December i, 1884.] THE TROPICA!. AGRICULTURIST. 



471 



&c. Failing tliese natural and artificial means of clearing 

 land of the moisture that in one or another form descends 

 on it, it gets only partially dried Ijy the action of tree roots, 

 assisted by evaporation from its surface during the hotter 

 periods of the year. 



Iu this way forests act as conservators of water in so 

 far as they prevent a too rapid evaporation, but the trees 

 themselves part with great quantities which has been drawn 

 by their roots from the soil, and which is lost in the air 

 byja drying-out process going on in the leaves. Their own 

 requirements in building up the tree growths of stem, roots 

 and foliage represent an immense amount of water and 

 dew, and it is only the surplus remaining which finds its 

 way to the streams; but this flowing away gradually and 

 iu reduced quantity than is the case from bare soil, is 

 therefore less liable to cause floods, except in such exceptional 

 instances as have been alluded to. 



The dampness felt in dense or even moderately dense 

 woods is not so much due to any locked up moisture in 

 the land itself as to the confined cool moist air, a condition 

 that is owing mainly to the shade of the foliage hindering 

 the sun's heat from penetrating to the stratum of air 

 near the ground level. Higher up, near the tops of the 

 trees, it is of a pleasanter and more buoyant nature. In 

 windy weather this cool moist feel in the air is much 

 lessened, or else entirely absent, the moisture itself being 

 carried through the wood by the action of the wind, and 

 is replaced by the drier, or colder, or may be warmer air, 

 from outside the wood. This condition of the air within 

 a wood will account for the prevalence of dew on the 

 herbage early in the day, and up to mid-day, and iu denser 

 parts throughout the day, when the air circulation is 

 gentle. — M. A. — Garden* < " I lumticle. 



TEA CULTURE IN NATAL. 



During the past few years, I have heard much of tea grow- 

 ing in Natal on a small scale, which could only be termed 

 garden culture. Natal is, however, indebted to Mr. J . Leig£ 

 Mulett, M.L.O., for striking out boldly on a large scale to 

 prove the adaptability of certain districts of the colony for 

 this industry, which, I am pleased to say, is an undisputed 

 Bucces. Mr. Hulett's plantation is situated in the Nonoti 

 district, Victoria County, N.E. of the town of Durban, con- 

 nected in part by railway. The land is not in any way special, 

 but merely the ordinary run of coast land, of which thou- 

 sands of acres are available. Mr. Hulett has compared his 

 crop with an estimated yield in India, where 6401b. per acre 

 is given as the yield in the tenth year. Of his 1883 yield he 

 says: — " My picking area has been this past season as fol- 

 lows: — About half an acre seven years old (imported hybrid 

 plants): 4£ acres, first year 1881; 27 acres, first year 1882. 

 According to the above estimate 1 should have manufactured 

 — h an acre. 2401b. : -U acres, at 1001b. per acre, 1201b. ; 27 

 acres, at 401b. per acre, 1,0801b.; or total. 2,0401b. Instead of 

 which, my yield for the season will reach 9,0001b. of market- 

 able tCA." 



When I lift Natal at the end of last June, Mr. Hulett had 

 75 acres of tea under cultivation. The cost of culture of 

 land is not under any circumstances over £5 per acre per 

 annum ; this includes weeding, manuring, priming, tools, &c, 

 which, allowing 8001b. of tea per acre | « hen five years old I, 

 will give 1.V1. per lb. for the annual growth of the tea. The 

 cost of picking comes to 2|d. per lb. of made or dry tea ; 

 cost of rolling aud drying, 2-jd. This gives tid. per lb. total 

 cost of growing and manufacturing, exclusive of interest on 

 capital outlay. Mr. Hulett further remarks, "Had I poss- 

 essed a rolling mill and drying furnace the cost would have 

 been considerably lessened J say, picking and making, to 3d. 

 per lb., or 4!A in all ; " and he believes that tea can be grown 

 in Natal to pay all expenses at 81b. per lb.; but that would 

 not leave much margin. Any company or private person 

 could niak<- it pay nl lnd. or Is. pel lb. for exportation. Ho 



does not advise ti uployment of Chinamen, as Kaffirs can 



be taught easily to pick the leaves. 



My own opinion is that an enterprise is before the colony 

 well adapted to the requirements of those possessing small 

 capital, say from £500 upwards, especially when ten or twelve 

 can grow for a central factory. " Indeed," says Mr. Hulett, 

 "I am quite prepared to purchase this leaf in the gri 

 state, and give 3d. per lip. for it, direct from the tree, until 

 export becomes a necessity." 



