July i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



ieetnent, aud am ready to substantiate it by puar- 



auteeing a payment of Rl'OO to the Frieud-in-Nied 



Society,'' if l fiul at the trial I propose, if "KAroly 



Filrdo will support hi^ siateinents by a simil.u- 



guarantee. — Yours truly, J. H. ue Caen. 



Dk Oakn's Patent Cinchona Buancii asb Tvfu: 



Habvestino Machine. 



Directions for twe. 



Carry the harvester to a spot as nearly as possible in the 

 centre of yoiu- day's work. 



Put nil the coolies told off to this work to cut and carry 

 branches aucl imys for about one hoiu ; by that time a con- 



' rable help will have been collected near the machine. 

 . ow put one man to turn the handle and two boys to feed 

 :..■. last as possible; have never less than 12 to 15 twigs passing 

 tlurough the rollers at the same time, should the twigs be 

 very small, pass them through in bundles of 1( l or 12 ; if liu'ge 

 branches are being harvested keep them well towai'ds the 

 tapering end of the machine. Change the " man at the 

 wheel" every half bom-, with one of the loppers or carriers. 



Wlien a considerable quantity has been peeled, take off 

 from yoiur collectors, two women, and set them to woi'k sort- 

 ing the wood from the bark. About half an hoiur before 

 leaving off work, bring in all your loppers, &c., to sort what 

 birk remain-s. 



By this means it will bo foimd easy to harvest at the very 

 least 400 lb. of wet bark diuing the day, and this with five 

 coolies actually working at the machine. 



The number of loppers must entirely dejjend on the 

 groimd to be gone over. In a thick clearing, tlu-ee extra 

 coolies should suffice, but in oj^en coffee laud, with the 

 trees at loug tUstances from each other, five extra hands 

 will be found neces.sary. 



The harvester has proved itself capable on several 

 occasions of peeUng 80 lb. of wet bark per hour, when 

 worked by one raau and two boys. J. H. de Caen. 



Pusselawa, ISth April, 1SS2. 

 Sole Maniffacturers : — 



Messrs. John Walker & Co., Colombo and Kandy. 



De O.ven's P.went Cinchona Branch & Twig Hab- 

 vestino Machine. — The above machine has been greatly 

 improved and .strengthened. A fly wheel has been at- 

 tached, making the task of 400 Ifa. of wet bark per 

 day a certainty. The sample of branch and twig bark 

 produced by this invention is very superior to that ob- 

 tained by any other process now in use. Price of the 

 improved macluue with fly wheel, EfiO (Sixty) — nett cash. 



Orders booked by Messrs. J. AV'alker & Co., Colombo, 

 and Kandy, sole manufacturers. 



On the I ecommi-ndation of a gentleman who th<mght, 

 no doubt, well of the invention, our former corre- 

 spondent purchased one of these machines, and was 

 grievously disappointed with its portability and per- 

 formances. The postcard indicating that the machine 

 was ready to be removed from Tillicoultry stated 

 distinctly that 4 coolies would be lequired to carry 

 it, and our correspondent found by experience that 

 thiii number of men was required to carry it to the 

 field and remove it from place to place. This is 

 matterof fact, and the only question now to be settled 

 is the weight of the machme. Will Karoly Fiirdci 

 have it weighed and let us know the result ? Be'- 

 cause Mr. de Caen, in an interview with us, stated 

 tha' it ought not to weigh more than 80 lb. , and that 

 in fact he himself had carried one considerable di- 

 staucfs.' Information as to the weight of the special 

 machine will settle this question, and if the weightturus 

 out to be far beyond what Mr. de Caen intended, per- 

 h.ips that fct may largely explain its failure inaction. 

 When Mr. de Caen came to our office and got from us 

 the name of our correspondent, he preserved a courte- 



ous tone and proposed fo send a kangani to the estate 

 to shew the mode of working the machine &c. We 

 told him that if he did so, and if our eorrespoudeut 

 found that he had done injustice or was in error in 

 any respect, we felt certain ho would publicly state 

 the facts and if necessary make such amends as might 

 be necessary. We were interested in hearing that, worked 

 by Tater power, the machine had doue SCO lb. of 

 bark in a day, aud we specially noted, that Mr. de 

 Caen said ; " Perhaps opcinalin twigs were put into 

 the machine ; iu that case I cannot say what the effect 

 would be, lor I have never tried it save with aucciruhra." 

 Now it is important to know if KAroly Furdii or other 

 purchasers were informed that the machine was not 

 adapted for ojficina/k. as they certainly onglit to have, 

 been. As Mr. de Caen, on full consideration evidently, 

 has chosen lo change the tone of civility due to the 

 public from an inventor who courts their patronage as 

 much as from a tradesm-an, we beg to assure him that 

 we see no reason whv our correspondent should leave 

 his estate where one machine has been tried and 

 where in his judgment it has failed, iu onler to see 

 .Mr. de Caen, under circumstances most favourable 

 to the experiment, try another. It is Mr. de Caen's 

 part to go to the estate on which the alleged 

 defective machine is and if postible to satisfy our 

 correspondent that he is nii.staken, or that the machine 

 (which is just possible) has not been made to pattern. 

 We can promise Mr. de Caen a polite reception 

 aud candid attention. We are also willing to publish 

 results, conveyed in authenticated letters, obtained 

 by other purchasers of Mr. de Caen's machines. But 

 the weight and structure of tbe machine de.-cribed as 

 a failure ought, we submit, to be at once examined and 

 reported on. As to prejudice on the part of our corre- 

 spoudtnt, we know that all his inclination, like our own, 

 would be' to accept the honoured name of Messrs. Walker 

 & (Jo. as generally a guarantee for the excellence 

 of a machine for which they are responsible. But 

 the best engineem in the world must employ work- 

 men, and ail the work they turn out may not be 

 equal in quality. At any rale Mr, de Caen is very 

 much mistaken if be thinks his work as inventor and 

 that of the constructors of his machines are not open to 

 the freest and fullest criticism. Let Mr. de Caen 

 prove, by going to the estate where the condemned 

 machine lies and working it successfully, that the 

 criticisms were " unjust" and then he will get full 

 satisfaction. If tlie criticisms turn out to be just, 

 then the fact that they are "injurious" caimot be 

 helped. It is for Mr. de Caen, we repeat, to cor- 

 rect the injurious effect of the criticism in this case, 

 not by a blustering challenge to our correspondent 

 to go and see quite another machine, but by proving 

 that the very machine in question is not so heavy 

 as to requue [four coolies to can-y^it, and is perfectly 

 cajable, when properly worked (and, if any one can 

 work it properly, Mr. de Caen can), of doing all that 

 it was promised it would do. 



CINCHONA CUfTIVATION. 



The letters of " Planter" a. I '• Kdroly Ftirdo" are 

 well worthy of attention, although it is iiuite ti-ue tliat 



