468 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Jan I, 1887. 



The story is told of a Planter who just return'^tl from 

 a trip hornp, incidentally letting out to his tea-makor 

 the extent of hib kno wledge of manufacturing tea. 

 Duriu« his absence, Lis property had come into bearing 

 and the tea-house was in full swing when he arrived 

 on the estate from his home trip. Hu had made up 

 his mind to go in for the kind of reputation which 

 can be won by silence: feel his way, and speak only 

 when he felt he knew what he was talking about. 

 Accordingly in his walk through the tea-house there 

 was a " cock in his beaver," a repose in his maonpr, 

 and a solemnity of silence which might have impos' d 

 on the most skilful, and have sat becomingly on the 

 highest authority. There was, however, a tray on 

 the fire, and when wilh a fine gravity he proceeded 

 to stir gently the tea therein, smell it, and look wise, 

 alas ! alas ! for his reputation, even the humblest cooly 

 in the firing squad, knew that "someone had blun- 

 dered." 



Since then I hear he has recovered the good opinion 

 of his subordinates. He stuck up a thermometer in 

 the factory, hung up a slate with a pencil below it, 

 had a look at the degree of heat registered from time 

 to time, jotted them down en the slate, put on the 

 look of wisdom, and kept silence. This little game 

 I fancy he will keep up until he feels satisfied he 

 knows what is what, and then he will speak to the 

 purpose. It is strango how the cooly is so easily im- 

 posed upon in this way ! I had a kangani, the most 

 suspicious Tamil I ever had to do wi'h, but he told 

 me one day of a wonderful native doctor whom he 

 had consulted, and who had promised t^ cure him. 

 "Has he done you any good," I asteed him later on, 

 "that you should think so much of him?" "Well 

 no, but he's a good physician, for he sat for a whole 

 day turning over the leaves of his hooka to find what 

 ailed me and how I Lould be cured." He never cured 

 him, but yet the kangani never lost faith in th .• m m. 



Peppercorn. 



TEA ROLLERS AND DRYERS. 



In the following article, which appears m their 

 advertising organ, Messrs. Davies & Co. combine 

 public information and indications of altered business 

 arrangements after a pleasant manner : — 



The well-deserved and pronounced success of the 

 Roller of the day, "Barber's," bids fair to far ex- 

 ceed the expectations of its enterprising inventor. 

 The unavoidable delay in its introduction in the 

 Indian market, caused by Mr. Barber's absence in 

 England, is much to be regretted, but the reput- 

 ation it has established will speedily result in its 

 universal adoption in that country. That we are 

 justified in forming this opinion mast be admitted 

 when we state that last month, November, we wired to 

 the manufacturers in England confirming an order re- 

 ceived for India for no less than Sixty Barber's Rollers. 

 This, we think we may venture to assert, is the 

 largest order for Tea machinery ever secured. 



Intending purchasers in Ceylon will do well to 

 order in sufficient time, to prevent disappointment, 

 as the execution of the above commission will neces- 

 sarily occupy the attention of manufacturers for a 

 considerable time. As the fortunate Agents of this 

 desirable machine, we cannot feel very much regret 

 at losing the Agency for Lyles's Roller. Last mouth, 

 in accordance with instructions from the proprietors 

 of Lyles's Patent, the Calcutta Planters' Stores and 

 Agency Coy., we formally transferred the Ceylon 

 Agency to Messrs. Mackwood & Co. From the fact 

 of our utter inability to dispose of any of the Ly'es' 

 rollers during the two years we have acted as Sub- 

 Agents in Ceylon, we must candidly admit the justice 

 of the proprietors' action in effecting a change, but 

 whether such change will prove of advantage to 

 them or their new Agents is very questionable. This 

 maohine necessitates the employment of bags, against 

 which system (so far as our e.xperience teaches) 

 there has been, and still is, the very strongest objec- 

 tion. The change, therefore, is required in the 

 ciachine itself. To ensure business by agents or priu- 

 palma it ie necessary to produce a durable machine, 



simple in construction, giving the best description of 

 work in the shortest time, and easy of manipulation, 

 at a fair and reasonable price. 



