March 2, 1885] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



723 



important feature of the teris is the way in 

 which they absorb almost all the rain that falls upon 

 theiu and give it out in springs near their base, where 

 it is collected and used for irrigating fields. On the 

 other hand the advance of the teris has often done 

 considerable damage by burying fields and gardens, 

 and, in some cases, even houses. The rate of advance of 

 the sands ou the Ishanmli teri between 1S08 and 1868 

 was on an average seventeen yards per annum, but they 

 are now moving much less rapidly, and in the four 

 years from 1S<>9 to 1874 the advance was only twenty- 

 four yards. Much has been done here, as in France, 

 to stop the movement of the sand by the extensive 

 planting of trees, and there is every reason to believe 

 that they will iu time be all changed into fairly fertile 

 soils. 



The consideration of the economic geology of Ma- 

 dura and Tinnevelly takes up a very short chapter 

 in the memoir. The only metal found is iron, 

 and that not of the best quality. At one time 

 it was worked to a considerable extent in the Pudu- 

 kotah State, but the scarcity of wood at the pre- 

 sent timo has entirely stopped this industry. Build- 

 ing stone and limestone of excellent quality are 

 found in many parts of the districts. For the 

 former both laterite and gneiss are used. In the 

 Shenkarai and Sbakkotai tracts laterite of a very fine 

 quality is obtained in blocks which reach the large 

 size of 8 feet, by 1^ feet,- by 1 foot. Some of the 

 gneiss in the district are easily quarried and jyield 

 handsome stones capable of taking good polish, which 

 would, in Mr. Foote's opinion, render them equal in 

 beauty to the finest Peterhead granite. The crys- 

 talline limestone of Pantalagudi, Tirumal, and Shenk- 

 kotai would yield an inexhaustible supply of beauti- 

 ful pale grey, grey and pink, pink, and pink and green 

 varieties of marble of high quality, but at present 

 they are med only a? rough stones. The memoir is 

 accompanied by a well executed geological map, on 

 a scale of four miles to an inch, which ought to 

 prove a very useful companion to any one who has 

 to travel through these districts. 



The Sirocco Tea Drier.— Messrs. W. H. Davies 

 & Co. send us the result of experiments made by 

 Messrs. Davidson & Co., showing the important effect 

 of using light or heavy charges of material on the 

 trays, and they meution that with No. 3 Sirocco it 

 will be almost impossible to load the trays too 

 heavily with tea leaf. 



Coffee Cutdre is P>razil and Java.— A cor- 

 respondent writes:— "My attention has been at- 

 tracted by the report of a lecture given before a 

 meeting of the Indian Association at Amsterdam 

 which appeared in the fndische Mercuvr of the 17th 

 January, and I have since been bu*y with the trans- 

 lation, which I have just finished. As you alluded to 

 Mr. _ Van Delden Laerue's report of his mission to 

 Brazil, it struck me you might like to have a trans- 

 lation of his address to the meeting abovementioned. 

 lj lb. per tree of coffee is an enormous crop, but I 

 see some of the persons mentioned by Van Delden 

 reckon on that quantity." 



Pinus Sinensis.— The Gardeners' Chronicle tells us that 

 the |trees of Pinus sinensis adjacent to the Wong Luug 

 Kun Monastery, 50 miles from Canton, are very fine 

 indeeil ; but they are exceeded in magnificence by those 

 of the So Liu Kun Monastery, secluded at an altitude 

 of about 800 feet, where six of them, within a radius of 

 about 50 yards, in a dense mixed forest of luxuriant-trees, 

 averaged 11 feet 7 inches in girth at 6 feet from the 

 ground, and about 150 feet iu height. The largest of 

 them was 15 feet 4 inches in circumference. A pine tree 

 which had been blown down and was being cut up I 

 measured, and found its height to have been 102 feet 

 circumference at 10 feet from the ground 7 feet 10 inches' 

 and it had seveaty-five annual rings. — Gardeners? Monthly. i 



To the Editor of the "Ceylon Observer." 



