674 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 1884. 



to see how the capital outlay is distributed ; that is to say 

 how 1,6»0 acres can be planted and brought into bearing 

 for 20,000 minus the cost of the land, which can hardly 

 be less than £5,000, or in other words for less than £10 

 per acre. There is one expression in the prospectus which 

 we ought not to pass witliout notice : — " Planters (especi- 

 ally those who have failed in Oeylon) are now turning 

 tlieir attention to this country" (Johore). We presume 

 the intention is not to intimate that the hill country of 

 the Maharajah's State is gradually being occupied by 

 Ceylon insolvents, but that as men who have acquired a re- 

 putation in Ceylon for sound judgment in such matters 

 have pronounced favourably upon the soil and climate of 

 Johore, tlie fact may be accepted as proof positive of the 

 capabilities of the country. — I'lanters' Gazette. 



TKIAL OF FIBKE-SHKEDDING MACHINES AT 

 CALCUTTA. 



Yesterday evening, under the auspices of the Agricul- 

 tural Department, between 3 and 5 p. m,, a trial of 

 machines for detaching iibre from various materials was 

 hehl O]iposite the Zoological gardens. Tliese comprized a 

 a powi rful steam power m.ichine, by Sir Walter Desoza ; 

 a smaller compact, ditto, by Messrs. Burn & Co. two hand- 

 power roller machines, by V. V. G. Hatti Barooah, of Assam, 

 tea g arden proprietor and mouzadar ; one animal-power 

 ditto, by the same exhibitor, and a manual rotatory 

 machine, by Blessrs. T. E. Thomson & Co. The fibres 

 under test were as under : — 



FiBEE Yielding Plants. 

 Knotoii as Scientific designation. 



Khea ... Boemhera Nivea. 



Aloe ... Agave Americana, 



Pine-apple ... Anannasa Sativa— Four 



Oroya Gigantea. 

 New Zealand Hemp ... Sanseviera Zeylanica 

 Shor-flower ... Hibiscus Kosasinensis. 



Sthalpadma ... H. Mutabilis. 



Eoselle ... H. Sabdaraffa. 



Bala _ ... H. Tiliaceus. 



Plaintain ... Musa paradisiaca. 



Saolapadma ... Yucca Gloriosa. 



Nona or BuU's-heart ... Auona Squamosa. 

 T lat Kambal ... Abroma Agusta. 



The two steam power machines fell short of the results 

 I xpected of them (the smaller not offering to work at 

 all), for want of proper adjustment in their positions 

 The same may be said of T. E. Thomson & Go's manual 

 machines of the others the Baroah machines turned out 

 fair specimens of fibre, but the operation has to repeat 

 itself before a fair result is obtained, but this their in- 

 vention promises to remove in time. This gentleman 

 showed a specimen of drawn rhea fibre, which appeared 

 very clean and glossy, and of very fan- marketaljle quality, 

 which IS said to have been stripped by one of his machines. 

 But he said also that it bad been subjected to the 

 action of " certain chemicals incorporated with oil."' This, 

 however, is a secret at present. 



Baboo Troylockho Nath Mookerjee and Mr. L. Liotard 

 watched the operations on behalf of Government, and 

 there were several European and native gentlemen on the 

 spot representing the mercantile and Zemindary interests. 



There will be another and more detailed trial on a 

 future date, but not until the arrival in this country of 

 the two machiues now on their way to this country from 

 Messrs. Death and Elwood and Mr. Forbes Watson. The 

 latter has been represented at the Exhibition, but the 

 one expected has some later improvements, and is con- 

 sidered complete. — Statesman. 



KINMOND'S ROLLING AND DRYING 

 MACHINKRY. 

