276 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1883. 



immediate supervision of a gentleman who knew notliing 

 of tea manufacture nine months ago. 



In regard to Machinery I have a few words to say. In a small 

 garden that will not give bigger, accumulations than 1,600 lb. 

 leaf per diem to be worked off, a ''Universal" roller ami a 

 " Sirocco " are most suitable machines. It is, however, au 

 axiom in India that roUing and firing power must always 

 • be provided for about double the quantity of leaf that has 

 to be expected under ordinary circumstances, and I think 

 there are few Ceylon estates where the machines in 

 question w-ould be found sufficient during a rush of crop 

 or a continuance of unfavourable weather. Presuming 

 therefore, that quantities of leaf up to 5,0001b. will have 

 to be dealt with, an *' Excelsior " roller is the best machine 

 to erect, but I do not agree that a multipUcation of 

 " Siroccos " is either economical or advisable aft suggested 

 by Mr. Armstrong. Kiumond's No. 2 Oryer costs £220 and 

 does the work of exactly four Siroccos costing in the aggi-eg- 

 ate £340, the cost of erection of one machine as against 

 four would make the divergence still greater. Teas from 

 Siroccos are characterized by a very brisk full liquor, un- 

 doubtedly superior to those fired over charcoal ; but having 

 had opportunities of sampling them a;;ainst teas from 

 ICinmond's machine, I am strongly of opinion that the latter 

 carries off the palm. A Kinmond's machine requires five 

 coolies to work it ; four Siroccos would require twelve coolies 

 to keep them going. So that, in original cost, working ex- 

 penses and efficiency of work, the pohcy of erecting one 

 good machine is preferable to that of maiutaining several in- 

 efficient ones, however satisfactory the quality of their work. 



And now as to the machinery for gardens working off 

 upwards of 10,000 lb. leaf per diem : two " Excelsiors," may 

 be erected, or one " Ha worth's ■' roller. This latter machine 

 is very popular in Assam, and will roll 1,100 lb. leaf an hour. 

 I believe the cost is about the same as an " Excelsior, " but 

 am not quite sivre. The machine consists of three parallel 

 rollers revolving very rapidly in the same direction. Be- 

 tween them the leaf, enclosed in a bag, is placed. This 

 machine does excellent work. Of dryers to work on a large 

 scale, there is none to equal Gibb's and Barry's. This 

 machine consists of a long iron cylinder, made to revolve 

 in its axis, and with a slight slope towards one end. Hot 

 air is driven in to it by fans along a shaft which tr.averses 

 it from end to end. The roll is put in at the ujiper end, 

 and comes out at the bottom J fired. The temperature 

 of the hot air is from 6-50 ■=> to 700 = , as ag.ainst 275 ° for 

 the Sirocco. To finish the tea off it is put through again 

 from time to time as the f fired tea accumulates, at a 

 reduced temperature. Those who have sampled teas from 

 these machines would be able to recognize the high-fired 

 flavor anil the peculiar twist of the tea, anywhere, and 

 they like it better than teas from any other machine yet 

 invented. The higher the temperature at which tea is 

 fired the better the liquor, provided always that there is no 

 burning; and under-firing arising from over-caution in manu- 

 facture is a very common fault Avith us. The cost of this 

 dryer would be about K4,000 erected, and it requires about 

 J H.-P. to drive the fan, as does Kinmond's but it is un- 

 questionably the machine of the futm-e. I would add that for 

 this enormous quantity of tea three coohes only are required. 



As to Sifters, I believe as efficient au apparatus as anyone 

 requires can be made and erected on the estate, without 

 large outlays in patent machines, and I saw many of the 

 former in India. The most favourite patent machine is 

 Ansell's, and the saving it etfects in the cost of sieving 

 is very great : in the Borelh garden one such machine 

 saved E750 expenditure during last year alone. It does 

 not, however, do very effectual work, as the pekoe is not 

 properly taken out ; and I have seen tea put through it 

 three times before it could be said to be thoroughly done. 



To describe the numerous other forms of machinerj' and 

 small appliances would take up too much time, but I hope 

 to publish my notes on them shortly. 



To sum up this subject, jMachinorj' as applied to tea 

 manufacture is universal in Assam, and. in forming our estim- 

 ates in Ceylon, we might as well draw up the figures for 

 coffee without pulpcrs, on the supposition that coolies 

 would tread out the cherry with their feet, as against the 

 advantages in every respect, including cost, efficiency, sav- 

 ing of labour for other works, economy of space, he, kc, 

 wlieu compiling figmes in connection with tea. Compari- 

 o us of cost with India, where machinery h almost uui- , 



versally employed, are misleading unless we credit Ceylon 

 with the same advantages. 



