THE TROPICAL AORiOULTUmSr 
235 
June i, 1891.] 
Eaneegunge limestone, otlierwise the beds of Han- 
sapather, which ehov/ per cent of _ calcium 
chloride, would do well eiiough if the insoluble 
matter, amouaticg to some 10 pet cout, could be 
eliminated. In the Wardha valley, another great 
iron field, limestone is found containing from 94 
to 97 per cent, of carbonate of lime and only 
2 per cent, of insoluble matter, an advantage that 
would tell heavily in favour of any works for 
reducing iron ore establiehed in that district, dhc 
best limestone is found in the Vindhyan range, and 
could be cheaply transported to any works that 
would probably be erected. There is no limestone 
actually available at Salem, though the iron fi&lds 
there are the richest in India; but it occurs in 
many places in the Madras presidency some time 
with only 2 per cent of impurities. So valuable, 
however, are the Salem iron fields that it would 
pay to t»ansporb whatever limestone might be 
necessary for works erected there, especially as it 
can be obtained near the line of rail. Nature has 
been prolific in her stores of all required to develop 
the iron ores of India, but we seem unable to 
realize the wealth lying at our feet. 
Next to limestone, fireclay is one of the most 
necessary products, for imported bricks and clay 
are very costly. The best fireclays are found in 
England, as in India, in the beds underlying the 
coal seam. Excellent bricks have been made from 
the Eaneegunge clays, and have successfully piassed 
very severe tests in the Calcutta Mint, I he cost 
of firebricks made from them is, moreover, only 
Its. 21 per hundred — about a quarter of those 
obtained from England. AYhen the Bengal Iron 
Works Company was in existence it used bricks 
made of local clay with good results. Good fireclay 
is also found in the Madras Presidency and in 
the Vardha Valley. We have, however, grave doubts 
as as to the value of Indian firebricks, as hitherto 
made, for the inner layer of iron furnaces. They 
do extremely well for all parts of the furnace, if 
fortified with a lining of English bricks. This 
however, appears to be necessary where great^ or 
prolonged heats are obtained. It is quite possible 
however, that an increased demand might develop 
some better method of treating the local clays, so 
that they would mako bricks suitable even for 
furnace linings. That they can be made in all 
other positions is an enormous saying, and the cost 
of importing English bricks for lining only would 
not be excessive, and should not stand in the way 
of a foundry. Graphite is another substance of 
great value in a foundry, as the cost of imported 
crucibles is very great. The drawback ot local 
graphite is the high percentage of impurities. Good 
specimens have been found in Travaucorc, which 
have been worked up into crucibles suitable for all 
but excessive heats, it is more than probable that 
if a proper system of manufaotuiing crucibles 
under pressure was started iu Madras, the results 
would prove of great value if annealed— a precaution 
which should bo taken in this country even with 
impoited crucibles — and it would perhaps be worth 
trying. Considering the high position held by 
Ceylon graphite in the commercial world, it would 
probably be better to import this maltrial as 
the cost ot trausport would not be great, and 
Q0ylQii graphite could be made into ciuciblesas well 
in India as in England, if proper machinery was set 
up. It is a valuable industry and well worthy of 
encouragement, though utterly overlooked up to now. 
A demand would ciedle a supply, and a steady and 
scientific attempt to develop local ores would soon 
create this demand. Ev rytinng depends on a start 
being made in the direction of duvelopiug local 
iron ores ; that once done, all the rest will lollow. 
it is useless to try and make graphite crujibles in 
India, without byuraulio pressure aud the proper 
machinery, since crucibles thus made crumble too 
much iu the fire, to be able to stand great heats, 
though useful enou;h for small brass castings of 
a few pounds only. It is so important to obtain 
good local crucibles for economy in working, even 
if they be made from Ceylon graphite that we wonder 
the matter has never been taken up before. Possibly 
the comparatively small demand has prevented any 
attempt in this direction, but if large local works 
were established their demand would be considerable, 
and should be met accordingly.* Manganese is also 
procurable in India, though no large quantities are 
known to exist iu any one place : — “ The commonest 
ores are manganite or gray oxide : wad or earthy 
protoxide, pyroluxita or the black perobide ; psilo- 
mclane, a combinalion of the oxide of baryta haus- 
manite or peroxide occurring with other ores of 
the metal; and brauuile or binoxide in combi- 
nation with iron peroxide ; silica and manganesia. ” 
The latter is found at Vizagapatam aud Bhnli- 
patam, the beds iu the former district yielding 
eutiioient for working iron on a considerable scale 
even as already discovered, while careful search 
may reveal large beds. Psilomelaue and pjroluxito 
are found in the Central Provinces where it has 
long been used in glass making, but has not been 
worked to any great extent. Tnese specimens con- 
tain more oxygen than those in the Madras Pres- 
idency. Brauriite is found in the Nagpore district 
and was repiorted by the Execative Engineer of the 
Kanhand district as lying in a bed a quarter of a 
mile long aud ten feet thick. Thus we see that 
sufficient manganese is already known to exist in 
India to provide for the necessities of any iron 
industry likely to be developed in twenty years. 
Even if no more beds were discovered the cost of 
importing sufficient spiegeleistn should not be so 
great as to affect (he iron industry materially. Cou- 
sidoring the fact that maganese deposits Irequently 
occur in laterite,t it is more than probable that 
a careful search among the laierite rooks of the 
Eastern and Western Ghauts, in the Kaimahal Hills 
and in Orissa, would result in the discovery of 
extensive manganese beds, but no search could well 
be carried out witli the necessary thoroughness until 
the demand for maganese that must follow the 
erection of some smelting furnaoes iu India should 
make it remunerative, nor could it be reasonably 
expected. Nickel has not been mined iu India 
hitherto, possibly from the absence of any demand 
for traces of the metal have been reported from 
Bajpootana and Khetre, though only as occurring 
in connection with other metals, such as copper 
and cobalt. It is, however, unlikely that the Indian 
iron industries will advance to the point of making 
nickel steel, at any rate for the present, though the 
iron ore in Salem and elsewhere is so good that 
there are no limils to (hs possible development of 
the metal. With magnificent ore and fine charcoal, 
only science and skill are required to produce the 
very finest resu ts. 
Uhromium, so useful iu the manufacture of 
chromeeteel, is found iu the form or chromite in 
the Salem district. The Porto Novo Company start- 
ed in 1833 was called the, *■ Indian Steel Iron 
and Crome Company,” and opsued a chromite 
mine at Curpur from which ore was exported to 
England. It is stated in Bali’s Economic Geology 
that “ the principal rock in the low hills at the 
*■ 111 which case th M-e would a fcorli market for Oeyl jii 
plunibi-go. — El). T..t. 
I Has maiigam.s ) been found in Ceylon laterit -? 
There is n i ic-.ison nhv it should not be, if as a receBt 
Germ.ru vi.sitor to Ceylon Dllirms. Iu found giaphitj in 
this rock. — Eu. 7’. A. 
