42S 



THE TSOPI-CAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Dec. I, 1886, 



FIB HE MACHINERY. 



Cn Satur.lny, the 17th iast., au Arcjxis represen- 

 tative vitite ^ ihe shop of D. F. Burden, near the city 

 whprf, to l-(k at the model of a fibre cleansing and 

 vrathiug machine, but, owing to crowded columns last 

 week, we were unable to mention it. Some weeks 

 ago we saw the first machine of the series — the one 

 for estracticg the fibre — which i* now on a shelf in 

 the patent office at Washington, and were impressed 

 with its simplicity and wonderful working powers. 

 The last model made, as we have stated, is the 

 cleansing and washing machine, and there is yet one 

 more to construct, when Mr. Burden and his associates 

 will have a set of fibre machinery which will be 

 worth a fortune. No part of the globe furnishes so 

 many valuable fibrous plants as Florida, and all that 

 is needed is the proper machinery for its extraction, 

 and the industry will be one of the greatest in the 

 South. We have samples of fibre in our office, which 

 were extracted from the Spanish jNIaguey plant by 

 Mr. Burden, whit n measures thirty-six inches in length 

 as pliable as thread but as tough as wire. Can a 

 better fibre for the manufacture of ropes, twine, etc., 

 be conceived which is so easily produced and yet so 

 valuable ? The resources of Florida in this line have 

 been only touched, properly speaking, and it seems 

 that it remains only for Mr. Burden to develop them. 

 Should these machines prove successful and practicable 

 (and in our opinion they cannot jjrove otherwise), a 

 new industry will be inaugurated in Florida which 

 will be even greater than that of orange growing, and 

 which will accordingly command mere interest and 

 insure the investment here of more capital. That the 

 manufactories will be located here is almost a fore- 

 gone conclusion, for the raw material is at the door, 

 and the shipping facilities as good as could be secured 

 at any place. We wish Mr. Burden success, and know 

 that he is able to attend to it. — Sanfonl Argus. 



DESIGNATIONS OF DIFFERENT TEAS. 



A correspondent writes: — "The terms "Pekoe" 

 " Pekoe Souchong," and "Souchong" are here treated 

 BS referring to Indian, Ceylon, and similar teas, and 

 have no connection with the sane terms as used in 

 describing China and such-like teas. Strictly speak- 

 ing, these terms are used to denote tea manufactured 

 from the leaves in different stages of development, 

 though for ordinary trade designation, the actual 

 pppearance of the leaf is the standard for determin- 

 ing to which of these grades a tea belongs: — 



'• Pekoe " tea is manufactured from the first two 

 or three young leaves at the end of the shoot, or 

 " flush," as it is technically called. The just unfold- 

 ing bud at the end, which in about another day 

 would be a leaf (and often the just expanding young 

 leaf next it), is covered with a white velvety down, 

 which, if not stained dark by the juice expressed 

 during the rolling process in manufacture, comes out 

 light-coloured in the finished tea, and the tea that 

 contains these whitey buds is called " tippy." This 

 " tippy " form is the characteristic of Pekoe teas, as 

 the lower qualities do not contain it. Pekoo is rolled 

 with great care during the process of manufacture 

 to curl the leaf well. " Orange Pekoe " is Pekoe con- 

 taining an extra quantity of these Pekoe "tips" or 

 " ends," and is more valuable than " Pekoe " inas- 

 much as these "tips" or '-ends" are highly prized 

 and add to the value of tea. " Fiowery Pekoe '' is 

 manufactured from the aforesaid downy buds alone, 

 and is prepared in a different w.iy altogether from 

 the other teas ; very little of it is made, and it is quite 

 a fancy tea. 



"Souchong" is manufactured from older leaves than 

 those from which Pekoe is got, and less careful mani- 

 pulr.tion is given to it. It rarely contains "tip," 

 though a few tippy leaves may sometimes be found 

 in in. It has a bold rough leaf. 



'• Pekoe Souchong " is made from the leaves, taken 

 altogether, which manufactured separately, would pro- 

 duce Pfkop and Souchong. It contains usually some 



" tip '' and also some large leaf, and in all its 

 characteristics comes between the two former grades. 

