53a 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 189*. 
is done by ordinary bullocks. These pony mares 
were bIbo employed in Persian wheels for lifting water 
from ■wells to irrigate fields in which Ixicerre guicga 
grass, dubs, carrots, &c., were grown. Likewise I 
had some of the mar-rs used for raising water by t^e 
chnrsa or leather mashak. As I found some of t e 
heavy work of the farm, such as pulling timber and 
ploughing very stiff land, was rather too much for 
the small pony mares, I was allowed to have twelve 
larger mares, from 14-2 to 15 bands, cast from re- 
giments and batteriesj end with these and the pony 
mares all the work in the farm, and the carrying of 
grain and forage in carts about the farm, and bringing 
bran, &c., from a railway station 24 miles off was 
duly performed. These mares were not groomed ; 
when not at work they were allowed to graze in the 
fields,' and they also had a small quantity of grain 
diet according to the work they performed — about 
3 lb. daily. Each ploughman had to attend and 
care for two pairs of ponies. The mares, as they 
came in season, were mated with donkey stallions 
and the mule produce so obtained were highly 
satisfactory. The mules horn were found to be 
hardly and easily reared. The cost of rearing 
was calculated at RIJ per month, and at the age of 
three years the mules were worth from 11150 to 
R250 each. Mule-breeding is therefore a paying in- 
dustry. But my present wishes are to induce the 
public to look upon the horse as an animal as nsctui 
88 a bullock on a farm, and if mares are employed, 
then the profit, arising from using them as horpe or 
mule breeders, is apparent. If the agricultural coca- 
munity will use horses for farm work, the horse- 
breeding industry win become extended, and the 
requirements of the public and State, as regards 
horses, will be secured in tbe local martets. At 
present horse and mule breeding ar« limited in extent; 
hence why importers bring horses and mules from 
distant countries— Australia, Persia, Arabia and the 
Oape of Good Hope, to supply the wants of the State 
and public. The lirge amount of money required to 
pay for these foreign horses and mules is given for 
the benefit of other countries, not for India. But 
India, with its congenial climate, in districts away 
from the lowlands of the coast, especially in Northern 
India, is porticnlarly well suited for horse and mule 
breeding ; and surely it will be good policy for breeders, 
in suitable distriots, to follow horse and mnle breed- 
irig BB a part of agricultural work, and thus in time 
provide all horees and mules required in India, and 
the money now sent to foreign countries will be dis- 
tributed amongst breeders of Indian horse and mule 
stock. I have to earnestly recommend that the native 
gentlemen I have tho pleascro of addressing may 
explain to farmers and others what I have described 
in my addrtss, and I would solicit their kiod co- 
operation in inducing every <mployer of bullocks to 
nse marfs instead, and thus have the profit obtaina- 
ble from the mares as breeders. I would ask you to 
accept all I have said as the result of practical ex- 
perience, and as that practical experience has con- 
vinced me of the pecuniary advantage derivable from 
using horse and mare power, so do I deem it my 
duty to inform the public of Indid, with a view of 
allowing farmers and other bullock-keepers to become 
aware of the satisfactory results from employiog mares 
instead of bullocks. 
In conclusion, Mr. Hallen gave a few statistics 
which went to show that more water could be raised 
by the " chain pump " in a given time, and with a 
similar amount of power, than with the chursa or 
Persian wheel, and he assured all who cared to visit 
the farm at Babugarh of a hearty welcome. A course 
of tochnicil instruction would be given at that farm 
to all who cared to learn the management of a farm 
and all its details. 
The Chairman said that with the co-operation of a 
few of his frionda he would address Government on 
the Btibjeot of Mr. Halleu's scheme, for he felt suro 
that the only way to get tho public to take the matter 
lip was through the Government. 
