272 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1884. 



The Committee would now ask you to be good enough 

 to fill up the accompanying form stating the quantity of 

 the present season's tea you are prepared to make over to 

 the Syndicate tor shipment. The Committee propose that 

 their total consignments to Melbourne should not exceed 

 100,000 lb. during the year, so as not to interfere in any 

 way with private shippers. For America, as there appears 

 to be little trade in Indian tea beyond what passes through 

 the Syndicate, the Committee are anxious to have full sup- 

 plies, in order to keep up the demand which has already 

 been established. For Amsterdam the Committee would 

 like to have liberal contributions so that regular shipment 

 might be kept up. 



The total shipments from all sources since the 1st May 

 1884 have been — 

 To Australia. To America. To Northern Europe. 



11,191 lb. 16,724 lb. 3,946 lb. 



So it would appear that much more requires to be done to 

 prevent these markets being lost as outlets for a large por- 

 tion of the increasing crops of Indian tea. 



WOOD USED FOE TEA BOXES. 

 (From the Indigo and Tea Planters' Gazette.) 



In our last issue we reproduced the entire text of Dr. 

 Watt's memorandum on the woods used for tea boxes. In 

 this issue we give in its entirety the very valuable letter 

 of Mr. P. Playfair, embodying Dr. Voelcker's minute. We 

 need scarcely say that our own views entirely coincide 

 with those of Dr. Voelcker. The subject is dealt with in 

 more detail in our editorial columns, 



The memorandum by Dr. Geo. Watt upon woods suitable 

 for tea boxes, which was published on 26th instant for gen- 

 eral information, is interesting in so far as it offers a new 

 and probably an original opinion upon the cause of the 

 damage lately sustained by Indian teas, and which is gener- 

 ally attributed to the action of juices in certain woods 

 coining into contact with the lead lining in which the tea 

 is encased. Dr. Watt suggests that it may be the tea itself 

 which corrodes the metal and not the wood, and the opinion 

 is, as he states, at " variance with the popular outcry." As 

 it differs with a professional opinion which I obtained in 

 London last year, the premises assumed by Dr. Watt being 

 also at a variance with the circumstances on which the 

 opinion was formed, I venture to produce this. 



Two invoices of 726 cases of tea manufactured during Oct. 

 and Nov. 1882, were shipped direct from the factory arriving 

 at London via the Canal in April, 1883, and on being sampled 

 were found to have a " peculiar cheesy-like smell." 

 On examination, the surface of the lead next the wood 

 forming the lids to the boxes, was found to be covered 

 with a whitish and, in some cases, a yellowish kind of 

 mould, while the surface against the tea wan quite bright 

 and clear; the lead was perforated, and in instances com- 

 pletely corroded. This injury only existed on the tops. 

 the sides and bottoms of the wood and lead casing being 

 unaffected and perfectly sound; and not only so, but in 

 many instances the lead was corroded under only one or 

 two of the several pieces of which the lids were com- 

 posed, the rest being sound. The wood and lead had a 

 very pronounced and disagreeable smell which had been 

 transmitted to the tea. There was no external sign of 

 damp, and the tea was uot damaged in the usual sense 

 of the word ; without the smell it would have been in 

 gooil condition. The tea was turned out on the floor of 

 the warehouse ; and pending investigation and examin- 

 ation, it was left exposed for a few days, during which 

 the objectionable smell toned down and hit the tea so 

 rapidly that only 64 out of the 726 were eventually con- 

 demned as "peculiar," and were disposed of as such, 

 although the whole invoice on arrival was tainted. I in- 

 spected and sampled the tea in the London warehouse, 

 and extract the above remarks from notes and records I 

 retained. 



Samples of the wood, lead, and tea were submitted to 

 Dr. Augustus Voelcker of London, aud the following is 

 his report : — 



•>' Having completed the examination of the specimens 

 of wood and lead from various tea chests which you re- 

 ceived from India, I have now the pleasure of reporting 

 tc you the results of my investigation." 



