430 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[December i, 1883, 



roller has not received the attention it deserves. Of 

 Greig's roller, Col. Money can only give tlie descrip- 

 tion supplied by the manufacturer. This we recently 

 quoted. Finally, as regards rollers, we have a notice 

 of Thompson's Challenge Roller, to this effect : — 



This (quite lately luveuted) though given last is likely, 

 by ail i hear, to stand well among rollers. I have 

 no drawiug or descnptiou of it, but why I think well 

 of it is that a Tea engineer, Mr. Ansell, of Knrscong, 

 who thoroughly understands tea machinery, thinks so 

 highly of the machine that he has recommended its 

 purchnso by the Piioolbarry Tea Company. I have 

 every faith iu Mr. Ausell's judgment, aud feel coufideut 

 therefore the machine muse lie a good one. One feat- 

 ure and advauta^e claimed fi^r it is, " free contact of 

 the leaf tbroughout tlie roll witii the outer air." 

 Sub.seqaently, it is stated that it is claimed for this 

 machine ihat by its use 



'•Balimg" of the leaf is avoided. 



The tips are kept quite bright. 



Hiatiiig prevented. 



Simplicity of "feed" and "discharge." 



Oue attendant, n minimum of motive power, and 

 low priced. 



A good twist attained. 



Simplicity in the machine, aud ease of transport and 

 erection. 



We suppose, the use of hard wood for the rollers 

 obviates tlie objection otlered by Col. Money tliat the 

 wood absorbs the sap, aud, unless it is washed very 

 clean, the old sap might contaminate the new leaf. 

 The use of porcelain aud opaque coarse glass is re- 

 commended, but we suspect both would be apt to 

 crack and break in use. There is, doubtless, much truth 

 in what was stated in a letter to the Tea Oaztttc. : — 



1. All "geiiuses" of machines are equally good. 



2. There are hardly two ''species" of the same 

 genus which give similar results. 



3. Changing the "fixings " of a machine makes all 

 the ditfcrcnce iu the world. 



Erijo a good mechanic will have a good machine 

 whether he patronize Jacksoii, Kinmoud, Hawortb, or 

 any other inventor. 



1 think with your correspondent "A Voice from 

 Assam " thai the macliiue that gives the roll quickly, 

 and in a continuous supply, is the best. 



I would defy any man to prove that any inventor 

 has it "all his own way," for I certainly have not 

 found it so iu my experience. 



for the fennentiug process no machine can be used, 

 but it seems Air. J. rieming of the Fhoolbarry Garden 

 inveuted a series of shelves at varyiug lieiglits from 

 the floor, so as to '' regulate tlie fermentation, inas- 

 much as the higher the shelf the warmer the air, 

 and warmth hastens the process." 



Col. Money evdotes much space, but not mor tlua'e 

 the importance of the subject demands, to drymg or 

 firing tea' and the machines which liave been inveuted 

 for the purpose. As regards his own share iu this 

 reform, lie writes : — 



For many years charcoal only was used to fire Tea, and 

 it was an established belief that the fumes given out by 

 the said cliarcuai had some chemical etfect on the Tea — in 

 fact, that yood Tea could not be made without it When, 

 twelve years ago, 1 pubhshed the first Edition of this 

 Essay, 1 had begun to doubt the soundness of the above 

 belief, anil four years later 1 had thoroughly satisfied myself 

 of its fallacy. It was not, however, till 1*77-78 that I 

 devised a means of tiring Teas without charcoal. The in- 

 vention was well received, aud thought well of. At all 

 events, it proved what I had long urged — viz., that any 

 fuel, if contact \vitli the smoke was avoided, would elry Tea. 

 Jly invention was a very crude one, and quickly superseded 

 bj' far mere perfect designs; ttilj I have the satisfaction 

 of knowing that on this head I have done much to perfect 

 Tea maiuifaccure, and that the conviction I had attained 

 l9 in lili is now i;eneral and practised throughout India. 



