August i, 1891.] 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
137 
— — 
To the Editor, 
Al'ICTJLTURB. 
Glasgow, June 25tb. 
Dkab Sib, — I enolose a ontting from the British 
Beekeepers’ Becord in answir to r ijuery o£ mine 
regarding Apis dorsata, I waa much obliged for the 
Tropical ApriruUarists you liindly sent me. — 
Youre truly, APIS. 
[The large bou of Java (Apis dorsala) baa never been 
domeatioatod in Kuropo. An attempt was made 
aeveral years ago by a gf-utleman rer*idert in Barmah 
taa reported in the Amen'eaii Bet Journal) to locate a 
Bwarto of thcae beea in an observatory hive; bnt 
after remaining for twelve days in tho hive they re- 
fused to anbmit to tho ways of civilised bees and 
absconded. The wiiter says of them;— 
‘ In the Padung-Kuren oour4ry, about eighty miles 
north-east from Toungoo, these bees are in some sense 
domesticated, as is also the Apis indica. In order to 
secure tho services of tho Apis dorsata, the I’a nugs 
dig 11 trench in a s'do hill, and drive a stout stake, in- 
clined about 45° towards tlie down slope of the hill, 
into Uiogtoiuid, and lean hranohea of trees against the 
stake on either side, mailing a shield from the wind. 
Tho Apia doraata returns to these places year alter 
year, atid the natives secure b -untilul harvests of wax 
and honey, alway.s leaving some for their yellow workers. 
May it n.,t bo that the Apia dorsala builds one comb 
only because it dors not u-ually fiud a place to build 
double combs? The comb is so large that it must 
indeed be a Isrge limb of a tree to give room for 
double combs. I am strongly inclined to believe that 
the Apis dorsala c.ao be domostioat id, enpeoially the 
black. co'oured ppeen . . Yet, to ensure sucoees, doubt- 
less much a’udy must he given to the habits of this 
bee.' The same gontlemnn. In a ,su* 'equeut number 
of Gleanings, again refers tu tlie -itp-irture of bis 
swnrm as follows : The comb ot the Apis dorsala 
loft with mo measures about ? ft. long by fi. 
deep. The honey-corah and bnod-comb are quite 
distint. The Innev-comb is plac'd always highest up 
on the limb of the tree on which tlie ne-t i» huilfc. 
Prom this, which is on the riglit in my corah, the 
brod-romb (xtenda to the left, new comb tciiig a ided 
along tbo whole edge, from the boney-oomb around 
to the limb again. Tho honcy-.-omb is throe inches 
thick in its thickest part, but built in a oyliiidrical 
h rm, The natives say they have seen this honey-chattei 
d in. in diameter. The cells are IJ Inches deep, and 
less as the slope changes. Tlioro are three honoy-cells 
to the inch. This comb is btEutifuUy white, and tho 
walls of the ceil arc almost transparent. Honey is 
also deposited among the brood, but it seems to be of 
a different kind from that in the honey-chattei. The 
brood cells are from t to J of an inch deep. Tho 
number to ihe inch varias from 4 to -IJ, or 23 cells to 5 
square inohn.s. Tho hroed-comb varies a little in tliick- 
ness, and is about l| in., and is a light brown in colour, 
rhesn kn,es on tho comb form one of tlie most beautiful 
Bights in nature 1 ever saw. During their stay they 
built comb and brought honey and water, but they did 
not at any time work as if they were happy. Just 
before having there was a great running to and fro, 
and preanii'g of wings and legs, preparatory to flight. 
Not more than half a doz -u bees remained.'— Kp.l T. A. 
A TEA WITHERElt. 
June 25th. 
Dear Sin,— Some short time back I read a letter 
in your paper suggesting that Mr. Jaekson should 
invent a “ witheror.” 'This has already been dona, 
and anyone desirous of seeing same at work can 
do so on applying to me, 
lii 
The " Cyclone Witherer ” is much used in Assam 
now, and is patented in Ceylon by the inventor, 
I unlerstand, it is adverlised in the _ Indian 
Planters' Gazelle in India, and it is nil the inventor 
claims for it— a thorough witherer— and I wonder 
it is not adveitiaed here also. I shall call Mr, 
Turton’a attention to this. He wrote me he would 
be in Ceylon in February last, but, I fancy, has 
not had time. 
