March 2, 1885.] <THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST., 



709 



CEYLON UPCOUNTRY PLANTING REPORT. 



IMPROVEMENTS IN' JACKSON'S HAND ROLLER AND RESULT — 

 NO HAD TEA TO BE FOUND IN CEYLON ! — THE HERO OF 

 THE LEAN HEN AND HIS GIFT TO HIS LADY FRIEND- 

 SIGHING FOR RAIN— FEVKIl IN MATALE AND DUMBARA — 

 COOLIES PLENTIFUL— SINHALESE LABOR OFFERING — TEA SEED 

 — FINE WEATHER FOR CACAO CURING. 



13th February 1S85. 



I have heard of a considerable improvement which 

 has been made in Jackson's hand-roller by Mr. 

 A. E. Fleming of Bogambara, Kandy. The alterations, 

 which consist in enlarging the box and some other 

 matters, have had tfle effect of bringing the rolling 

 power of this machine up to 1,700 lb. of greeu lea 

 per day of 10 hours. 



I have before me while 1 write a report of the 

 working of the improved roller. The work was done 

 on Elkadua estate, and, as the time taken for every 

 charge of the machine has been carefully noted, aud 

 is of bo much importance to all tea.planters, I en- 

 close a copy of it, so that you may give it the pub- 

 licity which it deserves : — 



Two days' work of the Elkadua tea roller. 



on 3 J3 So a. ii S . .2 *> -a 



■2 as 5 — 1=5 »S 5S 



a rtS S — 5o •= o « r 



<a s s g<a g u a m a* 



W Or D O fe C 



lb. a.m. a.m. a.m. lb. 



1st ...60 6-35 0-40 7-3 60 



2nd. ..60 7-6 7-11 7-33 60 



3rd... 00 7-36 7-40 8-1 00 



4th ...60 8-4 8-7 8-27 60 



5th.. 60 8-33 8-37 8-57 60 



6th. ..60 9-1 9-6 9-27 60 



7th. ..60 931 9-36 9-56 60 



8th... 55 10-1 10-5 10-24 60 



a . a bo 



a.s as 

 Is as 



■as 



a-m. a.m. a.m. 



G-17 6-21 G-42 



6-46 6-50 6-11 



7-15 7-20 7-42 



7-47 7-51 8-12 



8-16 8-19 8-39 



8-42 8-46 9-09 



913 9-18 9-40 



9-44 9-49 10-12 



9th. ..50 10-27 10-31 10-51 60 10-17 10-21 10-45 

 10th. .50 10-54 10-59 11-20 50 10-49 10-56 11-18 

 5th Feb. — The 10th hand was emptied out of machine at 

 11-25 a.m. Time taken to complete 575 lb. withered leaf 

 was 4 hours 50 minutes made tea was 204 lb. The machine 

 is thus capable of rolling off 1,700 lb. green leaf per 

 day of 10 hours. 



6th Feb. — The 10th hand was emptied out of machine at 

 11-22 a.m Time taken to complete the 590 lb. withered 

 leaf was 5 hours 5 minutes; made tea was 2151b. The 

 machine is thus capable of rolling off 1,700 lb. green leaf 

 per day of 10 hours. 



Much credit is certainly due to Mr. Fleming, for 

 bo considerably increasing the working power of this 

 machine, without in any way affecting its efficiency ; 

 for, besides pulling through such a large quantity 

 of tea, it gives a perfect twist to the leaf. This 

 is but another instance of what 1 have always mainf 

 tained, the highly inventive character of Ceylon men. 

 Doubtless, before tea is very much older in this 

 island, we will be hearing of more work of this kind, 

 and the tea-planters of India und elsewhere will have 

 to look to Ceylon for wrinkles on cultivation and 

 improvements in manufacture and machinery. 



