470 
YHF TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST. 
(■January i, 1^91, 
Bucoessive years, is the utmost on which we can 
rely.” Mr. Evans also denounced the idea that 
the supply of water in wells was illimitable ; it 
depends on the amount of rainfall absorbed by 
the soil in which wells are dug. These are only 
a few points in an elaborate paper. Still more ela- 
borate is that of Dr. Pole, F.B.s.,on “Water Supply,” 
in regard to which his experience was extensive. 
He reminded his brother civil engineers that they 
owed their origin and also their name, as contra- 
distinguished from architects, to hydraulics, — in 
the shape of measures to improve the condition of 
the rivers of North Italy. He characterized water 
as the most important natural substance known, and 
the most indispensible for maintaining the present 
order of things in organic life. He recollected in 
his boyhood water sold in cans as milk is now. 
He referred to the Eoman aqueduct, and to the 
first house supply in London in 1582. The New 
Eiver supply came in 1613, so that the two systems 
of pumping and gravitation were in force. Then 
came filtration in 1829. The effects of filtration 
and oxidizing were described. Moderately hard 
water like that of London was good, but for 
washing and manufacturing purposes soft water 
was required. The lime in hard water can 
be precipitated by adding more lime, which, 
seizing the free carbonic acid, forms a carbonate. 
For ordinary purposes 10 gallons per head water 
supply ought to suffice, and 5 to 10 more for 
extraordinary purposes, such as watering gardens 
&o., would be ample if there were no waste, but 
say, to meet all demands, 25 gallons per head 
per diem. And 2 Ji'ovision ought ahoaijs to he made 
for increased 2 >opulaiion. Ordinary reservoirs and 
irrigation tanks are fully described. The respon- 
sibility of engineers was illustrated by the terribly 
fatal consequences of the bursting of the Dale Dyke 
reservoir above Sheffield in 1864, when the water 
rushing with a noise like “ hissing thunder ” 
drowned 250 persons. “Gathering grounds” and 
their yield of water and occasional failure in years 
of drought were described. All the rain that falls 
cannot he stored. “Part of the water will be 
restored to the heavens by evaporation ; another 
portion will be absorbed by the vegetation 
growing on the land ; and another portion will 
percolate through pores and fissures of the earth.” 
Out of a fall of 44 inches, only 30 will be avail, 
able Interesting accounts are given of theutiliza- 
tion of Loch Katrine and other lakes as suppliers 
of water to great cities in Britain. The writer, 
while dwelling on the oxygenizing power of the 
air on contaminated rivers, pleads powerfully for 
the direct application of town sewage to the land : 
as both sanitary and profitable. In some cases, as 
at Oxford, the water of a river is taken from its 
saturated bed and not direct from the stream. 
These notes give but an imperfect idea of the 
scope and value of Dr. Pole’s most able paper. 
Those on the Inland Navigation of Europe, by Sir 
('has. A. Hartley ; on Tides and Ooast Works, by 
T. Stevenson, and on Forma of Ships, by Sir E. J. 
Itcid, although all very interestingj I must, in 
.'icw of the length of this communication, refrain 
irom noticing. The volume is well worthy of being 
read and studied by others than professional men. 
Nanuoya, Nov. 27th 
T'ho rainstorm of the 2,5th seerna, for the time, 
t,') have einfjticd the lower atiiiosphcjra of suspended 
nioii tur'-, for ycHtfrday ronalned fine, and today 
' o/iiirii-nceB crisply cold and beautifully bright, with 
rmly the gliost of 'a breeze. Kaburagala wliich 
i. ea over Nawalapitiyn I hows its characteristic spots 
ii. tiiiclly through llic Kotmalo Gap ; and but for 
masses of haze in the north-east the whole circum- 
ference of the horizon would be clear. Of course 
the north-east monsoon would say : 
“ Ye have not seen the last of my rainstorms, or 
me,” 
but the dry intervals, which are quite appreciable, 
are very enjoyable. 
Our position here, midway between the valleys of the 
Nanu and Dimbuldanda oyas, on a spur of the Katu- 
pillamana range, the bead of which faces Hakgala, 
“ Like cliffs which have been rent asunder,” 
we are as nearly as possible in the centre of a 
circle formed by the loftiest mountain peaks and 
ranges of Ceylon. Nearly due north of us is 
Pidurutalagala, 8,296 feet above sea-level. But for 
the “ trig point ” on its summit, the observer would 
find it difficult to realize that it was higher 
than its fianking ranges. But there can be no 
mistake about Kirigalpotta, the Sfcond mountain 
in Ceylon, 7,831 feet altitude, which faces the 
monarch almost due south. Its white rock face 
renders Kirigalpotta ever conspicuous; but yester- 
day, in the clear but not glaring sunlight, after 
the rain, we saw the sheet rock in a new aspect, 
reminding us all of one of the minor glaciers wo 
had seen from the summit of the Rigi in Switzer- 
land. The rock was no doubt saturated with 
mois'ure, from the heavy rainfall of the previous 
day, and it positively glittered as it reflected the 
concentrated rays of the midday sun. Those who 
have ascended the mountain have stated that 
the white colour of the rock is due to lichen 
which covers the surface of the gneiss. But seeu 
with a good glass, which brought out its every 
precipice and jutting point and ravine, it looked 
to us like brilliantly white, crystalline quartz scored 
vertically with strips of dark colour, apparently 
due to eaithy matter carried down by the tor- 
rential rains. In any case we are not likely 
soon to forget the grandeur of this rock glacier, 
as the sun looked on it so lovingly and with 
such brilliantly reflected effect, yesterday. Most 
markedly dilferent in aspect is the mass of 
of Totapalakanda (7,746 feet) which guards the 
entrance to the great tableland of Horton Plains, 
and the sharp point, like a bird’s b;ak, of 
Kuduhugala (7,607 feet) which stands midway 
between the two. The pyramidal top of Adam’s 
Peak (7,352 feet) rises, from our point of view, over 
the keel of the upturned-ship mountain Talan- 
kanda (6,137 feet), while our own special mountain. 
Great Western (7,264 feet), rises close to u’, from 
the Dimbula Valley, over which it presides in 
massive grandeur. Our circle includes also the 
Bopatalawa mountains and patanas, Elbedua, 
Kotagala, Eilagala ; and beyond and through gaps, 
in these we see the more distant ranges of Boga- 
wanta'awa, Dikoya, Maskeliya, Dolosbage and the 
Kelani Valley. In Scotland we are proud of the 
altitude of Ben Nevis, over 4,400 feet above sea- 
level. But the bungalow in which I write and 
look out on no fewer than fifty mountains 5,000 
feet to over 8,000 is itself situated 1,400 feet higher 
up in “the Hit” than Scotland’s (and Britain’s) 
loftiest mountain. 
To descend to Potatoes : Mr. Nock’s account of 
his experiment is most intei eating, but he seems 
to have been exceptionally lucky in not being 
troubled with black (or brown) grubs. Here they 
caused us to abandon attempts to grow the prince 
of edible tubeis. — As to getting rid of green bug 
on col'l’ee, I believe the eli'ectual remedy with all 
scale insects is an application which will smother 
mother and offspring ; say any coarse flour and 
any coarse gum or viscid substance mixed with 
water and laid on so as to cover the insects aud 
stick. But I will write fully the result of large 
reading on this subject. 
