May I, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



881 



TIMBER FOR TEA BOXES. 

 One of the great benefits which railway extension, 

 when completed, will confer on the rising tea in- 

 dustry of Ceylon, will be that of placing suitable 

 timber, cheap while suiBciently durable, at the dis- 

 posal of planters. Boxes of proper sizes can be 

 transported in sliooks, the parts ao prepared that 

 only putting together, hooping and nailiug will be 

 required. An establishment purchasing, seasoning 

 and working up large quantities of cheap timber 

 ought, it appears to us, even now to be able to 

 supply boxes in shooks, which after bearing rail- 

 way, cart and cooly carriage, would be cheaper 

 tlian those made on estates by ordinary carpenter. 

 In any case such boxes ought to be less liable to 

 warp and so better suited to be ea<iily and rapidly 

 put together. Premising that some estates may be 

 entirely destitute of timber, the whole question in 

 the case of properties possessed of reserves must 

 be one of cost : the fact being kept in mind that 

 the market value of reserve timber ought to be 

 approximately calculated. Wishing to haxe reliable 

 data for comparison between estate-made boxes and 

 those obtainable in Colombo, we have been making 

 personal enquiries. In one case we found that hal 

 and mango timbers were employed. Against the latter 

 there is a good deal of prejudice owing to the sup- 

 posed acrid quality of its juices, while hoi, unless 

 very carefully seasoned, would also be objectionable. The 

 price quoted for an 80 lb. box was Rl 'SO, with 5 per cent 

 discoimt for a quantity. At another establishment 

 we were shewn some well-seasoned j!(«jn«f(?iH« timber 

 which in appearance and texture seemed all that 

 could be desired. Our only fear was that this really 

 nice-looking timber was open to the same objection 

 as the white and red cedars of India, that of being 

 too good for the purpose. For it is not part of the 

 function of the tea planter in India or Ceylon to 

 supply the buyer of his tea with timber which 

 can be advantageously utilized in England, unless 

 he is certain of a price being bid high in proportion 

 to the value of the timber and its cost to himself. 

 If the boxes are made of well-seasoned timber, free 

 from corrosive juice or offensive odour, not liable to 

 attacks of dry-rot or insects, and able for a period 

 of four months or so to resist exposure and knock- 

 ing about, that is all which can be desiderated. 

 The price quoted for an 801b. box of this really 

 superior timber was R2-12, thirty two cents, or nearly 

 one-third of a rupee, dearer than the previous quot- 

 ation. We cannot help hoping, however, that luim- 

 medilla can ultimately be obtained at prices wliich 

 will lead to its utilization for tea boxes. It grows 

 rapidly to a great height and sends out so few hori- 

 zontal branches that a very large number of trees 

 could be gi-own on an acre of land. As the tree is 

 said to be tit for timlier purposes in its tenth year, 

 it seems obvious that plantations of this fast-grow- 

 ing timber tree ought to pay well, by-and bye. Mr. 

 W. Ferguson, with all his study of trees and their 

 properties, is of opinion tliat of all the timbir trees 

 of Ceylon this is the best suited for the manu- 

 facture of tea boxes ; but it is so useful for many 

 purposes especially of boat-building and house con- 

 struction (it makes beautiful ceilings) that we fear 

 it is too expensive to be converted into tea boxes. 

 As there is not much spare capital in the island and 

 few persons who can atlbrd to wait ten years even 

 for a large return for their money, we" commend 

 the cultivation of this tree emphatically to the at- 



tention of the Forest Officers of Ceylon. The tree 

 is especially a free seeder, so that hundreds of bushels 

 of the seeds could be obtained at once. An allied 

 tree, what in Ceylon we call popularly " the Per- 

 sian lilac" (from its sweet-smelling lilac-like blos- 

 soms), has the same property of producing a large 

 crop of seeds. We saw a specimen in Mr. James Henty's 

 grounds at Kew, a suljurlj of IMclbonrne, and found that 

 it was known iu .Australia as the " white cedar." We 

 liave never heard of its attaining the dimensions of 

 a timber tree in Ceylon, but it ought to be more 

 prized than it is as an ornamental dwarf-tree. Mr. 

