3<52 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Nov, 2, 1885, 



Some of onrtea has tal;pn to producing two and even 

 tliree leaves united, except at the points, and the wild 

 tea, in order, I suppose, to show its athnity, is follow- 

 ing suit, a doubled leaf being found amongst a brilliant 

 red mass of foliage this morning. The persist- 

 ency with which plants of this spurious tea spring 

 up beside " the real Simon Pure " is as curious as 

 it is annoying. But the rich pink shoots of the 

 really pretty jungle plant ought to render mistake 

 inipossiljle. The true tea occasionally shows a 

 diirl; flush, but pink or red never. 



With all due reverence to old King CoiYee, it 

 must be told that his present conduct in Uimbula 

 shows him to be in his dotage. Having heard of 

 railway extension to Uva, he evidently fancies him- 

 self there, and has been making desperate eft'orts 

 to produce a spring crop. Not only has blossom 

 been profuse over large surfaces, but a good pro- 

 portion has set. We are not to be deceived, how- 

 ever, for we know from past experience, that, of 

 the many rows of incipient cherries, only a 

 small percentage will arrive at the " palam " stage 

 of redness and ripeness. If there were only a 

 paying market for coffee tea, the temptation would 

 be strong to utilize the tender leaves, before it is 

 finally said of the once valued bushes : " Away 

 with them to the tea factory furnace ! Why cum- 

 ber they the ground ?" 



CEYLON UPCOUNTEY PLANTING REPORT. 



DBVINO COCOA — CIUIING COCO.i ; k TKI\L — THE RISE IN 

 THE CINCHONA MARKET — THE CMlrNU " BOOM " — 

 THE WEATHER AND NURSERIES — OLD COFFEE AND 

 SOONG TEA. 



l'2th October 1885. 



The drying of cocoa in wet weather has ever 

 been a trouble, and the great expense some 

 estates have gone to in erecting " Clerihew " 

 and such like stobs — not to speak of the quantity 

 of firewood consumed — has made this matter 

 rather a serious one for the cacao-grower ; yet 

 we all know that something had to be done, as 

 liable is cocoa to mould in showery or damp weather. 



Wlierc the acreage is not very large the dif- 

 ticulty can be got over by the use of " chnlas," 

 which have been very successfully employed for 

 tills purpose, turning out at the same time a 

 fairly good sample. But to this there is a limit. 

 From the " chula " to the " Clerihew," has 

 been recognized as the necessary step to take ; but 

 now that .Taokson's " Victoria " tea drier has 

 entered the field, there is opened up a new era 

 in the curing of cocoa, and let us hope also of 

 profit to the manufacturer of the drier. 



A trial of curing cocoa by passing it through 

 the " Victoria " drier was made last week, with the 

 following re-ults. A bushel or so, in its prime 

 shiny condition, was ted into the drier at a heat 

 of 200^ , and this in one passage through the 

 machine brought the nibs to a state of dryness, 

 equal almost to a first day in dry weather. 

 Put through a second time at a higher temper- 

 ature, if was still more dried ; and a third passage, 

 I was told, finished it off. Between each passage 

 through the machine there should lie an interval enough 

 to allow of the nibs getting perfectly cool. A samjile of 

 cocoa, which had been treated in this way, and wliich 

 I saw, seemed to have (juite as good a colour as sun- 

 dried. How long a time it took to pass the stuff 

 through I did not learn, but to be independent 

 of weather, a]id to have a handy machine of 

 this kind, to run one's cocoa through, wlien 



the weather is unfavourable for natural drying, is 

 likely to prove acceptable for the growers of this 

 product. It is possible also that a machine on the 

 same principle, but less expensive than the present 

 tea drier, might be made and become jjopiular. 



The rise in the cinchona market is a matter 

 we all hail with pleasure, and just liope tit will 

 continue. And yet what a lottery is bark growing. 

 I heard of a very tine sample of quill bark, wliicli 

 had all the appearance of being rich in quinine, 

 but when analyzed had hardly a trace, some 

 0'03 being the result obtained, whereas 3-00 might 

 with reason have been more naturally expected. On 

 the other side, again, some branch bark with 

 some chips thro'svn in sold at over 30 cents a lb. to 

 the astonishment of the worthy man who owned 

 it, and who secured his broker's cheque as a sort of 

 " treasure trove." Another man sent down a very 

 fine sample with an enquiry as to what pi'ices were 

 ruling, and got a reply to the effect that for such a 

 superior quality of bark as his parcel consisted of 

 there was not at present very much demand ! It was 

 quite a treat to Usten to the planter on receipt of 

 this letter, as to the inscrutable ways of the Cidombo 

 broker, and the difficulty the. agriculturist had in 

 trying to please him. Yet " all 's well that ends 

 well," and with little or much demand the planter 

 has realized at about the rate of E1,00U an 

 acre. Lucky dog ! 



I was glad to see the other day in the Ohxerver 

 that in the world's metropolis the feeling of confidence 

 in Ceylon is gaining ground, and taking the practical 

 form of investment of capital. I too had been en- 

 quring of a gentleman just from home if lie had 

 heard or seen aught of the coming "boom" 

 when in London, but had not a very cheering 

 reply. He found everyone deUghted with tea and 

 tea prospects, but tlu' holders of pi-operty were all 

 sellers ; and as to the buyers — well, they were like 

 " the boom," had not come to the front yet. 

 Everything in time. 



The weather has just been perfection for plant- 

 ing, and we have all been busy putting out tea 

 plants. The only drawback is the failure of nurseries 

 to meet the calls upon them. 



Coffee is ripening up somewhat, and the sample 

 coming in is fairly good. But there is so little of 

 it to be had, that we go about that part of ouv 

 work with the melancholy satisfaction one feels at 

 a funeral when you are paying your last respects 

 to an old and valued friend. Meanwhile the young 

 tea is growing apace and hope grows with it. 

 Young tea in Elkaduwa is coming on well. I 

 heard of a place in that district where the year 

 old plants have now reached from two to three feet 

 in height. Pei'Vercorx. 

 ♦ 



THE TEA TAX IN CHINA. 



From the Pelan Gazette of Sept. lOtli qviotcd by 

 the North C'liiiia Herald, we have some curious in. 

 formation as to the doingsof tlie Chinese (ioverument 

 connection with their levy on tea: — 



A Memorial from t!ie Acting Governor of 

 Hunan reporting on tlie difficulties which he finds 

 present themselves in the way of imposing an in- 

 creased tax on tea as suggested by the ]5oard of 

 Revenue in their Memorial to the Throne on the 

 methods of improving the Imperial Revenue. One 

 of the three ways by which it was proposed to 

 secure this object was to effect a reorganisation of 

 the taxes on tea by cue of three alternative methods 

 viz : — 



1. — To adopt a system of "labels" on packets, 

 as in Kansu, one label being attanlied to every five 

 catties of tea, and costing three tael mace wliich 

 is collected from the grower. 