 The results obtained from Mr. Kinmond's visit to the 

 Dunedin tea estate being of the greatest importance 

 not only to the proprietors of that estate but to all 

 who are connected with the tea enterpr'ze, and con- 

 sequently interested in the machinery which can do the 

 best work at the least cost, we auuex copy of .the 



report by Mr. Forsythe, superintendent of Diincdin. on 

 the work done by his machinery under Mr. Kin- 

 mond's personal direction. Mr. D. Fairweather, 

 superintendent of Sembawatte, was present during the 

 time Mr. Kinmond was working his machines so as 

 to give the best results. 



At Dunedin we find there are a Kinmond's No. 1 

 roller and No. 2 drier, worked by one of Robey's 

 vertical G-horsepnwei- boiler and 4-horsepower engines. 

 Neither the roller nor drier worked satistnctordj previous 

 to Mr. Kinmond 's visit : in working the roller, I ho leaf 

 adheied to the surface uf the rolling discs, aud prevented, 

 to a certain extent, the twisting action on the bulk 

 of the leaf ; the result was badly-twisted tea. 

 Mr. Kinmond explains that this adhesion of the 

 leaf to the discs is caused by the large amount of gummy 

 matter and sap which, compand with Indian, is found 

 in the Ceylon tea leaf. The ruuedy Mr. Kin- 

 mond applied was very simple and most eflfect- 

 ive. The battens on the surface of the rolling discs 

 for turning over and twisting the leaf had 

 the base widened by the insertion at each side 

 of a triangular HUet ; this thoroughly prevented 

 the leaf sticking to the surface of the discs, and the result 

 is that the tea has now a hard wiry twist bett'-r than 

 anything we have ever seen: Mr. Kinmond has left 

 with us a sample of the bulk of tea made on the 28th 

 ultimo which can be seen at our ofBce by those 

 wishing to judge for themselves of the statement 

 that bis roller now gives on exceptionally tine twist 

 to the leaf. 



We understand that the Fairfield Ironworks Com- 

 pany, Mr, Kinmond's agents, have been instructed 

 by Mr. Kimmond to furnish on application a sketch 

 of the shape of the battens now used on the rolling 

 discs, and to enable pbmter.H to thoroughly examine 

 his rolling machine. A No. 1, the same size roller as 

 at Dunedin, will be on view at the Fairfield Works 

 in about -a fortnight. The alttratious on the battens 

 of the rolling machines now at work in the island 

 can be carried out by a native carpenter in a few 

 hours. 



The improvem»nt made by Mr. Kinmond on bis 

 drier was simpl.v an alteration in the method of 

 working; the speed of the fan was incnased to 700 revol- 

 utions per minuttf and the layer of tea sjjread on the 

 trays was much icdnctd in thickness, the result being 

 that the tea was dried in 10 to 12 minutes, instead of 

 about 30 asliefore. The ditl'erence of briskness between 

 the sharp-and slow fired tea was simply astonishing, 

 a sample from bulk of the sharp-fired was far superior 

 to a sample from the jiekot of the slow-fired, and if 

 the enhanced value put on the these sharp-fiied teas 

 by the superintendents of Dunedin and Sembawatte 

 is realized in the London market, the benefit of Mr. 

 Kinmond's visit to Ce.ylou cannot be overestimated; 

 and apart from the profitable results to himself and 

 primarily to those esta'es now working his machines 

 tea planters generally will be benefited and encouraged 

 by the knowledge of such important aids to their 

 enterprize being obtainuble, aud, as may be seen from 

 our advertisement column, at a reduced rate. 



The quantity of tea dried by the Kinmond No. 2 

 drier wa» as near as possible two mauuds of pucka 

 tea per hour, and this might have been exceeded 

 if there had been more space round the drier to en- 

 able the trays to be handled quicker. Those who 

 may be setting up Kinmond's driers would do well 

 to make a note of this and allow plenty space on 

 both sides for the rapid working which sharp-tiring 

 necessarily entails. 



Alt'igether the machinery now is a perfect success, 

 aud any infornintioii required as to its working will, 

 we have no doubt, be gladly given by the super- 

 intendent of Dunedin, and as to supjily and erec- 

 tion, &c., by the Fairfield Ironworks Company. 