 Brace, who wrote an essay on tea cultivation which 

 was published at the OOnerver office, gave a list of 

 a dozen and-ahalf timbers which he knew or sup- 

 posed would be suitable, and noticed the hmu-mnlilla 

 thus:— "Melia coMi'osiT.v. Probably an excellent 

 wood for this purpose. Beddome remarks :— ' It is 

 common in Ceylon and is known by the native name 

 of Lunu-middela and Mr. W. Ferguson of the island 

 says the timber is very light and cedar-like and in 

 use for outriggers of boats and ceilings, and that 

 it is said white ants will not attack it. This prob- 

 ably might take tlie place of our cedars, not only 

 for boxes but for most of the items of furniture 

 needed on an estate.'" Mr. W. Ferguson now writes : 



Hal Is so inferior and so fuU of resin th.it it is only used 

 for coffin/. Mango wood is considered an inferior wood, 

 but has been a good deal used for coffee casks. 



The hinu-midella is no doubt about the best tree and 

 timber for tea boxes in every respect in Ceylon. It is of 

 vary rapid growth, is still an abundant tree in the island, 

 easily procurable, being Heated down the rivers. It is used 

 for the outriggers of Ceylon canoes ; for kattumarams ; is 

 the best Ceylon wood for ceilings, becau.se it has a slight 

 look of mahogany and can be varnished or polished and is 

 said not to be attacked by white ants ; is very light but not 

 strong, seasons very rapidly. It was described under several 

 botanical names and generally as the Melia composita of 

 AV^iUdenow, but Mr. P. Hiern, who has worked out this order in 

 Flora Erit. Ind. 1, p. 545, restores its fir.st or oldest name. 

 Mt'/ia (hdiia, CavanUles, and gives the following syn- 

 onyms for it:— M. superba, Eox., M. robusta, Eox., M. austra- 

 lasica,Adr.Juss.,M. ffithiopica, Wehv., M.Bombolo, AVelw,— 

 and M. argeutea, Hb. Ham I feel sure that it is also tlie 

 Auletasa Javanica. Gaert. 1, 277, t. 58, f. 2. 



Seeds about the size of an olive, and very like them, 

 can be had in abundance in their season. Tree %-ery high, 

 leaves tripinuate, very large, on tops of branches, not a' 

 good shade tree, because it is quite leafless at times. 



I saw an advertisement in the OiKerver from the Madras 

 Railway or Harbour Department some months ago, calling 

 for tenders for a supply of this wood, as jValai/ Tamlni, if I 

 recollect aright. 



Mr. W. Ferguson and others will, however, like 

 ourselves, have to review their opinions in regard to 

 hal, in the presence of a specimen box of this wood 

 sent to us by the Manager of the Ceylon Company 

 Limited. This Company has liad its "experience of 

 bad as well as good woods, and the final conclusion 

 is in favour of good, well-seasoned hal for tea boxes. 

 This was intimated to us in answer to a letter of 

 enquiry whether materials for tea boxes procured 

 and prepared in quantity could not be sold at a 

 price cheaper than the cost of boxes in many cases 

 made on estates. Copy of a circular was sent to us, 

 in which, we were told, we should find our sugges- 

 tions .inticipated. In this circular, amongst infol-m- 

 ation in regard to the leading requisites for packing 

 tea, wc find the following : — 



Tea Cile-sts.— The Comp,any have a large stock of tho- 

 roughly seasoned Hal wood cut up for chests, only requir- 

 ing to be put together.— The chests are dovetailed, and 

 their outside measurement is 24 in. by 19 by 19 in. so that 

 ten chests make exactly 1 ton of ijO feet cubic measurement. 

 They hold S5 lb. Pekot- Souchong. 

 SO lb. pekoe. 

 110 lb. Broken Pekoe. 



