430 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. i, 1885. 



NILGIRI FLORA. 



The moist evergreen forests of the Nilyiris are grand- 

 est on the western slopes and between 3,000 and 4,000 

 feet elevation, where the trees often attain 200 and 

 250 feet in height. They are all evergreen, and the 

 great varioty of foliage and color render them exceed- 

 ingly heantiful, some of the young leaves coming out 

 pure white, others a bright crimson, others all possible 

 tints of brown, yellow, red and i^reen. Those tricfcs are 

 exceedingly moist from the first showers in March till 

 the end of December, and dini.ig that R{!ason abound 

 with leeeiies. The trees art- often covered with Ej>-p}njtir 

 orchids* ferns, mosses, balsams, and there is a glorious 

 profusion of raitans, tree ferns, climbing ferns, and 

 fine creepers. ^Vhat may be said to be mostcliaiacter- 

 istic of these forests is the genus StrohilttnUit-^ (Acan- 

 thaceiuj, large shrubs which form the principal under- 

 wood, and of which at least oO species are found on 

 those hills. 8ome of the.se flower every year, others 

 only after a growth of six or seven years, when 

 they die down, and renew themselves from .seed. They 

 have all showy flowers, and many are very beautiful. 

 The two palms Orryota iiren:< ix\\<.\ Arcnga Wif/htii are 

 very conspicuous in these tracts; also several species 

 of rattan Octlamus, and two very fine reed-bamboos. 

 Ferns are in great profusion, including several tree- 

 ferns, amongst whicli the Abopidla criiut<7, — not yet 

 we believe introduced into hot-houses— is unmatched 

 in any cduntry. Very beautiful A'ortmi«s and L'dlsams 

 arc n\so in profusion, Gattifevie^ Rahiac.ce and Euphorh- 

 i(ice(e ari' the orders most copiously represented. 

 Above '1,000 feet these forests begin to decrease in size, 

 and towards the plateau they gradually pass into what 

 wo term s/io'as. These moist forests never reach quite 

 down to the plains any where round the Nilgiris, though 

 thoy do so in parts of South Canara, Coorg and Travan- 

 core; they always give way at about one thou.sand feet 

 from the base, to deciduous forest er tracts composed of 

 nothing but reed-bamboo.s. — iS", of /. Ok-n'rvi r. 



("Nearly all true ot onr mountain forests in Ceylon 

 except 1 he iLbundancc of rattanH, AVe have tlieni, 

 btit not in " profusion."— Ed,] 



ADULTEKATEU CHINA TKX, 



There has been no outcry of late a!)out tea adulter- 

 aliuii, and no doubt many innocent ;c(msumers are 

 under the impression that the art of tea adulteration 

 i-i nearly lost, and that the bland OelesiiitI is njending 

 bis ways. Tln^ following report from tho Ccnnini-;sioners 

 td' Customs on the examination of teas in !)ond, made 

 by their analyst under section .mO of the Sale of Food 

 and Urugs Act, 1S75, is therefore interesting read- 

 ing : — 



livport of Kvaiui nations of Tea made nnchr .section 30 

 of ihf Sale of Food and I)i'p(/^ Act 187">. 

 liuard of Uu.stoms. 



Honourable Sirs, — The particulars of the analyses of 

 teas under the Fond and Drugs Act, for the year end- 

 ing Dec. 31st, 1881, are asfollows: — There were received 

 870 samples, namely — r)23faced green. "jG unfaeed green, 

 30 caper, 88 congou. 37 sweepings, and 30 tannings. The 

 teas, which 850 of those samples represented, were de- 

 livered by the analyst for heme con.sunjption, their 

 c|uality exempting them from the condenniatory clauses 

 of the Act. 



