79^ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [June i, 1887. 



Artificial Eubies. — At the Academy of Science's 

 meeting held on March 14th M. Fremy read a me- 

 moir on the researches which he has made with M, 

 Verneuil to artificially produce ruby. An Alumina 

 crucible was used, so as to avoid the presence of 

 silica, which has the effect of imparting a lamel- 

 lar structure to the product. Under such condi- 

 tions, with alumina separated from calcium 

 fluoride by a perforated platinum septum, they 

 have obtained perfect crystals of alumina, which, 

 being coloured with traces of chromic acid, were an 

 exact counterpart of the natural stone. — Cliemi»t 

 <& Druggists. 



Cannaveeella Cinchona Baek. — We learn that 

 the parcel of bark sold the other day was taken 

 from a portion of the 100 acres on this estate, 

 but most of the fields have not yet had 

 an ounce of bark taken from them. The 

 bark sold was from the older trees, from the 

 seed of which the clearings were planted. A 

 sample of the bark just sold, taken from the 

 bulk of the parcel, was sent to London for analysis 

 and showed 556 sulphate of quinine as compared 

 with the Colombo analysis of 5-04 sulphate of 

 quinine. The trees were not thatched. These parti- 

 culars are interesting. We certainly would re- 

 commend Mr. Macfarlane not to leave the trees 

 in his several fields much longer without shav- 

 ing, so as to get the full benefit of renewed bark. 



Tea Machineey. — We have had a visit from Mr. 

 John Greig of the well-known Edinburgh firm of 

 Tea Machinists. Mr. Greig was a long time a 

 planter in Western India, and afterwards in tea 

 in Assam. He visited Ceylon in 1868 and made 

 the journey from Gampoja to Haputale to visit 

 poor Pitratmalie Wylie ; but within the tea era he 

 has not seen Ceylon and consequently perhaps, 

 his various machines have not attracted the notice 

 here to which they are entitled. Mr. Greig is es- 

 pecially confident about the success of his com- 

 bined Withering, Drying and Sifting machine (his 

 "X L AH") with the latest improvements. He is 

 now on his way to Assam to erect a large machine 

 of this kind; and there is one also to be put up 

 in Travancore in supercession of a Sirocco. Mr. 

 Greig has superseded the iron Hue pipes by a special 

 kind of fireclay pipe which is expected to prove 

 practically everlasting. Mr. Greig intends to spend 

 some time in Ceylon on his return, and we sup- 

 pose will then see that a proper series of trials 

 is given to one of the latest improved of his 

 machines, the working of which can be contrasted 

 with that of " Gow's Witherer" in Carolina Factory. 



The Cetlon Tea Plantations Company, Limited. 

 — The possessors of Mariawatte, Dunedin, Semba- 

 watte and Dewalakande estates, have held their first 

 annual general meeting in London. The result of 

 the first year's working shows a profit of 20 per 

 cent on the paid up capital of £75.000, but the 

 Directors have decided to declare o :ly a dividend 

 on twelve months' expenditure and ten months'crops, 

 or on the crops actiiaUy sold to 31st December of 

 last year. This is equal to 12^ per cent, and they 

 carry forward to this year the value of 117,0001b. 

 of tea unsold or about R76,000 The crop from 

 the estates was 501,700 lb. and 69,660 lb. bought 

 leaf tea, making a total outturn of 571,3601b. The 

 average yield was 500 lb. per acre over young and 

 old fields. The tea was produced at 30 cents per 

 lb. which rate includes cost of cultivation of clear- 

 ings not in bearing. The average price obtained 

 was 65 cents per lb. — Cor. [Could the local manager 

 or Mr, Rutherford kindly tell us pro bono publico 

 what was the London report and prices for the tea 

 n-anufactured in Gow'b " Witherer " at the trial 

 duly reported by Mr. Jameson some months ago? 

 —Ed.] 



Districts and Estates in Ceylon which for 

 coffee proved failures through the prevalence of 

 wind, have in several cases been found to suit tea 

 admirably. Of such is the Lagalla district in 

 Matale east. We hear the most favourable reports 

 on tea in this quarter. Mr. Armstrong has lately 

 been giving a report on a well-known property 

 there as almost "perfection for tea," and we learn 

 that equally good are the prospects— based on some 

 experience of growth along with professional reports 

 —on the Kalupahane Valley, Western Haputale. 



The Cultdeee of Tobacco in North Borneo 

 seems to be advancing and we suppose all attempts at 

 restriction in a settlement where the great difhculty is 

 to attract settlers, must be regarded as out of the 

 question. But experience in Virginia and to come 

 nearer home, in Java have proved that a more ruinous 

 cultivation cannot curse a country or exhaust a soil. 

 We have only read of Virginia, but we have seen the 

 extensive wastes in Java and our feeling is that 

 tobacco culture is the least advantageous to a coun- 

 try which can be engaged in. 



" The Tea Industry in Ceylon — illustrat- 

 ed in a series 'of etchings by Ernest F. Vandort." 

 — We have seen a series of etchings prepared 

 under the above title by the son of the well known 

 Colombo Artist, which show that the skill and 

 genius of Mr. J. L. K. Vandort have descended 

 to Mr. Eiaest Vandort, The series include well- 

 finished sketches of coolies engaged in the various 

 et.a'.e operations : — Pruning, Picking flush. Weigh- 

 ing, Withering, Rolling with machinery. Drying, 

 Bulking, Carrying boxes away, all etched round 

 a central coloured piece showing the bungalow 

 and tea field. The whole is to be framed and 

 sent to the Kandy Agri-Horticultural Exhibition, 

 where we have no doubt, it will attract attention both 

 for its own sake and on account of the youthful 

 artist whose work it is. We do not see why this 

 young Ceylonese gentleman should not aim at getting 

 on the stafi' of an Illustrated journal either in 

 England or the Australian Colonies. 



The Development of Assam. — Under the aus- 

 pices of the East India Association, a meet- 

 ing of officers and gentlemen interested in 

 the commercial development of the British Empire 

 in the East was held at the Westminster Town 

 Hall on Monday, April 4th, under the presidency 

 of Col. G. B. Malleson, c.s.i., for tho purpose of con- 

 sidering various suggestions for the commercial 

 development of Assam, offered in an elaborate ad- 

 dress by Mr. Oswin Weynton, Attention was 

 specially directed to those unuti'ised products 

 bountifully furnished in the uncultivated ponions 

 of the tea estates, and Mr. Weynton urged that 

 were Assam brought into communication with the 

 over-populated districts of Bengal, the North-West 

 Provinces, and Madras, a stream of emigration would 

 set in therefrom that would supply the required 

 labour for the full development of the province's 

 resources, to the benefit equally of natives, Europe- 

 ans, and Government revenue. Meantime, the As- 

 sam settler must remember that he is in precisely 

 the position of the Australian colonists forty years 

 ago. The latter did not wait for that influx of 

 labour they knew would be inevitable, but prepared 

 for it in anticipation by utilising their runs to the 

 utmost, and though fruits, corn, and sheep increased 

 on their hands to an unprofitable extent for years, 

 when immigration did set in everything was pre- 

 pared for It. Assam, either hill or plain, has an 

 equally prosperous future before it if its capabilities 

 are developed with the same energy, though now 

 it is to most people an utter terra incognita, whose 

 past and varied indigenous wealth is as yet ap- 

 vreciated by few. 



