32 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1882. 



Illumination. — A real panic has at last broken out 

 among the gas companies. A member of the Brazilian 

 colony in Paris. Sr. Olynipio BarcuUos, has discovered a 

 process of burniny air for illuminating purposes, and it 

 will cost only 50 centimes for a whole year. Thn process 

 is still a secret within the brain of the inFeutor. — Rio 

 A'ews. 



The properties of tea and the . names of the 

 prepared leaf are thus noticed in a review by thi; 

 Grocer of the Tea Cyclopajdia : — After touching upon 

 some of the chief points in reference to the discov>'ry, 

 cultivation, and consumption of the article, it may be 

 interesting to ofi'er a lew remarlis upon the "pro- 

 perties of tea,'' ivliich, it must be owned, are rather 

 various, if not conflicting. According to theCyelop;edia, 

 we say that a green tea has a fine flavour, also 

 that a congou has a fine flavour, hut thty are totally 

 unlike. The volatile oil it contains gives to tea its 

 flavour. The effect of this oil is to produce wake- 

 fulness ; but, on the other hand, the best authorities 

 declare that "theine," another property in tea, does 

 yiot create sleeplessness, being of a nature to soothe 

 and compose. Theine also supplies lo the human 

 system what it loses by fatigue. This property in 

 coffee is called caffeine, and the drinking of it is 

 attended nith similar results; but at the same tiiUf 

 il is well known tliat "green tea nill produce effects 

 on persons that black teas will not," and that there 

 i« a greater fermentation in black tea tliau iugieen. 

 Ta luiii, which is a powi rful astringent, is another 

 ingredient in tea; when chewed it " puckers up the 

 mouih," but it is thought by some that it aids diges- 

 tion. "Tas'ing tea upon an empty stomach is in- 

 jurious, producing a sense of weakness as if one had 

 fasted a hmg while ;" and " tea experts," who are at 

 it all d.ay, "are made esceedinglj' nervous." Some 

 assert that there is nourishment in tea; others say 

 that tliere is none, and tliat tea consumes food ; whilst 

 tlie book we quote from informs us that tea, like 

 liquors and drugs, when lakeu nioderattly, will have 

 one effect, but if consumed largely it will produce 

 just the opposite. With regard to the names of difterent 

 sorts of teas and thfir meanings, we may state that 

 "Pekoe" is a term from the t hinese "Pai-hao," 

 white down or hair, because made from young spring 

 leaf-buds, while they are .still covered with down. 

 "Souchong" is from '• Seao cliung, " nhicii means little 

 eprouts. "Congou" is a corruption of " Knng-fou" 

 or labour; .ind "Hyson," or He Cliun, signifies fair 

 fpring ; whili' the meaning of "Young Hyson" (Yu- 

 chien) in, before the rains. The instructions for 

 "making tea" are likewise very useful, and cinnot 

 be too widely known ; and retail grocers might render 

 a serv ce to their consumers by giving them season- 

 able directions. In the first plan-, "tea should not 

 be boih-d, as the volatile oil will escape with the 

 steam, and a much larger proportion of the tannic acid 

 is extracted, leaving tlie infusion bitter." The best 

 way to make tea i--* to have au earthenware teapot, 

 which should be quite hot when the dry tea is put 

 into it. A few minutes after, pour in the boiling water 

 upon the tea, which, after "drawing" from seven to 

 ten minutes, "is at the best point for drinking." 

 A sutMcient quantity that is wanted for use directly 

 should be made at the first drawing. The habit of 

 filling the tea-pot a second or third time is not right, 

 becaitse the theiu' , which is quickly soluble in scald- 

 ing water, will have escaped, so that those drinkers 

 who are supplied from the second drawing will loee 

 the most beneficial part of the tea, and will haveinstead 

 "a decoction composed chiefly of tannin." Ijiurned 

 tea, properly prepared with milk, is a beverage highly 

 prized in Cashmere in entertaining visitors: .ind we are 

 told that" the ladies there no doubt vent their grievance 

 to sympathetic ears, discuss their bonnets and their bab- 

 ies, and talk scandal, over this cup in much the same 

 way as their English sisters do over 'Five o'clock tea," 



Cocoa. — There has be^n another sala of Ceylon cocoa, 

 this week, but it won't bear comparison in any way 

 with Mr. Tytler's sale reported in my last, the bulk 

 of which fetched UCs. There were only 9 bags from 

 the Woodslee estate, 7 of which realized 71s, and 2 

 only 20s (id. What had h.appened to it I don't know, 

 but it was almost black, and these were considered 

 by experts very fair ijrioes. — Cor. " Ceylon Times." 