And now regarding the Cost of Putting Teas in the London 

 market. "What has gone before vn\l have shown tbat,in respect 

 of labour, transport and field cultivation, we have a great ad- 

 vantage over Assam, a sUght one only over Darjiling. There 

 is 3'et another advantage in our favom'. During the pro- 

 tracted cold weather in India there is great difficulty in 

 finding employment for the coolies. AU croj) work is at 

 an end, hoeing is impossible, and the only work there 

 is pruning, If therefore, there is no new extension in 

 which to employ the labour, much of it has to be put to 

 unremviuerative works. In Assam with imported laboiu*, 

 the difficulty is especially great. The G-overnment insist on 

 the payment of coolies whether employed or not, whether 

 sick or well, the four-days-a-week system is impos- 

 sible. Now, in Ceylon, with oiu- continuous growth which 

 allows us to choose our own time for pruidng, matters 

 can be so arranged that no protracted slack season occurs, 

 plucking in the ffi-st-pruned portions commencing before 

 pruning is ended. AVhat a great advantage this is will 

 be appreciated by all who have in years gone by had to 

 support large crop labour-forces with no work to give 

 them. With the disadvantages enumerated the cost of 

 Assam tea delivered in London ranges generally be- 

 tween lOd and Is though often over the latter 

 amount. Takiug the lower rate at which the Eorrelli gar- 

 den is quoted, and deduct 2§d for freight and London 

 charges, we have a cost of 7.jd f. o. b. in Calcutta. The 

 average cost of the whole of the Land-Mortgage Bank's 

 Darjihng gardens is 6|d per lb in Calcutta, shewing the ' 

 advantage the latter district has as regards economy of 

 working, for, in spite of a very much smaller yield, the 

 cost of production is less by Id per lb. Now, with proper 

 appliances in tlie way of machinery, and with the various 

 economies in the matter of working which come with ex- 

 perience, there is little doubt that gai-dens favourably cir- 

 cumstanced can put teas in Colombo for 30 cents or 6d 

 sterling per lb a jaeld of 400 to 4501b per acre being 

 given. In this case we have an advantage of ^d per lb over 

 Darjiling, due to our superior yield, and of Hd per lb 

 over one of the exceptionally good estates in Assam, the 

 majority being at far greater disadvantage. It will per- 

 haps be thought that 30 cents per lb is a low estimate, 

 but, judging from the cost of the various field works and 

 of manufacture in the large Indian factories, I feel con- 

 vinced that we shall be able to work for this when our 

 estates are in full bearing and when we have provided 

 ourselves with roomy factories and the proper labour- 

 saving appliances. At present, with only a rolling machine 

 and with much young tea, 36 cents per lb is what its pro- 

 duction is costing me, and it is easy, to see how the G 

 cents can be saved in the future. 



It had been my intention at this point to enter into 

 details regarding the cost of production, and to shew how 

 the figures quoted above were ariived at; but, in vivm of 

 Mr. Armstrong's recent paper in the subject, and of the 

 very close approximaton between my figures and liis, I will 

 not do so. Mr. Armstrong gives the cost of production 

 by hand-rolling as 39 cents per lb., with machinery 31j 

 cents, both these estimates include the manuring of 50 acres 

 and a yield of 4001b. A slightly increased yield, or superior 

 situation as regards transport, water-power, or timber supply 

 would at once bring the cost to the figure I ha\e quoted 

 30 cents, or even below it. In practice, the cost will be 

 found to lie between these figures 30 and 32 cents, accord- 

 ing to circumstances, with an additional 7 cents where 

 machinery has not been erected. 



The average of the four estates enumerated by Mr. Arm- 

 strong is 34 cents f.o.b. without niachinen/. 'With the proper 

 appliances the cost would therefore be well below the figure 

 I have indicated, but probably the estates in question have 

 done no manuring, which, if done on '^he scale indicated 

 would about cover the difference. 



And now I am going to say a few words on the subject 

 of Pruning and Plucking. The object of pruning isto secure 

 as large a surface as possible for subsequent plucking, and 

 it therefore follows from the growth of a hybrid bush, 

 which generally has a clean stem for some inches above 

 ground and, above that, lateral branches groVi^iug in an up- 

 right du-ection, the higher the level at which the bush 

 is cut the greater the surface will be. Agaiu, 