THE IMPROVED TEA ROLLER ON ELKADUWA. 



17th February 1885. 



Sib, — Your correspondent "Peppercorn" is, like 

 all •' guppers," incorrect in his remarks about a tea- 

 rol'e- in your issue of the lGth instant. The machine 

 he refers to is a Jackson's hand roller now work- 

 ing on Elkadua. The suggested improvements, 

 which increased the outturn of the machine, were 

 made by the manager of the Elkadua group, and 

 carried out by Messrs. John Walker k Co., Kandy, 

 and it is to the ingenuity of the former alone that we are 

 indebted for the improvements. " Peppercorn " has n't 

 invented any michinery of his own that we are 

 aware of, or doubtless we should have heard of it 

 before this ; when he does so with success, it will 

 be time enough to run down Indian men in general, 

 Jackson and Kinmond included with the rest * 



" Peppercorn " has been, I note, in search of a 

 bad field of tea : if he would look nearer home in. 

 stead of prowling about the " highways and hedges," 

 it is not unlikely he would fiud one. KAMRUP. 



No. II. 

 Oiir District, 18th Feb. 1885. 



Dear Sir, — "Peppercorn " in his letter published in 

 your issue of 10th iust. goes very particularly into the 

 items of tea rolled on the Elkadua estate by Jackson's 

 roller as arranged by Mr. Fleming, but he ("P<pper- 

 ci'i-u") omits to say that a very powerful water-wheel is 

 attached to this machine unci consequently it is not a 

 hand roller ; nei'her docs he give the great cost of this 

 machine : why not TELL E VEKYTHING ? 



Seedless Breadfruits, *c. — At a Meeting of the Com- 

 mittee of the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras, on 

 Tuesday, the 11th November, 1884, the receipt was acknow- 

 ledged of a Wardian ease containing eight plants of a 

 seedless variety of Artocarpus incisa (Bread-fruit), twelve 

 of Castilloa elastiea, three Hevea Brazilien&h and three 

 Nopalea coccinellifer, from Dr. Trimen, Director, Botanical 

 Gardens, Ceylou. Also nine hundred and ninety seeds of 

 Maragogipe Coffee, from Messrs. J. P. William and Brothers, 

 Planters and Merchants. Ceylon. Read letter from Dr. 

 Trimen, dated Peradeuiya, 16th September. 1S84, advising 

 dispatch of the Wardian case acknowledged above, which 

 was received in splendid order, ou 4th October. 1884. 

 Read letter from Messrs. J. P. William and Brothers, 

 dated Heneratgada, Ceylon, 8th October, 1884, advising the 

 despatch of the one thousand seeds of " Maragogipe '' 

 Coffee acknowledged above as a present to the Society, 

 stating that they have supplied similar seed in large quant- 

 ity to several planters in Java and elsewhere, and enclos- 

 ing some memoranda on the subject including the follow- 

 ing: — "It appears that the shell of the Maragogipe Coffee 

 bean is of a more delicate nature than the other varieties of 

 Coffee. The seeds require careful treatment. In preparing 

 the nursery the soil should be well pulverized about one, or 

 one and half foot deep. The top of the nursery, about one 

 and half inch, should be filled with a mixture of two parts 

 soil and one part powdered charcoal. Cover the seeds lightly 

 about half inch, shade, and water twice a day, morning and 

 evening; all other treatment same as for Arabian Coffee. 

 If the soil is poor, mix well decayed cowduug manure, i 

 manure to if soil. Seeds will germinate iu 5 to 7 weeks, 

 germination complete in 12 weeks.'' Recorded with the 

 best thanks of the Society. 



* This is not fair : " Peppercorn " did not run down Indian 

 men, but alleged that there va< a fair prospect of Cey- 

 lou men going ahead as inventors and doing better, and 

 that is what we u 11 hope for and expect.— Fp. 



