May 2, 1892.] TrtE TROPICAL 
5th. " Proper drainage of the road-bed will increase 
the life of sleepers." lu this respect ludii-.n railways 
•re far ahead of those in any other country. The 
ndvantages lo bo derived from the usu of good stone 
ballast do not< appear to be thor ughly understood 
even jet on Earopenu or American railways, although 
Eome of the best practical men in each cOQutry fully 
recognize its value, and have recommended its being 
adopted ea the standard whenever practicable, 
6th. "Proper care of sleeper." The practice of 
using ])ick8 to pull sleepers into place is destructive 
of their life, for the pick not only makes 
holes that admit water into the sleepers, but 
often splits the sleeper, thus providing on avenue for 
its rapid destruction. Hooks arc much better than 
picks for plftoirg sleepers. Old tpike-holes are also a 
prolific cttufe of decay and should be plugged with 
wood when re-spikiog." The suggestions made in the 
last paragraph of Mr. Eosd's paper are deserving of 
attention, and we believe that most railway men in 
this country are aware of the necessity of atteni' log 
to such details. 
Before leaving thii subject we may mention that in 
Americ* sawn sleepers are only used when hewn 
gleepers are not procnrable. Mr. W. li. Parson, c.e,, 
Engineer in charge of the United States Sub-way 
Cempany, who has had a large amount of experience 
with wooden sleepers, says : "Hewn sleepers are pre- 
ferable because they are more durable : men of ex- 
perience in such matters claim that the adze in hew- 
ing closes the pores of the wood, while the saw leaves 
them open to absorb moisture and hasten decay. A 
great objection to sawn sleepers is that they can bo 
made from large coarse-grained sticks, giving several 
sleepers to a section, and it is even possible to pass off 
old or dead timber when decayed portions have been 
removed by the saws." 
In Australia also, siwn sleepers are not in favour and it 
is generally specified that the logs are to be split with 
wedges in the same manner as wooden fencing : this 
prevents cross-grain timber being ust d. Neither split- 
tiDg or hewing appears to have been tried in India 
or Europe to any appreciable extent ; and if oawn 
sleepers were objected to, a hi(iher prion would pro- 
bably he d^mauc"©', as there would he a grtat deal 
of waste with large log if they were split instead 
of sawn. — Indian Enr/ineer. 
♦ 
NOTES FROM YERCAUD. 
{Fi om our own Correspondent.) 
Ybhcaud. March 8.— Since my last letter the stream 
of arrivals has run sttadily on and the Ho ! Hum ! Ya! 
Cum ! song of the bearers is now a daily sound. It is 
impossible not to admire the good humour, and ge- 
neral cheeriness of these men who, in all weathers, 
often cold, hungry, and ill-cUd, set willingly to their 
by no means easy task of breasting the gbaut with 
perhaps sixteen stone of solid vveightupon their should- 
ers, and lighten their way with ceaseless quip, crank, 
and jest. The eaao and economy with which the She- 
varoys can be reached is remarkable, and if more 
widely kn iwu would certainly count much in their fa- 
vour. Leaving Madras in the evening Sooramungalum, 
or Srtlem, the station for the Hills, is reached by 4 a.m. 
the next morning, giving time for a comfortable wa>h 
and brubh up »nd citota Aazri before the dawn appears. 
A brougham, ballook coHch, or the rapid, though less 
luxurious, jutka, covers the ground to the foot nf the 
HilU in less thvn an hour, and the cheery bearers have 
borne their burdens alolt and left the burning plains 
well behind bi fore the power of theeunbeBins to make 
itsclt lelt. Yercaud is reached easily by 9 o'clock, then 
a baih, breakfast, a siesta and lo ! what a change is 
there. Can this bright, alert, cool looking individual 
be that gasping, dust-begrimed creature that was called 
n Bl»di«Bseo } osterdsy y If eo would that his ft How 
Madrasoes could see him. and do likewise ! Only four- 
teen •liort hours since ho was driving to the Oentrhl 
■Station amidst noise, Ouat, smells and blasts of hot 
wiad, and wondering to himaelf whether life was wortti 
AQrtiGULtURlST. 8og 
living. Now he has no hesitation in answeriBg that 
question in the affirmative. 
