December i, 1891.] 
THE TROH\OAL aQRIOULTURIST. 
445 
100,000 coolies each, still domand fresh supplies. The 
journey to these districts i.s comparatively long and 
expensive, and the conditions of labour are probably 
leas easy than in more accessible districts. Every- 
thing that tends to make the acquisition of coolies 
difficult and expensive tends to make the coolie’s 
lot less easy, in as much as the expanse of importa- 
tion tends to encroach on the wages fund of the 
Province. — Pioneer. 
FISH-CURING. 
From the report of the Board of Revenue on fish- 
curing operations during the year 1890-01. it appears 
that^ the number of yards actually worked in the 
Presidency during the year was 143, or one more than 
in the previotis year. The weight of fish brought to 
be cured increased from 43,496 tons to 50,194 tons, 
or by 16‘8 per cent. The increase appears in five 
sub-divisions, while in the remaining three— NeBore, 
Ohinglepnt, and Negapatam there was a decrease, 
which is ascribed to a bad fishing season on the 
Boat Coast. The average quantity of salt issued to 
each maund offish ouretl fell from ia'16 lb. in 1889-90 
to 11'8‘2 lb. iu the year under report. In the sub- 
divisious the proport'ous of salt issued varied from 
8-40 lb. in Ohicaoole to M-22 lb in Negapatam. The 
experiments oondiioted by Governniont officers ex- 
hibit similar variatiou*. tho largest quantity of salt 
need being in Tinnevelly (18-56 lb.), and the smallest 
m Cbicaoole (9 lb.), the average (or tho Presidency 
being 13’33 lb. Dop.actinoatal experiments in fish- 
curing worn oondnoteJ on a larger scale than in 
previous years, the quantity dealt with being 2,452 
mannds againat 641 munndB in 1889-90. No ioform- 
atioii 18 afforded In the report as to whether the 
article thus onrad is more appreoiated by the public 
than that cured in the or>iiuary manner, and as to 
whether it commands a higher price in the market. 
» exported by sea amounted 
toar ? previous 
Jbows v»luo of tho exported article 
f / ‘I lS89-‘-»0- The financial 
results ol the industry, remarks Government, arc, as 
usual, very satisfactory, the surplus of receipts over 
ohftFg63 H15fl90Qind tho not giiiQ to OovornmoDt 
from the ooramonceiDftnt of operations amonntinff to 
U63|269 < — Madras Times, 
ECHOES OP SCIENCE. 
Tho question of steriliBing water for the stipplj 
of cities by means of eloctrieity has aj^ain croppe 1 ui 
in a paper by Mr. H. IMcide Bache, rocenfly rent 
betoro the American Ihiiloaophical Society, Mr. Baoln 
has ma ^o a iiumbor of cxperinseiit.s, which go to provt 
that a current^ o! olnotrici*y gotit tbrou^rh watei 
destroys bnctcria} but, as In prior expt^rimouts b\ 
othorS} it 18 still doubtinl whether the liberated oxyguc: 
or the electricity itself killa the In any ca 3 < 
the water is at least partially steriliscJ. 
Yoast has beoti suocesafnlly tried a« a remedy foi 
typhoid ^^r.s. Emblinp:, Eemprrore, and 
Thomson, of tho Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. Thirty 
seven cases were troatod, tin being severe, tlu 
temperatores reaching 10-ldog. ; eight were moderate, 
the temperatures being lOSdog. ; eleven were mild! 
and eight wore very mild, the tumperatures reachiiia 
102deK. In every rase the recovery took place withoui 
a rolapae. aherc is a theory to the effect that relapses 
are due to reiufoctum from the intoslinu. and J)r, 
Thom’ou remarks m hia report that ye.i8t shouhi 
destroy the baci'U m the intestinal tube and sc 
prevent reinfection. 
