592 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Feeeuary ij 1884. 



and forwards, and jerk or knock it on the bamboo till 

 the tea is sorted as they desire. 



About the year 1873 a sieviug-macbine was constructed 

 by Mr. William Jackson, which consisted of long oblong 

 trays, -one size of mesh following another in a longitud- 

 inal direction. These sieves were placed on a long plane 

 incline, and had a short reciprocating motion giren to 

 them. They were suspended by wooden springe or hangers 

 to a suitable framework, and the unassorted tea passed from 

 the higher end to the lower, each class dropping through 

 the sieves iuto suitable receptacles as it passed along. 

 This machine did fairly good work, but it fell iuto disuse, 

 to some extent, owing to its bulky and cumbersome 

 nature. 



The next in the field was Mr. Ausell, who practically 

 worked on the same line as Mr. Jackson ; but he super- 

 imposed his sieves in a zigzag direction over each other, 

 and having secured them firmly to each other by brackets, 

 he carried the whole on suitable wood or steel springs 

 attached to a framework made of wood. The sieves also 

 received a rapid reciprocating motion, and the tea, instead 

 of passing along an incline plane of sieves dropped from 

 the lower end uf the one on to the higher end of the 

 other, the assortments being carried ott by suitable trays 

 and spouts fixed under each sieve. This machine is well 

 spoken of, but hke the one previously described, it has, 

 we are informed, the disadvantage of requiring much room, 

 and we believe the whole of t)ie tea to be sorted has to 

 be carried to a height of about 12 feet before it can be 

 placed iu the feeding-hopper. 



Another sifting-machine has recently come into the 

 market. It is by Mr. W. Jackson, and we bear it described 

 as the cleanest and neatest working .sorter the planter 

 has received. The sieves are superimpo.sed, but are placed 

 all on the same incline ; that is to sny, the inclination 

 of all tlie sieves is in one direction, so that tliey can be 

 placed very close to each other, and the height of the 

 machine so reduced that it can be fed from the floor of 

 the tea-house. Another peculiarity in the construction of 

 this machine whi('h must commend itself to tea-growers 

 is the entire absence of any framework beyond that which 

 actually constitutes the frames of the sieves. The power 

 required to work the raacliiue is merely nominal, and we 

 have only to s,ay that Slessrs. Marshall, Sons & Co., of 

 Gainsborough, are the manufacturers, to give those in- 

 terested confidence in its construction. It is styled the 

 I' Eureka," and can be seen at Messrs. Marshall's stand 

 in the Calcutta exhibition. 



IRON TEA FACTORIES. 

 The question of factories for tea gardens, of a durable 

 character and at a moderate cost, is one of so much 

 importance to tea plansers in India, that no apolosy is 

 necessary for directing attentien to an iron structure 

 exhibited in the Internatiou.al Exhibition by Messrs. 

 A. & I. Main & Co., of Glasgow and London, whose 

 agents are Messrs. Duncan Brothers & Co., Calcatta. 

 The particular structure to which we refer is especially 

 adapted for use upon tea gardens, and is termed a 

 '■ Tea Factory." The coniplate factory consists of 

 three spans, and a withering loft, the centre sjan 

 being .30 feet to 40 feet wide, and usually about 16 

 feet high to the eaves, and of course it will be un- 

 derstood that the builrliug can be made any required 

 length. Along each side of thrs main span is a " wini;" 

 or side bnildmg, each about 15 feet wide, and the 

 three roofs are carried by four rows of malleable iron 

 columns of a section combining great sfreufth with 

 lig.dncss. To form the withering loft, a fifth range 

 of similar columns is run up the centre of the main 

 span, standing about 10 feet high, which carries 

 cross joists also of irou, and upon these are luid the 

 timber joists to which the flooring is nailed in the 

 usual manner. The great merit of this arrangement 

 is its simidicity, and the fact that all the essential 

 parts of the building .ire of iron and consequently 

 permanent. The flooring and its joists cin be got at 

 for renewal wicli perfect case, and n^ine of the per- 

 manent parts of the building are afiected. The columns 



also are worthy of notice. They are of malleable 

 irou— not cast— and are thus light for transit, es- 

 pecially inland transit— and lieing prepared for fixing 

 into concrete fouud.ations, are easily handled and 

 erected. The roofing is strongly made with iron 

 principals and ties, and the method adopted by Messrs. 

