200 



<THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1884. 



tube for conducting the hot air or gas which is forced 



into it by a fan. The interior of the cylinder is 

 fitted rvith shelves, and the apparatus is placed on an in- 

 cline. The green leaf is fed iu at one end *>f the cylinder, 



is constantly carried up by the shelves, and allowed to fall 

 through the current of hot air as the cylinder revolves, 

 thus travelling down to the other or lower end, where it 

 is discharged in a nearly dry state. It can be brought out 

 fully dried, but the Patentees recommend it to be never 

 more than " seven-eighths-fired " when it is discharged 

 from the cylinder, and the final firing to be completed in 

 trays over ordinary "choolas." They prefer the tea to 

 be brought out about " three-fourths-dried." 



It is not claimed that tea dried in this machine is 

 superior to all other machine-dried teas, but, as the pro- 

 cess is automatic, and consequently must, if ordinary care 

 be bestowed, ensure absolute uniformity, it is asserted that 

 it produoes tea certainly not inferior to that made by 

 any other known apparatus. 



Further ou, fortunately, we find it stated that the 

 tea can be just as well finished in siroccos for which 

 ordinary wood-fuel will suffice instead of over charcoal 

 in the old " choolas " or furnaces. Charcoal is trouble- 

 some and expensive to make and store, and the great 

 advantage of the sirocco and other driers on the 

 same principle is that charcoal can be dispensed with 

 and wood-fuel used, or even straw and grass where 

 fuel is scarce. Coke seems to be essential for the 

 Gibbs & Barry machine, as the heat seems to be 

 drawn or rather projected through the cylinder 

 directly from the fire by means of fans. But, even 

 if coke can be procured in Calcutta, it must cost 

 a good deal to transport it to estates in Darjiling, 

 and still further away in Assam, Cachar and Sylhet, 

 If the coke has first to be imported from Europe, 

 however, we fail to see how the merit of economy 

 can be so strongly insisted on. The cost of the 

 machine is pretty heavy to begin with, and, in order 

 to erect it, 300 fire bricks, 6,000 common red-bricks 

 and 1 cask-clay will be needed. Then comes the 

 cost of the coke fuel. The article here in Ceylon 

 will be scarce and dear in proportion, as the Muni- 

 cipality persevere iu their policy of economy in the 

 use of gas, a policy of which the representatives of 

 the Gas Company so bitterly complain. The process 

 where the Gibbs & Harry machine is used seems 

 to be this : the tea, when properly withered, rolled 

 and fermented, is put through the cylindrical mach- 

 ine, and the strong recomirendation of the inventors 

 is that it be never more than seven-eighths fired in 

 their machine. It should then be finished off over 

 charcoal furnaces or in a sirocco. Before being 

 packed, the tea is again put through the machine 

 and " pucka-bhattied," as the Hindustani slang has 

 it for final or permanent finish. The patentees claim 

 that, for this process, their drier has been eminently 

 successful. " As many as 30 maunds of tea have 

 passed through it in an hour." Of course, dried tea 

 from the bin is here meant. As to the temporary 

 or " kutcha-batty " work done by the machine, its 

 inventors state : — 



The quantity of tea which can bo dried by this machiue 

 is very large. There are two sizes ; one with a cylinder 

 18 feet long and 3 feet 6 inches iu diameter, capable of 

 " three-fourths-drying " about ten maunds of green leaf per 

 hour [=to 2J maunds or 200 lb. made tea. — Ed.]. And 

 the other w"ith a cylinder 12 feet long and 2 feet 6 inches 

 in diameter, which will " three-fourths-dry " about four 

 maunds of green leaf per hour [=1 maund or 80 lb. dried 

 tea. — Ed.]. In stating' this, however, the Patentees 

 do not guarantee any particular results. Iu some cases 

 these quantities have been exceeded, while iu others they 

 have not been reached. 



