$u 



ffig TfidPlCAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Feb. I, iS8b. 



ation in what has been already accomplished, 

 founded on the advancing success of the tea 

 enterprize. 



When we visited Blackstone pruning was in full 

 awing, at which an experienced planter who was 

 of the company shook his head. He said that 

 pruning in the north-east monsoon in Upper Dim- 

 bula at over 5,000 feet was quite a diiierent affair to 

 pruning in Ambagamuwa at 2,500; and we were 

 surprised to learn that rainy as Ambagamuwa valley 

 is, 200 to 250 inches per annum, the drought and 

 winds of the north-east monsoon are very trying, 

 the heavy rains not being so well distributed as 

 in many other places. But Mr. Barber, no doubt, 

 knows what he is about, in this and in other 

 matters. By a curious fiasco, teas from Black- 

 stone will be about the only specimens shown at the 

 local Exhibition. Had the Committee known in 

 time that the Planters' Association specimens were 

 not to be shown, they would, of course, have ar- 

 ranged for special exliibits of tea, so that the 

 new product could compare favourably with the 

 products of the cinnamon, coffeo, cacao and coconut 

 trees, which are richly represented. We found 

 Mr. W. H. Davies this morning busily arranging 

 six grades of tea made from the Carolina leaf 

 which we saw rolled. Tliere was a case of tea 

 on the floor near by, and that seemed to be all. 

 Amongst coloured pictures from Peradeniya, of 

 coffee, cacao, nutmegs, cloves, &c., there was a 

 beautiful and correct representation of Assam tea 

 in blossom. We saw a model sirocco, which Mr. 

 Davies said was to be shown in operation, the heating 

 agent being gas. Twenty-eight photographs of scenes 

 on Abbotsford, showing the cultivation on a mountain 

 plantation of coffee, cinchona, tea and exotic trees, 

 from the felling of th^ jungle to the beginnings 

 of a tea-house, with descriptions are exhibited. That 

 was all connected with tea, we think, for, on enquiry 

 for photographs by Mr. Clerk, illustrative of the tea 

 enterprize from field to shipping j^ort, we were 

 told they had not been sent. This is a pity for 

 Mr. Clerk's sake as well as that of the pubhc. If 

 Mr. Clerk will send us a set of the photographs' 

 we shall gladly notice them. 



THE FINE QUALITY OP AGAH'S LAND TEAS 

 AND HOW IT IS SECUEED. 



A correspondent who has had good means of 

 judging, tells us that no opinion we can express 

 can be too favourable as regards the quality of 

 Mr. Agar's teas, but the conclusive test is the 

 opinion of Mincing Lane in the shape of an 

 average price of 2s 2d per lb. for so large an 

 invoice as f3 half-chests. How such teas are 

 made by liira and can be made by others, Mr. 

 Agar lias generously consented to let his brother, 

 planters know through tlie Observer, as follows : — 



AGAR'.S LAND, BALANGODA; TEA-HOUSE 

 NOTES, 



'l'L()'t'fctNO.--Kl'isli 01(8 week tu 8 ilay.s old. Growth 

 Vdfie.i according to weather, thenifcre no hard and fast 

 rule as to nurabur of leavi's plucked — rule is to be 

 careful to J'jave on tree one full leaf and an eye above. 

 This method auswere well with us, growth being rapid. 



W'TriiKHiiN'o. — Weigh leaf twice a day, and if wet 

 wlien brought to factory put out in suu two or llireu 

 iiichts ileep; keep turning over until dry, and put on 

 withering trays as thinly an po.'sible. 



