8oS 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 2, 1892. 
pal buyers were Gustav Briegleb, of Amsterdam, 
the Baunswick quinine works, and the Mannheim 
and Amsterdam works. (Mr. Brioglob is supposed 
to buy for one of the American factories, one of the 
heads of which attended the sales. It is his pur- 
chases that gave rise to the “ syndicate of buyers " 
report a few weeks ago .)— and Druggist, 
♦ 
SCOTTISH ASSAM TEA COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
The Secretary of the CompAny has issued the follow- 
ing to the shirebolders:— “ I have the plensure to 
inform you that the total quantity of tea made during 
season 1891 has amounted to 378,608 lb., wbiob, al- 
though 26,662 lb. lees than the exceptionally large 
crop of the previous year, is still about 38, 0(^ lb. in 
excess of the quantity made in 1889. Dp to this date 
about 306,400 lb. of the seasou’s teas have been sold, 
producing a gross sum of £13,044, being on average 
price of tally lOJd per lb., aa against llpl per lb. 
average realised tor whole crop of the preceding year. 
Five invoices yet remain to be sold, and. taking thofo 
at or about Calcutta valuations, it is estimated ^at the 
total crop will produce a gross sum of about £15,750, 
as against £18,600 grore proceeds of crop 1890* Com- 
plete accounts have not yet been received from India, 
but from the figures already available it is evident that 
the expenditure for 1891 will considerably exceed that 
of the previous year, the exoeai arising chltfly under 
the heads of ** additions to moobinery ” and “ cost of 
importing and recruiting new coolies.’' On the other 
band, there has been a aubstantia] gain (about £1,500) 
under the head if ••exchange,’* and the rate for re 
mittanoesB to India still continues exceptionally 
favourable. The latest aooouuts from the Gardens 
are of a satisfactory nature, all cold weather oper- 
ations — such as hoeing, pruning, renewal of buildings, 
— were well advauoed, and everything was being 
got ready for making a vigorous start with the new 
season,— /f. and C’, Feb. 26th. 
INCKEASING THE LIFE OF WOODEN 
SLEEPERS. 
From , paper read by Mr. H. W. Reed at the 
Ninth Annual Oonvention of the Hoad Mastere’ As- 
Booiation of America in Augost la.t, we learn that 
in the United States alone, more than 73 millioos of 
wooden aierpers aro mod auoually, and that the present 
timber areas oaunol possibly continue to supply more 
than half that quantity. This hns caused Anicrionn 
railway engineers to devote more attention to the 
diSsrent methods by which timber can be preserved 
than has been the case in other countries, and Mr. 
Reed also points out that there are several methods 
of preserving the life of sleepers, besides the use of 
chemical preservatives. 
1st. “By seleoting the most durable t'mbor, and 
insisting upon the use of properly designed bearing, 
or base, plates whenever soft wood sleepers are used." 
The average life of black cypress sleepers is eight 
years, and of red cedar, seven years, when the rails 
are allowed to rest directly on the sleepers ; but when 
bearing plates are used, Mr, Keed estimates the life 
of the same sleepers at twelve years at least. When 
soft wood sleepers are used with double or hull- 
headed mils, their life may bo inoroused from 50 to 
75 per cent by using chairs with a very broad base ; for 
as we have pointed out more than once, sleepers of 
this sort are, in the majority of oases, crushed or cut to 
pieces long before they are worn-out or decayed. Any- 
one who will take the trouble to examine the oreosoted 
fir or deodar sloeepi rs taken out oi any Indian Railway, 
as unfit for further nse, will find that at least 76 
peroent are fairly sound with the exception of a small 
portion on either aide of the rail or chair-sent. lu 
oonneotion with this, wo may point ont that the chairs 
m usa OB all the large railways in Great Britain, are 
frona 35 to 100 per cent, heavier than those in use on 
Indian Railways ; and, conscqnently, they have a larger 
beating surface, and do nut damage the wood so much 
•• smaller chairs. 
