February 2, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



59i 



leaf. We anticipate, however, that this plant will again 

 produce much better tea next season. Our Cachar estates 

 and those in our Lattakoojan division of Assam have con- 

 tributed some breaks of really good and even fine teas, 

 but their effect on sale results has been prejudiced by the 

 lower quality of the larger portion of the outturn and the 

 exceptionally depressed condition of the London market for 

 medium grades and qualities. But for the unsatis- 

 factory conditions under which our Cachar, Sylhet 

 and Kolabaree estates laboured during a great portion 

 of the season, our very moderate estimate of 21,070 

 mauuds or 1,757,600 lb. would doubtless have been 

 exceeded, and the iucrease upon last year's crop would 

 probably have been 3,000 mamids instead of about 1,400, 

 with which increase only it nov seems probable that the 

 season will close. Box-making has been successfully com- 

 menced at Jalingah and Shabazpore, and will next season 

 be carried on in Assam, the supplies of suitable timber 

 on these estates being considerable, and well adapted for 

 box-making and general purposes. The particulars of each 

 garden's estimated yield, realized crop and average sale 

 price to latest dates during the current season, as com- 

 pared with season 1883, are submitted on this occasion 

 in tabular form for more convenient reference. Our latest 

 reports from India testify generally to the good manage- 

 ment and thorough cultivation of our various gardens, 

 the healthy and promising condition of the plant the satis- 

 factory working of machinery, and the sufficiency of labour 

 and all other arrangements and appliances. None of 

 the current season's crop has been or will be sold in 

 Calcutta, it having been deemed expedient to bring 

 the entire crop to the home market. The, principal 

 features of 1884 operations in tea have been the 

 continued fall in the value of Indian teas owing to 

 increased supplies, and the fall off in the quality 

 of the early Darjeeling produce from unfavourable 

 weather. The fall in market value of Indian teas has 

 probably been about 2d. per pound. The average price 

 of our teas from Assam, Cachar, and Sylhet, have not 

 fallen off to that extent, and it may therefore be assumed 

 that there has been improvement in the quality of their 

 produce. 



The wish expressed by some of the shareholders at the 

 last general meeting, that another practical tea planter 

 should be asked to join the Board has not been h>t sight 

 of but we have not yet been able to give practical effect 

 to the suggestion, the gentleman whose services we were 

 desirous of obtaining being precluded from entertaining 

 our proposal. In conclusion, we desire to express our re- 

 gret that results should again have fallen short of our 

 expectations.— Home and Colonial Mail. 



Coconut-meal as Hoeses' Food.— Can the following 

 paragraph account for the demand for copperah in France 

 of late? — "The French army has been experimenting 

 upon the food of the horses. They report that a diet of 

 oats mixed with coconut-meal resulted Bplendidly. 

 The horses were not only speedily improved in condi- 

 tion, but the reduction in the cost of horse-keep 

 amounted to 50 francs each horse per annum." 



Java Tea. — The news comes from Australia of I he 

 arrival at Melbourne of a shipment of Java teas, It 

 is said that tbe Java planters have determined to 

 create a market for their teas in Australia, and 

 propose to set about devices to "popularize" that 

 article. This intelligence, says a contemporary, will 

 hardly be received with satisfaction by the Indian 

 tea planter wdio has been attempting for some years 

 to popularize Indian tea in Australia. — Pioneer. 



Halycon Days for Planters Again. — Latest ad- 

 vices from South Travancore say that the Planters 

 in the Asharaboo and southern ranges are going to 

 have a visit of the good old times again. Coffee 

 where cultivated comes on astonishingly well, and a 

 good crop is expected this year. Every thing is 

 prospering, but some time will have to elapse before 

 any profit can be realized owing to the fall in the 

 price of coffee at home. — Madras Hail. 



It is stated that the coming semi-tropieil fruit is 

 the Japanese persimmon known as the Panarasche. 

 It has been recently introduced into Florida, where 

 it flourishes finely. It is about as large as a Bartlett 

 pear, of golden color, sweet, juicy and delicious. It 

 bears transportation well. — American Grocer. 