In anticipation of our becoming Agents for Barber's 

 New Dryer, and at the request of Messrs. Davidson 

 & Co., we have likewise transferred the Sirocco re- 

 newed parts to Messrs. Mackwood & Co. In this 

 Agency Messrs. Mackwood & Co. have more reason 

 for congratulation than in the case of Lyles's rollers, 

 for with the increasing number of Siroccos brought 

 into use, and the great susceptibility to wear and 

 tear of parts in the Sirocco, the constant demand 

 for the renewal of such parts must prove a source 

 of great profit alike to manufacturer and Agent. As 

 a Tea Dryer, however, there is no doubt Davidson's 

 Sirocco at present stands first on the list, and 

 knowing this we are fully alive to the task Mr. 

 Barber has before him in perfecting a Dryer to beat 

 the Irish Machine. Under the circumstances, it 

 would be somewhat premature for us to enter upon the 

 merits of Biirber's Dryer, but one leading feature 

 which has been kept constantly in view by the in- 

 ventor is that the annoyance, trouble and expense 

 to which Planters are now frequently put in provid- 

 ing new parts to the Dryer should be as much as 

 possible, if not altogether, avoided. Messrs. Ruston, 

 Proctor & Co.. of Lincoln, have had the Machine 

 in hand for some time past, and before this is pub- 

 lished we expect the first one will be on Blackstone 

 Estate for trial. 



West India Produce.— A series of interesting arti- 

 cles Oil the West Indian pro lucts at the Colonial and 

 Indian Exhibition, which has lately appeared in the 

 Sugar cane magazine, conclu les with remnrking that, 

 on the whole, tuese attractive and nicely decorated 

 courts give one a very sati~f ictory idea of the products 

 aud c^pibilities of our West Indian coloaies. The survey 

 is', however, not altogether satisfactory at the present 

 moment. "These islands are certainiy not developed at all 

 as they might and ought to be. Much capital has, no 

 doubt, been spent upon them, and the results have 

 not been always satisfactory to tne investors Assur- 

 edly this is not becHUse the West Indian islands are 

 incapable of producing ample high returns. The 

 bulk of the land is at the present time purely waste, 

 and probably the main difiSculty is the actunl impos- 

 sibihty of procuring sufficient labour. The islands, we 

 , are tod, in spi'e of the large commerce in drugs, 

 fruits, &;c., are certainly now suffering, most of them, 

 from their e.<c'us ve dev tian to snarar culture. But 

 if the labour difficulty could be met, and a judicious 

 variety of pro iuots couM be iutroduced, there seems 

 little doubt that the return would be nearly as pro- 

 fi able as of old, if not sti'l more so. The pipers to 

 which we have ju-t Hllu.led conclude witii the follow- 

 ing: — "Since mo-t of then-, [the isaudsl are Crown 

 colonies, surely it behoves the Home Government to 

 stir in the mntt^r, and se^^ whether it cannot help 

 these once f-iviurite colonies to help themselves." 



The Quinine Market. — A London Correspond- 

 ent who has been consulting a large dealer in quinine 

 and an authority who carefully watches the market, 

 sends us the following result of enquiry : — 

 " The general opinion in the trade is that this 

 article has touched the bottom. Its downward 

 course was determined by the following reasons : — 

 1. Larger exports of bark from Ceylen. 2. The 

 frantic efforts of the fraudulent Mi'an Factory 

 who made millons of ounces annually which they 

 deposited with Bankers to draw against, when the 

 crash came. This quinine was forced on the market, 

 lot after lot, as last as possible, prices falling 

 with every sale. 3. This affected the trade of 

 regular makers who bought less bark, the smaller 

 demand again brought bark (and quinine) down. 

 It will prob.ibly experience a steady rise for : — 

 1. Low prices have stimulated consumption. 2. 

 Makers are again at legitimate work and the 

 Mi an Factory has gone. 3. S.uiller (prob.ibly) 

 import of bark. The bark market is all ready 