" The several specimens were marked Nos. 1,634, 1.731, 

 1,737, 1,742, 1,748,— wood from the lids of the tea chests 

 and leads." 



" Nos. 2,199, 2,254, 2,304,-woed and lead from the bot- 

 tom of the chests." 



" No. 2,038, — wood and lead from a tea chest from another 

 garden apparently sound." 



" The lead taken from the top of the chests was more or 

 less corroded in every case, whilst the lead from the bot- 

 tom of the tea chests was only slightly attacked at the 

 jambs, which may be due to the solder; otherwise the 

 lead from the bottom of the chests was sound apparently, 

 and no perceptible corrosion could be noticed in the case 

 of No. 2,n.38." 



" The examination of the corroded leads showed me that 

 the corroded leads are covered in the worst specimen with 

 a white heavy powder which strongly effervesces with acids, 

 and proved to he a mixture of oxide and carbonate of 

 lead, or in the main white lead. Besides this, I found 

 soluble lead salts iu the corroded leads. The presence of 

 lead and acetic or analogous volatile organic acid can be 

 readily shown when the corroded leads are washed with 

 distilled water." 



" The following tubulated results may give some idea 

 of the relative degree of corrosion to which the leads were 

 subject : — 



Leail in solution Corbonate of hail 



in water. insoluble /» watt r, 



No. 1634. — Strong lead Slightly covered with 



reaction. i su ate of lead. 



I ., 1731. — Very much corroded. 



much lead and acid Strong effen 



acetic in solution. escence with 



acid, much 



white lead present. 



From lead near- 

 est to the lid of- 

 tln- chests. 



1737.- 

 174i- 



174s.- 



Yery much corroded. Ditto. 



■Worst damaged lead, 

 not much lead iu sol- Mostly carbonate 

 ution. of lead. 



-Similar in all re- 

 { spects to 1712. 



No. 2,199.— Only slightly corroded on jambs, and showing 

 only slight indications of soluble lead salts. 



Nos. 2,254 and 2,304.— The same as No. 2,199. 



Lead from a chest from another garden. — No. 2,038.— Lead 

 sound." 



" The corrosion of the lead unquestionably is due to the 

 attack of acetic and other volatile organic acids which dis- 

 solve the surface and sometimes eat holes into the leads, and 

 the subsequent formation of white lead (carbonate of lead ) 

 by the carbonic acid of the air." 



" Considering the fact that the surfaces of the leads which 

 are in contact with the tea were quite bright and sound whilst 

 the under surfaces in contact with the wood were all more Or 

 less corroded, it appears to me that, iu all probability, green 

 or unripe wood has been employed in making the tea chests." 



"Such wood is known to generate, in a somewhat warm 

 locality, acetic and aualogous organic acids which act upon 

 lead." 



"With the exception of the woods from the bottom of chests 

 marked No. 2,199 and No. 2,038, which are very similar in 

 their character and lighter and much more porous than the 

 wood from the lids, all the specimens of wood were very 

 similar in appearance. All were tough, hard, and heavy woods; 

 some had a decidedly disagreable smell ; others had only a 

 faint smell." 



" On distillation with water I got iu some cases most dis- 

 agreeable smelling products ;and by extracting the worst and 

 strongest smelling woods with ether, I obtained oily and 

 resinous matter in appreciable quantities, having an intensely 

 disagreeable smell, reminding one of a mixture of rancid 

 butter and rotten cheese." 



"The oily, and resinous matter, in short, stank, and bad 

 a fishy smell." 



"The following tabular statement may not be without 

 interest." 



"Wood from a number of tea cuests from India: — ■ 



Character of the Wood. Snail. 



No. 1634.- A' hard, tough, 



heavy -wood Bad 



„ 1731.— Similar toNo. 1634 Very bad 



„ 1737. — Hard wood, like Only faint 



No. J 634 smell 



Distillate. 



smell very dis- 

 agreeably 

 Strong smell of 

 butryric acid 