One sample was delivered by tho liuaril, and the 

 teas rcpi-esentod l)y the remainiug 19 samples were 

 restricted to exportation. The analyses of these 19 

 samples, representing !)78 packages, siiuwed them to be 

 of a very inferior tlescription 'f different classes of 

 teas, as follows: — 203 packakos of groen teas with a 

 la,rge admixture of decayed aiul exhausted leaves ; 334 

 packages were ctmgous (these two contained a con- 

 sid-rable proportion of leaves which hail been pre- 

 viously exliausted); IG wero also congous, v/hich, being 

 packed damp, had become deprived of their proper 

 strength ami (pnlity. The remaining Mo packages 

 were capers ; these contained from 10 to I 1 per cent 

 excess of silica. The luunber of samples analy.M.d in 

 the last five yoars, with tins manner in which tiio 



14 



222 



2 



88 

 14 



104 



14 



1 



19 



litis 978 



teas wuro disposed of, is shown iu llie following table :— 



1880. ■"■ ■"- - 



Samples analysed... .2,844 

 Delivered by analyst 2,440 

 Eeparted to the Boai-d 404 

 Delivereil by the Uoard 



for home consumption 84 

 Delivered by the Hoard 



for exportation... 27G 



Number of packages 



represented... 30,195 44,443 



.Seized ... 4-1 l(i 



Nninber of packages 



represented... G,225 1,153 



The adulter.ints present in the teas of the past year 

 were of the usual character, and, with one exception, 

 the parcels subjected to restriction were composed of 

 China teas. 



(Signed) G. Excell, Analyst. 



Although— owing more to increased tigilance on the 

 part of the Customs authorities than to any qualms 

 of conscieuce on tho part of the Chinese grower, or 

 shall we say manufacturer, the trade in adulterated 

 tea is not so brisk as it used lo be, there are indic- 

 ations in the above report that it is not yet e.x- 

 tinct.-;/'.t)'-(7, i^aiV. 



THE MADRAS GOVERNMENT ANDEEVTHOXY- 

 LON COOA. 



A paper sent to us contains letters on this subject from 

 Sir Joseph Hooker and Surgeon-General K I ward Ilal- 

 four. The first reported that nothing can lie added 

 to the statement as to the metliod of drying made 

 by Deputy Surgeon-General G. Bidie, c. i k., in the 

 pamphlet upon coca recently published by him at Mad- 

 ras. Slow drying iu the sou appears to be the whole 

 art of the matter. 



I aui also to state that, from a letter received from 

 Mr. Lawsou, the Director of Government Cinchona 

 Plantations, Parks and Gardens, Nilgiris, ilnteil J.'ird 

 April last, there is reason to think that the diiiiculty 

 met with had been overcome. 



Surgeon-General E. Uall'our replied at greater li'U'th 

 and managed to mak<' several references to the Re- 

 cently published editim of his Cyclop dia. He wrote : 



"Your letter of 23rd ultimo enclosed a comnuniicalion 

 from the Government of India asking inlorm.ilion re- 

 garding the mode of preparing ciiea leaves for tlm 

 market; also instrutious regardmg the cultivation of 

 the plant, and how the leaves are connnunly used in 

 Soutli America. I have given a very con^derable amount 

 of information on these points under the lieadin".s 

 " Coca " and " Eryihvuxjlon " iu the 3rd edition of 

 my Cyclopedia of hnlia ; liut, on receipt of your letter 

 I waited on Mr. Gale, of iMessrs. liell & Co., who has 

 given mo much information, and has obligingly obtained 

 from Mr. Tanner, the aceoflipanying samples of the 

 leaves, flowers, and fruit. 



2. Mr. Gale is of opinion that the leaves, when dry- 

 ing, naturally retain a flattened form, just as senna 

 leaves do, and it is considered unlikely that anv par- 

 ticular drjiug process is followed. lUit the Foreign 

 Office, through Her Majesty's Consults co ild obtain 

 all the detail.s as to cultivating, and as to gathering, 

 drying ami packing the leaves, with the' ordinary 

 niiirket price in the locality, and tho various modes iu 

 which the leaves are used. I could apply to the Con- 

 sular Department to obtain tliis information, thowli 

 such an application might, perhaps, come bettor frmn 

 your.self. 1 have, however, ascertaiue 1 that at present 

 the records of the Foreign Office do not contain any 

 notice of this plant. 



3. I may here mention some points id' interest which 

 have become known to mo whilst i w.-is collecting tlu' 

 information necess.iry for replying to your letter. 



The leaves as suen in the maiket, are ot the green- 

 ish hue observable in the accompanying sajnple. 



The price of the h'aves has fallen so |,iw, with a 

 prospi'ct of a still greater fall, that it is not. at pre- 

 sent, deemi'd advisable for any grower to incur any 

 largi' expenditure lor its cultivation. 



