August i, 1884,] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



»59 



-♦- 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 

 PERFORATED TEA LEAVES. 



Maskeliya, 21st Juno 1884. 



Dear Sir, — Enclosed are a few "tea leaves." You 

 will see they have the appearance of beiDg pricked 

 with a pin. I picked them off two of my bushes 

 today, one of the bushes hardly had a sound leaf on 

 it. The bushes are live years old and have been 

 bearing seed, but I cut them down about two months 

 ago. Can you tell me what has caused marks on the 

 leaves?— I am, yours faithfully, HUGH BLACKLAVV. 



[Our entomological authority states: — "The holes 

 in the tea leases may have been caused by small 

 beetles (perhaps weevils) feeding on them. They 

 should be looked for. Similar damage might poBsibly 

 bo produced by small caterpillars." — Ed.] 



QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CROTON OIL PLANT. 



Juue 22nd, 1884. 

 Dear Sir, — I would be much obliged if you or 

 any of your numerous readers could let me know 

 what distance apart the croton oil plants should 

 be planted, and also if it will grow and fruit under 

 the shade of Ceara rubber trees. — Yours faithfully, 



NEW PRODUCT. 

 [Mr. Holloway may, perhaps, give replies. — Ed..] 



PAR A MEIilA GLAND ULIFEBA. 



Peradeniya, 26th June 1884. 



Sir, — M. Pierre's letter to " a Ceylon planter " being 

 printed in your columns, I may perhaps be permitted 

 to communicate with the latter anonymous gentle- 

 man through the same channel. 



The gardens here do not possess Parameria gland- 

 ulifera, several endeavours to obtain the plant having 

 been unsuccessful. The statement in M. Pierre's letter, 

 that this rubber-yielding climber is abundant in the 

 South of India, is erroneous. In his original com- 

 munication on the subject, «s abstracted in English 

 in the Colonies and India (12th May 1882) and thence 

 transferred to the Tropical Agriculturist (July 1882, p. 

 78), this statement is not made ; the error arose sub- 

 sequently by a curious oversight in the Kew Report for 

 lSfctl (p. 47), whence it has been.probably derived by M. 

 Pierre. Parameria grows nowhere either in Peninsular 

 India or Ceylon ; to the other localities given — 

 which are correct — maybe added the Andaman Islands, 

 along the borders of tidal forests. The plant is de- 

 scribed in the new "Flora of British India (III, p. 660) 

 audiwas long ago figured in Wight's "Icones" (t. 1,307) 

 as Ecdijsaiitliera glanduli/era from Malacca. 



The attention of the Indian Government was called 

 to this rubber plant last year by the Deputy Com- 

 missioner of Mergui, British Burma, the "Talaing 

 Milk Creeper" of that district, according to Dr. 

 King's identification of very inadequate specimens, 

 being the same species. The reports as to its yield 

 there are somewhat coi dieting : the Deputy Commis- 

 sioner states that he obtained about \ lb. of rubber from 

 a piece of stem 80 ft. long and %\ inches circum- 

 ference by extracting all its juice, but, according to 

 the Director of Agriculture of British Burma, this is 

 not a fair estimate, as " a bottle full of the milk' was 

 obtained from "a few feet of the creeper." Dr. Ro- 

 lnauis, chemical examiner, states that "one pint of 

 juice yielded 13J oz. of caoutchouc," which appears 

 a very high proportion. The specinn n of rubber re- 

 ceived by Dr. King he describes as "externally con- 

 siderably discoloured and almost black from being 

 partially oxidized. When cut into, it is white and 



porous, presenting a honeycombed appearance, the 

 spaces containing a dirty-brown watery fluid. It is 

 tough and elastic, and appears to bu of excell-nb 

 , ji... 1 1 i y." 



This information, with that contained in M. Pierre's 

 publications and letter, is, I think, all at present 

 available on the subject. — I am, sir, yours faithfully, 



HENRY TRIMEN. 



TEA JURY AT THE I. H. E. 



4, Guildhall Chambers, 33, Basinghall Street, 

 London, E.G., 27th June 1884. 

 Dear Sir, — We shall feel obliged if you will give 

 publicity to the following correspondence. Our object 

 is to show our friends in Oeylon how the matter of 

 awards for tea stands at present, and also to defend 

 ourselves against any subsequent charges of careless- 

 ness etc. that might otherwise be brought against us. 

 Wo have to explain, as preface to the correspondence 

 given below, that we were requested by the Chair- 

 man of the Health Exhibition to nominate threo gen- 

 tlemen to represent your island. We lost no time in 

 setting about so pleasant a task and obtained promises 

 from Messrs. King and Forbes Laurie and Captain 

 Hayes to act; it was only when forwarding the names 

 of these gentlemen we were told the jury list was 

 filled up, and we were also informed that the tea 

 then before them would only be judged upon ! In 

 reply to this last most novel and vexatious regulation 

 we strongly represented to the commissioners that 

 we had their Secretary's assurance that samples would 

 be in time by the middle of July. For the comfort 

 of those most interested we may add that we believe 

 we can bring other pressure to bear, and that we 

 are still of opinion that the awards will be kept 

 back until the middle of July, thus giving time for us 

 to receive Bamples sent in reply to our last advertise- 

 ment calling for them, and we are hopeful of ob- 

 taining for Ceylon tea at least one of the very small 

 number of gold medals given. Your teas are in open 

 competition with India and China, but each estate's 

 sample will be put in on its own merits. We shall 

 have more to write you in another fortnight. In the 

 meantime the jury are tasting Indian teas, which we 

 understand are last season's, the fact being that the 

 new season's tea have not yet come to hand ; and the 

 greatest indignation is expressed by those concerned 

 in the Indian teas, and like ourselves they are asking 

 for time.— Yours truly, HUTCHISON & Co. 



June 19th, 1884. 

 To the Chairman, Jurors' Office, I. H. E., South Kensington. 



Sir, — We have the honour to briug to your notice the 

 following fact : — 



About a fortnight ago you favoured us with a notice 

 asking us to nominate gentlemen suited as judges of tea, 

 on behalf of Oeylon. On receipt of your communication 

 we at once put ourselves in correspondence with different 

 gentlemen with whom we were acquainted, three of whom 

 have kindly volunteered to .act as jurors. On application 

 to your office today, our Mr. Ames was informed that the 

 tea jury (No. 3) was already filled up. We respectfully 

 request that you will so arrange as to include at least 

 one name of those we have to submit to you. Other- 

 wise Ceylon will be entirely unrepresented on your Board. 



Regarding the time for exhibits to be remitted to the 

 jury, we have already explained to your Secretary that 

 owing to seasons it has been quite impossible for us to 

 have samples in before July. The picking in Ceylon, and, 

 we believe in India, generally begins late in April, and it is 

 impossible for new samples to arrive sooner than ours can. 

 We have spared no trouble or expense in writing, advert- 

 ising', aud urging planters iu Ceylon to forward us 

 samples to submit to the jury, and we earnestly hope that 

 justice may be extended to them and these teas receive 

 due consideration upon arrival. So sure are we of the 

 excellence of Ceylon teas that we are willing to put them 



