April 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST: 



82 r 



To the Editor of the ''Ceylon Observer:' 

 LIBERIAN COFFEE AT GAMPOLA. 



Sinliapittia, '28tli February 1S83. 



Deak Sik, — I picked otf one Liberiau coffee tree 

 this moruiug 4,755 cherries. It was topped at 5J 

 feet the longest primary is feet ; the longest second- 

 ary 4i feet; No of primaries 33 ; and circumference 

 at 6 inches from the grouml 13^ inches. I am sorry 

 I did not keep an account of what I picked in 

 January. It was at least 3,000 and there are more 

 than 4,000 more on the tree. Do you think any tree 

 in C ylou could beat this ? — Yours truly, E. B. 



P.S. — Age of tree: between 41- and 5 years. 



CACAO DRYING. 



Colombo, 14th March 1SS3. 

 Dear Sir, — I am much obliged for the hint given 

 in last evening's issue regarding the reward offered 

 in Trinidad for a cocoa drier. By a curious coin- 

 cidence, just three weeks ago I sent to a friend 

 in London the specifications and drawings of my 

 drier and requested him to submit them to 

 persons interested in the cultivation of cocoa in Trin- 

 idad and in the Spanish Republic, with the view 

 of introducing the principle of the machines for drying 

 cocoa iu the way I suggested in a letter to the 

 local " Times, " copy of which I enclose for your 

 Tropical Agriculturist.* 



* Oacao Dhting. 



Colombo, 24th Feb. 1883. 



Sik, — My tea dryer can be appUed to the drying of cocoa 

 when it is necessary or ad\-isable to apply artificial heat 

 for that pm-pose. Though I have no experience in di'ying 

 cocoa artiticiaUy, I am well acquainted with dr}-iug coffee 

 in that way, as many years ago I used the Clerihew pro- 

 cess on thi'cc estates I had at the time, and I know that 

 though large quantities of wet stuff cannot be dried ivithin 

 a hniited period on smidl heated areas, these may by ro- 

 tation be made to do the work of large surfaces to which 

 no artificial heat is appUed, especially where, as in the case 

 of cocoa, it is necessary to fb'y slowly. I have recently, 

 thi-ough the kindness of the Ceylon Company, Limited, 

 and Mr. Gavin Morice, been enabled to make some ex- 

 periments hi drj-ing cocoa, and I think from what I have 

 seen that iu order to prevent the parchment or outer shell 

 cracking from exudation of the moistiu-e iu the kernel, the 

 di-ying must be gi-adual, and the heat should not be ap- 

 pUed continuously. I am confinned in this ojiinion by an 

 experienced cocoa planter who infoi-med me that, after 

 the evaporation of the outside moisture, bright sun heat 

 had tlie effect of crackiug the parclimeut, thus renderuig 

 it Uable to be detached from the kernel, which is the 

 objection to drying artificially at a high temperature. 



i have found that by heatmg the nibs to a certam 

 point, and then putting them into bags or boxes for a 

 time, tlie process of drj-ing is gradual, and at tlie same 

 time expeditious, mthout cracking the outer shells. It is 

 unnecessary at present to go into estimates of the cost 

 and capahiUties of a tliier 60 feet long by 4 feet wide, 

 or calculate how much cocoa it would hold at a tune] 

 because I am smre no person would think of investing in 

 a machine of that size vrithout ascei-taiuing its capabiUtes 

 for himself by experimenting with small machines, the 

 number and dimensions of wliich could be regulated by 

 requu'ements and other circumstances. 



One of the 8 feet by 2 feet dryers, thi-ee inches deep, 

 costing about E40 heated to a temperature of 120 degrees 

 would, I think, dry 4 cwt. in two days by rotating the 

 charges every six hom-s or more frequently, two or more 

 coidd be placed over the same fire which one cooly could 

 keep up. C. SHAND. 



P.S. — It should not be forgotten that the heat generated 

 by these machines would keep a high temperature for 

 di-j-iug i>urposes iu a building coustiuctcd for the pui-pose. 

 ^C S. 

 104 



I believe the improvements being made in the con- 

 struction of my tea-driers will admit of their being 

 supplied on a large scale of durable and substantial 

 materials at about two-and-a-quarter rupees per super- 

 ficial foot of drying surface. Compare this with the 

 cost of patent siroccos, and kindly bear in mind 

 that, whilst the workiug cajjacity of these cannot be 

 easily added to, the size of my driers may l)e in- 

 creased as circumstances call forth. — Yours truly, 



C. SHAND. 



PEPPER CULTIVATION :— WANTED INFORM- 

 ATION FROM THE MALABAR COAST. 

 Colombo, 14th March 1SS3. 



Dear Sir, — Many of your readers will have read 

 with much attention Mr. Dobree's valuable " Notes 

 on Pepper Cultivation" (on page SOI.) 



As the writer of the queries on page 672, I beg to 

 thank that gentleman for so disinterestedly placing the 

 results of his study and observations before the public. 

 And thanks are due to yourself for the verj' useful 

 extracts appended to my communication of tlie above- 

 mentioned dale. 



The information afforded thus far is opposed to the 

 idea, a prevalent one here, that pepper will thrive iu 

 the jungle. It was to elicit information on this point 

 especially tliat induced me to address you. Knowing 

 the practice of the Chinese in this respert, ' on their 

 plantations in Singapore and Johore, I was desirous 

 of learning whether a different method of cultivation 

 was followed on the Malabar coast, for I have found, 

 on making enquiries here, that, where any knowledge 

 of the subject is professed at all, the belief is com- 

 mon tliat in clearing for pepper only the undergrowth 

 should bo removed. 



It any of your correspondents on the west coast 

 of Southern India will describe the system pursued 

 there, they will much oblige, yours faithfully. 



LOWCOUNTRY. 



TEA SEED— LOCAL AND IMPORTED— WHICH 

 IS BEST? 



C. P., 15th March 188.?. 

 Deak Sir, — I should feel very much obliged to 

 your correspondent " Cha," whose letters on tea are 

 of so mucli interest to your readers, if he will give 

 us his opinion on tea .seed in general. I have been 

 assured by experienced tea-planters that we are ruin- 

 ing Ceylon as a tea producing country by planting 

 country -gronn seed — seed off young trees, very often 

 unripe, ami trees of a bad jat. In fact, according 

 to some planters, we are just following in tea the 

 course we pursued in coffee and cuicbona, and which 

 has proved the ruin of many good men. Anyone ac- 

 quainted with agriculture knows the evils arising from 

 " breeding in and in," and that is what we arc doing. 

 The only excuse we can offer is: 'Oh, Indian seed is 

 so dear and often turns out so bad, that we cannot 

 afford to buy it." If this is so, would it not be 

 better to leave tea alone ? It is very gratifying to 

 the owners of tea, bearing seed, to be able to make 

 sucli handsome profits just now, but are they doing 

 good to the colony by so doing ? " Fools rush in 

 where angels fear to tread." I fear there are a lot 

 of fools still left in Ceylon, if what the Indian tea 

 planters assert is true. Of course, they chuckle over 

 it. With clieap labour, easy transport, and in some 

 cases poor soil, of «liat avail will it be if our jSt is 

 bad ?— Yours truly, ENQUIRER. * 



COFFEE DRIED IN THE CHERRY. 

 155 Fencburch Street, Loudon E. C , 16th Feb. 1883. 



Sir, — Your correspondent "Mixed Products," on the 

 \<)th January, page 29, asks about Liberiail cofifee 

 "dried in the cherry," 