For a long time back I have been trying to as- 

 certain where I could tind a held of bad tea. Only 

 lately I thought I was fairly on the track, and I had 

 a feeling of satisfaction in thinking that now I was 

 to be successful in my quest. Alas ! at the last 

 moment it has slipped me. The extent was big enough, 

 100 acres, the quality, a most inferior jat, but just 

 when about to swoop down on it, and use it as a 

 text for a paragraph in my letter, I waa told that 

 I need not trouble, for it is giving the owners flushes 

 as fast as the coolies can pluck them off ! We hear 

 so much regarding inferior jat, that it is disappoint- 



ing that nobody will own up to the possession of 

 ought else than but a few trees, and that this rock 

 ahead of which all are warned can't be located in 

 any of the tea districts of Ceylon. The light that 

 never was on land or sea is the nearest thing that 

 I know of which at all approaches that which every, 

 one talks of and no one Las seen— a held of really 

 bad tea in Ceylon. I don't say it does not exist ; 

 but I do say that I am weary of enquiring where. 



I fancy most people who have read the good story 

 lately told in your columns by " Old Colonist " about 

 the lean hen enjoyed it as well as I did. Saving 

 could hardly go further, and it was only a master of 

 the art who could have conceived such an ingeni. 

 ous plan of gathering up the fragments so that nothing 

 might be lost. I have no doubt in my own mind 

 as to who was the hero of the tale. Great souls like 

 great events only appear now and again in a gener- 

 ation, and, in offering a humble contribution to the 

 biography of this illustrious one I feel I am wrong- 

 ing no brother-planter past or present when I claim 

 for the man, who took his lean hen to market with 

 him so that it might pick up what his horse 

 "skailed," that of being the spokesman in the 

 tale I would tell. A lady friend of his waa 

 leaving the country ; one who had shown tho 

 saving Scot much kindness, executed many a com- 

 mission, and in a thousand-andone ways had other, 

 wise been of service. The occasion was a great one, 

 and the great man made a wonderful effort to rise 

 to it — he was going to hang expense and give the 

 lady a present. He arranged with a Bombay trader 

 to meet him at the lady's bungalow, and told her 

 when they arrived how much he was indebted for 

 the kindnesses of the past, aud that he desired to 

 show his appreciation by giving her a " wee bit 

 present." The lidy protested, no need for such a 

 return or any return at all, she had always been 

 glad to have been of service, and much more to 

 the same effect. Hard-fisted Scot, listening incred- 

 ulously, could not conceive of a nature which could 

 act so generously, but, quick to avail himself of the 

 turn of affairs, shaking out a China shawl, he said : 

 " Wid na that suit you ? kind o' payment as it were." 

 The lady assured him again that there was no need 

 of any. payment ; so he handed the shawl back to the 

 man, saying in reply: " Weel, wec-1, ye ken best." 

 " Tamby po !" 



Like everyone else we are sighing for rain. Those 

 who have tea holes to cut iu this weather know 

 how difficult it is to get anything like the proper 

 size out of the coolies, and how worrying it is to be 

 kept back. 



About Matale and Dumhara fever is very bad, as I 

 fancy it is generally in all low places. 



Coolies are plentiful, and gangs off-ring now and 

 again. The Sinhalese, too, are very willing to work in 

 clearings if allowed to go aud come as the spirit 

 moves them. They are very poor as a rule, the 

 failure of their little patches of coffee and the adjoin- 

 ing estates from which thoy were so fond of drawing 

 having sadly affected their finances. 



Orders for tea seed are on favoured estates booked 

 considerably in advance, but the price is not rising, 

 a tendency rather to seO at rates somewhat lower 

 than those advertised. 



Fine weather for curing cacao, which ought to keep 

 up the name of the Ceylon marks in the London 

 market. Peppercop.n. 



CINCHONA LEDGEKIANA. 



SPLENDID RESULTS IN WYNAAD. 



AVe have to record that from the Okembaly estate at 

 Gudalur, an analysis has been shown to us by the Govern- 

 ment Quinologist Mr. David Hooper, of Cinchona Ledyermna 

 natural bark, which is surprizing and exceeds anything 