In ackuowlodgiiig tbe vote of thanks which was 
passed to him, Mr. Ilalleu said ho was anxioaB that 
such fteps should be taken in the matter of horse and 
mule breeding as would make India independent of 
foreign sources. The improved indigenous horse was 
far better than the Australian. In India we had the 
bssi.", in tbe Asiatic animal, of the best horae for or- 
dinary public services, and the best war horse. The 
best definition of a war horse was a horse that would 
go tho longest distance, and perform hard work on the 
shortest commons. — Tinus of India. 
Ceylon Tea in Sydney. — A Sydney paper eon- '- 
tains tbe following advertisement : — 
The Melboubne Cup is Past. 
Latest Tin for Ceylon Cuf : i 
Golden Tip. i 
The increasing production of Ceylon Teas, and ex. \ 
cellence of Teas grown in the island, have induced as j 
to offer selections from the leading estates, eupersediog 1 
everything hitherto offered at tbe price ; no outrageous ' 
names, but Oeylon pure and simple. No. 7, Ohoioe ' 
Ceylon Pekoe Souchong, handsome leaf, thick, rich, 
mellow, fine flavour, 23 per lb. No. 5, Choicest Ceylon ! 
small leaf Pekoe, with delicious flavour and snperb 
quality, 2s 6d per lb. No. 6, Extra Choice Cejlon I 
Golden Orange Pekoe, a mass of golden lip, absolutely 
matchless in liquor, 3s. In families where a quantity \ 
of tea is consumed a large monetary saving will be 
effected by ordering this tea. Address, E. H. Harris & 
Co., Ceylon Tea Stores, 18 Royal Arcade, Sydcoy. 
"The Tallow Teee " (Sapium sehriferum) 
AS A Fuel Plant.— From Puseellawa a correspon- 
dent writes : — 
" I am sending you a few seeds of the tallow 
tree, which is a strikingly handsome plant and an I 
exceeding quick grower. The leaf is in shape some- | 
thing like the Bo, and here and there a leaf turns j 
crimson' like the maple. The seed case is round cf ! 
and bright pnrple bearing each two seeds. I thought j 
that as it grows so very fast, it might be thought I 
worth cultivating for fuel trees, and I send yon an \ 
extract of what Dr. Trimen says about it." 
From the extract cent, it appears that the tree 
was introduced to Ceylon about 70 years ago and 
has long since been naturalized in some of the 
hill districts. Candles are largely made in China 
from the fatty matter round the seeds. The wood ' 
is hard and would make good fuel. Our corre- 
spondent speaks of a tree growing most luxuriantly 
at an elevation of about 3,060 feet, tbe tree being i 
fully 20 feet high at not 3 years old, making the i 
quickest growth of any tree planted in the locality 
except the Albizzia known in Assam as the Sau. i 
AccoEDiNG to a recent writer in Gartenflora the 
so-called Century-plant {Agave Americana) was in- 
troduoed into Europe during first century after the ij 
discovery ot the Now World. The blooming cf one 
specimen is recorded as occurring at Avignon in 
1599, and of another at Montpelier in 1647, while 
even as far north as Wurtemberg a specimen was 
seen in the latter years of the sixteenth century, j 
the flower-stalk of which measured over twenty- 
fonr feet in height and more than two feet in ' 
diameter. A story is told of one which, in some j 
town of Languedoo, under the eyes of Loius XIII. ! 
and Cardinal Eiehelieu, threw up a flower-stem ( 
twenty-eight "hand-lengths " in height during the I 
space of ihirty-aix hours, so geally to the astonish- ; 
ment of the king that he decreed the " bewildering I 
stem " should be painted by " some admirable I 
painter." The first ilulstration of Agave Americana I 
was published by Lobelius, who died in the same | 
year as Shakespeare. Cne does not often realize, 
perhaps, that in the far-oft days of Good Queen 
Bess American plants were already known in 
England as well as on the Continent, some of them 
being almost familiar objects, while as yet there 
were very few Americans except such as wore retj 
ekins. — Garden and Forest. 
