37* 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[November i, 1884. 



JACKSON'S NEW TEA DR1FR. 



We recently gave a full description of this machine, 

 and now we have received a copy of printed te-ti- 

 monials to its value, circulated by Mess- re. Balmer, 

 Lawrie & Co. of ' aloutta and Messrs. John Walker 

 & Co. of Colombo. Mr. Jas. Huttman, superintend- 

 ent of Cinnamaia, wrote to Mr. Jackson on Sth 

 August : — 



Your new self-feeding and discharging tea drying machine 

 was erected here during first half of July and started 

 working on or about the lGth of Julv. After 2 to 3 

 weeks experience of its working capabilities, I have pleas- 

 ure in stating that I am perfectly satisfied with its 

 powers of drying tea at rate of from 2| to 3 maunds of 

 " Pucca " tea per hour; on several occasions the day's 

 manufacture has been turned out at former rate, and now 

 and again, or during half a day somewhat over 3 maunds 

 per hour have been weighed off. 



The expenditure of fire, wood has been about '2 maunds 

 of hall dried wood per uiaund of tea which is not heavy, 



ENEMIBS OF TEA AND COCOA : THE LATEST j 

 ABOUT IIELOPELTIS ANTONII IN JAVA. 



We have received from Mr. Van Romunde, Mr. 

 Moens' locum tenens, the Report on the Java Cin- 

 chona Plantations for 1883. It is in course of trans- 

 lation and will be published in an early issue. Pend- 

 ing the appearance of the full report, we give a 

 translation of the portion which refers to the injuries 

 effected by HdopeUie Antonii and the ravages of a 

 caterpillar. In regard to both, there seems to be 

 but one remedy, the constant senrch for, capture and 

 destruction of the pestiferous insects. We must keep 

 this in view in Ceylon, should the insect blight spread, 

 not forgetting, as a source of encouragement, the 

 intermittent character of the plague. Some years it 

 entirely or almost entirely disappears. As absence 

 of body is better than presence of mind when a 

 railway accident occurs, we should prefer the ab- 

 sence of Helopelth to any amount of knowledge of 

 remedies ; but, as the blight is here on cacao, and 

 may spread to tea, it is so far comforting to learn that 

 in Java measures of repression have been to a great 

 extent effectual. We append the extract from Mr. 

 Van Rnmunde's Report : — 



In consequence of the ravages of Belopeltu at Tirtasari 

 the growth of the trees was seriously retarded, and there- 

 fore the measurements did not give the results which should 

 have been looked for in the case of a normal growth. 

 Among the unaffected trees outside the plantation chosen 

 for measurement there were many stems of four years 

 old wliir-h hud reached a height of more than 5 meters. 

 Considerable damage was caused during 1S83 also by 

 Hdopeltis Antonii. The plantation of grafts and cuttings 

 at Tirtasari especially had to suffer severe attacks. Strict 

 orders were given to continue the pursuit of the insect un- 

 ceasingly. By the end of the year the plants had com- 

 pletely recovered, only slight signs of sickness being noticed 

 sporadically, ami only at Kioeng-goeuoeug were a few 

 affected trees to be found iu the Ledgeriana plantations. 

 As a result of the stringently continued pursuit of the 

 insect, it may with confidence be hoped that any con- 

 siderable damage caused by the Hdopeltis is a thing of the 

 past. At Lembang considerable damage was caused to the 

 Josephiana plants by caterpillars. Whole plantations were 

 in a short spaco of time eaten entirely bare. Iu this 

 case also the catching of the insect appeared to be the 

 only method of cure. It was not always easy to reach 

 the caterpillars iu the already pretty high trees, and the 

 catching was therefore not carried out so speedi'y as 

 could be wished. Although the trees have to a large 

 exient recovered from the injury dono, ye- 1 , the loss is 

 very considerable. 



considering the green state of furnace and flues when 

 works was commenced. 



The internal arrangements of feeding hopper, travelling 

 endless^ bands and discharging gear are very complete, 

 and with ordinary care on part of workmen, are not 

 likely to get out of order. 



The principle of drying is an approved one, fresh pure 

 air being admitted at one end of long cast iron pipes 

 which are treated in furnace and flues, and air discharged 

 at the other end at almost any temperature required, 

 and drawn up through the tea by a powerful suction fan 

 at top of apparatus. 



The arrangements for lowering or increasing the temp- 

 erature in machine are very simple and effective. 



The number of coolies required to work the machine is 

 reduced to a minimum, viz., one to stoke furnace, one to 

 fill the feeding hopper, and one to carry away the dis- 

 charged dry tea. 



Other testimonials follow, and it is stated that 



Mr. Jackson proposes to make three sizes, one cap- 

 able of turning out 30 maunds per day, one from 15 to 

 20 maunds per day, ard the remaining one from 5 to 8 

 maunds per day. 



There is nothing yet as to prices. We suppose one 

 of the merits of this machine is that tea cured in 

 it will not be liable to so n uch breakage as where 

 trays are used. 



COCONUT OIL AND KEROSENE IN CEYLON. 



Already the cheapness of kerosene oil from American 

 wells has led to some very curious results even here 

 in Ceylon. Not only in the towns, but in the remote 

 villages, kerosene as a lighting material is rapidly 

 superseding coconut oil. Following this is a larger 

 quantity of oil available for export, whioh will enable 

 the peoples of continental Europe to give a more 

 satisfactory reply than they could in former days to 

 the question "How are you off for soap?" A large 

 proportion of the detergent substances they use have 

 cocoDut oil for the base. We have several times re- 

 ferred to the enormous increase iu the export of coconut 

 oil in the season just closed, arftl we may add that there 

 has been also a very considerable export to Europe of 

 the raw material, copperah, from which oil is ex- 

 pressed by powerful machinery at certain places on 

 the continent. Under ordinary circumstances, the 

 export from Ceylon of coconut oil depends on the 

 largeness or otherwise of the crop of coconuts. But 

 this season the cheapness and increased use of kerosene 

 oil have had their influence in producing the un- 

 precedented figures. If the intelligence which has 

 reached us in the London Standard of the 10th of 

 Sept., as to immensely increased supplies of kerosene 

 which Russia is able to pour into the markets of the 

 world, from the wells on the border of the C-ispiau, 

 should be confirmed, the time nny be at hand when 

 the vegetable oil which for centuries has supplied 

 light to Sinhalese cottages and given brightness to 

 religious processions and wedding fessts may be 

 entirely superseded by a mineral oil from Pennsylv- 

 ania or the Caspian Provinces of the Russian Empire. 

 If only the example of the Caspian steamers is followed 

 and the refuse petroleum used generally as steam-produc- 

 iug fuel, the revolution will becomple'e.and, amongstthe 

 most remaikable which has taken place in this century 

 of change and of the old order giving place to the 

 new. That discoveries of subterranean stores of so- 

 called mineral oil (really derived from extinct organ- 

 isms, especially cor-1 insects), in America, in 

 Russia, and we may soon add in Burma, should 

 effect the displacement of coconut oil as a light-originator 

 and lead to a supply of more and cheaper material for 

 the manufacture of soap for use by, amongst others, 



