February j, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



541 



posing each sftparatc leaf to equal heat. To avoi'l fric- 

 tion, and at the same time obviate the necessity of using 

 lubricating oil, the fan revolves on a packing of asbestos 

 a!id plumbago. When, in five minutes, the leaves were 

 til^eu out, they had that kid-glove feeling which indicated 

 that the withering process is completed. The leaves fall 

 out from the bottom of the drum, and are conveyed to the 

 'green withered leaf-cutting machine,' which possesses 

 the great advantage over chopping with a knife, that not 

 " ily is it mucfi quicker, but cuts every leaf into small 

 -juares, so that whatever position the cut pieces lie in 

 tb» machine, they will roll up to the length required for 

 the market, and when dry are sifted more rapidly, and 

 preserve the bloom on the tea, as it does not require to 

 be rubbed by hand over the breaking sieve, and there is a 

 saving of between 40 and 50 per cent in the amount of loss 

 through broken tea and dust. The leaves fall from a hopper 

 over a feeding roller, and in between two metal cylimiers, 

 which cut the leaves into the requisite size of .square. 

 The leaves gathereil from uuilerneath are placed in a 

 canvas bag, and thrown into what is designated ' tlie link 

 and lever tea-rolling machine,' where the bag revolves 

 between a ribbed central drum and sides. 



" The exterior of the latter is composed of staves, which, 

 by an ingenious and powerful application of the lever 

 principle, can be drawn tight or expanded, in order to pro- 

 iluce the desired pressure. About eighty pounds of tea can 

 be rolled at one time. Emptied out of the bag.s. tlie leaves 

 are placed in galvanized wire bottomed drawers, which 

 are fitted into tight-fitting grooves in a chamber exposed 

 to hot air. The stove is of a novel tiesign, and si.x or more 

 stoves can be added at a nominal cost, and all heated by one 

 fire, thus utilizing all the heat of the fire before the smoke 

 enters the chimney. Any kind of fuel can be burned, as 

 the smoke arising therefrom does not penetrate to the in- 

 terior. The atmospheric air entering from underneath is 

 conveyed throuch perpendicular pipes, which throughout 

 their length are alternately C0Dtract<!d and expanded, giving 

 them the appearance of a turned pillar. By the heat 

 from the fire being directed so as to strike on the upper 

 end of the pipes a thorough draught is created, while, by an 

 economical arrangements, the heat after passing through 

 the leaves, is conveyed in a pipe, and .serves as the hot- 

 air supply of the withering machine, or hot air can he got 

 from a charcoal Tullah, independent of stove. 



■' For the sorting of the dried leaves the inventors have 

 provided an unique circular motion sifting machine, now 

 much improved and strengthened, which, wliile it occupies 

 less room than any of the existing machines, possesses the 

 advantage of being self-delivering, and of separating the 

 tea into the various qualities. There are four sieves. The 

 tea, after being rubbed over the upper sieve by hand, falls, 

 by th". action of the maehine, into No. 2 sieve, where the 

 souchong is deposited, while on the two lower sieves res- 

 pectively pekoe souchong and pekoe and tips remain, the 

 dust falUng through beneath. After having been again 

 dried, the tea is packed for the market. The inventors 

 claim for their patents originality, combined with simplicity 

 and cheapness, and that both space and motive power iu-e 

 economized." 



The agents in Calcutta are the Planters' Agency, 10, 

 Hare Street, 



Wa quote_ also from the Calcutta Statesman a notice 

 which was given of the machinery now being shown by 

 this firm at tbe exhibition. Who are the planters in Ceylon, 

 who are using these machines " with great satisfaction ?" 

 "Messrs. John Gbeio&Co., Eegext Works, Edinbuboh . 

 Tea-preparintj Machme)-y. 



" ilessr.s..John Greig & Co.,the well-known engineers, of the 

 Regent Works, Edinburgh, have forwariled to C^alcutla sev- 

 eral specimens of their tea-cutting, rolling, and sifting 

 machinery. These various processes are, of course, abso- 

 lutely necessary for the proper preparation of the article 

 which the Dean of Bangor so unsucces.sfully attempted to 

 denounce the other day, and their arrangement is such as to 

 effect considerable saving both in time and labour. The 

 Greig patent green-leaf tea-cutting machine is one of the 

 le.i(ling exhibits at the fim's stand. It is claimed for it that 

 it is tho only machine which can sep.arate the pdvoe nibs 

 from the other loaf, while it is the only m.achine which can 

 cut the leaf rapidly into regular equares. The: use of this 

 machine saves enormously, as the production of broken tea 



and dust is prevented, while the saving of time in sifting, as 

 compared with the usual method of pressing by hand through 

 sieves, to make the lea of uniform size, is very considerable. 

