APtilL t, 18991] 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIIT. 
rises in (hem ns In a sponge, and it can be seen in 
many pUcoa flowing out, owing to the pressure of 
the speoifioally heaVfer salt water whioh follows it in 
the porous masses and gradually expels the oil near 
the lerel of the sea. Before reaching the porphyry 
dike or wall, whioh lies parallel to the sea shore a. 
Oobel Zed, the dense non-porous limestones are met 
with which prevent infiltration of the petroleum. 
Namerous vertical and lateral deep borings into these 
rooks have failed to find oil reservoirs from whioh 
Iho oil springs might be fed, and all trsons of oil 
were lost as soon as the drill passed beyond the 
porous rooks. 
The formation of petroleum in this manner has, of 
course, gone on since|tbe present oonditio"H were u tsh- 
lished, and would occur in tbo Red Soa \slierever quiet 
coral bays exists. It is thus easily cxplainsbin why 
the sea between Sokotra and beyond Ouardafui 
could be coveted with a film of oil, the ouly puzsl- 
ing point being that larger quantities of oil were 
not deposited in past ages. All liniest( iic lor- 
mstions surrounding the Rod Sea are rmr, or loss 
bituminous, those at Mokettam near Ctiro onh ;d ghtly 
so, which would point to previou* inflllratioii, us also 
dees the thin coating of ao-otlied Huthiaoile h u' d in 
tlio ctevicos in the Egyptian Tertiary formulious. 
Figati and I'Vass culled attention to these fur's 25 or 
30 > cars ago. 
The present investigations by Oohseuius «nd Julc- 
ziccki iitve led to tho definite proof il'at this petro- 
lenm process is still going on, tliat it is dno eutirely 
to animal decomposition (see also atid 
Minimj Juumal, May 16th, 18'Jl), utid tliut no traces 
of coal or fossil vegetation can be found anywliero 
in tho shore rocks containing tbo petrulr.iun, which was 
verified by tho numerous borings made. In iho case 
of the Dead 8ca similar conditions may li»vc exist, d; 
hut its present salinity is so great that animal life, 
except a few low orders, cannot exi-t in it. The 
asphalt found in it must be considered ns dried 
petroleum. None of the geologi<ts who examined 
the shores found the slightest traoes of VeLauic action: 
in fact, everywhere nothing bnt undisturbed Tertiary 
and Cretaoeoiis formations. It mast therefore he 
asenmed that in by gone ages there must havo existed 
condllioos similar to those now found in the Bed Sea in 
regard to multiplication ofan animal life, whioh make 
the present generation of petroleum possible. It mnst be 
admitted, liowever, that a sndden influx of mother- 
lye might have come from the upper Qbor, whioh 
suddenly destroyed all animal life. Such a supposi- 
tion is entirely untenable in the case of the Red Sea 
in its oil districts. 
The liirket el Oarnn, in Fagonm, is a lake which 
receives none bnt the nsed irrigation water from the 
Nile, and has no outlet, and the inoossant addition of 
salt by the flood waters of the Nile and the conse- 
quent evaporation, produces a slow increase iu sslinit); 
it is a lake full of life, at least as much as the Bed 
Sea, but there are fewer animals of the lower orders, 
and many fishes, which immediately destroy all dead 
bodies, thereby preventing petroleum formation. 
Thus the three oa>oe ate found as follows : — 1. The 
Birket el Quran, a lake of inoreadng salinity, with 
abnndaut animal life, production and consumpliou iu 
equipoise, prompt disposition of dead matter — no 
petroleum. 2. The small bays of the Red Boa, slroiigly 
saline, wealth of animal life, pruduotiun and con- 
sumption disproportionate, scavengers insufficient, 
numerous decaying bodies ; petrolmm generated. 3. 
Dead Sea ; such exocsaivo salinity that animal 
life is impossible ; no petroleum but asphalt^ indicating 
former conditions as under N.., 2. All of these care- 
are found near the ends nt tlij Oretaoeoiis and lower 
R loene periods . — Jinyineering and Mining Journal. 
^ 
SOUTH WYNAAD NOTES. 