Alavanoas and Big Machines for Cinchona Bark- 

 ing. — Hapntale, •24th May 1SS2. — We are now having 

 mild and calm weather, after a regular burst of wind 

 which blew the cinchonas about a bit, especially big 

 suckers growing from stools. The latest method of 

 twig-harking is to drive two alavangas into the ground, 

 place the twig between the alavungas, seize the ala- 

 vangas with the left hand at their upper ends, and with 

 the right hand draw the twig through. I have heard 

 this simple mode does a wonderful bit of work, com- 

 paring more than favorably with the twig machines at 

 present invented. 



The New Coffee Exchange.— New York, March 

 15th. — The newly organized coffee exchange is now 

 in operation, Sefior Salvador de Medouya, Brazilian 

 Consul here and other piominent citizens, were pres- 

 ent at the opening ceremonies. The market prices 

 in Kio are to be cabled over and posted up daily, 

 and there are two daily calls, one at eleven a.m. 

 and the other at one p.m. Mr. F. N. Saunders, the 

 manager, told your correspondent that, for a while, 

 transictions would be confined to "Rio strictly good 

 ordinary," but that he hoped soon to see Java, 

 Maracaibo, and Jamaica coffees added to the list. 

 The calls arc for future options in the coffees for 

 each of the 12 months in the year in regular ouier. 

 The first sale made on the exchange was by Scott 

 & Co. of 250 ba^s to Small & Co., at SJ cents.— 

 Gail's Neivx Letter. 



Wheat is subject to a malady known as lust or 

 smut; it attacks the grain in the ear, transforming 

 it into a shapeless mass, of a morbid tissue, and destit- 

 ute of all nutritive qualities. Mr. Davaine traces the 

 cause of the malady to an eel-shaped worm, which 

 picks the ti.ssues of the flower, and hence the develop- 

 ment of the grain becomes abnormal. M. Braun admits 

 the existence of the worm, but locates its action in 

 the pistil of ilie flower, thus arresting development. 

 .M. Priedieu last summer — having sowed wheat so 

 diseased — when the plant came into Hower, saw by 

 the niicrosciipe the worms pricking the siamina off 

 the flower at the point of the ovary ; the tissue bi-come 

 distorted into a tube which formed the kernel of the 

 blasted grain. Preserved iu the grim the worm re- 

 generates itself in the soil where the di»eas d grain 

 is sown, and can retain its vitality for 25ih years. — 

 OdlVs News Letter. 



A New Test for Damaged Seeds.— In the purcha.se 

 of seeds, so common .at this season, one is apt to be 

 deceived. A correspouiUnt of the Journal W Agri- 

 culture Pratique recommends a tist which he has 

 used for many years with complete success. IL is 

 that of fire. Take at random a number of seeds from 

 the bag, say eight. Put some live coals on a shove), 

 and deposit each oi the seeds successively on it. Blow 

 the coal, and watch how the seed behaves. If the 

 comliustiou is slow, merely giving off some smoke, you 

 may conclude thai the sc d had li ilamaged germ ; if, 

 on the other hand, the t-eei.1 leap.^ and turns about on 

 the coal, ] reducing a dry sound (tac), proportional to 

 the size, it may be inferred to have good gerniinative 

 qualities. In this w.ay the proportion of good and 

 bad seeds may be ascertained. As for the larger seed?, 

 such as acorns and chestnuts, it is sufficient to throw 

 them into a liic, and keep them in view. If the 

 quality is good, this will be indicated ere long by 

 detonation of the seed. — Public Opinion. 



