March i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



575 



which patents are granted, if they leave the door 

 for litigation as wide open as ever. Tlie process 

 with regard to tea rollers has been curious, if the 

 facts as we apprehend them are correct. Messrs. 

 Kinmond and Jackson were rival inventors in 

 India and the High Court of Calcutta decided that Mr. 

 Jackson had invaded Mr. Kinmond's patent. Mr 

 Jackson compromised the matter with Mr. Kinmond 

 by a money payment, and went ahead, until he gave 

 tea planters the "Excelsior" roller. Then by a kind 

 of poetic justice Mr. Jackson had to take action 

 against invasion of his patent rights, being in this 

 case successful. Then, we are told that Mr. Thomp- 

 son's "most peculiar" Challenge Roller embodied a 

 principle which Mr. Kindmond invented but did 

 not patent here. What Mr. Thompson took over from 

 Mr. Kinmond, Mr. Barber transferred from Mr. 

 Thompson's Challenge, and challenges Mr. Thomp- 

 son to follow up his advertisement by an action. 

 Like a man who was recently shot dead in 

 America, Mr. Thompson has "made no remark." 

 While Mr. Jackson was prosecuting an invader of 

 his rights, Messrs. Law and Davidson actually ob- 

 tained a patent for a new roller and as proof of their 

 good faith the fact is mentioned that they re- 

 quested Mr. Jackson's agents to manufacture their 

 machines They found they had gone into the lion's 

 den, for tJtey also are to be prosecuted for invading 

 Mr. Jackson's patent. Finally and lastly Mr. Kin- 

 mond has again, in defiance of the proverb that 

 " a rolling stone gathers no moss " gone in for 

 another roller, which we trust will not generate 

 such fearful heat as his former machine did, 

 when we witnessed its performances on Dunedin, 

 There is a full but not quite accurate descrip- 

 tion of the new Kinmond roller in the local 

 " Times." We have been told that there is incor- 

 rectness in the addition of the words " or rolling 

 surface " to the following passage :— 



It seems to differ from the present Jackson's roller 

 principally in the motion imparted to both upper and 

 under rolling surfaces. This motion is not transverse, 

 but rotatory, the pressure being obtained, as in Jack- 

 son's, by means of a loose weight in the upper jacket. 

 We are also told that ignorance of engineering 

 principles is evident in the following passage : — 



One would suppose that, when full power was applied, 

 the rolling surfaces would move out at a greater rate 

 than there was any necessity for, since a reduction in 

 power to half still generates sufficient pace to give the 

 leaf a good roll. 



The errors in the local " Times " description do not 

 of course affect the merits of Kinmond's new roller, 

 regarding which our contemporary has been told 

 that 



The patentees are sanguine that they have hit 

 upon a roller destined to eclipse all others at present 

 in use here or elsewhere, and this can ouly be proved 

 by time and experiment. We believe Mr. Hardengue 

 is about to erect another of these machines on some 

 estate in Dikoya, [one being at work on Lebanon. — 

 Ed. C. O,] the name of which has not reached us, placing 

 it alongside another of Jackson's rollers. The fact 

 seems to us to be that Messrs. Marshall & Sons, the 

 makers of Mr. Jackson's machines, and Messrs. Robey 

 & Co., the makers of Mr. Kinmond's machines, com- 

 pete keenly with one another, and the latter are 

 anxious to show that they can turn out as well devised 

 and well executed machines as the first-named firm 

 have undoubtedly done. Of Mr. Jackson's machines 

 tea planters in Ceylon have now had a lengthened 

 experience iu practical working, and, if the patentees 

 of the Kinmond-Richardson intend to beat either the 

 Excelsior, or the Universal rollers iu puV>lic estim- 

 ation, they have a task indeed bufore them. 

 So far for the contest as between the giants. As 

 to the case of Jackson against Law and David- 

 son we are assured that the defendants feel as- 

 sured they can .successfully resist the claim made. 



