January r, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



5T3 



^ 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 

 MR. HUGHES, AGRICULTURAL ANALYST, ON 

 THE TEOFICAL AGRICULTURIST AND ON 



CEYLON AS A XEA-GEOWING COUNTRY. 



Analytical Library, 79, Mark Laue, London E. C, 

 November 30.1), 1S83. 



Gentlemen,- I had inuoh pleasure last week ij 

 paying your London agents my usual anuual sub- 

 seri^t'ou lor the current number of the Trop- 

 ical Ayncal'urist. It is indeed a moat useful pub- 

 lication containing the most recent information re- 

 sptcting the growth of tea, coft'ee, cinchona, cacao 

 and other crops, in which planters are interested. 

 I have had great pleasure in referring several friends, 

 who wanted information on the above, to consult the 

 jiages of the monthly numbers of this really j^ract- 

 ical book, for the pipers are for the most part writ- 

 ten by thorouyhlv practical planters and experienced 

 men. Such a b lok as the Tropica! AijrkulturiU should 

 be found in the li^Jiary of all our large schools and 

 colleges where so many young men who intend going 

 out to the coloniis ai-e cow being educated. Your 

 agents might I think bo recommended to bring this 

 matter before the principals of such estahliehnieuts. 

 I am gild to sec; ihat Ceylon tea is making such 

 satisfacto! V p-ojres^ and is now favourably received 

 by the brokers of Mincing Lane. 



If you «id refer to page 14-t of my official report, 

 published as far back as 1S79, you will notice that 

 1 ventured to remark ihat "from the analyses of 

 soih lately made, I should consider it extremely 

 jirobdble that when the curing operations were tho- 

 roujhly mastered, Tey Ion tea would be di3tiugui>-hed 

 for its fine flavour." I believe that they will be 

 valued chitfly for the fine flnvour O/'jd not for strength, 

 I am glad to say I am well in health and have my 

 hands full of work. 



'iVishing you the compliments of the season, be- 

 lieve me, yours faithfully, JOHN HUGHES. 



P. S. — I dare say you will soou get a copy of my 

 recent report upon the analys^^s of the rainwater sent 

 for examination by the Planters' Association. 



TESTING AND DEVELOPING VITALITY IN 

 SEEDS. 



Sir, — In case there should be " auytbing in it " 

 I send you copy of a memorandum of a process for 

 testing and developing any vitality in seeds. Tiie 

 jotting is from an old scrap-b'ok which has come into 

 my bands and quotes no authority. Perhaps some 

 of your readers 'will put it to the proof and re- 

 port. It is a pity the formula is not more precise. 

 — Your obedient servant, AN OCCASIONAL. 



(Cojjy.) 



Torpid seeds if steeped in a diluted solution of 

 oxygenated muriatic acid at a temperature of about 

 46^ or 4S° Fahrenheit, if not quite dead, will germ- 

 inate in a few hours, and, if then planted pro- 

 perly in appropriate soil, will grow with speed and 

 vigour. 



NAVY CONTRACTS AND CEYLON TEA. 

 The Ceylon Tea and Coffee Agency, 4, Guildhall 

 Chambers, 33, Basinghall Street, London, E. C, 



7th December 1883. 

 Dear Sin, — It has so often been said (without 

 f lonnd.ation) that this Ajjency is conservative in its sale 

 1 of Ceylon teas, confining itself to certain marks and 

 ! thereby benelilting the frw without profit to the many, 

 ' that T trust you will find space for the letter at foot 

 60 



, Not one sixpence of profit will come to this Agency 

 should Ceylon tea be chosen, but we have the satisfac- 

 tion of knowing we are doing our part for the good 

 cause and that t-'a-plaaters will reap the benefit. — 

 Y'our obedient servant, A. Huicmsou. 



Admii-alty, WhitehaU, S. W., 30th Nov. 1883. 



Mr. A. Ames, 4, GuUdliall Chambers, E. C. 



Sir, — On referiing to your letter of 14th inst. submit- 

 ting samples of Ceylon teas, I have muchpleasm'e in in- 

 forming you that instnictions have been given to the 

 Admii-alty Brokers, that when nest the department may 

 be buying, no objection will be offered to their submit- 

 ting samples of Ceylon teas, which tliey may consider 

 suited to Navy Requii'ements. — I am, sir, your obedient 

 servant, Johit Collett, Director of Xaeij Contracts. 



BUSHEL MEASURES : PiiAOTICAL EN- 

 QUIRIES. 

 Nuggur Division, Mysore, 12th Dec. 1883. 

 Dear Sir, — I shall feel much oliliged if any of your nu- 

 merous readers can infonii mo >rliat the average measure- 

 ment of a box of palam is in Ceylon aud what the 

 average outturn in wet parchment should be : t/iat is 

 to say a struck Government bushel ; what the 

 ineasureinent of a Government bushel is, aud what 

 is the difference between the wet and dry measure- 

 ment of a bushel. 



We have just commenced picking here. I think 

 there is every pro^ipect of crojjs lieing up to their 

 estimates. — I remain, dear sir, yours truly, 



IGNORAMUS. 



- ., • KINMOND'S TEA MACHINERY'. 



Calcutta, Great Eastern Hotel, 14th Dec. 18S3. 



Sir, — A copy of the Cei/lon (Jhserrer of Nov. 14tli 

 has just been handed 1 1 me, in which when review- 

 ing the latest edition of Col. Money's book on tea 

 you state ' ' Col. MoiK'y rather strains the Kiiglisli 

 language by declaring that with recent improvements 

 the machine (my patent tea drying machme) is very 

 perfect," and you add ''it ought to be for the prices 

 for the different sizes are " — and then you give the 

 prices of the different sizes of machines which are 

 made. Now in order to test whether a machine is 

 dear, its price together with the qiuintiti/ of work it 

 performs must be compared with other in.ichines do- 

 ing the same kind of work. The sirocco (which you 

 also mention in your article), for instance, costs £85 

 in England and dries certainly not more than 5 maunda 

 tea per day. 



My No. 2 dryer dries 2 maunds tea per hour, or 

 20 maunds in a day of 10 hours — that is it does the 

 work of /oH)' siroccos and it costs only £'220. Whereas 

 the cost of four siroccrs i' £340— or a difference in 

 favour of my dryer of £120— that is the sirocco is a 

 little more than 50 per cent dearer than my dryer. 

 I may also state that this season I am alloM'ing a 

 special discount of 5 per cent on single order.s aud 

 10 per cent discount when not less than 4 machines 

 are ordered. The latter discount reduces the cost of 

 the No. 1 maohinc to £135, and that of the No. '2 

 macbiue to £198. JAMES C. KINMOND. 



[Mr. Kinmond makes out a good case for his drier, 

 but two questions arise : would not several smaller 

 sized driers spread over a tea house and diffusing heat, 

 be better than one large machine, and is it a f.ict 

 that, unless great cave is exercised, the fanners which 

 send forward the hot draft will blow away some of 

 the tea?— Ed. C. 0.] 



TEA CUTTINGS. 



Beruwida, lS»h Dec. 1SS3. 

 Dear Sir,— In your issue of the 12th inst. I read 

 thac " Short of Plants" requires some information with 