If this delightful exchnnge can be obtained 
by one night's trnvelling, then he is full of pity 
for the people who go furthi r and perhaps fare 
worse. Barely does a visitor who comeB hero 
for the first time ro away disappointed, and num* 
hers are filled with surprise end regret that the ex- 
istence of 60 delightful and get-at-able a health reeort 
had renoaiued so long unknown to them. An occa- 
sional visitor from Bengal declares it to be far superior 
in every possible way to Darjeeling, and considers it 
worth the extra trouble and length of journey to get 
here. Epidemics are almoft unknown, even the sim- 
ple cue of measles, which is constantly preeent in 
Ooty, never appearing. The belief that the Shevaroys 
are feverish is a popular error tliat has been fanned 
into faith by the willfully bought experience of the 
few. Oarelessness and imprudence will bring about 
their own results anywhere, and unfortunately peo|do 
stem to display a larger ehiro of both when once 
they get to the llille. It is a common thing to see 
young and delicate children, sometimes fresh trom 
the enervating heat of the plains, out in damp weatijer 
before the heavy morning mists have baon dispelled, 
and again after sunset, when except iu the dryest 
weather, it is too late tor them to be out. Exposure 
to the sun, violent exercise, neglect in changing wet 
clothes, are all causes likely to act injuriously on 
frames enfeebled by residence iu the plains, yet when 
they are never avoided, and illcess follows, the cli- 
mate is blamed ! The residents are healthy enough, 
but though acclimatised, they are careful to avoid 
the risks which some visitors indulge iu freely, and 
never have cause to complain. As elsewhere we have 
been living in dread of the arrival of the demon in. 
fluenza, but happily have escaped so far, though it is 
amnsii.g to see the anxiety with which the symptoms 
of the simplest cold are watched till fully developed. 
The Tashildar and all his clerks happened to feel 
ill simultaneously with feverish symptoms, and the 
alarm spread like wild tire that influenza had arrived, 
though every one looked foolish when no fresh cafes 
occurred, and the attack Was traced to a simple, and 
natural cause. An impression exists that this is the 
begining of the most unhealthy season of the year, 
but as a matter of fact public health is particularly 
good just now, with even fewer cases than usual pre- 
vailing of the colds and coughs which, as a rule, ac- 
company the trying chanaes from hot sunny days to 
cold dewy nights. — JI. JIail. 
• 
INDIAN IRRIGATION. 
The late Chief Secretary of Victoria, after visit- 
ing India, penned an able report upon what he had 
noted in regard to Indian administration. Summing 
up the conclusions at which he had arrived, the 
Hon'ble Mr. Alfred Deakiu said that the legisla- 
tion of India had not much to teach Australia, its 
administration little, its practices little, its relations 
of State department and people little, its agricul- 
ture very little, but that India's methods of construc- 
tion, management of canals, o> nservation and distribu- 
tion of water could teach Australia a great deal. 
Coming from the above authority and at tsil end of 
a series of negatives, this remark is a high comp'iment 
to those intrusted with the care of irrigation in thig 
country. Mr. Deakin alludes to the circumstances under 
which irrigation began in India ns not unlike Austra- 
lian circumstrances. But he remarks that in this ooun- 
try irrigation provides fresh food fast, only to find the 
population increasing faster, and not permanently rising 
or likely to ri^e, in the social, moral or intellectual 
scale, to even a Europe an standard. He studied Indian 
irrigation as an outsider, desirous of learning what 
the system could teach. He alludes to Indian Engi- 
neering designs and devices as worthy of acclimatisa- 
tion iu the colonies ; and reviews the working of 
the system in a highly appreciative manner. The 
reports upon which he based his remarks have now 
been succeeded by others. But these later writings 
