February i, 1SS4.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



545 



HAPUTALE RAINFALL. 

 A correspoudeut dating from " Below the Tass ; 

 elevation 3,400 f ict above sea-level," sends us the 

 figures for raiufal! during the past year, as follows : — 

 Rainfall during 1SS3:— 



days. 



Total.. .110-83 175 



The total rainfall is almost exactly equal to the 

 average of the group around Abbotsford on the 

 Dimbula or souih-wist monsoon side of thedividiog 

 range, but there is this grand diSerence that, while 

 rainfall equal to an average of 36 inches is almost 

 incessantly falling in June and July in Dimbula, 

 those two mon'lison the eastern side of the range 

 are batlied in fnshine, the fall for June 1S83 having 

 been only 1-62 inch in 6 days and for July (during 

 which an exceptional rain-storm of 2-10 inches 

 occurred) was 5 -(12 on 9 days. It is in Oct. and 

 Nov., the north-east monsoon months, that Haputale 

 gets its 36 inches. The rainfall is ample in distrib- 

 ution as well as quantity for tea, but pruning time 

 and chief flushing time will probably differ as the 

 cofiite harvests do in the we.stcrn and cistern 

 mountain districts. Oar correspondent writes : — 



" Although Uva has long been the favoured district 

 for coffee, \yith such ramfall, do you think, 3Ir. EiUtor,' 

 there is any reason to doubt that the cultivation of tea 

 will pay? A few li.ave gone in for it on a small scale, 

 but by the time we have the railway to the Pass this 

 cultivation will have largely iucrea.sed and the tonuagu of 

 tea down to Colombo be no inconsiderable item in" the 

 j.ai!way accounts." 



We have no doubt of it : Hapntale and Uva generally 

 will yet be scenes of a large and profitable tea pro- 

 duction, and to help forward this enterprize as well 

 as to aid in revivins; coffee the promised railway ex- 

 t nsiiin is urgently required. It is not tea alone, but 

 cinchona, cacao, cardamoms, rubber and other products, 

 as yet undeveloped, for which Uva is lifted by its 

 rich free soil and specially geniil climate. 



Another correspondent sends s na detailed statement 

 of the rainfall at the Pass (about 1.200 feet higher 

 up) for the pa-t three years, and, curiously enough, 

 the results are f.ar below those obtained so much lower 

 down. Local circumstances, especially the features of 

 mnutitaiu ranges on which vapour clouds strike and 

 are compelled to deposit their moi.stnre, have much 

 to do with amount of rainfall absolutely and in excvp- 

 tioual rainstorms. The fignres for the Pass are : — 

 1S81 7071 inches. 



1882 CS-23 



1883 ?iO-03 



Average of 3 years ... 79-34 ., 



a quantify amply tufTicicnfc for tea culture, as re- 

 ferences to tli^ cliniatn of Assam, Cschar .and 

 Sylh^twill siiuw. The distribution of raiti is far 

 beltci in Ceylon than in the Indian districts. In the 

 three ye.irs the raiu in January vaiied from 2-24 to 6-!)4 

 inches, the average being 4-20. In February the va- 

 70 



nation was from 349 to S-39 .-ind the average 5'2S. 

 In March the lange was 1-97 to 5 0.5 and tlie average 

 3-30. In April the variation was 804 to lOSO, aver- 

 age 9-19. JNlay rimged from 607 to 12 77 and the 

 reuniting average is S'iX June, the driest month 

 varied from 104 to 2-47, average 170. In July the 

 range was from so low as*0-84 (in 1881) to 3-36 last 

 year, the average thus being 2-14. In August the 

 r in begins to increase and we get from 2 08 to 599 

 with an average of 4-56. September differs but little 

 from August, 2-9G to 668 and an average of 4-35. 

 We now come to the north-east monsoon months, 

 and we get for October 7 '66 to 14-78 with an 

 average of 11-21. Then comes November with S-31 

 to 16-49 and an average of l."05. Finally, December 

 v.-irie< from 7-27 to 18 03, the average being 11-80. 

 Looking at the record for 18S3, the alternations of 

 rainy and rainless weather are most marked. January 

 17 days gave more or les' rain, so low a quantity 

 as> 1 cent being recorded. February had only 9 rainy 

 days and March 7. April was distinguished by 13, 

 May 16, June only 7 and July 10. In August ram 

 was recorded on 13 days, and September 9. This 

 number w.is doubled in October, while in November, 

 the very rainest month of ail, there were 7 rainless 

 days. In December the rainy days were 13. It will 

 thus be seen that for groing and flushing the climate 

 I is good and for tea making mo-,t favourable. Oh 

 for th.! railway to the Pats, to create and then carry 

 the large tea traffic of Uva ! 



MESSRS. JOHN GREIG & CO.'S TEA 

 MACHINERY. 



We have received a letter from Messrs. John 

 Greig & Co., of Edinburgh, regarding their com- 

 prehensive series of machine.-, wliicli not only roll aud ilry 

 teji, but wither the leaf, aud also cut it into squares and 

 trianghs so as to prevent so large a jiroportion of dust 

 as is usually the ease. Tea planters generally, although 

 many of them believe in the benrlicial t-U'ect in wet 

 weather, of gentle, diffused artificial heat for wither- 

 ing purposes, do not favour the idea of withering 

 entirely by lire heaf. Most of theui object also 

 to the cutting, of tea haves, because the resulting 

 tea would be classed and sold as " broken tea." 

 But we believe the head of the firm of Messrs. 

 John Greig & Co. had experience as a te* 

 pl.-mtor, and it will be useful to our readers at this 

 juncture to hear what the inventors and manufacturers 

 of tea machinery, which ceelaiT'ly h.as the merit of groat 

 comparative cheapness, have t.i adv;ince in favour of 

 the principles and performances of their inventions. 

 Messrs. John Greig & Co., writing from Edinburgh on 

 Dec. 13th, st.ate :— 



" You have our most grateful thanks for yoiu- article in 

 your issue of the l.ith October last. We tliank you very much 

 for the iutelligeut and kindly interest you take in any new" 

 inventions calculated to fm-ther the development of the 

 industrial resources of your beautiful ishiud into the in- 

 terior of which oiu- Mr. Greig travelled hi 1SG8, when ha 

 had an interview with the late Mr. Ferguson. 



" Your article is a very fair critisisni on the Srofy/nati's re- 

 port at the exhibition (public) held hero with the various 

 machines in operation. 



" There were four reporters fi-oni several newspapers but 

 the Srofsmaii's reporter came late, after all the explanations 

 had been ended, when Mr. Greig was cugageil on tlie 

 ti-ials of the machines. Consequently throngli tlie attention 

 he had to devote to the planters and others ]i)re.sent he got 

 only hun-icd explanations, and besides he was a gentle- 

 in,an who had not the slightest knowledge of the 

 simplest mechanism, so that ho made a complete bungle. 

 The report is very far from correct ; he has mixed up 



