February i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



537 



THOMPSON'S TKA ROLLER. 

 We quote from the local "Times" details of the 

 trial of Mr. Thompson's " Challenge Eoller," and 

 since Mr. Greig tested his machine with cabbage leaves 

 we do not suppo-se that a machine was tested under 

 greater disadvantages. As we read of leaf thrown on 

 the floor and left all night thick and wet, the leaves 

 sticking together with water between tliem and the 

 fine leaf discoloured, we cannot help asking if the 

 superintendent of Maria watte was on the estate, and, 

 if so, whether he took any interest in the trial of 

 tlie machine ; because, if he did, the interest seems 

 to have been a hostile one, or, if favourable, his 

 people seem to have b\it badly seconded his good 

 intentions. And where was Mr. Thompson or his 

 representative that he did not see the leaf, to be ex- 

 perimented on in the morning, spread out thinly on 

 shelves so as to wither properly during the night ? 

 It is truly remarked that leaf in the condition de- 

 scribed is simply unworkable and 'cannot'' be made 

 into good, even tea. And yet we ai-e left to infer 

 that from such a beastly mess, we!l-rolled, well-fer- 

 mented, well-fired tea was evolved ! ' ' E.ttreniely 

 handsome teas, full of pekoe ends." It is thus claimed 

 for Mr. Thompson's roller that it can make first- 

 rate tea out of leaf described as being so neglected 

 and in such cou^'ition that it was unworkable and 

 conld not be made into good even tea ! 'I hat is, the 

 " Challenge," roller has accomplished an impossibilty, 

 the result being 7 1 per cent pekoe, 22 pekoe sou- 

 chong, 4 per cent souchong and good broken mixed, 

 exclusive of a line showy "dholie." Of a machine 

 which lias accomplished what the narrator himself 

 declared to be impossible we arc prepareil im|ilieitly 

 to believe that it will turn out 90 per cent of pekoe 

 when ordinary care is taken to free the gi-een leaf 

 of moisture and wither it properly. .\ir. lliompson's 

 roller may be a very excellent macliiue, but if so its 

 inventor is to be condoled with on the appearance 

 in tlie local ''limes" of an account of its per- 

 formances which is simply an insult to the common- 

 sense of intelligent readers. We can only express 

 the liope that Mr. Thompson personally is not re- 

 sponsible for an article which ' dotli protest too 

 much." ]f the description was written by "a 

 gooduatnred friend,' iVlr. I'liompson has certainly 

 not nuich to thank him for. Had the desire been 

 to throw ridicule on the " (halleiige' roller, that ob- 

 ject could not have been more ellectually accomplished. 

 The machine must have great merits if it survives 

 the I'reposterous claim to perfonn impossibilities pre- 

 ferretl on its behalf. 



THOMPSON'S TEA ROLLER: THE " CHAXLENOE." 

 The trial of this simple, but effective, machine on Tues- 

 day last, l.jth instant, in the presence of some fifteen 

 gentlemen, showed it to be of even greater capacity than 

 previously claimed, inasmuch as it takes 2 maunds of green 

 leaf at a fill and works most -effidoutly wlieu filled right 

 up. 80 long as the leaf is tumpd up "occasionally ))y tlie 

 man superintending. Mr. Thompson's intended progamme 

 was to have rolled off two or three fills in the early morn- 

 ing, so that these who came should not have to waste time 

 by waiting for colour and firing. This, howevKr, was quite 

 impracticable, as, by some mischance the leaf in tlio morn- 

 ing was found to have been thrown on the floor and left 

 wet and thick, a great number of the leaves sticking to- 

 gether, three and four thick, with water between them, 

 while some of tlie flue leaf was discolored. It was endea- 

 voured to separate these wet leaves from one another, but 

 the attempt was unsuccessful, as the leaf was found to 

 contain a lot completely stuck toffetlier when placed in the 

 machine, an instance of whicli Mr. Thompson showed to 

 Messrs. McKenzie, Scovell, luglis and others. It is need- 

 by 



less to remark that leaf in such condition is simply un- 

 workable and cannot be made into good, even tea. Such 

 leaf is raw and brittle, and cannot but remain so. It also 

 prevents other leaves from receiving proper manipulation, 

 mostly coming out green even after firing. 



