Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist.'' 
[July I, i8^r. 
"breed their own animals by crossing with Indian 
bulls, but little attention is given to the breeding 
of sheep and goats." 
" Cattle manure is often carefully collected and 
sold at R3 and more a cart load, but more care 
can be exercised to prevent manure deteri- 
orating in value from exposure to the weather. 
It is a common idea among cattle owners and 
cattle doctors that starving cattle, is the best 
means of driving away disease. What the 
origin o f this idea, which is embodied in a 
proverb is, it is difficult to make out. Goats are 
liable to . an epidemic disease, of which the 
symptoms .are cessation of feeding, inflammation 
of the mo.uth accompanied by a flow of saliva, 
costiveness. of the bowels, and a blackening of 
the tongue. The animals die soon after 
the appearance of these symptoms, but some- 
times linger for 6 or 7 days. The cattle doctors 
have no remedy for the disease, and for the 
want of veterinary aid, which is required so 
much here as well as in other parts of the 
Island, many herds of goats are periodically 
-earried off." 
- "The -Pioneer seems to think that Dr. Voelcker's 
^conclusions with regard to Indian Agriculture 
have been rather hasty, and quotes Mr. Benson 
of the Agricultural Department of Madras to 
prove that tjie ryot's systems of agriculture are 
hy no means so perfect as thinks Dr. Voelcker, 
^ho "it would seem takes a very rose-coloured 
view of the Indian cultivator and his methods." 
The Indian Agriculturist denounces in strong 
terms Dr. Voelcker's approval of the system 
of communal grazing. " It is a matter for deep 
regret," it says, "^that a man of his scientific 
attainments should have given the support of 
his voice 'to encourage an xmsound economic 
system .'a system so utterly unscientific." 
Titnei of India, referring to Dr Voelcker's 
article on Indian Agriculture in the Journal of 
the Royal Agricultxiral Society, says :— It is not 
only that the article is scrappy and imperfect— 
these are faults that might have been con- 
doned—but it has a curiously superficial air 
about it, and paints the system and prospects 
of Indian Agriculture in hues which, judged 
"by the researches of other practical men, seem 
altogether too rosy. 
The supplement to The Fireman of May 1st to 
hand consists of a description of appliances de- 
signed by "Messrs. Merryweather and Sons for 
India and the Colonies. Under irrigation machi- 
nery is described the improved high-class light 
irrigation machine specially made to meet 
the demand in the Colonies for light and 
powerful pumping machinery for irrigating 
purposes. It is particularly adopted for use 
in situations wliere transport of heavy machinery 
Is difficult, and where it is required to move 
the engine about to work at different points. The 
machine can be made to draw water from a depth, 
and, if required, force it to a height of 40 feet from 
the water. The weight of the machine on 
wrought iron wlieeLs is about 30 cwt., and for 
conveying upcountry " it may lio shipped in 
parts, the heaviest weighing about 10 cwt. The 
engine is made in different sizes to deliver 
from 500 to 2000 gallons per minute. When 
.specifications and estimates are required, the 
following particulars should be given : — 1, quantity 
of water required per minute ; 2, total height to 
which it is to be raised ; 3, character of fuel to be 
used ; 4, character of water to be used in the 
boiler ; 5, length of oiling and suction piping 
required. 
Fixed irrigation pumps to be worked by 
wind power are also supplied by this finn : 
and by another arrangement a pair of gun-metal 
pumps - are worked by a water wheel pumping 
part of the water by which the wheel is driven 
to a height of 50 feet through 1,600 feet of 
piping, or the wheel may be worked by river 
water and the pumps arranged to draw from 
a reservoir of potable water, A fall of 4 feet 
has been found quite sufficient to do the work, 
and the whole is so simple and strong, that it 
will pump quite unattended for days, only a 
little oil being occasionally required. The cost 
of this last arrangement, not including any 
brick-work, is about £40. 
Seaweed is a substance of somewhat variable 
composition. Dr. Ure, in his Dictionary of Arts, 
gives the following typical analysis of the com- 
position of the soluble and insoluble parts of 
ash of seaweed : — 
Soluble Part- 
Sulphate of soda . . . . 8-0 190 
Soda in carbonate and sulphuret 8'5 5'o 
Muriate of soda and potash . . 36'5 37 '5 
530 62-0 
Insoluble Part — 
Carbonate of lime . . . . 24-0 lO'O 
Silica . . . . . . 8-0 0 0 
Alumina, tinged with iron oxide 9'0 lO'O 
Sulphate of lime . . . . O'O 9-0 
Sulphur, and loss . . , . 6'0 8'5 
100-0 100-0 
In Watt's Dictionary of Chemistry the per- 
centage of nitrogen in the dry matter of seaweed 
is stated as follows — Dulse tangle, 1-588 ; black 
tangle, 1-396. 
The third section of the International Congress 
of Hygiene deals with the relations of the diseases 
of animals to those of man. The President of 
this section is Sir Nigel Kingscote. Papers on 
the following subjects will be read by notewor- 
thy physiologists, bacteriologists, veterinarians 
and agriculturists : — The propagation and pre- 
vention of rabies ; animal parasites communicated 
to man ; the infection of food ; infectious diseases 
of the cow in relation to epidemic diseases in the 
human subject ; the inspection of meat, with 
regard to the prevention of disease ; tuburculosis in 
all its bearings ; the alleged danger of consu- 
ming the apparently healtliy meat and milk of tuber- 
culosis animals ; the infectious diseases com- 
municable from animals to man and vice versa ; 
anthrax; the general subject of veterinary hygiene, 
