5* 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1884. 



In the first place I must state tea rolling machines are 

 divided into two classes : 1st, those in which the leaf is 

 placed in bags to be rolled, and 2nd, those in which no 

 bag is used Mr. Nelson's machine, which I will now pro- 

 ceed to describe, belongs to the first of these classes. 

 [Then comes a description of Mr. Nelson's machine, which 

 we omit, as of no practical interest to tea-makers in Ceylon. 

 —Ed.] 



Mr. Kinmond next followed suit with his first rolling 

 machine, which in its time did good and valuable work. 

 [This also, being superseded, we omit. — Ed.] 



Mr. Jackson next appeared on the scene with his well- 

 known " Single Action " .Rolling machine. This invention 

 was designed to imitate the action of a coolie's hand 

 when rolling leaf, and the inventor was most successful 

 in doing so. The introduction of this machine led to con- 

 siderable litigation between the inventor and Mr. Kinmond, 

 the latter claiming that as Mr. Jackson rolled his leaf 

 upon a table, that table being used to give an upward 

 pressure to the leaf, he iufringed Mr. Kiumond's patent. 

 The case was eventually decided in Mr. Kiumond's favour. 

 There can be no doubt, however, that Mr. Jackson's motive 

 in this invention was to imitate the motion of the human 

 hand as used by the cooly when hand-rolling, and that this 

 motion is very different from that given by any of Mr. Kiu- 

 mond's machines. Aud that Mr. Jackson was right m his 

 idea is proved by the fact that the machine is a good deal 

 used, yet, although the inventor has brought out other 

 very superior machinery, it is claimed for it by some of 

 the most experienced planters that it is better adapted 

 than any other machine for very hard leaf, or where the 

 leaf has to be twisted more than is usually done, as some 

 planters believe in doing. The machine consists of a square 

 frame-work, inside of which there is a flat table hinged 

 at one end to a projecting part of the frame-work aud 

 suspended at the front of the machine by chains passing 

 over grooved pulleys attached to the frame-work. These 

 chains carry a number of weights, by which the amount 

 of pressure on the leaf can be regulated. Iu the bottom 

 of the table there is a trap door easily opened and shut, 

 by which the leaf can be allowed to escape from the ma- 

 chine without stopping it. The leaf is enclosed and pre- 

 vented from escaping by a square box strongly constructed 

 of iron, lined with wood inside to prevent contact betweeu 

 the leaf and the iron, for reasons given above. The upper 

 part of the rolling portion of the machine consists of a heavy 

 block of wood about 30 inches square and about lo inches 

 high, square in shape, and the inside well hollowed out to 

 represent as much as possible the hollow of the human hand. 

 The hollow is deeply grooved in order to assist iu turning 

 the leaf. By an ingenious arrangement of double machin- 

 ery gearing the box containing the leaf is pushed hori- 

 zontally in two directions at right-angles to each other, 

 and the toothed wheels in the driving gear are so ar- 

 ranged that the motion is given twice in one direction 

 for once in the other. The leaf is thus driven about on 

 the table in a form something like the figure S, and thus 

 being well turned over the leaf cells are quickly broken 

 and a good twist given. On the top of the wooden 

 block there is a '.hopper through which the leaf is fed. 

 The wooden block itself, which forms the most important 

 part of the machine, is suspended from the top of the 

 machine, by four iron rods, working at top and bottom 

 in what are knowu as ball and socket joints, allowing 

 the block, the representative of the human hand, to 

 move freely in all directions. The peculiar motion given 

 to the ball of leaf by this machine, renders it very 

 effective for hard leaf. I think the L-yle machine comes 

 next in order of time. It is said that the original idea 

 of this machine originated with Mr. Haworth, another 

 inventor, and that he aband jued it for his present machine. 

 Be that as it may, the machine displays considerable 

 ingenuity, and, although a bag machine, it possesses 

 considerable merit, and is certainly the best, of the bag 

 machines. * * * * Wlth 



the Lyle machine I think we can drop the older 

 classes of rolling machines, and consider next the series 

 of newer inventions, beginning with Mr. Kinmond s im- 

 proved rolling machine and going on until the series of 

 inventions culminates in the latest and most admirable 

 invention of Mr. Jackson's in rolling tea leaf, the Ex- 

 celsior rolling machine. The following machines will be 



treatedof:— Kiumond's improved ; Haworth'sabag machiue; 

 Jackson's Cross Action ; Kiumond's Centrifugal ; Jackson's 

 Rotary ; Thompson's Challenge, aud Jackson's Universal 

 and Excelsior machines. A few short remarks will be 

 given on the methods of putting down the machines. 