RoLi.iNO — (Jnck'on's " Uiiivi'r.sal "). — Wither leaf well, 

 withdut allowing to dry; (ill up roller well without 

 •mniiiip, »nd roll gontly, without any extra weight, 



for 15 minutes. After this put on some extra weight, 

 say 25 lb. and roll for other 15 minutes. Take nut roll, 

 spread on table, break up by hand, and sift through 

 No. 4. Below No. 1 spread thinly on table and cover 

 with blanket, and in about two hours this should be 

 ready for firing. Above No. 1, roll off by hand quickly 

 as sifting will be found to open the twist slightly ; 

 after which put this too on table, spreading out thinly 

 — say three inches deep, and cover with blanket. Keep 

 on table for one hour, until partly fermented, and put 

 back into roller for 15 to 20 minutes of very bard 

 rolling. Whilst rolling and fermenting, " roll " shciuld 

 be stirred up turned over every ten uiiuutes, the former 

 to give even roll and prevent heating, and latter to 

 give even fermentation. To get strong liquor, juice 

 must be squeezed well out of roll, but mopiied up 

 again of course, and it should be of a red colour and 

 not too watery. 



F[RtNO. — Should be done briskly, and not over-done. 



SiKTiNQ AND AssoRTiNn. — Unassorted tea should be 

 put away iu tin immediately after fii-iog. To .sift, 

 put unassorted into No. 8. Sift pretty hard, and teas 

 above and below sieve tre.-.t as follows: — Above No. 8 

 put into No. 7 — and sift and break this lightly 

 with band, which gives ''pekoe souchong " below, " cou- 

 gou " and "fanniiigs" above. Below No. 8 put into 

 No. 14 aud sift out all that can be got to pass through; 

 this leaves " pekoe " above and " broken pekue " below. 



To Size' Above Tkas. — Sift pekoe souchoug through 

 No. 7 without handling it in any way. Sift and lightly 

 break pekoe through a No. 10. Sift broken pekoe 

 through No. 12, lightly of course. This leaves small 

 quantities above each* sieve. Above No. 7 mix with 

 fanuiugs &c.. after breaking a little. Above No. 10 

 mix with pekoe souchong. Above No. 12 mix with 

 pekoe. And " dust " to be separated with cloth firing 

 tat od^i/. 



♦ 



CEYLON COCOA AND CHOCOLATE AT 



BRISTOL. 



( Coinmiiiiiratcd.J 



Finding myself during last autumn in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Bristol I thought I would take the 

 opportunity of paying a visit to the chocolate 

 manufactory of .1. S. Fry & Sons. To anyone inter- 

 ested in new products, there are few places whch 

 better repay a visit than this old town, which, 

 though somewhat fallen from its former high estate, 

 still retains much of its ancient connection with the 

 colonies. Besides the large concern which is the 

 subject of these notes, there are several tobacco 

 manufactories, notably that of W. D. & H. 0. 

 Wills, breweries in which a considerable quantity 

 of inyrobalans and divi-divi is used, aud several 

 shops belonging to P. J. Lloyd & Co., who arc 

 doing a large and increasing business in Ceylon tea. 



The -chocolate manufactory, which now employs 

 about 1,200 hands, is situated in the heart of the city. 

 I'^ounded about 17H0 ; it has from time to time been 

 very much enlarged, a Baptist meeting-house of 

 date 111.10 now being included in the premises. 



The process of manufacture is a long one. The 

 nibs or nuts as they call them previous to the 

 removal of the shell are first roasted two-and-a-haU 

 hours, then passed through a machine which gently 

 cracks them. They then go into a winnower, and, as 

 the cracked nuts fall, the blast of the machine blows 

 away the husk from thu nuts whicli fall into a 

 rec€'ptaclo in the form of nibs. These are now crushed 

 betweeM millstones and pass from a coarse j^iste to a 

 cream-like consistency. This liquid paste is nexteither 

 stored for future treatment, or else taken to have the 

 oil extracted. To store it. the liquid is gathered in 

 tins which form moulds, ns when cold the mass 

 comes out in solid blocks. 



If the oil is to be extracted the paste is put in 

 canvas bags which are then subjected to h\ draulic 

 prgBsnre. The oil ji; thii» extracted, and the pure 