Of course, a good deal depends on the operator, 

 and in the pamphlet there is a statement of results 

 by a planter who partially prepared the bulk of his 

 tea by this machine and finished a certain quantity 

 by its. means, This gentleman, Mr. Wm. Aitchison, 



of Dooloo estate, discloses the reason why the 

 patentees object to the drying process being com. 

 pleted in the cylinder, the tendency of the tea to 

 turn grey. Can this be due to the tremendous heat 

 of 400° to 700° against the 2S0° to 300° of the 

 sirocco ? Mr. Aitchison, writing eleven months ago 

 said : — ' 



"1 can get the results you mention, 2 J mds. per hour a th 

 dried, and I think I could easily get" H mds. per hour 

 fully dried tea. If I had another machine" I think I would 

 fully dry the tea in them ; for. I find after some experi- 

 ence in the working of it that the tea could be fully dried 

 and yet not be made grey, or at least very little. I would 

 let the tea come from the cylinder 151 annas, or so dried 

 and the heat that was then in it would be quite sufficient 

 to make it crisp by the time it was cool." 

 Theu follows a figured table from which we learu that 

 in the case of the tea which was finished in the cylin- 

 der the exnenditure of coke was 9 maunds for 11 '6 

 of dried tea; 13 maunds for 17 p 60 and S maunds 

 for 12 - 50 maunds tea. In this last case the consump- 

 tion of coke per maund of tea was so low as - 64 • 

 in thu other cases the proportions were "73 and '76. 

 The result is that somewhat less than three-fourths of a 

 maund of coke, or so say 71 lb. of coke, were used for 

 each maund of SO lb. of dried tea: that i-, less 

 than 4 lb- °f coke f or eaon pound of finished tea. 

 Iu this case no charcoal was used. The average 

 quantity of dried tea turned out per hour varied from 

 ri8 maund to 1 '41. It further experience or further 

 improvements effected show that the tea can ba 

 finished off in the one machiue, it will be a great 

 convenience. As matters stand, we suppose that in 

 every factory where a Gibbs & Barry (lar^e size) 

 is u<>ed tin re ought to be two siroccos ; with one 

 for the small size. We cannot conceive of anyone 

 who has had experience of charcoal, furnaces revert- 

 ing to them. Mr. Aitchison used them, however for 

 the tea partially-finished in the cylinder, with' the 

 result that almost as much charcoal was used to 

 finish as it took coke to partially prepare the tea. 

 Iu oue case the proportion of coke to char- 

 coal was '39 maund coke and '30 charcoal to 1 dry tea 

 Again -30 do 36 do 



Finally '27 do - 45 do 



The total in the first case was '75 : in the second and 

 third '72 respectively. We theiefere get '73 and a 

 fraction, or less than f maund of coke and charcoal 

 for 1 maund dritd'tea : 1--33 than jib. of the united 

 fuel for 1 lb. dried tea. The quantity dried per 

 hour- by both processes varied from 279 maunds 

 to 2-92 and 3-23. In the latter cise a quantity close 

 on 3601b. per hour, or 3,600 for a day of ten hours. 

 The proportion of fuel, that fuel being iu both cases 

 the carbon remaining after the expulsion of bulky 

 extraneous matter, was very moderate. The whole 

 question, then, is the cost at which the coke and 

 charooal (where the latter is used) can be laid down 

 at the mouth of tho furnace. We would simply re- 

 mark that where firewood for siroccos is plentiful 

 2 lb. of firewood for each pound of tea is not likely 

 to cost more than J lb. of coke or charcoal. Except 

 those who still retain a belief in the virtues of char- 

 coal fumes, we suppose the decision of all planters 

 in Ceylon who resolve ou usiDg one of the cylindrical 

 machines will be to have a sirocco or siroccos to 

 finish off with. .Mr. James Inglis, writing from 

 Dilkhoosha on 11th June 1SS2, stated : — 



In reply to your queries- " whether the tea is improved 

 by being passed through the machine " : — 



The tea is certainly vastly improved in appearance. 

 Machine rolled tea is generally, or I may say always, very 

 straight, and in sorting passes so easily through a sieve 

 that it takes a large bold appearance. Being passed through 

 the dryer it takes on a curl, which gives it exactly the 

 look of hand-rolled tea, and the sorting becomes more even. 

 I would not at present give you any decided opinion. 



