JUUL 1, i , | 



• i/t: fftOWtfAL AGRICULTURIST, 





ANALYSES OF CINCHONA BARK. 



Sib, — Referring to your observations (page 921)on the 

 analyses of bark made locally and in London, nothing can 

 well be more important than accuracy in such matters, 

 both from the buyer's and seller's point of view. It 

 is evident that Dr. Paul has the confidence of con- 

 sumers at home, as I know he has of the profession. 

 And there is no reason why he should not have, 

 because, possessed of a laboratory fitted with every 

 modern and necessary appliance and apparatus, in con- 

 stant practice, with the purest chemicals and an assured 

 process, results cannot be doubtful. Well mixing will 

 ensure an even sample in great quantities, but, when 

 only a very small selection is made for analysis, it 

 is not easy to get a fair sample of the bulk. I do 

 not know what practice obtains in Colombo, but I 

 do not doubt the analyst knows his business and 

 draws his samples accordingly. If this be done the 

 same as in London, there should be no discrepancies 

 in the result. But in lots of bark made up from 

 many fields and trees differing greatly in age and soil, 

 it is not a matter of surprize that the samples 

 selected for analysis differ in themselves, thus causing 

 a difference in the result. 



There are several ways of making the analysis, but 

 I presume there is more than one analyst in Colombo ? 

 Any grower with a large lot of bark, anxious for an 

 accurate analysis, should himself take two pounds at 

 least from the balk (fairly representing it) dry it, 

 pouud it and sift it all into a fine powder, which is 

 then a thoroughly mixed sample. One pait of this 

 powder he should then send to one analyst, and the 

 other part to another analyst : their results should be 

 practically identical. 



I do not suppose Dr. Paul himself analyses the many 

 samples sent to him. At all events, the writer was 

 once a student in a chemical laboratory to which 

 many samples came of manures and soils. Equal parts 

 were given to assistants or advanced students, by the 

 principal, and they, working separately, had to pro- 

 duce identical results. 



This check also would effectually detect the faulty 

 analysis, if a part of the same powder given to the 

 Colombo analyst were sent home to Dr. Paul. Z. 



TEA CULTIVATION, PREPARATION AND 

 DISPATCH IN CEYLON. 



8th May 1SS5. 

 Peak Sin, — I am obliged to Mr. Scovell for the 

 particulars of tea preparation and cost in your issue 

 of (ith inst. 0: course, I was aware that " gather- 

 ing " was not included in the 5'47. " T. P." 's miscon- 

 ception arose through a misprint of the word gather- 

 ing for sorting, f observe that sorting and packing 

 only cost Mr. Scovell 50 cent per lb. ; whereas "S." 

 pointed out a saving of '50 cent that might be ob- 

 tained on sorting aloDe, by this operation being done 

 iu Colombo instead of on the estate. Evidently, how- 

 ever, it would not be attainable in Mr. Scovell's 

 His packages too a^e very cheap, almost incred- 

 i, if there was any large porportion of 

 packages. All this points to the conclusion that 

 must be some other grounds than mere cheap- 

 ness to make it worth while for largo establishments 

 to resort to Colombo. As you very justly point out, 

 however, with 80,000 acres of tea in full bearing, and 

 increasing scarcity of wood ready to hand, circum- 

 stances may be greatly modified in the near future. 

 It wi uld be interesting to know if Mr. Scovell's pack- 

 ages were made on the estate. I mean the boxes. 



I send you herewith a sample of wood, in which 

 some tea came to me to be repacked, as the chests were 

 all in the state of this sample. Not only was the wood 

 as you see it, but the leads were also eaten through 



case, 

 ibly 

 email 

 there 



and through. This wood, whatever it is, should evid- 

 ently be avoided ; and all the more so because at first 

 sight it looks particularly adapted for the purpose. — 

 Yours faithfully, C. VV. HORSFAbL. 



