Feb, I, 1S86.J THK TKOPiCAL AGRICUI.TUKlST, 



539 



over meaus twice the expense, leads to confusion, has 

 ii bad effect on the tea honse staff, a deleterious 

 effect on the tea, and in all probability a nasty effect 

 on the profits at the end of tue year. 



The tea leaf should he received in the green state 

 at the end of the factory, be weighed, passed on to 

 the withering-room, then to the rollers, and thence 

 to the driers, and so on till it is packed and ready 

 for dispatch. This may seem a simple suggestion, 

 but it is one that is often neglected till too late for 

 remedy. 



My opinion of a tea f.octory is that it should, 

 if possitle, be bnilt in three wings : — One main 

 building in which the machinery should be ar- 

 ranged; then one wing passing out at right angles 

 to the main structure at one end for withering, and 

 at the other end of the main structure another wing 

 for packing and sorting. 



By snch an arrangement, a nice compound is 

 formed, hemmed in on the three sides by tlie build- 

 ings, and on the fourth by a railing, and such com- 

 pound will be found most useful for a variety of 

 purposes, such as loading and unloading carts, spread- 

 ing leaf in the sun, &c. 



If the square caimot be formed, then one straight 

 building is preferable to a number of detached 

 small ones. 



Verandahs to Tea factory buildings are a mistake. 

 They exclade the light from the giouud tloor, and 

 they arc an expensive kind of roof for the space 

 they cover. 



Light is essential in a Tea factory, and I would 

 advise, where practicable, the walls of the build- 

 ings should be entirely composed' of glass between 

 the columns. 



A portion of the glass between each column should 

 be fitted in sliding or hinged frames to provide 

 openings when desired, particularly in the wither- 

 ing-rooms. 



Buildings entirely composed of iron are in my 

 opinion preferable to the composite ones of masom-y 

 and woodwork. 



In selecting a site for the Tea factory, the planter 

 will be guided by circumstances. 



If water is to be used to give the motive power, 

 then the most convenient position for the application 

 of this should be sought for. 



If steam power is to bo employed then it will be 

 desirable to have some forest land not far off. 



The main building should be the first erected, and 

 be large enough to contain sufficient machinery to 

 eventually manufacture the whole crop of the estate 

 when in full bearing, but in the meantime it would 

 probably be sufficient to make all the Tea for the 

 first few years, and as the yield increases, first one 

 wing, and then another, could be added as required, 

 thus completing the f.ictory square. 



1 am of opinion that two-storeyed buildings through- 

 out will be the best, aud with iron columns, all 

 fixings necessary for the line shaft, &c.. will be 

 easily attached. 



A good many old coffee stores can be readily 

 converted into good Tea factories by partially 

 pulling down the walls, and introducing large windows 

 in them, and where practicable the large masonry 

 pillars usually found inside the coffee stores should 

 be removed, and channel iron or old rails substituted 

 otj columns. 



Where the woodwork of the coffee stores is 

 matcriany decayed, the floors low, a lot of masonry 

 to remove, aud the position of the store not 

 very central, or suitable, it should at once be 

 abandoned, as nothing will be more disheartening, 

 than to find, after having spent a lot of money 

 on the biiildiiig.s that they they arc at the best 

 only second-rate, and probably incur a daily 

 loss to the estate on account of not being 

 central. 



Old buildings like these might be used as withcr- 

 iug-houita, or for cattle-sheds or other ))Hrposcs, 

 but unless they h.iw special advantages for con- 

 version into 'i'ea stores, they bad better be left 

 alone. 



It w;ill he found a pleasiu'e to manufacture Tea 

 in a film large commodious factory whore no con- 

 fusion can exist, but where the buildings are small, 

 irregular, and the machinery crammed in hither 

 aud thither just where it can be got, a thoroughly 

 effective mid remunerative system can never be intro- 

 duced, and the whole thing will Jreraaiu a muddle 

 to the end. 



A good deal has been said for and against the 

 use of Turbines as motors for driving Tea 

 machinery. 



I am decidedly of opuiion, when properly made, 

 t! ■■ will be found superior to any description of 

 water-wheel. Unfortunately, however, planters hither- 

 to have lirl rarely thought of stating in their 

 indents to manufacturers, that the turbine they 

 require must be made to run almost daily all the 

 vear round, and I have known of planters in India 

 being supplied witli a Himsy turbine made to drive 

 a j-iritish fanners' barn thrashing machine, riiiiiiing 

 perhaps once in three weeks, and for six months 

 in the year. Could it be wondered at, therefore, 

 that such turbines come to grief when applied to 

 drive heavy Tea machinery '? 



A Turbine, if constructed in a manner similar 

 to what IS now being made for driving dynamos 

 for electric lighting, %viU undoubtedly give the best 

 results. 



Wlieu water is admitted to a Turbine, it at 

 once developes .1 corresponding amount of power, 

 .and it can be just as quickly stopped, and being 

 a quick-speed motor, any variation of the pressure 

 applied to the leaf being rolled does not materially 

 effect Its speed. 



This is not the case with the overshot water- 

 wheel, which must have time to fill or empty 

 its buckets before the speed is increased or 

 diminished. 



Where only one Roller is driven by the over- 

 shot wheel, the attendant can, by careful watching, 

 get along fairly well with it, particularly if the 

 lay shaft is fitted with a fly-wheel, but where two 

 or more intermittent feeding and discharging 

 Rollers are to be driven by such a wheel, there 

 will be very serious risk of accident on account 

 of such wheel not being under prompt control, but 

 apart from this altogether comes the question of 

 quantity of water, fall, and first cost, all of which 

 will be found in favour of the Turbine. 



The power can be conveyed from the Turbine to 

 the machines entirely by betting, and the planter 

 will .at once see the great value of this, insofar that 

 any coolie could mend a belt in a few minutes, where- 

 as in the overshot wheel a coolie can neither tell 

 when a tooth will break out of the segment spur- 

 wheel or pinion, nor can he put such a tooth back 

 again when it does break out. 



'i'et one more point in favour of the Turbine. A 

 '* governor " could be very readily applied to it to 

 control the speed if deemed desirable. 



I have been frequently asked whether the method 

 of transmitting power for a considerable distance by 

 steel wire rope is a good or desirable one. 



What I advise is, if possible, get the Turbine in 

 the factory, but if this is not possible, and a suitable 

 fall or site for the Turbine within .'lOO yards, then 

 use the steel wire rope rather than put down a steam 

 engine. 



A steel wire rope, say five-eighths of an inch dia- 

 meter, will transmit about HO horse-power if driven 

 at the rate of one mile a minute, and such rope 

 would probably wear out every second year. Tlicse, 

 ht)wever, are not very expensive to replace. 



With regaid to the steam engine, 1 will only re- 

 mark that I consider the horizontal fixed type, de- 

 tached from the boiler, with the locomotive ninlti- 

 tubular boiler, the bust suited for Tea factories. The 

 boiler should be two or three horse-power in excess 

 of the engine, aud have a special large fiie-box for 

 burning wood as fuel. Where a good elficient water 

 heater is provided, compouud cuguics effect \C'ry 

 little saving under Hi horsepower. 



These locomotive boilers can now bo had in 

 several pieces for ca.9y trftiisport (0 hilly eatatcs. 