TEA MACHINERY— DRYING APPARATUS. 

 (From the Indigo and Tea Planters' Gazette.) 



Before entering on the very important subject which gives 

 the title of the present chapter, I wish to make a few prac- 

 tical remarks on the laying down of tea machinery : and as 

 these remarks apply to all classes of machines used in tea 

 manufacture, I may remark generally that a good deal of 

 the successful working of a machine depends upon the care 

 and attention bestowed upon the construction of the found- 

 ation. In my own practice I invariably make the found- 

 ations extremely strong, aud am happy to say that my re- 

 sults have proved the wisdom of this course. Tea machines 

 are bolted down to heavy timber beams. I will describe 

 as carefully aud simply as possible my own method of lay- 

 ing down the foundation for the Excelsior Machine, and 

 from this the planter may be able to make and apply rules 

 for the successful setting down of any machine. 



I use for this machiue two longitudinal beams, measuring 

 16 feet in length by inches 14 square. I dig a pit in the 

 ground about 16 inches deep, 18 feet long, and sufficiently 

 broad to leave about a foot clear on each side of the beams. 

 Iu the bottom of this pit I lay a bed of concrete con- 

 sisting of either broken brick or stone rubble, with lime 

 aud soorkey, sand aud Portland cement or any other good 

 concrete. The pit must be deep enough, and the layer of 

 concrete sufficiently thick that the top edge of the beams 

 will be about 2k inches abovej the surface of the tea-house 

 floor. This is in order that the floor can be sloped away 

 for a distance of about three feet on each side of the 

 machine ; the feet of the machine being thus raised higher 

 than the level of the floor. This is a great advantage 

 in sweeping dust or dirt away from the machine. There 

 is a truck or bogy provided for conveying away the leaf 

 from the Excelsior. It is advantageous to have a pit be- 

 tween the two longitudinal beams sufficiently deep to allow 

 this truck to be below the level of the ground when wheeled 

 into the pit. The pit will thus be about 9 inches deep 

 from the top of the beams, and a slope or " ramp," to 

 use the engineering term, must be constructed to allow the 

 truck to be conveniently run up and down into the pit, 

 A cross-piece should be inserted connecting the two longi- 

 tudinal beams near the end at which the driving gear is, 

 and this should be dovetailed into the side beams, so as 

 to prevent side vibration. If this cross-piece be well fitted 

 and the coucrete carefully rammed down round the found- 

 ation beams, the machine will work without vibration and 

 without the consequent risk of breakdown. Care must be 

 taken that the feet of the machine are quite level, the 

 tops of the beams being carefully pared away to admit of 

 this. The machine should not be worked for some days 

 after being laid down, or else, as can be easily done, the 

 foundation ought to be ready to receive the machine be- 

 fore the latter arrived, so that the concrete foundation may 

 be properly set. Before leaving the subject of rolling 

 machinery and going into the very important one of tea 

 drying machines aud apparatus, I may mention that the 

 Messrs. Jackson are bringing out a small dryiug machine 

 to be worked by hand-power and suitable for the smallest 

 gardens. The cost I understand is to be very low, so as to 

 bring it within the reach of everyone. 



AYe will now pass on to the subject of tea drying ap- 

 paratus. After the leaf has been removed from the roll- 

 ing machine it is allowed to " ferment." This term is 

 used to express the oxygenating process to which the leaf 

 must be exposed, and is only an empirical expression, as 

 the chemical process through which the leaf passes is not 

 in the least akin to fermentation. As soon as the leaf 

 becomes sufficiently oxygenated it is dried off as quickly as 

 possible. It is a disputed point amongst tea makers, as to 

 whether or not this drying or firing process should be done 

 by means of charcoal, or the more recent methods of hot 

 air drying. Many persons still believe that drying the tea 

 by charcoal has the effect of giving it a better "keeping" 

 effect ; there being no doubt that the least exposure of 

 tea to the air after being packed, does, to a great extent, 

 deteriorate it. Ehis, however, is not the place to discuss 



