370 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[NO^IMBER I, 1883. 



a rub over witli small pieces of sack or cloth, which improves the 

 appe;irance of the beans, aud facilitates dryiug in this showery 

 weather. 



The difference in well cured and badly cured cocoa amounts to 

 at least K20 per cent, and the prices obtained for it as in tea, will 

 depend in a much greater measure on the careful attention of the 

 superintendent to tJie curing, thau in tlie case of Coffee Aiabica, 

 aud the good man will have a better chance of coming *to tite 

 fore' tlian in days of old with coffee. 



TEA-DRIERS. 



Our rtaders will remember that Mr. Owen, in his 

 address to the ilaskeliya Planters' Association, spoke 

 in high ttrms of the Gibbs and Barry tea drier. We 

 are now glad to be able to present the following 

 detailed description of this funnel machine, which we 

 find in the Indigo Planttrs' Gazelle. The machine, it 

 would seem, requires only three coolies to work it, 

 and it is claimed for it that it renders burning 

 impossible. The objections are the high first cost 

 (against which is to be placed the saving in trays, 

 which in other machinery wear out) and the fact that 

 coke or charcoal must be used as the heat-geuerating 

 material. The fumes of coal and the smoke from 

 wood would ruin the tea, the heat being driven 

 through the funnel by fanners. 



lu these days of competition, when every device is absol- 

 utely necessary in the way of economy to make tea pay, 

 and when many contrivances, dodges, or by whatever 

 name one may choose to call tliem, are unknown to many 

 planters, we consider it tlie duty of every one interested 

 in tea, to enlighten the Planting community on any topic 

 which may tend to reduction of expenses. The Gibbs and 

 Barry Tea Dryer in this connection deserves our notice. 

 In doing so we are influenced by no partisanship for this 

 machine, for we have heard as many speak well of it as 

 the opposite, and every tea planter is aware how some 

 think the " Sirocco" perfection ; some say, notliing like 

 the " Kininond," and others say. give us the " Jackson" ; 

 perhaps the only machine regarding which the opinion of 

 the planter is unanimous being the " Itijihoon." "We pro- 

 pose taking up and dealing with the properties of these 

 different dryers, leaving intending piurchasers to judge for 

 themselves wliich is the best. 



The Gibbs and Earry machine is then a coke dryer, and 

 no other fuel can be tised except, say, charcoal, of which, 

 we fancy, it would consume too much for the ([uantity of 

 tea turned out to make it a paying thing. In the machine 

 there are no trays t(» get out of order. It is a long cylinder 

 which revolves slowly, and the heated air from the coke is 

 driveninto thecylmder cr timnel by a fan placed over the 

 furnace, the latter composed entirely of brickwork, so that 

 there is no chance of complaints of burning out, &c., such 

 as was heard of regarding the false sides of the "Sirocco,^ 

 but which is, we believe, now remedied — an ingenious but 

 simple arrangement of air-holes enabling the operator to 

 raise or lower the temperatiu-e at will. The necessary heat 

 haviug been obtained after the tire is hghted, the hot-air 

 duct is opened aud the heated air is blown right through the 

 tunnel. The prepared leaf is fed into the cylinder at one 

 end and is discharged at the other, either crisp tea. or 

 fths fired, or i fired, this being acconiphshed by raising or 

 lowering the cyUuder. This is a point most decidedly in 

 its favor, as it does away with all chance of burnmg. All 

 the tea is bound to receive the same amount of heat and 

 come out fired equally, the revolving of the cylinder making 

 t£e turning of the leaf automatic, aud the tea all passes 

 through at the same speed ; but over aud above this a 

 long felt want is here supplied for withering leaf, as the 

 temperature of the tea-house can be raised in w et weather 

 by simply setting the machine in motion and opening 

 the hot-air duct and blowing the heated air into the house. 