[The wood is— as far as " AY. F." can make out— 

 "one of the inferior Kiwis (Callophyllum species), but 

 at any rate it is a very perishable and worthless 

 wood, and most unfit for tea boxes. Perhaps, too, it 

 was not properly seasoned. There certainly should 

 be a sot of the timbers of Ceylon iu the Museum for 

 reference on such occasions as this, to be able to 

 identify each kind of wood. The carpenter calls it 

 AA'allu kina, and this is Callophyllum Moonii or < '. 

 Walkerii, but see Thwaites's ' Enumeratis.' " AYo think 

 it well as a help to tea-planters to quote all the 

 varieties under "Callophyllum" as follows: — 



CALOFHYi.i.rM, Linn. Norn. vulg. " Keena-gass," " AVa- 

 loo-Keeua-gass." 



1. C. Walkerii, Wight; Hab.Nuwara Eliya, Adam's Peak 

 and other of the most elevated parts of the island. 



An oil is extracted from the seeds of this and the other 

 species of the genus, which is useel for burning. 



2. C. Thwaitesii, Planch ; Hab. Var. ./, Ambagamuwa 

 district. Yar. B, Hiuidoou Korale, at an elevation ol I 000 

 to 2,000 feet. 



The leaves of this plant vary much in shape, ami the 

 foliage often strongly resembles that of the preceding. 

 In very young plants of what I believe, to be 

 this species, the leaves are lanceolate or cordate-lanceolate. 



3. O. Tbapezifolium, Thw, ; Hab. Hunasgeriya district, 

 in the Central Province, at an elevation of 4.000 to 5,000 

 feet. 



4. C. Coneifolium, Thw. ; Hab. Medamahanuwara, at an 

 elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. 



5. C Inophyllum, Linn.; Hab. Hotter parts of the island, 

 up to an elevation of 2,000 feet. Nom. vulg. " Domba- 

 gass." 



6. C. Tomantosum, Wight; Hab. Central Province, at an 

 elevation of 3,000 to 5,000 feet; common. 



The timber of this abundant tree is valued for build- 

 ing purposes, and the seeds are collected in considerable 

 quantities for the sake of the oil they contain, which is 

 called "Keeua-tel." 



7. O. Bracteatdm, Thw.; Hab. Saffragam district, by 

 the sides of streams, at no great elevation. The hracteated 

 racemes, much smaller flowers, and oblong fruit, abundantly 

 distinguishing this from the preceding species. 



8. C Moonii, Wight ; Hab. Forests in the district be- 

 tween Galle and Ratnapura ; not uncommon. Nom. vulg. 

 " Domba-keena-gass." 



9. O. Bobmanni, Wight ; Hab. Hotter parts of the islaud, 

 at no sreat elevation. 



— Et>.] 



NO. II. 



8th May 1S85. 

 Deak Sir, — AA'ith my last letter on tea packing in 

 Colombo versus estate, I intended to let the discussion 

 drop as far as I was concerned in hopes that like 

 every such wilel scheme it would die a natural eleath ; 

 but I see iu your issue of 5th that " C. W. H." is 

 still hankering after the idea of bags ,, as a means of 

 conveying tea from the estate to Colombo." " C. XV. H." 

 admitted the truth of what I pointed out, that there 

 would he considerable danger from coarse leaf getting 

 mixed with the finer soits by using pressure in ] utting 

 rnsortcd tea in chests or boxes : in the case of bags 

 pressure would be a ncc-:s-ity. Look to it how one 

 may, the same difficulty arises, the tea must be 

 pressed down, in other words broken, to fill the bags 

 properly ; if the bags a;v tilbd without using pressure, 

 the tea will be broken more or less each time the 

 bag is thrown down, and in both cares the squeezing 

 that the bags would be subjected to at the hands 

 of the cartmen would have the same effect, lj r 

 and consei[UCutly mixing the inferior with the liner 

 grades of tea. 



