Dec. I, 1SS5.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



429 



$ovrcspon(lonci-. 



To the Editor of the " Chjlon Oh.wnr." 



TEA FOR AUSTIiAIiU. 



Syaney, 21st Sei)t. 18S5. 



Siii, — As tile growtli ami manufactiivo of tea in 

 Ceylon are making vast and rapid strides, we offer 

 llie lollowln^' suggestions in view of your opening 

 u^i a more extensive trade in Australia. Tlie 

 classes of Ceylon teas likely to be most suitable 

 for importation into this market ai"e : — 



1. Fa iini 1111:1 or hrolvii teii< (not diixt), not too red 

 in tbe leaf, with tliiek rich or pungent cup, packed 

 in chests of 80 to 90 lb. costing from Hd to ls2)er 

 111. laid doicii ill Si/iliiei/. 



2. I'el.or .loiicliuiiiis with even, fairly small or 

 •• milled " leaf, pungent or (lavory cup ; in chests or 

 half chests, costing from il.Jd to Is l.Jd jjer lb. laid 

 down. 



3. Pekoes, good, wiry, well rolled tippi/ leaf, 

 clean rich Havory cup, packed in half-chests only 

 anil costing lid to Is Sd per lb. laid down. 



.\void teas "that are too highly burnt. Several 

 parcels have been sacrificed lately through over- 

 tiring. 



The market here for Indian and Ceylon teas must, 

 of course, for some time depend on operations in 

 Calcutta, but for the past 18 months, Indian ship- 

 ments to the colonial markets have shown satis- 

 factory results, and there is every prospect of their 

 continuing to do so. 



We would suggest trial shipments from different 



di.<lriil.^ for the purpose of classilication which woulcl 



enalilc a more decided opinion to be given upon 



the future prospects in Sydney. — Yours faithfully, 



CAMPBELL, SYNNOTT A Co. 



DISEASED TEA. 



(ialle, 2nd Xovomher 18S5. 



Drab Sir, — I have the jileasure *^ of seuiling- you some 

 disi-ased tt-.-i plants from tbe nursery of St. Georgci 

 I st.ite, Brnltltgania. The leaves are covered with a 

 pectili:ir kind oi spots, ri'semblin^ very mticii like the 

 spi cks on (titniamon leaves, 'i'he plants die away in a 

 very shOi-t time, I have .some experience of tea plant- 

 ing and could not remember ever having seen a disease 

 of this nature. 



Could jou or any of your nWrierous correspondents 

 1ft jne know what it coidd be ? A corner for this in 

 your valued paper will oblige, yours faithfully, 



" TOM r.OS.'S MACK. 



[The ti':i bushes sent are covered with warty excre- 

 sci'nees cnnsed probably by an obstruction ;o the flow 

 of 8ap, cither by disease or tbe attack of some insect. — 

 Eo.] 



CARACAS CACAO. 



Pcradeniya, 4th Nov. 1.S8.5. 



Sib, — I observe that you have recently called 

 attention, by an extract, to some remarks in my 

 last Oardcn Report upon the characteristics of the 

 varieties of cacao grown in Ceylon, especially with 

 reference to the so-called '■ Caracas." It has always 

 been obvious to me that this name had been mis- 

 applied here, and I have never nsed it. Perhaps 

 1 may be permitted to quote from a previous Re- 

 port of mine (for 1882) as to the nomenclature 

 of these "pale-fruited" varieties, so far' as could 

 then be judged of them by comparison with the 



• A droll idea of " pleasure." — Ed. 



descriptions of writers on the subject : — " In recent 

 years several other kinds mth jialer pink or yellow 

 fruit have been imported into Ceylon. Of these 

 some were introduced in 1873 by Mr. Worms, and 

 others by Capt. 13ayley, the Ceylon Company, &u. 

 Some were obtained direct from Caracas, and con- 

 sequently the plants have been generally known 

 as 'CarAcas' in the colony. Several varieties of 

 this sort are in the Henaratgoda Gardens ; the jxids 

 vary in colour, pale glaucous green ])assing into 

 yellow or orange, pale pink or pale crimson, and 

 the seed is always flattish and jjalor or darker 

 purple in section. It is clear that the. true 

 ' Caracas'— also known as ' Criollo' (crcolc) eaeao 

 — is a different variety from these, as it is stated 

 to have the pods almost invariably red, and the 

 seeds nearly globular and pale crimson on section. 

 I am thus inclined to refer our pale-fruited kinds 

 to the varieties called in Trinidad 'Verdilieo' and 

 'Cayenne.' " 



The fruiting of the selected and named 

 varieties sent from Trinidad in 1880 and Ins], 

 has since shown that all these names (Cnndeamar, 

 Cayenne, Verdiliv", &c.), are applied to forms ot 

 what is known there as " Forastcro " cacao, ami 

 tliat none of the purple-seeded kinds are of llin 

 "Criollo" or " Car.acas " variety. It will therefore 

 be well to use for the future the name " Fora- 

 stero " for thern here also. 



This being the case, the question naturally arises 

 as to the ordinary red eaeao of Ceylon : \\'liat 

 variety is it ? and is there anything like it grown 

 elsewhere ? For some time I have been bceoming 

 more convinced that it is tliin that is the " Ca- 

 racas " or "Criollo" cacao, and I might have taken 

 stronger ground on the matter tlian I did in my 

 last Report. Mr. Morris of .Tamaica, who lias had 

 good opportunity ot investigating the caeaos, both 

 in a wild and cultivated state, tells me that ho 

 knows of "only one kind with the cotyledons while 

 or whitish, and that is what is known as Caracas 

 cacao." This, it is well-known, is now a rare 

 kind in the West Indies, and scarcely to be found 

 in Trinidad estates, having died out, though formerly 

 largely grown there. Evidently Cuylon olitained 

 its i>Iants before this change had ocenrred. The 

 high quality of " Ceylon cacao " is thus explained, 

 as well as its delicate temperament. — I am, sir, 

 yours faithfully, HENRY TRIMEN. 



! Cinchona Babks. — A change of very great import- 

 . auce has been made in the olKeial barks of cinclnina 

 I and the preparations therefrom. This baa tiecn 

 ' rendered necessary from the increasing ditliculty of 

 obtaining the bark from its native sources and from 

 the greater facility with which cultivated bark rich 

 in alkaloid may be procured. Hitherto our I'har- 

 I macop<uia has containetl three varieties of cinchona 

 I bark, the pale bark with -5 per cent of .alkaloiils, 

 the yellow with 2 per cent of quinia, and tbe red 

 with 1-.5 per cent of alkaloids, and the pbarmaceut- 

 , ical prrparations have been all ordered to ho niadi' 

 with tbe pale or tlii> yellow hark. In the new 

 _ Pharmacopceeia other varieties of bark are mentioneil 

 'merely as sources from which the alkaloids m.^y la- 

 obtained, and the red alone is to be used in jjre- 

 parations. This is d'cscribed, under the name of 

 "cinchonie rubra; cortex," as "the dried Imrk of the 

 stem and branches of cultivated plants of Ciiiclwiia 

 siiccinihra," and is re(|nired to contain not less than 

 " between 5 and G per cent of total alkaloids, of 

 which not less than half shall consist of (jniniuc and 

 cinchonidine." .ADIioiigh this is a so nnioh higher 

 perceiitaire of alkaloids, such bark is now (*asily 

 obtainable in commerce. — Notes on the l^ew Hritisji 

 1 Pharmacopiuia, IS15, by N. H. Maktin, K.L.S. — 

 j riiarmaccutieal Journal. 



