January t, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
497 
oppoueDts tban adliereuts ; and not one of them is 
free from serious objections. Evidently there are 
influences at work in the clouds which we are not 
yet able to n-ea«ui'o, and the causes of many of the 
revolutions of which they are the score are still as 
unknown to us as they were to the philosophers of 
ancient times.” 
One thing seems certain, however, — that the phe- 
nomena of thunder and hail are closely connected 
and that the conditions which favour discharges 
of electricity favour also the formation of hailstones. 
This view is supported by the following extract 
from the valuable compilation already quoted : — 
“ The chief characters which distinguish hailstorms 
from ordinary thunderstorms are the pecu.iar rattling 
noise which precedes the fall of the hailstones, the 
whitish colour of the cloud-stripe in which the latter 
are formed, and a darkness which Tessier compares to 
that which is occasioned by a total echpss of the sun. 
According to Professor Munoke’s observations, sing-le 
flashes of lightning and abrupt thunder claps are not 
80 common at the beginniog of a hailstorm as a con- 
tinual discharge of electrical light and an uninterruptel 
rolling of thunder. Alter a thunder cloud has rained 
for some time, the danger of a destructive hailfall is 
generally past. In most cases hailstorms begin with 
the phenomena above describe!; a thuuder-chip of 
surpassing violence ensues, then follow single heavy 
drops of rain, succeeded by single small hailstones, and 
by the pelting hard shower which, with short periods 
of intermitteuce, and accompanied with thunder and 
lightning, gener.a'.ly lasts but a few minutes.” 
The above de.soription very closely applies to our 
short, sharp cyclonic thunder-hail-and-rain-storm 
of Friday, which lasted less than half.ac-hour, 
depositing in that period over an inch of rain, 
mixed with the hailstones which burnt the coolies’ 
feet and riddled the leaves of a few of our cinchona 
and tea plants. As an atmosperical phenomenon, 
such a compound storm is interesting, once in a 
way ; but one occasion in a score of years, for the 
recurrence of similar conditions, will sufllce to excite 
feelings less pleasant than those of scientific 
curiosity. The fall of hail from the atmosphere, so 
destructive of vegetable, animal, and even human 
life and property in some parts of the world, seems 
as great a mystery as the vesting of certain snakes 
with venom and certain fishes with benumbing 
electrical powers. 
Nahuova, Dee. 3rd. 
Considering that our albizzias are a year younger 
than the Nawalapitiya trees and grown at an 
altitude about 3,000 feet higher, they do not compare 
badly. The details of some are : — 
Height 85 ft. Oir. of stem 5’ 10” Single stem 
75 „ do. 5’ 5” Do. 
” 75 „ do. 6’ 7” Branches into 3 at 
6 ft. from ground. 
<8 „ do. 5’ 8” Do. 
'J'he growth of these trees in both localities is surely 
phenomenal. 
The forests around us, sloping up to Nuwara 
Eliya are putting on more and more brilliant 
oolouring every day. Wo part, this morning, from 
them and “ the Hills ” with regret. 

Ct.vNAMON Chips.— T he recent of today’s 
meeting with its miserably poor attendance of five 
persons, shows to our mind that not only was no 
abiding interest felt by the majority in the movement 
to put a check on the export of “ Chips,” but 
that the agreement honorably entered into, cannot 
virtually have been kept as promised. The 
meeting very wisely therefore considered it ex- 
pedient that the agreement should be cancelled. 
The only gentlemen present besides Mr. Jardine, 
Chairman, were Messrs. J. W, de Soysa, Fonseka, 
(father and son), M. Cookburn ; and Mr, de Mell 
looked in after the meeting was over, 
t)o 
CATTLE TREATMENT IN MADRAS, 
The Madras Agrieullural Department has hitherto 
had a branch specially devoted to the investigation 
and treatment of cattle disease. This, we regret to 
see, is now to be abolished. It is the old story of efforts 
made op the ryot’s behalf and rendered futile by the 
ryur.’s insuperable apathy. In the presence of the 
stock inspectors, as Mr. Hazelton, the Inspector of 
Cattle Diseases in the Presidency, tells us, their advice 
wa.s frequently adopted, but directly they left the 
neighbourhooJ, it was found that no further trouble 
was taken. “ Nearly all the stock inspectors complain 
of the little assistance they receive from the village 
officials ; and as the stock inspectors can hardly hope 
to became personally acquainted with the majority of 
the ryots of the district, this want of interest on the 
pn-t of village officers, in a subject which so nearly 
concerns them, has a very marked effect on their 
work.” The Local Government has accordingly come 
to the conclusion that any attempt to directly combat 
cattle disease is, in the existing state of feeling 
among the farming classes, practically useless. To 
those who recognise how much the welfare a,.d pros- 
perity of the mass of the population depend on the 
improvement of agriculture, and bow important to 
this end is a good and healthy breed of cattle, this 
example of stupid indifference set by the Madras ryots is 
distinctly depressing. — Pioneer. 
Kbi.ani Valuev: Hbavt Yield of Tea in the 
Vallet. — Euwauwella Division, Dee. 1st. I never 
saw the tea in the K.V. looking better. I fancy if 
Burra Fajtir ’ could see it now he would retract his 
opinion of four years ago— that the places would never 
keep up their yield. I know of more than oae place 
that with still a month of its year to run has given 
over 600 lb. per acre. One place the clay I was there 
got an average of 23i lb. a cooly from eighty pluckers 
off an 8-day flush. Mr. Hardie has resumed charge o- 
Indurane, and Mr. Kingsford has returned to Madnlf 
tenne, 1 hear there is to be another change in the 
district shortly. — Local “ Times.” 
Nuavara Eliya Carp.— W e call special at- 
tention to Mr. LeMesurier’s letter in another column 
which shows the good service done to the island 
by the fish culture experiments with which the 
Nuwara Eliya Assistant Agent has so closely 
identified himself. Not only private individu'la^ 
but Government must bestir themselves to taka 
full advantage of the ample supply of fry now 
available for stooking ponds and tanks. An item 
in the Supply Bill report is “ R2,000 for the pur 
chase of freshwater fish for stooking the rivers 
lakes and tanka in the interior”; but is due ad- 
vantage being taken by Government of the carp fry 
available at Nuwara Eliya and could any better fish 
be got for local purposes in tanks, &c. ? 
Quinine. -The Loudon market has been very 
quiet this week, and almost the only sale reported 
is of a parcel of 5,000 oz. German from the makers 
at 12id per oz. January delivery. On the spot we 
make 12d per oz. the nearest quotation. The im- 
ports of quinine into the United States during the 
ten months of the year were 2,850,000 oz., agaiimt 
2,108,000 at the corresponding date of last year 
It is reported that the departure to Europe from" 
New York, during the last days of Ootober of 
a representative of one of tbe American quinine 
works has given rise to a good many rurnours as to 
the cause of his visit. In some quarters it is be 
lioved that his mission is connected with a plan to 
revive the effort to organise a combination of the 
producing interests of Europe and the United .States 
The JavaOinobona Planting Company, “ Kertama" 
nah,” in Amsterdam, has paid a preliminary divi 
dend of G per cent for the year 1890 Chemist and 
Drui/gist, NoY. 15th, 