 This class of tea is manufactured more extensively 

 than any other, as by picking all the leaves to- 

 gether a great saving in laboui* is effected— a most 

 important point in tea cultivation. The larger and 

 older leaves, when picked, make "Congou" — a very 

 inferior class of tea ; and that made from the still 

 larger and coarser ones, if they are taken at all 

 (which is not often done, as the tei obtained is 

 hardly worth the extra expense), is called "bohea." 

 This latter term is, however, now practically obsolete. 



In ordinary trade nomenclature a tea is called 

 " Pekoe " if it have a wiry, wellcurled leaf of greyish 

 liquor, and a good general appearance ; " Pekoe 

 Souchong" is bolder and containing more ragged leaf; 

 and "Souchong "if still larger and less tightly curled. 

 Anything in the way of whole- leaf teas below these 

 is now known as "Congoii." 



As these grades run imperceptibly one into the 

 other, it is evidently impossible to lay down a hard- 

 and-fast rule for distingushing the kinds, and the 

 terms must be of necessity more or less relative, not 

 absolute. They have, of course, distinctive kinds of 

 liquor, but to refer to these would take up far too 

 much of your space, on which I have, I fear, trans- 

 gressed too much already ; but I hope we shall hear 

 something on this point, as for practical blending pur- 

 poses it is far more important that that of leaf. 

 Perhaps someone else may be found who will give us 

 his experience on this question, as it is of great import- 

 ance to those interested in tea." — Planter and Farmer, 



TRIAL OF COLONIAL TIMBERS. 



An important and eminently interesting demons- 

 tration cf the industrial value of colonial timbers was 

 held on Friday afternoon, Oct. 8, at the works of 

 Messrs. A. Ransome & Co., Chelsea, in the presence 

 of about 150 gentlemen, includiug the Agents -General 

 of the various Colonies and a few of the leading 

 civil engineers, builders, timber merchants, and others 

 interested in the employment of timber in various 

 branches of trade. Among those present were Sir 

 Philip Ounliffe-Owen, Mr. Edward Woods (President 

 of the Institute of Civil Eagineers), Sir Charles Hutton 

 Gregory, Sir John Coode, Sir Frederick Bramwell, 

 Sir Charles D. Fox, Sir Charles IMills, Sir Graham 

 Berry, Sir Arthur Blyth. Sir James Garrick, Sir W. 

 J. Clarke, the Hon. J. Gordon Sprigg, the Hon. Adye 

 Douglas, the Hon. Malcolm Eraser, Mr. Alfred t)ent 

 (Commissioner for British North Borneo), Mr. Charles 

 Hawuslev, Mr. A. H. Vesey, Mr. Henry C. Beeton, 

 Mr. Ernest E. Blake, Mr. F. G. Baker, Hon. Alex. 

 Hay, Colonel Beddome, Colonel Percy Smith, Mr. 

 J. K. Jefferies, Colonel Lees, Mr. W. B. Lewis, Mr. 

 C. K. Stuart, Mr. Charles Hawksley, Mr. J. C. 

 Homersham, Mr. A.J. E. Trendell, Mr. H. Trendell, 

 Professor Macoum, Mr. P. L. Simmonds, Mr. James 

 Thomson, Mr. H. ,J. Scott, Major G. Malei, Mr. 

 Sydney Cowper, Mr. George H. Hawtayne, c.m.q.. 

 Ml-. J. L. Shand, xMr. F. E. Smnde-s, Mr. Oswald 

 Brown, Mr. Alpin Thompson, Mr. X, V. Trevernen, 

 Hen. E. H. Meade, c.b.. Dr. Trimens, Mr. W. B. 

 Pryer, Mr. F. Jo.sselyn, and Messrs. A., J. S., and L. 

 H. Eansome. 



The object of the meeting was to test a number 

 of important colonial timbers which, from want of a 

 knowledge as to their qualities, have been hitherto 

 commercially unknown in the English market, and 

 with a view of practically exemplifying to what pur- 

 poses they could be most advantageously applied, 

 the various samples were converted by special machi- 

 nery into such descriptions of work as the colonial 

 experts present deemed them most suitable for. 

 It is not too much to. add that no more suitable or 

 appropriate centre could be selected for such experi- 

 ments than the Stanley Works, having regard to 

 the world-wide emiueuoe attained by Messrs. A 

 Eansome & Co. as manufacturers of ever^' description 

 of wood-working machinery. And, before going further, 

 we may here compliment the firm on their public- 