Kelani Valley, Ceylon.— The laud appears, as far as the 

 eye can reach, to be of very similar character as regards soil 

 and natural growth — more so than land at a high attitude 

 usually is. There we have heavy jungle with splendid soil altern- 

 ating abruptly with poor pataua. Here in this valley none 

 looks so poor as upcountry patana or so rich as the heavy 

 jungles of a higher altitude. But the soil, though poor in 

 many parts in some is fairly good, and throughout there 

 appears to be that irony color and tinge so good for tea. 

 All the best hollows, where the wash from the hills has set- 

 tled the richest soil at their base, belong to natives unable 

 as vet to turn them to the best account. — Cor., Local 

 "Times." 



Some of the Savants are Investigating Electric 

 Insects. — Gen. Davis, of the British Army, who was a 

 famous insect collector, once picked up a " wheel bug " 

 in the West Indies, and received a shock which paralyzed 

 his arm. On shaking the insect off, he noticed six red 

 marks on his skin — the impression of its feet. This partic- 

 ular bug is now being studied closely. Some of the 

 Mminous beetles are found to be very electric, and one 

 iuvestigator, upon taking up an unknown caterpillar in 

 India, received such a shock that his entire left side was 

 paralyzed, and he remained for a long time dangerously 

 ill. — American Grocer. [VVe doubt. — Ed.] 



The American Evaporator as a Tea Drier. — Messrs. 

 \V. H. Davies & Co. of Colombo have received the follow- 

 ing satisfactory reports of the performances of the 

 American evaporators as tea driers : — Extract from a letter 

 from Mr. J. H. Barber, Blackstone Tea Estate, dated 4th 

 January : — " Thanks for the Thermometer. I had to post- 

 pone my experiments till I got it. I gave the Evaporator 

 a patient trial today, and am happy to say with great 

 success. It will do very well as a drier for small yardens" 

 Extract from a letter dated 5th January from Mr. \\\ 

 Zeigan, proprietor, Citrus Tea Estate : — " I have tried the 

 American Evaporator, and it is with pleasure I have to 

 inform you that it performed its function as a Tea Drier 

 in every way most successfully. The construction of the 

 stove leaves nothing to he desired. 



Origin of Annatto. — This colouring matter, so largely 

 used for colouring butter and cheese, occurs in the annatto 

 tree, Jiixa orellana. The fruit capsules of this plant 

 contain a large number of seeds embedded in reddish- 

 coloured pulp. The colouring principle itself, annattoine, 

 is obtained by macerating this pulp in cold water. It is 

 largely employed at the present time for dyeing and 

 printing woollen and cotton goods, the colour being fast 

 and of a fine tint. Basket or a paste annatto is prepared 

 in the tropical countries by placing the seeds of B. 

 orellanain large vessels of water, and converting the 

 whole, by prolonged heating, into a thick paste. By this 

 process the brilliancy of the colour is much impaired, so 

 that " basket, annatto " cannot with advantage be used 

 for dyeing fabrics ; also cheese coloured with it gradually 

 fades. The colouring matter is used by the natives of 

 Brazil to flavour their food. — ■Burgoye, Burhitltjes, Ci/riu.r, 

 and Farries' Monthly Export Ptices Current. 



Messrs. Massey & Company's " Indian Kyot 

 Plough" was awarded the first place at th plough- 

 ing Exhibition held at Kaity last week. This 

 plough has only just been brought out, by them 

 in view to supply the wants of small laud-holders, 

 and the poorest description of cattle. Judges were 

 of opinion that if a competent person had worked 

 the Indian Ryot plough, nothing in the Exhibition 

 could have equalled it. That it did the best work 

 could lie seen at a glance — turnioL' over much more 

 earth than any of the others. Messrs. Massey and 

 Go's C. P. Patent Pipe plough for dry cultivation, a 

 very light all-iron plough, which has taken all the 

 prizes up to date, obtained at this Exhibition only 

 third honors. — Madras Mail. 