Mr. Edison is keeping his new electric railway n 
profound Sfcret at present, perhaps to avoid piracy, 
hut ho cliiims that Ins system will supplant all othei 
railways, at least lor traffic lu oitio-i, and ho doc-laroi 
that the Broadway and Third Avenue Car Companies 
will soon regret their teoeu: enormou.s e.xpeuditure 
for making oable tramways, for his new system can 
be installed with very simple changes in the roadway. 
All that ia publicly known about the system is that 
it _comj)rises a new clectro-iuutor and a oonduotor 
which is bidden in tho ttaok itself. 
It is rumoured that ha employs a current of low 
voltage, or eloolromotive force, and that be can get 
his current from the track without much loss of power, 
even in muddy weather, when the insulation must be 
low. He is now bnilding a large electrical looomotive 
for this purpose in his private factory at Orange, 
New York. 
Tho Pbiladelpliia and Beading Railroad Company 
of the Unite i Stales recently ran a train cuuaiating 
of a “ D 33 ” engine and oars, amounting to a load 
of 1C9 tons in all, at the surpiisiug speed of 90^ 
milos an hour. The run took place on n mile of levd 
track following a desoeniUug grade of 37 feet per 
mile. The New York Central Railway has also 
acoomplishoil 436 1-3 mil«s in 425min, l-lsec. — or over 
60 miles an hour, the locomotive being a Schenectady 
engine. — Globe. 
SOME ACCOU.VT OP Tllli NUTMEG AND 
THE CULTIVATION. 
By Thomas Oxley, Esq., A. B,, 
Senior Surgeon of the SetUemeiU of Prince of fPolest 
Iiland, Singapore and Stalaeea, 
(From the " Journal of the Indian Archipelago and 
Eastern Asia.") 
The Myristiea Moaohata, or true Nntmog, ia known 
to botanist, as a tree belonging to tho Natural 
Family Myristicacno, Class Dimoia, Order Munodelpbia 
of the Liuniean System. It would be anperfluous to 
enter into a minute description of a plant already 
so well described, particularly by Roxburgh : I shall 
therefore merely notice some peculiarities that deserve 
attention Tho tree, like many of its class, has a strong 
tendency to become Moueoeias, and Planters in gene- 
ral are rather well pleased at this habit, thinking 
they secure a double advantage by having the male 
and female (lowers on the same plant. This however 
ia delusive, snil being against the order of nature, 
the produce of such trees is invaria'dy inferior, shew- 
ing itself in the production of double nuts and other 
deformities. It ia beat, therefore, to have only female 
trees with a due proportion of males. Bnt few have 
the moral resolution to cut down the Monmcias tree, 
on the principle that something is hotlor than nothing, 
but they forget that the MoniDoias plants having 
much fever ffower.s, it will take three or four of them 
to yield the same amount of pollen as the true male, 
and as for tho pro.lnco yielded by snoh trees, that 
of ouo good female is worth a dozen of the other. 
The female llowcrs, which are merely oomposod 
of a trifld calyx and no corolla, when produced by 
a tree in full vigor, are perfectly urcoolati, slightly 
tinged with green at the base, and well filled by 
the ovnry, whereas tho female flowers of weakly 
trees are entirely yellow, imperfectly urcoolato, and 
approach more to the stamiiiiforoiis flowers of the male. 
The shape of the fruit varies considerably, being 
.spherical, oblong and egg shaped, but “ caiteris pari- 
bus " the iirnror they approach sphericity of figure, 
tlio more liighly are they prized. 
There is also a great variety in tho foliage of 
different trees, from eliptio, oblong and ovate, to 
almost purely lanceolate ahapod leaves. This difference 
seems to indicate in some measure tho character of 
the produce, trees with large oblong leaves appearing 
to have tho largest and most aphorioal fniit, and 
therewith small lanconlato loaves being in general 
more prolific hearers, but ot inferior quality. 
Tho object of this papnr baiiig practical, I shall 
ooufino myself as much as possible to a record of an 
experieiico oxtonded over a period of some 20 years j 
and as tho suhjeot of spice planting has now become 
ono of deep interest to very many of tho Strait’s 
settlers, I cntert.ain a hope of being able to oft’or 
