105 
THE TRDPIGAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[August i, 1890. 
Nations in Vi^agapatam are confined to Bouanghi 
tanna. where there are three plantations over an area 
of 710 acres. There are two plantations in the Ananta- 
pur District, one at Sidhaghiri and the other at 
Madaksira. The one at the latter village was opened 
out daring the year and is the first attempt to grow 
coffee in the village. The two acres planted at Sidha- 
ghiri yielded 180 lb., the average yield per acre of 
mature plants being 720 lb., the best in the whole 
presidency. The average yield per acre of mature plants 
■in the other districts were Nilgiris 312 lb., Coimbatore 
276 Ib.j Madura 152 Ih., South Oanara 143 lb., Malabar 
127 lb., Salem 76 Ib.j Vizagapatam 69 lb-, and Tinne- 
velly 9 lb. Several plantations in Malabar and the 
Nilgiris which were neglected and decaying were taken 
tip again owing to the rise in the price of coffee. It 
is expected that the out turn this year will be in 
advance of the results obtained last year from the same 
omee.^Madras Times, 
« 
A TUETLE FAMINE IN LONDON. 
As long back as June 1st, 1887, we devoted an 
article in this journal to suggestions as to the 
possibility of developing a market for the output 
of the turtle fisheries in the north and south of 
this island. We cannot say that what was then 
written was productive of any appreciable effect 
but we are not disinolined to think that some 
stimulant in that direction may be afforded by the 
news reaching us by last mail that London has 
been left almost entirely without any supply either 
of fresh or of dried turtle ! 
We think it very possible that the greater bulk 
of our readers are unaware of the really enormous 
demand which usually exists in that great city for 
both of these articles. Leaving out of consideration 
the section of this demand which arises out of 
convivial gatherings among the wealthy classes and 
for the more ceremonious banquetings of the great 
Civic Companies and similar Public Associations, it 
may be said that by far the larger quantity of the 
turtle reaching London either in a quick or dried 
condition is consumed as a nourishing restorative 
during or after debilitating illness. Turtle soup is, 
indeed, one of the most constant recommendations 
made by the doctors at home to their well-to-do 
patients. The price charged for this, either as 
freshly made soup or as a tinned preparation, is 
very high, and ranges quite beyond the means of 
the poorer among the sufferers from illness. We have 
learned that in the ease of a friend recovering from 
severe illness, he reckoned that each breakfast cup- 
ful of turtle soup cost him three shillings at least, 
and that for the fresh soup from Gunter’s he had to 
pay half-a-guinea a pint. What the price may have 
gone up to during the late famine of turtle in London 
we can hardly hazard a guess. Possibly it may have 
risen as exorbitantly as did the price of quinine 
in Mauritius during the severe outbreak of fever 
experienced some twenty years baoklin that island. 
Without enlarging further on this point of costli- 
ness of the article, we believe we have demon- 
strated how high a value may be obtained for it at 
home and how very steadily expandingis the demand. 
From some cause or other as to which we have 
no information, the ordinary sources of supply 
hitherto relied upon have of late years shown 
symptoms of drying up. Chiefly, the London mar- 
ket has been dependent upon the turtle harvests 
of the West India islands, and these— possibly 
lor want of an enforcement of a close time 
during the breeding season — have of late become 
very restricted. Irish Home Eulers are fond of 
quoting an adaptation of an old saying to the 
effect that England’s distress may be Ireland’s 
opportunity, May wo not plagiarize upon this, 
and say that London’s distress (as to its turtle 
supply) should become Ceylon’s opportunity ? We 
note that it is remarked that “there is but little flesh 
on a turtle ’’ as the reason why the retail price 
is so largely in excess of the wholesale buyer’s 
rate of purchasing. From what is known locally 
of the turtle in the Colombo, Matara and Jaffna 
markets, we should not be disposed to agree 
to that statement. They appear usually to 
us to be full of flesh, and that of a highly 
nutritious quality throughout. We suspect that it 
is the cruel system of leaving the poor creatures 
without food all through the long journey home- 
wards which accounts for their shruoken state on 
arrival. It is much to be wished that an experi- 
ment oould be made in the conveyance of live 
turtle from Ceylon to England. During the 
voyage they might be cooped as are fowls and 
ducks and regularly sluiced with sea water and 
supplied with food. It is cruel and wasting to lay 
them on their backs with the bead hanging down 
during a month’s journey. We believe that, with 
proper care, turtle might be landed in London 
from Ceylon in almost as good a condition as 
when shipped, and if that were accomplished, no 
more profitable venture — at least at the present 
juncture — could be made than that of supplying 
the London market from our local breeding 
grounds. 
IREIGATION A SPECIOUS BUT IM- 
PEACTICABLE PROJECT. 
The Ulsoor Tank which supplies water to the 
Bangalore cantonment is the subject of a letter in 
the Indian Engineer. The writer is troubled about 
the loss of water from evaporation but especially 
from absorption into the soil, described as decom- 
posing felspathic rock, exceedingly porous and 
friable. The remedy proposed is thus indicated : — 
Can these underground streams be tapped in any 
way ? If there are no impermeable strata within a 
moderate depth from the surface cannot something be 
done to make the gathering ground more or less im- 
permeable? I will cite one method, proposed by M' 
Seguin, which, though only generally applicable to 
small areas, could be modified for adoption on large 
areas of several square miles. I translate from De. 
baune’s “ Eistrihutions d’eau” where M. Seguin’s article 
is quoted. “ Take a piece of land 3 or 4 acres in extent, 
where the soil is sandy, such as may be found in the 
Bois de Boulogne or in other woods around Paris, and 
which besides has a slight slope in some one direction 
so that you may at once get a flow of water. Exca- 
vate along its whole upper length a trench to 6 ft. 
deep and about 6 ft. wide. Level the bottom of this 
trench and make it impermeable by macadamising it or 
by flooring it with asphalte, or, simpler still and less 
costly, by puddling the bottom with stiff clay. Along- 
side this treneh cut another similar one, throwing out 
the earth to fill the first one. Treat it in the same way 
and then continue the process till you get a sub-soil 
completely impervious to rain water. Plant the land 
with fruit trees and especially with trees with low- 
hanging branches; which will shade the ground and 
will arrest currents of air that would tend to cause 
evaporation. Then at the lowest level of your laud 
build a wall down to the artificially prepared sub-soil 
into an opening at the centre. You will infallibly find 
that you have here a fine spring which will flow without 
intermittence.” My readers may perhaps here say, 
“ Ah ! this proposed method has quite a pastoral ring 
about it, but is quite impracticable on 5 square miles 
of drainags basin.’’ Modified, 1 believe the method 
would be eminently practicable. Fillup all fissures on 
the higher parts of the basin, where fissures probably 
around, and then, after close examination of the ground 
and of the directions of flow of the sub-soil water, dig 