I send yru his pamphlet. The onejhere vcjire- 
seated ia his jirst attempt. His improved one ia 
very much better and more effeotive. I have 
diagrams of it. to show anyone who thinks of 
getting one. — Yours truly. WALTER AOAB. 
[It ia oci.ainly surprising, if the “Oyelone 
Witherer" ia a success in India, that it has not been 
advertised in Ceylon ; but we have seen it strongly 
oondomned by " PeripateUo Planter,'' Mr, Lepper; 
Perhaps tliat may have been an unimproved one. 
—El). 7’. yf.] 
IRRIGATION IN BIND. 
The Indus Valley Steam Irrigation A Trading 
Co , Limited, Bombay, June 35tb. 
Dkak Sib, — M ay I venture to ask if you would 
kindly reproduce the article appearing in today’s 
Bomlgy Gazette in respect to Irrigation in Sind, the 
development of which this company proposes to 
undertake, — I am dear sir, yours faithfully, 
JOHN GRIPER, Managing Director, 
SIND IRRIGATION OLD AND NEW. 
Aoooidieg to a Government Resolution on irrigation 
iu Sind, which was irsned a few days ago, there were 
during tho olficial year 1889-90 2,109,8(14 aotea of 
Govornment lands and 240,015 acres of Jaghir lands 
nmlor ouliivalion, or an increase on tho figures for 
1889 of 223,248 acres and 8 93(1 aorea, respaotively, 
while the roveime, deducting remissions an I land 
share, inoreaaed from K44. 12,760 to 1147,80,323. There 
i.H thiiB ail itcroufle in cuHiviitioii of nearly eleven per 
0 III , and in total ciiidl revenue of nearly seven 
an i three quarlere per cent., over the figun a for 1888-89, 
and of twenty -fi nr per cent, ai.d twenty-one andthree- 
qunrtersper cent ,ri speotivoly, over the resu'la for 1887- 
88. Large us these figures appear, they are very small 
compare 1 with the total area irrigable in Sind, and much 
smaller still when contrasted with those of tho irrigation 
works of other provinces. Tho Ganges Oanal, for in- 
stance, comprises 437 ntiiles of main oanal and 3,5t!9 miloa 
ot dislii- nlarif i, and irrigates 807,674 aoros. The 
Sirhiud CsnsI lo (he Fanjsb has 642 miles of main chan- 
nel and 4,389 ntil'S of dislribntaries. Tho Godavari, 
Kistra, and Canvery irrigation system in Madras totaU 
1,2IG miles of canal, and waters two raillioi, acteii. In 
Sind the ryaieni is much simpler, and under exist- 
ing oondilions much less effective. The inundation 
canals are fur (ho most part mere earthen ohnnaels, 
innoeeni ot masonry dams and sinices, and aupplied 
by the snunal rise in May of tho Indus and its 
trihut n ha. Siinple as tho system is so far, the method 
of the ryot ill gc ting the water from these channels 
to irrigate h'S land u even more rudimentary, for 
he k: owa no bettor appliance than Ihe clumsy 
Persian wheel which has been in use tbouaanda 
of jeara. The cultiv.itor with three pairs of bollocks 
cspshlo of p'oughiiig nn acre and a half per day, 
bus to emp'oy two nf theaa pairs night anu^ day 10 
raise a ‘canty supp'y of water bandy snfBciant to 
irrigate enough land to keep the other pair of 
hullorks ploiigliing six hours a day. 8'ow and costly 
as this incihod is — According to an official return it is 
estimated that each acre costs on this system R32.8 
to iriicsto— the Hii.dhec practically knows none other, 
and until recently little or no attention has been 
given to tlnj que.stiou of find a cheap and effective 
aubslitutii for this dear ami effete system; 
Keoently, howoier, a Company has been formed 
I under tho title of the Indus Valley Steam Irrigation 