It is added that Mr. Jackson must inevitably 

 bring a fellow case against the patentees of the 

 Kinmond-Richardson roller, as it appears to embody 

 the very feature Messrs. Law and Davidson are accus- 

 ed of taking over, but which accusation they hold is 

 groundless. Such seem to be the facts and while 

 we, on behalf of the public appreciate the in- 

 genuity devoted to improved tea machinery, by 

 so many ingenious men, we can only trust that 

 the right may prevail and that good profits to 

 patentees and manufacturers may be found to be 

 compatible with moderate prices. 



CEYLON PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION : GIN. 



CHONA STATISTICS OF JAVA, 



Planters' Association of Oeylon, 

 Kandy, 8th February, 1887. 

 The Editors, the " Cei/lon Observer," Colombo. 

 Sirs, — I beg to enclose tor publication, and to invite 

 attention to, copy of further letters received from 

 Government on the subject of Cinchona Statistics and 

 Cultivation in Java. I am, sirs, yours faithfully, 



A. PHILIP, Secretary. 



Colonial Secretary's Office, 



Colombo, 20th Jan. 1887. 

 The Secretary Planters' Association, Kandy. 

 Sir, — With reference to my letter of the 13th ult., I am 

 directed by the Governor to forward for yeur inform- 

 ation the annexed copy of a letter from the Governor 

 General of the Netherlands India. — I am, &c , 



(Signed) H. C. P. Bell, 

 for Colonial Secretary. 



Batavia, 14th Dec. 1886 

 No. 24, Enclosure 1. 

 To His Excellency the Governor of Ceylon. 



Sir, — ^With reference to your Excellency's letter of 

 the 2()th August last, I beg to enclose a report on 

 cinchona cultivation in Java, which, whilst treating 

 upon the different questions put by your Excellency 

 contains some further informations regarding cin- 

 chona planting in these parts, which I venture to 

 believe will likewise prove of interest. — I have, &c., 



(Signed) C. Van Rees. 

 Governor General of Netherlands India. 

 Report on Cinchona Cultivation in Java. 



I. — Which kinds of cinchona appear to have the best 

 chance of success and which descriptions are chiefly 

 grown ? For cinchona cultivation only the following 

 species deserve consideration: — 



(a) C. Ledr/eriana. — In regard to type, this species 

 stands foremost as it contains the highest proportion 

 of quinine (ripe barks contain from 6 to 12 per cent 

 quiuine) and iu the bark of which no cinchonidine or even 

 traces of it are to be found. In comparison with 

 the C. Succiruhra the C. Ledgeriana is of an ex- 

 trimely slow growth and therefore more particularly 

 adopted to fertile and specially to virgin forests' soils. 

 The altitude at which C. Ledgeriana is being cultivated 

 with success, varies from 3,500 to 5,000 Rhynland feet 

 above the sea level. An elevation of some 4,000 feet 

 is deemed the most favourable to cultivation, unless in 

 very moist climates in which at an altitude of about 

 3,500 feet the growth is strongest. 



(B) C. Succiruhra from which highly valuable barks, 

 best fitted for chemists' purposes are obtained. 

 The ripe barks only contain a limited proportion of 

 quinine, averaging about 1 per cent against 4 per cent 

 of cinchonidine. These barks, therefore, are not so 

 much used for sulphate of quinine manufacture, unless 

 the Mclvor process has been adopted, by wliich a new 

 bark containing from It to 4| per cent quinine is 

 generated. JMcIvor's method, however, is gradually 

 finding more and more antagonists, and does not answe** 

 expectations because: istly, its application (partial 

 stripjjing of the tree) requires a good deal of labor and 

 most minute superintendence ; 2udly, it is highly in- 

 juriouR to the development of the tree ; Srdly, mossing 

 the partially stripped tree attracts all kind of insects 

 causing much damage and sometimes the trees to die. 