At 12-1.3 p. m., liowever, the machine was started 

 and kept going till 3-35 p. m., simply stopping to 

 discharge and reload six fills, consisting of about U 

 maunds==S80 lb. The fu-st and last fills being small 

 ones were worked off in this time, eiich fill being from 

 30 to 3.3 minutes in the machine. 3 coo ies were at 

 the hiiudles, and Mr. Thompson attended the hopper. At 

 the cud the first two rolls were put in the machine to- 

 gether and given another few minutes with marked suc- 

 cess, some few gentlemen remaining to witness it. For 

 leaf in such condition it was evident thet a double roll 

 was beneficial, but, on properly even withered leaf, it is 

 better worked right off, as is done in India with these 

 miichines. On the Iti'h Messrs. Thompson and Inglis 

 found there were 216 lbs of tea made exclu.sive of Dholie. 

 They then put some of the bulk through the sieves with- 

 out any hand-picking whatever, and turned out extremely 

 handsome teas full of pekoe ends weighing as under : — 

 Orange pekoe ... ... 33 per cent. 



Pekoe ... 11 



Pekoe souchong ... ... 22 „ 



Souchong and good \ ... i „ 



broken mixed J 



IO1I per cent. 



'iljc.-e are c.\Lia--iVL- of a fine showy Dholie samples as- 

 sorted aud packed in tlie presence of Mr. luglis can be 

 seen at the G. O. H., Messrs. Davies, :uiii Messrs. Forbes 

 and MTaiker. IVL. Thompson has no hesitation in saying 

 that, evin with the best of leaf perfectly withered anil 

 manufactured by the most careful manipulation, the teas 

 would be hard to cijual, and with careful manufacture 

 the '■Challenge" will give from 80 per cent to 90 percent 

 of pekoes, as it has done on some of the gardens in India 

 during the past season. Mr. Thompson has samples of the 

 leaf worked at the trial, and will be happy to show them 

 with teas produced. 



REMINISCENCES OF A VISIT TO THE CALCUTTA 

 EXHIBITION, WITH A TRIP TO DARJILING. 



(By Mr. A. M. Fcri/uson, Jr.) 

 I was able to see three or four various sets of tea macli- 

 ines. .Tackson's without doubt carry off the palm for magni- 

 tude and perfection. Mr. Dalgarno, their able represent, 

 alive, told me that a steam engine that had only been 

 erected two days had been bought up atK2,000; a large 

 " E.welsior " roller, capable of doing four maunds of leaf 

 at a fill, was also sold, aud negotiations were going on for 

 others. Their " Eureka " sifting and sorting machine, 

 capible of doing 20 to 25 maunds of tt a per day, consists 

 of 3 sieves, each 11 feet long and 2 fci-t wide, placed over 

 and parallel to each other acting upon 4 strong ash laths 

 fastened down by brackets at each corner. One can be seen 

 at work by anyone inti-rested on Abbotsford estate (Cey- 

 lon). The price of Jackson's machines exceeds that of some 

 other makers, but their work is far sup-rior, I believe. 1 

 visited two estates at Darjiling, Tukvar and Happy Valley, 

 and at both the machinery was all Jacksnn's. I was told it 

 had done i;xceedii]gly good work, and l.ioth the managers 

 declared they preferred it to any other make. Mr. 

 Curtis of Tukvar told me that he h:i 1 had a roller at 

 work for nine years without a hitch, a)) 1 beheved he coidd 

 work it 9 years more equally well. 



I saw Kinmond's machines being put up and 

 painted, but only one was finished, ami no one was- 

 by to give instructins or explanaions. The dryei 

 is described in the catalogues as a patent dryer 

 and green-leaf withcrer : it was a machine of about 3 feet 

 by S feet wide by 10 fei t high, and con'aiiied nine trays 

 on each side. There was also a " Kinmoi. Ts Cominpressed 

 Action Centrifugal Eolliug Machine," bi t it looked alto- 

 gether as complicated as the name itself. The dryers are 

 said to be capable of drying one, two, and tbi'ee maunds of 