 Main & C'q. , for securiug the galvanized sheets to the 

 iron framing of the roof, is one of extreme simpl'city 

 and Btrengtb, and enables the roof to withstand the 

 most severe Nor'Wester without the "wind ties" 

 usually adopted in less strongly constructvd iron 

 roolini;. Provision is made for light and ventilation, 

 and the whole buildisg possesses an appearance of 

 great neatness and thorough adaptability to its 

 puropse. The prices we learn are very moderate, and 

 from the figures given to us, we would say that 

 such an iron building must compare favoerably in 

 cost with brick and timber work, and we are not 

 surprised to le.arn that Messrs. Main & Co.'s irou 

 factories are being generally adopted upon Indian 

 tea gardens. 



In the same exhibit there is a light and simple 

 form of a portable steel railway and w.agon, especi- 

 ally adapted for tea gardens, and we would expect 

 that Messrs. Main & Co.'s patented sj'steni, from its 

 cheapness, simplicity and completeness, will form a 

 most valuable adjunct in the economical working of 

 a tea garden. — Iiidiyo and Tea Planters Gazette. 



NOTES ON SUNGHIli UJONG. 



After about six hours journey in the curt, Ean- 

 tow is reached, a little village with a police station 

 to the right and the Coffee estate of Messrs. Li«t t, 

 Hdl and K.-iithbone to the left. These gentlemen o.vn 

 abiut 130 acres of ground planted with Liberian 

 coft'ee and cocoa. The coffee trees are from two to 

 three yeas old, and look healthy and in full bearing, 

 no doubt in better condition generally than those iu 

 the estates at Johore and Singapore. About two hund- 

 red piculs of the coffee and cocoa berries have bieu 

 set to Singapore and a large quantity is lying in 

 bags in the store hats ready to be shipped. Then 

 pepper plants thrive luxuriantly. The soil of Sunghie 

 Ujoug has been pronounced very good and it is sur- 

 prising that many more planters have not directed their 

 sti'ps thither instead of going to such un out of the 

 way place as North Borneo. They have only to go 

 to the place and see for them-elves to be convinced, 

 and the Resident, an amiable and courteous gentle- 

 man, has always been found ready to render every 

 assistance to travellers and planters in prospecting 

 the couiitty .—Straits Intelligence, January Ifith. 



ADULTERATED TEA. 



Examiner Davies, after consultation with the ap- 

 praiser, with the largest tea importers and with Pro- 

 fessor Batchellor and Dr. Davis, the chemists at the 

 Government laboratory, recently agreed upon a stand- 

 ard for determiuing the pcrceutage of impurity M'hich 

 shall be hereafter deemed sufficfcnt to exclude all 

 colored teas, whether from i/hina or Japan, and es- 

 pecially to be applied to tea dust. According to this 

 standard, S per cent of foreign subst.ance8 will be 

 permitted, but where a cargo of tea is found to ex- 

 ceed that proportion the examiners will refuse to 

 pa«s it. 



This new rule was put in force yesterday, when 

 Examiner Davifs rejected as eutrie'y unfit for c-n- 

 sumptiou 600 jiaokages of .lapan dust ex steamships 

 Pembrokeshire, Mosser and City of Tol>io. Th" Govern- 

 ment is determined to put an end, through Mr. 

 Davies. to the importation of all cl isses of adulterated 

 tea which is above the standard laii down by their 

 examiner, and the sooner importers realize the faC 

 the better for their poclieta.— /4niercw« Grocer. 