Robertson's Typhoon, which it was said could bo 

 erected for E300 and which could dry 1 niaund of 

 tea with J maund of firewood, that is to say only 

 J lb. firewood per lb. of dried tea, made good tea, 

 and was well spoken of, but it seems to have gone 

 out of sight. The next machine mentioued is Allen's 

 tea drying apparatus, the advantages claimed for 

 which were, 



1. Quick drying. 2. Ooke can be used as a dryiu"' 

 agent, 10 seers to one maund of Tea. 3. Duly manual labour 

 requh-ed. 4. Not necessary to turn the Tea. 5. Perfect 

 control over temperature. 



Col. Money is of opiuion that this da-ier is well 

 suited for small gardens, which cannot afford steam 

 motive power ; but cost is not indicated. Davidson's 

 .Sirocco is then mentioned as a machine of which 

 hundreds have been sold, and which is so well known 

 and appreciated in Ceylon that a detailed notice is 

 not necessary. A letter is quoted from the Indian 

 Tea Gazette, complaining of the iron portions of the 

 machine being burnt awaj', a defect which we believe 

 has been cured. Gibbs and Barry's tea drier, of 

 which JNIr. Owen wrote so favourably and which dis- 

 penses w'ith trays, the tea being carried round and 

 forward iu a cylinder, is then briefly noticed. We 

 are not aware that any specimen of this machine has 

 reached Ceylon ? Next comes a notice of Mr, Charles 

 Shand's steam drier, of which full accounts are quoted 

 from oiu' columns. Col. Money says that steam for 

 drying tea is not quite a new idea, as he saw an 

 apparatus to use it in Cachar years ago. We are 

 rather surprized that Col. Money does not see the 

 applicability of the principle of this machine, whether 

 hot water or steam is used, to the artificial withering 

 of tea leaves in wet weather. Mr. hhand himself 

 claimed that his machine was especially adapted for 

 re-drying tea before packing, this operation being 

 carried on at a low temperature (?) aud requiring a 

 good deal of care. Col. Money left Kinmond's and 

 Jackson's driers, respectively, to the last ; and he 

 as unhesitatingly now gives the palm to Kinmond as 

 he awarded it to J ackson in the case of the roller. Be- 

 sides the drier iu which trays are used, it seems 

 Mr. .Jackson brought out a trayless machine in which 

 the tea once fed in, requu-ed no more attention un- 

 til it was discharged dry, the tea being steadily but 

 slowly kept in motion. Can any reader say if this 

 competitor with Gibbs and Barry's machine has been 

 a success ? Iu Kinmond's drier. Col. Money fully 

 believes The principle differs from Jackson's in that 

 a fan working at UUO revolutions per minute forces 

 hot air through the tea on the trays, a separate blast 

 of hot air being forced through the tea on each tray. 

 Col. Money rather strains the EngUsh language by 

 declaring that with recent improvements, the machine 

 is "very perfect." It ought to he, for the prices for 

 the various sizes are 



No. 1 Dryer, capable of drying one maund of pucka Tea 

 per hour, £150; No. 2 Dryer, capable of drying two maunds 

 of pucka Tea per hour, £220; No. 3 Dryer, capable of 

 drying three maunds of pucka Tea per horn-, £300. These 

 prices are f.o.b. in London. 



So that, consequently, when erected on an estate iu 

 the hills over 100 miles from Colombo, the cost would 

 be increased by about ont-third, or say £200, £300, 

 and £400. No wonder though Col. Money should 

 complam that the prices are too high, suggesting that 

 with ad\antage both to inventor and planters they 

 might be reduced. Mr. Kinmond states ; — 



This is the only Tea-drying machine which can keep pace 

 with the largest, rolhug machines. It is made iu three 

 sizes. The capacity of tl:e smallest or No. 1 Drjer is one 

 maund of pucka Tea per hour. The capacity of No. 2 

 Dryer is two maunds per hour, and that of No. 3 Dij er is 

 three m.iuuds per hour. The cousmuptiou of fuel is less 

 than oue B3<>uud of ivood fuel to one muwud of pucka Tei» 

 dried. 



