9IO 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May I, 1883. 



advantage of thia mnst be apparent to the most 

 uninitiated. 



The cost of fuel in this machine must be comparat- 

 ively very low, as there is no escape of steam 

 except through negligence of the attendant, and, as 

 it is self-regulating, it is impossible to burn the tea, 

 while any heat may be maintained at a minimum 

 expHnditviie of fuel. 



The trays have, you will observe, a slight inclin- 

 ation upwards towards the vapour escape Hue at the 

 back, thus facilitating the escape of the vapour from 

 the tray spaces, and the easy removal of the trays 

 in working tlie machine. 



I annex a few figures in regard to the probable 



pressure necessary for working the machine, but have 



no d.iubt some of your mathematical correspondents 



will give tlie correct figures should mine be "out." 



15 tb pressure steam = 213° heat. 



00 ,f ,, ,, :i= *j1o ,, 



70 ,, „ ,, =300° ,, 



And as ah.'ut 2S0° is I believe the correct heat at 

 which to dry tea, about 57 H) or say 60 115 steam 

 would be required to worli the machine ; but this 

 could easily be determined by actual experiment. 

 To recapitulate : its strong points are, 1st, The self- 

 regulating valve which does away with the possibility 

 of tea bei ■ i burnt through negligence ; 2ud, great 

 economy in fuel; 3rd, uniforhi distribution of heat 

 which does away with the. necessity of changing the 

 trays, and dries them exactly on the principle of 

 firing each over a separate tire ; 4th, capability of 

 drying a large amount of leaf at ones. — Yours faith- 

 fully, Teksab. 



The sketch which accompanied the above letter, and 

 which quite took our fancy, represents a long array 

 01 3uper-iin[iMsed trays, each in its own compartment. 

 The sketch cau be seen by anyone interested, but, 

 having submitted it to an expert, we have received 

 the following adverse judgment ; — 



"Your note with Law's patent pressure steam or 

 air dryer I had this morning. There is nothing 

 in it, and such a machine could not be made to 

 stand 75 lb. pressure, for a fortune, as every one 

 knows a flat surface will never stand pressure like 

 a cylindrical. 



" Steam-drying has been tried in India many a time 

 and has been abandoned for various reasons, and among 

 the most important the danger of explosion from 

 sudden expansion and contraciion, two laws which, 

 if not studied in steam drying machinery of any 

 kind, may prove fatal to life and destructiveto property. " 

 It is, of couse, possible that the objections referred 

 to may be obviated. Meantime we may say that 

 we have noticed no stewing effects from the use 

 of the trays in the drier, i'our are placed aliove 

 each other in two divisions of Jackson's drier, and, 

 the trays being shifted (the necessity which is the one 

 objection to this machine) the tea in fifteen minutes 

 i-< dry and crisp without being burnt. 



FODDER GRASSES AND HUMAN FOOD 

 PRODUCTS FOR CEYLON. 

 There has been lying by us for some time the follow, 

 ing letter received from Mr. P. D. Millie, giving sug- 

 gestions from a brother of his who has been long 

 Settled in South America which deserve attention in 

 Ceylon : — 



Coquirabo, Chile. 

 In the Ceylon papers which you occasionally send me 

 I see many complaints about the scarcity of fodiler for 

 cattle and horses, and the very inferior quality of 

 meat, which of course is a natural consequence. I 

 observe that all kinds of provisions and vegetables are 



likewise as a rule both inferior and scarce. At the 

 same time, the replies to queries published, prove that 

 very many English vegetables can be successfully 

 cultivated upeountry, and that pumpkins, cucumbers, 

 haricots &c., which are principally cultivated in 

 Southern Europe, thrive in Ceylon. 



The temperature in the higher districts of that island 

 seems to present no obstacle to the cultivation of many 

 of our Chilian vegetable products, which embrace 

 those of both Northern and Southern Europe, aud 

 therefore I wish to make two or three suggestions 

 which might be useful, if published in fae columns of a 

 Cej'lou newspaper. 



Here iu Northern Chile the climate is very dry, but 

 not exceedingly hot. Euglish clover and grasses grow 

 well enough, but require too much irrigation, and 

 therefore are not cultivated. Our mainstay in the 

 way of fodder is a kind of Imerm, known in 

 California as " Chilian Alfalfa," aud now accepted and 

 adopted there as altogether superior to any other 

 fodder plant which has ever been tried, both as regards 

 fattening qualities and weight of produce per acre, aud 

 also as reg-irds rapid growth. It grows well in stony 

 or sandy soils, sending down roots to an enormous 

 depth, hut will not do well in marshy laud. It grows 

 perfectly well in Peru and Bolivia, which, iu some 

 parts, are semi-tropical countries, ai.d I think that, if 

 it-has not been tried in Ceylon, it ought to be intro- 

 duced. Drought simply checks its growth ; but its 

 deep roots will keep it alive for an indefinite period, 

 without irrigation or rain. It is par excellence the 

 fodder of dry countries, and I see no reason why it 

 should not succeed in the districts of ludia which are 

 subject to periodical drou;<hts. A year's complete 

 drought does not kill it in South America, aud, with 

 the first rain or artificial irrigation at the end of t!iat 

 time, it comes rushing up aud produces a plentiful 

 crop. I have never seen it mentioned in the Ceylon 

 papers, and, if you think that it would be a benefit to 

 the Colony, I would be happy to send you some Pera- 

 viau aud Chilian seed in tins, whicli would probably be 

 necessary in order to preserve its vitality. 



But, as you have iu Ceylon much marshy laud in 

 the low grounds, I would strongly recommend the 

 trial of another fodder plant, just discovered here to 

 be available as such. It is neither more or less than 

 the common artichoke, which we ai'e now beginninf 

 to cultivate for that purpose. 



It is one of the most easily propagated of plants, 

 as it throws out shoots or suckers, which, when the 

 main stem is cut down, grow up in its place. By 

 sowing the seed in beds, the young plants can be 

 dibbled out at the proper time without any pre. 

 vious preparation of the soil. If planted amongst 

 foul wei'ds and "knotgrass," it will speedly overtop 

 and overpower them, thus cleansing the soil for the cul- 

 tivation of vegetables or anything else. The heads can 

 be cut otf when ripe and sold as vegetables ; orelse, 

 should there be no sale, left on, and carried with the 

 leaves to the cattle-yard, where everylhiug is consumed. 

 The plants grow rapidly in marshy saline soils, 

 and should be dibbled out at distances of four or 

 five feet. In Ceylon very likely they would require mora 

 space than here, where the cool or cold nights per- 

 haps check their luxuriance. 



When full-grown, the main stem and superfluoug 

 root-suckers should be cut dowu and carried to the 

 cattle or horses, leaving one healthy sucker to keep 

 up the succession of growth. If the animals are turned 

 into the field, th"y not only tread down more than they 

 consume, but destroy all the young suckers. 



I am informed that the artichoke cau also be easily 

 propagated like the potato, by cutting the roots into 

 pieces and planting them. 



Here is a new fodder plant for you, which might 

 be a great aquiaition for Ceylon, At first oattle ot 