 By the use of these machines the tea is enhanced in value, 

 and the bloom preserved. They can be driven by hand or 

 steam power, as desired. 



"AVe now come to the link and lever tea-rolling machine, 

 which has the advantage of possessing few frictional |iurts, 

 can be driven atany speed, anti is easily worked. The finest 

 nibs can be rolled to any degree of nicety without breaking 

 them, and the coarsest teas crushed into broken black at 

 will. The bags are, by their own centrifugal force, thrown 

 out of the mitchine, and they are put in by simply lilting 

 up the table. A point of importance is that the firm manu- 

 facture a small machine of this sort, which is specially 

 adapted for driving, with the aid of cattle-gear. This will 

 roll from six to eight maunds per hoar, and machines of this 

 size have been working upon a large number of estates, both 

 in India and Ceylon, with great satisfaction to the proprie- 

 tors. The machines are allot first-class workmanship ; they 

 can be erected by unskilled workmen, and occupy but a 

 small space. 



"The third machine exhibited is the Greig tea-sifter, which, 

 while it occupies less room than any of the existing machines, 

 possesses the advantiige of being self-delivering, and of sep- 

 arating the tea into the various qualities. There are four 

 sieves. The tea, after being rubbed over the upper sieve 

 by hand, falls, by the action of the machine, into No. 2 

 sieve, where the souchong is deposited, while on the two 

 ower sieves respectively pekoe souchong and pekoe and tips 

 remain, the dustfaliing through beneath. Some recent im- 

 provements have been introduced into this machine which 

 possess great strength, and is arranged to sift from six to 

 ten maunds per hour. The makers claim that this is the 

 only machine in the market on the right principle, and cert- 

 ainly the numerous testimonials which they have received 

 from several large planters seem to point in this direction. 

 The inventors claim for the patents originality, combined 

 with simplicity and cheapness, and that both sp ice and power 

 are economised by the adoption of their machines. Certain 

 it is that they have sent out to ('alcutta an exhibit which is 

 likely to be inspected with the greatest interest, and seeing 

 that one of the chief sources of Indian wealth in the future 

 promises to be the further extension of the tea industry, we 

 are gratified to see this eminent firm so well represented." 



USP AND DOWNS IN NORTH BORNEO. 

 (By an ex Ceylon ResidenC.) 

 Saudakan, North Borneo, Ist Dec. 1883 



We are not getting on so well in Borneo as I 

 could wish, but I fancy we have passed Ihiough a 

 crisis and tilings look better. The early part of the 

 year saw a great sp-iog, people bought greedily, and 

 l.)0,00;) acres, were applied tor and partly paid for, 

 SI, and I0'30 being the total and I -3rd down. It 

 was easy to buy 1000 acres, say at30 cents, paying $100, 

 and we beaame a landed proprietor at once, a little 

 hard up at tlie moment, it may be, but our account 

 at tlie store for liquor was not paid, and that was the 

 onl.v ditference, meanwhile we had 1000 acres and 

 could to(i. Most of the olfici:ils, and a good many 

 Chinese, folloived the fashion, and the total sold looked 

 booming. 



Time runs along, there were no surveyors and the 

 land was unsurveyed, of cour."e we " eould nut think" 

 of opening land whose locality existed on an applic- 

 ation form and had been selected tor us by a friend 

 who know someone who said, land at such a river 

 would soon turn over its money, " when the rush 

 began." How nice it ail looked, and it was only 

 hist February wc felt so buoyant, so awfully jolly, 

 you know ! so careless! A big Cliiuese Oonipmy 

 bought land, ten square miles (I must say there is 

 somethiug unctuous in de.-ciibing land by the square, 

 uiile, it has tho same elfcct ou the mind a.< " those 

 tarts" hud on the fat boy's mind in " I'lckwick)" ad- 

 joining ours and " By Jove, sir, Isaid to mypartucr, well 

 malic tlieui buy us upat a good figure" ! 



