 
declared that the best Indian sugar refineries 
have hitherto turned out only second-class 
sugar which cannot come near the article 
produced in Germany and Austria. The 
expert to whom the Friend of India referred 
the matter, has no hesitation in declaring 
the best Indian cane sugar, not only not 
inferior to the best imported sugiir, but 
actually superior to it. The quantity pro- 
duced, however, of this superior sugar is 
small ; and the limitation is said to be 
solely due to the influence of unfair compe- 
tition involved in foreign bounties. Capital 
fights shy of an industry which has to com- 
pete with unknown forces ; and though 
India cannot just now produce all the flrst- 
class sugar for which there is a demand 
within its territories, it is quite able, with 
the encouragement offered by countervail- 
ing duties, to increase its output of sugar of 
the finest qualities so as to meet most of 