 In many factories at the present time the old and anti- 

 quated choolah has been kept up, not to fire the tea 

 but simply to wither the leaf in cc'.d wet weatlier, thus en- 

 tailing a considerable expense, the presence of the choolah 

 rendering the building useless for packing or other pur- 

 poses. The quantity the machine is cajmbie of turning out 



is, we believe, about 2 to 2i maunds pttcca tea, so that, 

 worked 12 hours, we may say 25 to SO maunds. We pre- 

 fer to calculate the outttu'n per hour, as some people's days 

 are longer than others. In some factories we beheve it is 

 found to be most economical to pass through the whole of 

 the day's leaf pretty rapidly, half firing it as it were, and 

 then fully cooking it over the old choolah ; aud in this we 

 have heard of as much as 220 maunds of green leaf being 

 passed through. The object of this is, we understand, to 

 impart the same freshness to all the tea which is obtained 

 by the rapid stoppage of the fermentation, and which takes 

 place as soon as the tea is put into tne cylinder, as the heat 

 is exceedingly high. The danger of burning the tea too is 

 reduced to a minimum, and many a sleepless night spared 

 the planter, for he knows that if the leaf is put in at 

 one end it must come out at the other at the same 

 speed, and having received the same treatment and not 

 dependent upon a sleepy coolie to tinn it. The fuel re- 

 quired is by some considered a disadvantage, but in 

 this machine the drawback is not so great as in some 

 others that only burn coke, as before the heat reaches the 

 cylinder, auy coal gas that might be generated — the result 

 of bad coke — is completely destroyed, and the quahty 

 of the coke is not so highly an essential as in some 

 otj6ers, where the heat is applied direct. There are num- 

 bers of small improvements wliich, we think, might be 

 added, but they are only minor ones, aud we have no 

 doubt the patentees will by-and-bye, wheu the machine 

 becomes more common, he induced to add these. There 

 is little or no wear and tear on any of the parts, so 

 that the machine would be a lasting investment ; and 

 once erected would cost little to keep in thorough work- 

 ing order. There is no annual repairing of trays, and 

 the number of coolies required to work it make it verv 

 economical. One man is required to feed and another to 

 take away the tea as it falls out at the other end. These 

 with a hoy to stoke are all that is needful for the suc- 

 cessful working of the dryer. The quantity of fuel to 

 the maund of tea turned out is trifling, so that, so far 

 aa economy goes, it has everything in its favor except 

 prime cost, which, we have no doubt, could be lowered 

 if the sale increases. 



On a future occasion we propose to notice the Sirocco 

 and Kinmond's both wood and coal burners. 



The Smocco Axn Ivixjioxd's. 

 In writing iu our last issue of the Gibbs and Earry 

 Dryer, we mentioned that we purpcsed taking up the 

 Sirocco and the "Kinmond's," and we .now proceed to do 

 so. In dealing with these a good many points have to be 

 taken into consideration, whicli had not to be reg.arded in 

 tlie Gibbs and Earry, and we would purpose taking these 

 aud dividing them into what may be called the pros and 

 cons, or the advantages aud disadvantages. First we ought 

 to preface our remarks about these two dryers ity stating, 

 that we are wTiting of them as of one, although they are 

 not exact!}- the same, because the principle is the same to 

 all intents and purposes, as both machines profess to use 

 auy fuel, coal or wood. Theonly existing difference, so fiiras 

 we know, being that in the Kiumond'sdryer a fan is required 

 to create the draught, whilst the Sirocco's action in this 

 respect is automatic, as the funnel answers the pm'i>ose 

 of a chimney to carry olT the smoke, and at the same 

 time create a draught. Thus one advantage is scored 

 over the '*' Kinmond*' and ** Gibbs aud BaiTy*' as no 

 motive power is reqmred, and the Sirocco once erected 

 contains all the elements of action within itself. Botli 

 the " Kinmond" aud the " Sirocco'' axe composed entirely 

 of iron, so that there is no danger of fiie; but we have 

 heard serious comphunts of the false sides of the latter 

 burning. We understand, however, that this defect has 

 been remcilied lately by substitutuig fii-e brick plates in- 

 stead of cast iron, which apparently will not resist for 

 any length of time the high temperatme that it is necess- 

 ary to keep up to get the best results out of the Sirocco. 

 The KinniOfid we have complained of as blowing out the tine 

 tea and bm-ning some of it, but the quantity so burned 

 is said not to be serious, at least so an experienced 

 Manager assured tis. We understand too, that the 

 motive power required is not great, but still necess- 

 itates the engine * being worked after the rolling is done. 



* In Ceylon, generally, merely the water-wheel, — 'Em. 



