fMfi fkOPtCAL AGUiCULTlSmS'f. [Oct. i, m6. 



■CfMHt^^iifWM 



where auctions of bark fare hefd every fourteen 

 days. In tlieir oinniun, the Government, from its 

 bein^^ the greatest importer of the article, is fully 

 abel to prevent the larger portion of the Java bark 

 shi2)ped on private account from finding its way 

 to London. 



mfmmmim 



NOTES ON INDIAN AND CEYLON mODUUTS 



FROM THE OLD COUNTEY. 



{From Our Special Represtntative.) 



Ceylon tea — ckvlon and indian couf.t at the 



" COIjIND " EXHIBITION. 



I saw in a grocer's window a printed bill which 

 stated in large letters that " the finest tea now 

 imported was from the mountain gardens of Ceylon, 

 grown at from 1,000 to 6,000 feet above the 

 sea," and another smaller one, of which I enclose 

 a copy : — 



CEYLON TEA. 



The climate and soil of Ceylon have ])roved them- 

 selves iieculiarly adapted to the successful cultivation 

 of Tea, and the product of many of the Estates possesses 

 all tlie richness and flavour of the old-fashioued 

 China Souchongs, combined with the strength and 

 fulness of Indian Teas, but without their excessive 

 astriugency. Such Teas are perfection in themselves 

 and need no blending. 



It is now about ten years since the Ceylon Planters 

 first turned their attention to the culture of Tea, the 

 export in the years 1875 — 6 being only 482-lb which 

 had increased in 1882 — 3 to 1,522,882 lb. and still further 

 in the following season, to 2,263,000 lb. According 

 to the G rocer, a correspondent, writing from Colombo 

 under date August 1st, states :— " Already our export 

 for the new product. Tea, has doubled itself within 

 the year, and during 1886 it will again double itself, 

 with an ever-increasing value of the article." There 

 are now 3.3,000 acres under cultivation, which will bo 

 in full bearing 1887 — 8, duringjwhich season it is estim- 

 ated the export will reach Ten Million Pounds. 



Prices — 2s 6d and 3s per jiound, in original leaden 

 packages only, weighing 1-lb and j-lb nett. 



Sold by — E. J. Willis' Tea Deafer, Boscombe 

 But there is another link with Ceylon in a house 

 not five minutes' walk from here, the name of 

 which is TalawahcUie ! It has only just been 

 finished, and is at i^resent to let furnished : the 

 owner, I learn, is a Rev. Mr. Godson ; what ■ is 

 his connection with our island ? As might be 

 expected, the name is popularly mispronounced with 

 the accent on the first syllable. 



I notice from your last Overland that Dr- Watt's 

 story about the jungle of 50 to 100 feet tea trees 

 is regarded by many of your readers as well as 

 yourself as a ' pull ai the long bow.' But though 

 he learned doctor may have exaggerated a little, 

 perhaps unconsciously, may not trees of at least 

 50 feet high exist in their wild state ? You are 

 mistaken in supposing that the Indian planters 

 who visited Ceylon were astonished at the Iieipht 

 of the ' giant ' trees on Abbotsford and other estates : 

 it was the immense lateral growth of the branches 

 to which they had never seen anything equal in 

 India. As to height, Mr. Tod of Assam told Mr. 

 A. M. Ferguson, Jr., that he had on his own estate 

 a clump of trees exceeding 50 feet. 



I have already given a pretty detailed description of 

 the Ceylon Court, and will only add that when I 

 visited it last week I found that on each side of the 

 porch had been placed tubs with tropical plants, such 

 as Cycafi circinalid (Sinh. iladu), &c. ; also that 

 Col. Clarke's map of the mountain district has 

 been now hung where its details can be examined 

 minutely and justice done to its workmanship. 

