12 



THE TROPICAL AGKlCULTUKlST. 



[July I, 1885. 



For practical purposes, however, ia a factory the 

 folluuiiig tests may suffice: — 



1. The outturn of over-fermentttl tea will more or 

 less approach in color an old penny, rather than the 

 new penny,— "TUE DESIBABLK LIGHT SALMON COLOUS." 



2. lu the liquor, the grip, like taking alum water 

 for a gargle (especially in the case of a wfU-fermented 

 pekoe or broken ptkoe), will have disappeared. 



3. A sweet smell, the result of the change from 

 tlie incipient stage of fermentation to the stage of 

 true fementation, will emanate from the testing cup 

 and follow the tasting. 



4. The liquor on beicg cooled will not cloud, 

 as will the correctly fermented tea from the broken 



pekoe down to the pekoe souchong in good teas. 



Yours truly, AGRICOLA. 



P.S. —Yoi\ have disposed of the question of tiring 

 briskly. A Sirocco at 300 cr even 275 is brisk enough, 

 and I he Ceylon men do not burn, as a rule, by any 

 means. As regards underfermenting, there is always a 

 marktt for undei fermented teas. Overfermented teas 

 !ire v.iiueless, according to their degree of weakness. 



VULCANIC ROCK (?) AND TEA I'RODUOTION. 

 Oonoonagalla, 23rd May 1885. 



Dear Sir, — I am sending you to lay as promised 

 a, specimen of ilie rocks in the Gallelieua leatield. 

 The formaiinn is in places very similar to that of 

 II (ield of lava having all the appearance of being 

 a surface deposit filling up the bottoms of two ravines. 



I ani.ex particulars of leaf gathered during the last 

 four flusl es from the field above referred to. The 

 whole extent is 100 acres, but as the tea has been 

 p.amed (chiefly at stake ) at different periods during 

 the last five years, as cinchona died out, it ig very 

 irregular and the number of trees in bearing cannot 

 be estimated C( rrectly. I may mention, however, that 

 I put out nearly 120,000 supplies last season. The 

 resul;, is I think satislaotory as showing regular yield 

 aud tost of plucking ; and as there is very little tea 

 yet iu beaiing out of the considerable area planted in 

 thia district the figures may prove of Interest to some 

 of your leaders, — Yours faithfully, 



M. H. THOMAS. 



[W- »h»ll take measures to ascertain the true 

 charac'.rr of the rock, which is evidently exceed- 

 i gty fertile, judging by the returns of tea growing 



TEA DRYING BY "JACKSON'S PATENT 

 VICTORIA DRIER." 

 Carolina, Ambagamuwa, 25th May 1885. 

 Deab Sir, — A break-down in gearing prevented the 

 use of the turbine for three days. The Victoria 

 drier was worked by hand, one cooly driving the 

 webs, but the f,m was not used. The amount of 

 dry tea turned out was 80 lb per hour. The Chal- 

 lenge roller came in very usefully, 120 lb. of withered 

 leaf per hour being rolled by it.— Yours faithfully, 



W. MEGGINSON. 



CINCHONA BARK: A MANUFACTORY AT 



NUWARA ELIYA. 

 Sir,— In 188384 about 40 per cent East Indian and 

 60 per cent South American barks were imported into 

 Europe : last year 75 per cent East Indian and 25 

 per cent South American. Soon manufacturers will 

 have to rely entirely on East Indian bark. At the 

 same time production of bark has so increased that 

 pi ices must aud will fall from their present low ruling 

 rates. Even now it does not pay to export any bark 

 j containing less than 1 per cent quinine sulphate. 

 VVheu one thinks of the expense of exporting to 

 I Europe and America a raw material, which only con- 

 I tains from J to 6 per cent of the manufactured 

 commodity, one feels staggered to think that the 

 few capitalists of Ceylon have not ere this estab- 

 lished a factory in Nuwara Kliya. 



The climate is suitable, so is the water, and an 

 article could be produced of the first quality at a 

 price which would simply cut all others out' of the 

 market. This question is of more importance to us 

 as an agricultural colony than that of the Graving 

 Dock in Colombo. About £8,000 would build and 

 stock the factory, besides providing a working capital. 

 A factory at the fountain-head of bark would bo 

 the most succesful speculation of the day. 



Kindly take this up.— Yours, G. A. D. 



[We have urged the matter on quinine makers 

 and bark dealeis in New York and England, but 

 without avail. There are secrets in the manufacture, 

 too.— Ed.] 



LOCAL MANUFACTURE OF QUININE. 



Bowhill, 28th May 1885. 



Dear Sir,— Eeferriug to " G. A. D." 's letter and 

 jour fill tnotf — the subject has engaged my attention 

 for tome time — it has always seemed to me to be 

 as reasi nable fiT the Jamaica planters to send home 

 their caue, as for us to send our bark. 



AH that inn-allied is the capital. Succefs is certain. 

 I he ' secrets " of 1 he manufacture are known to me, 

 ai d 1 a I. ai. the. | r sent moment in correspondence 

 with ■' piactical quiniuem.nufaciurer of long experience, 

 who, 1 have uo doubt, would come to Ceylon at once 

 were ihi i-ipiinl nrailabli'. The -'jlant ' &c. would 

 cost ab ut £5,000, and a working capital would be 

 upccssaiy o kee,! such a factoiy going at the rate 

 of if '«!-/ 500 ounces of made quinine daly — Yours 

 truly. K. VV. JENKINS. 



[m1|. posing half the capital in cash (onay i!5 000) 

 Mere v.. sed in Knglttud, now would it do for the 

 I lykui p rtion to le coutiibuted in "bark" by 

 planters willing to wait for their returns till the 

 quinine «aa usted and sold 1 — Ed.] 



" BUCHU.PAIBA. " 

 (^liiiik, coinpKtc cure, all annoying Kidney, Wadih'r nnd 

 I'liimiy Di.seHscf. Druggists- W. E. iimith & Co., Madras, 

 Sole Agents. 