Feb. 6tb, 1892. 
u ^ account in your oolumns 
(shortly after tho insertion of my last notes) of our 
new and terribly lively enemy, the Saperda, So far 
?45 
Horn there being any “rarity” about the animal In 
Wynaad, I regret to say that, like the wicked man, 
be flonrisbes exceedingly, and unless the rain or some 
other calamity spemlily overtakes him. we shall 
e-ideutly have another study of inseot life, hardly 
more agreeable than that of our own acquaintance, the 
Borer beetle. The worst of the Saperda is that his 
tastes are pretty well omnivorons, and his teeth cqusl 
to anything bnt the hardest wood. I have iust re- 
covered from the harrowing sight of a splendid scarlet 
passion flower reduced to a withered mass all over 
my verandah. A young wild croton hedge is fast 
becoming a melauchuly wreoksge, whilst wild work is 
being Lone in various estates upon the vmrikahs 
and the pepper plants. Bnt your time’y warning 
showed u« how to trace the inieohii-f I,, every 
sawed oS branch may be found several hol^ 
pierced deep into Iho wood, at tho bottom of each 
of those lies n small yellow egg. The only romodv 
evidently is to burn all tbo destroyed wood, aod ray 
garden cooly has stringont orders to collect and speedily 
reduce to ashes, all the evil works ol the Saperda 
that ho may come across. But, of course, this would 
be more difflonit to do in the oa-e of a whole estate 
espocMily when tho top branches of tall pepper vinm 
were affected. The correspondent from South Ka-t 
Wyiiai'i, alluded to in your Planting Notes, mentions 
that tho same pest has attacke.i his lea, bnt 1 have 
not hoard so far that the tea-growing in this neiphhoui- 
hwd has suflerod. The last complaint I liave h, ard 
ot hero is of tho porcupmos. On ono lea (stale 
these animals are au abeoluto nni.anec, coining at 
night (so Ism pathetically assured) '■ in troops'” at 
any rate in anffloient numbers to do considerable 
drniago; for tliay dig up fine old hiislies, pritaiimal'ly 
to devour tlie roots, and it is next to impossible to 
catch them. Spring gnns, ..r a cordon of coolies 
making night l.ideons by hanging k( r sine oil tins, 
sacccddfl lot R tiiQo, but the Iditsl rulaxAtion of vigilauot? 
brings back the enemy, more hungry ihsii ever, and 
their travelling powers are ao conaidenbl.,- t'inl they 
are, so to apeak, all over the place at on.;r. Apropos 
of porcupines, I hirard onoeofapair being desiroyod 
by “ Rough.on-Bnta.” A lady, a friend of mine, who 
is exceedingly fond of her garden, was dreadfully 
troubled by these auimnis, and tried in vain to get 
rid of them. Some ono told her they had a passion 
for pomeloes, so she artfully treated a very fine one 
with “ Rough-on-Rats,*' and strewed the pieces about. 
In the morning, two poronpiuei wore found stone dead. 
This might not always prove eqnally tuocessful, bnt 
the idea is worth taking a note ot. 
Bumonrs, many and various, are floating abont regard- 
ing tea prospects in Wynaad, and there is very good 
reason to believe that the next twelve months will see 
sundry considerable changes in the distriot. Wo were 
glad to note in your oolomns the probability of the 
Tambaeburry Company going in for tea. I had heard 
of this some time ago, and the prospect, if realised 
will be warmly welcomed in Wynaad, as the reoultiva- 
tion of this largo block of estates, thoae parts of them 
at least, which have been abandoned for coffee will' 
make a hopeful stir in our small planting world, and in- 
evitably !■ a>l to morn prosperons days. Tea, Liberian 
coffee. and pepper, and perhaps cinchona, sro almost 
bound to bo l ur renovators, and should lliese new enter- 
prises be vigorously carried forward, there oaii bo but lit- 
tle doubt that in aiglit or ten years’ ‘ime, Wynaad will 
once again become the home of prosperity. But it is 
a critical time with ns, and the ten years moio will 
show far from universally satisfso'ory results, uoless 
energy, enterprise, and money come lorward and help 
us on. On the other liand, I am roovinoed that the 
thing only wants sinning. The land is ihce, 
sploudidly suited for either tea or Liberian, ami 
this has only to be proved practically, ns indeed 
it has experimonlnlly, to make the monied pohlio 
understand the actual value of laud wliich cit- 
oumsinneos, chiefly reprssented by loaf disease, 
have laid waste. Happily the stir has begun, and 
as I said before, we may hopefnlly antioipato some 
benefioal changca in the district during a not far 
future. 