 The Ceylon tea houses seem to be as well patron- 

 ized as ever. With regard to the complaints of 

 correspondents in your columns as to the quality 

 of the tea served there, I cannot offer an oinnion 

 as I uevci' drink tea ; the coffee and the obocolale 



arc, as I can testify, excellent. Closely connected 

 as our island is with India, it is natural that it 

 is'] to the Courts of this empire that I should 

 iirst take your readers. The space allotted to 

 India is divided into (1) the Indian IJaU ; (2) the 

 Art Court ; (3) the Imperial Court of Economic 

 Products ; (4) the Court of Private Exhibitors ; 

 (5) the Tea, Coffee, and Tobacco Court ; (r>) the 

 Administrative Galleries; (7) the Indian Palace 

 and its adjuncts: and lastly (8) the Indian Jungle 

 and Kuch Bihar Trophy. To begin with the 

 last, it is naturally a great attraction to visitors, 

 but the thought that must strike an Indian xliikari 

 would be,. I should think, " C'est magnitiquc ; 

 mais ce n'est pas la — nature ": at least, 1 should 

 imagine one could hardly find so many animals con- 

 gregated in such a limited space in their native 

 wilds. In the Indian Hall (1), which is hung with 

 rich chintzes and guarded by portrait models of 

 the various types of the Indian soldier, are cases 

 in which are models of some of the P. <t 0. Co.'s 

 latest vessels while an illustrated pamphlet giving 

 the history of the Company and details as to its 

 fieet Ac, lies handy for visitors to take away. To 

 the general public the Art Courts (2) are, I ima- 

 gine, the most attractive, with the magnificent 

 Jeypore entrance arch, the courts of the different 

 states, presidencies and ijrovinces with their varied 

 and often elaborately carved screens, and the 

 thousands of articles of value and beauty therein 

 displayed. But these I must pass over and come 

 to the Economic Court, (3) which is entered by 

 an archway thus described in the Official Cata- 

 logue :— 



The Forest Trophy.— The massive archway which forms 

 hte entrance to the Court is constructed entirely of 

 I dian timbers, and designed by Mr. F. B. Mausou, 

 Deputy Conservator of Forests, Oluitia Nagpur, Ben- 

 gal. The middle portion is 22 ft. broad, aud rises to a 

 height of 15 ft. ; the side parts are 12| ft. high. The 

 tntil breadth of the ti'ophy is 46 ft., and it is 5 ft. in 

 thickness. It contains 3,00(i specimens of useful timbers. 



The timber specimens used in its construction belong 

 mostly to the Bengal Economic Museum, and have been 

 lent by the Government of Bengal. The trophy in- 

 cludes also the greater part of Mr. J. S. Gamble's col- 

 lection described in his " IManual of Indian Timbers." 

 The specimens so described are marked with a letter 

 followed by a number ; the letter denotes the region 

 from which each specimen was obtained. In addition 

 to these collection a large number of new blocks of 

 wood, furnished by the Inspector-General of Forests, 

 have also been built into the trophy. The very ex- 

 tensive series of timbers thus brought together has been 

 arranged on the trophy in geometrical patterns, and ou 

 either side of the arches are placed fretwork panels of 

 teak wood in arabesque design. A border of alternat- 

 ing dark and light woods surrounds the entire frame- 

 work. The pilasters are supported by large slabs of 

 timber, bevelled' to show the grain of the wood. For the 

 construction of the ornamental arches some of the 

 principal Indian timbers procurable in Calcutta, viz., 

 teak, sal, sissu, and pine have been used. The geo- 

 metrical tracery of the panels forming the plinth on 

 eiih'.T side of the middle arch is of teak and sissu; whilst 

 that of the pilasters on each side of the smaller arches 

 of teak. 



Immediately close to the arch "are articles of furniture 

 carved from the wood of thePadouk or Andaman red- 

 wood tree. The table constructed of one complete 

 section shows the enormous size which this dark red, 

 close-grained and hard wood .attains. 

 On entering into the court the first object that 

 strikes the eye is 



The Bamboo r/-o^j/({/.— Occupying the ceutre of the 

 Court, and conspicuous by its height, the great object 

 of attraction will undoiihtedly be the Bamboo Trophy, 

 wliicli consists of an arch over the central transverse 

 path leading from the ArtAVare Courts, and contains 

 oue of the most perfect collections of bamboos ever 