At the present Industrial Exhibition (Jan. 1884) a gold 

 medal was offered for the best 101b. of marketable tea, and 

 from the Natal Agricultural, Horticultrial and Industrial 

 Exhibition Report it appears that the judges could notdeci le 

 between exhibits by Mr. Hulet> and Mr. Lyle until the tea 

 was liquored, when Mr. Lyle took the prize, and Mr. Hulett 

 was awarded a silver medal for the best collection of teas. 

 The judges further reported that the tea shown, although 

 not all liquored, seemed to be very good ; and the number 

 of samples (five) made them hopeful that this comparatively 

 new industry would yet take a prominent place among the 

 productions of the colony. 



The demand for tea in Natal, the Cape Colony, Orange 

 Free State, and Transvaal is great ; consequently there will 

 for some years to come be a ready market for home con- 

 sumption, duty being about sixpence per pound on inported 

 tea. 



Just previous to leaving Natal, Mr. Hulett forwarded me 

 some samples, marked Pekoe 1, 2, 3 ; and I obtained a sample 

 of very coarse, rough tea (used for mixing) from his local 

 agent in Durban. These samples I brought home in my 

 portmanteau ; they were not in any way protected, further 

 than being wrapped in paper ; and, moreover, were frequently 

 exhibited ami sampled on the voyage, which may account in 

 part for the broken, irregular leaf alluded to in the follow- 

 ing report. I may add that Mr Hulett told me that he 

 was well aware that experience was wanting on his part 

 to prepare the leaf properly, and that he was anxious to 

 obtain an expert in tea manufacture to instruct him. It 

 will be seen that, in spite of these drawbacks, Mr. Hulett 

 has practically surmounted the difficulties attendant on a 

 new industry. 



Appended is a copy of the report above referred to: — 

 I have put the samples of South African teas into liquor, 

 aud make them very decent value, as follows : No. I sample, 

 Is. 5d.;No. 3 sample, Is.Cd. to Is. 7d. ; No. 4 sample, 2s. 

 2d. to 2s. 3d.; and the very rough sample, 8d. to &d.; these 

 prices are without the duty. If the samples were not so 

 small or broken in the leaf, they would be of more value. 

 I have also had the opinion of one of the oldest and most 

 respectable brokers upon the samples, and he thinks with 

 me. Tea from South Africa is a novelty, and if it can be 

 produced without being so broken in the leaf, it would be 

 worth more in the London market. — 0. Dight, London, Sept. 

 1, 1884. 



I trust the foregoing note may be of some interest, and 

 I append my name and address, as I am williug to afford all 

 the information possible. — Morton Green. — Field. 



Colorless Cement. — The following recipe is said to pro- 

 duce a perfectly colorless cement : — In an air-tight bottle 

 75 grams of indiarubber cut into little pieces, are mixed 

 with 60 grams of chloroform. After complete solution of 

 indiarubber, 15 grams of niustic are added, and the mixture 

 warmed for eight days till the latter is dissolved also. — 

 Ledi r-markt. 

 Tobacco on the Nilutris. — The Madras Mail writes :— 

 I "In the present depression which unfortunately characterises 

 , the market for all Nilgiri-grown produce, the planter would 

 ' be well-advised to turn his attention rather to the revival 

 j of the cultivation of old and established favorites, known 

 to be acclimatised, than to look to remote places for new 

 lid untried products. Tobacco was grown, we are told, 

 very many yens ago by the Badagas, but was adandoned 

 wheu the Government monopoly iu that article was ab- 

 olished. Local native poetry abounds in allusions to the 

 fragrant weed ; and tradition goes so far as to assert that 

 tobacco cultivation was an established industry on the hills 

 long before the period of the introduction of the leaf to 

 Europe from the new Continent. The quality of the 

 Nilgiri-grown tobacco ut that early period, is said to have 

 been excellent, though the curing must have been by very 

 primitive an 1 imperfect processes. Coirabatore, whence 

 the Nilgiri tobacco was probably derived, is a tobacco pro- 

 ducing district, where the saltpetre impregnated soil offers 

 the most favourable conditions for its growth, and confers 

 upon tin' leaf a good burning quality. Within the past 

 few years an impetus has been given to enlarged produc- 

 tion iu Coimbatore, by the establishment of cigar factories 

 in adjoining districts, and hence the extent of land brought 

 undei cultivation ha.s been increasing at the rate of oUO 

 acres per annum." 