2nd. ‘ ‘Give proper attention to the speoification for , 
and inspection of, sleepers." Mr. Reed points out tba t 
although every Oumpaiiy has its own specifications, 
which require a ceriaiii width of heart, freedom from 
wiud-ehakea, rot, hollows, iplits, &c., it iscustomay 
to allow slight variations from the specification, and 
that contractors will frequently take advantage of this 
variation unless the sleeper inspector exercises great 
firmness, and an unusual amonnt of good judgment. 
This is certainly a most important point, and it should 
always be distinotly stated in the agreement, what 
amount of variation is to be allowed, instead of leav- 
ing this to the discretion of the inspecting officer, as 
is too often the case. A difference of one or two 
inches in the length of a sleeper is not of mnoh im- 
portance, but not more than half an inch difference 
in width should he nllowed when broad gauge sleepers 
are being examined, and any that have large gum 
veins, hollows, or splits, should be rejected. 
Thonsands of wooden sleepers are condemned every 
year aa being unfit to remain in the road, solely because 
tliey are split in the centre to such an extent that 
there is no hold for the spikes : when enoh sleepers 
were accepted, the cracks were no donbt very small 
and these could have been prevented from increasing 
in size by putting an halt inch bolt tbtongh the 
steeper about six or nine inches from the end : two 
pistes or washers, four inches square, and one-fourth 
of an inch thick, would also he required, and the 
whole could bo made of scrap-iron. Dog-nails, bands 
of hoop-iron, and the many other methods which have 
been tried, are of no praoiicsl value, but split sleepers 
when properly seentsd in ihe manner above described 
IsBt as long as sound sleepers and are qnite as valnable. 
Even Bonnd sleepets oiten split after they have been 
in use for a short time, and as the cost of the bolt, 
and washers, inolHding the labour of fixing, would not 
bo more than one topee per sleeper ‘if done at both 
ends,' it would perhaps be a saving in Ihe end if all 
wooden sleepers wore so treated before being put into 
the road as a preventive measure. 
The cost of iiiaiutenaiice is largely influenced by the life 
of the sleepers nsed, and if by securing the ends tliiscan 
be increased by two jetrs, it will certainly repay the 
cost of applying the bolts. 
Any sleepers that have more than half an inch of 
sap-wood either in depth or breadth, should be re- 
jected as unfit for main line nse; snob sleepers deteri- 
orate very quickly, and often lose oue-tliird of their 
original size within three or four yoats. 
3rd. “ Sleepers should not bo cut when sap is flow- 
ing freely. " From experiments made by Mr. Keed 
it was fonod that yellow pine sleepers cot during the 
months of Janusry, February, and June (io South 
Georgia) had at least 20 pet cent, longer life than 
sleepers cut daring other months. 
4th. “Sleepers should bo properly settsonod before 
being used, and this esu be best done by piling, so 
that a free oircnlation of air oao be >naiDtaiusd 
through and around, them.” Suggestions Nos. 3 aod 
1 are oeitsiuly deserving of mure attention than they 
have hithertu received in this country. As a role, 
Indian cuntraotors cut sleepers whenever labour is 
available, and tin's no doubt is the ressou why sleepers 
of the same class, cut within a short distance of each 
other, give results so widely different. Wooden sleepers 
are often allowed to lie about in the forest for a 
month or two after being sawn, if there is not eufli- 
ciont water in the nearest liver to float them in ; 
or, if the carl tracks (they cannot be called roads) are in 
bad order, but oo regular procedure is followed ; and all 
cuutraotors try to deliver the whole of their stock »• 
foon as possible after it is out. When stacked at the 
depot they aro usually laid so oluse together that 
only those on the outside of the pile get any fresh 
air, and when material is required for construction or 
renewals, sleepers are not allowed to remain at the 
depot longer then is aetually necessary. To lesvo 
them exposed to the sun’s rays would cause many t? 
split, but cheap sheds with tiled or boarded roola 
could be provided at a small cost, and it would then 
bo possible to season them for a year or more, instead 
of insing them within six mouths from Ihe date on 
whoh the tress were oat down. 
