March i, 1886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



601 



polishinxt wood with charcoal. 



The methoil of polishiug wood with charcoal, now 

 much emplcjed by Ficnch cabiui^t-makers, is thas 

 described in a Paris technical journal :— 



AH the world now knows of those articles of 

 furniture of a beautiful dead black-colour, with sharp, 

 clear-cut edges and a smooth surface, the wood of 

 which seems to have the density of ebony. Viewing 

 them side by side with furnitiu-e rendered black by 

 paint and varnish, the difference is so sensible that 

 the considerable margin of price separating the two 

 kinds explains itself. The operations are nmch lonjjer 

 and much more minute in this mode of charcoal 

 polishing, w liich respects every detail of the car\ing ; 

 while paint and varnish would clog up the holes and 

 widen the ridges. In the first process they employ 

 only carefully-selected woods, of a close and' compact 

 grain ; tbey cover them with a coat of camphor dissolved 

 in water [y] and almost immediately afterward with 

 another coat, composed chiefly of sulphate of iron and 

 nutgall. The two compositions in blending penetrate 

 the wood and give it an indelible tinge, and, at the 

 same time, render it impervious to the attacks of insects. 



■\Vhen these two coats are sufficiently dry, they rub 

 the surface of the wood at first with a" very hard 

 brush of couch-grass (chiemlcnt), and then with charcoal 

 of substances as light and friable as possible ; because, 

 if a single hard grain remained in the charcoal, this 

 alone would scratch the surface, which they wish, on 

 the contrary, to render perfectly smooth." The flat 

 parts ;u-e rubbed with natural stick-charcoal ; the 

 indented portious and crevices with charcoal powder. 

 -Vlteruately with the charcoal, the workman also rubs 

 his piece of furniture with flannel soaked in linseed- 

 oil and oil of turpentine. These pouncings, repeated 

 several times, cause the ch,ircoal-powder and the 

 oil to penetrate into the wood, giving the article of 

 furniture a beautiful color and perfect polish, which has 

 none of the flaws of ordinarly vainish. — Indian Mercui-y 



RUSSIA AS A TEA GROWER. 

 Accordmg to information which has reached us 

 from the Caucasus, Russia has decided to commence 

 the new year with an efiort to become her own 

 provider of tea. For sometime past the (Joverument 

 has been looking out for fresh industries to make up 

 for the growing depression of the corn trade. Acting 

 on the advice of experts, it has decided to start a 

 tea plantation at Soukiium Kale, and irajiort a shipload 

 of Chinese coolies to work it. That tea can be 

 successfully grown in the Caucasus is a point which 

 is already settled. Some years ago the J'.iitish Consull 

 at Tiflis grew a quautity of tea. and during the 

 course of last summer a German succeeded with a 

 number of shrubs imported from China. But although 

 small experimental efforts have resulted in establishing 

 tue fact that tea can be cultivated in the Caucasus, 

 it is yet to be demonstrated that it can be grown on 

 a large scale at a price that will enable it to compete 

 with the Indian and Chinese article. The home market 

 is a large one. The Russians are notorious tea 

 drinkers, and import yearly 72,OUO,000 pounds of tea, 

 valued at £6,UOO,U0O. Of this quantity half is conveyed 

 to Russia overland, across Siberia, and half borne by 

 sea to Odessa and to Crousta<U. In either case the 

 foreign article would be at a disadvantage in reganl 

 to the Caucasus tea, owing to Soukhum Kale being 

 only a couple of (lays' run from Odessa. On the other 

 hand, labour is scarce and dear in the Caucasus, and 

 the clumsy moujik, if imported, could never eompete 

 in the hot, moist valleys of Tran.scaueasia with the cooii! 

 of China or India. Further, for plantations to l.e 

 established ou a inrgt ■ I'e foreign capital would be 

 needed, and that is precisely a commodity which 

 refuses to patronise Russia just now. Altogether, 

 therefore, the chances of Russia becoming a great tea 

 grower in the innnediate future do not seem very 

 proml.sing. Still the experiment is to be made, .md 

 India and China tea-growers will naturally watch the 

 operations of the Russian Government at .Soukbum 

 Kale with interest,— jPcd? Chronkl . 

 U 



GOSSIP ABOUT COFFEE. 



An enterprising American has Uiuen out a patent 



for a process invented by himself loi i-r- par-n- ■■■- 

 substitute for cofl'ee, which is s-tiul to riece ve ev n 

 good connoisseurs. He uses for this puipo~e varu,us 

 sorts of grain, beans and others, besides an extract 

 of willow bark. There is nothing new under the suu. 

 The sharp American may have invented a mixture 

 of his own, it is sufficiently known that coffee Is 

 imitated in all manner of ways, and there is no lack 

 of inventiveness in the way of substitutes, adulter- 

 ations, etc. Where lies the fault? If there is indeed 

 reason to complain of over-production of cott'ee, then 

 it is clear that the eft'orts of the pro..ucers ought to 

 tend to the reduction of the cost-price. Genuine 

 coffee mil, of course, be always preferred to the best 

 imitation, and only lower coffee-prices will be able 

 to drive substitutes from the market. But ordinary 

 sorts of coffee are at present low in price, and 

 nevertheless the imitation industry flourishes here 

 and there— only think of Date coffee, I,upine eoft'ee, 

 etc., and alas"! of another industry that applies itself 

 to adulteration and mixing. Did not a sly fellow at 

 I'aris some years since on being indicted ou the 

 charge of adulterating coffee, go so far a.s to defend 

 himself on the plea that he defied any one to find 

 a single grain of coflt'ee in his product ! 



If it is wanted absolutely to provide an article that 

 approaches cotfee as near as possible in taste, and by 

 its cheapueas be within reach of the humblest, then 

 wc come to the (piestiou whether the producers in 

 Java could not provide this. It is known that here 

 and there in -lava, and iu Sumatra too, coffee-leaves 

 are also used. These will no doubt answer the 

 jnirpose better than an extract of willow-bark, in 

 which the sulicin would have to do for the caffcia, 

 which is indeed present in the coffee-leaves. So also 

 the tannic acid of the coffee-leaf will be opposed to 

 the tannic acid of the willow-bark. 



It would not do to strip fruit-bearing coflfce-trees 

 of their leaves to manufacture a substitute for coffee ; 

 but without damage green coffee-leaves might be 

 collected from exhausted or barren-trees. If to these 

 leaves the coffee-shells were added— the idea is not 

 quite new— one might probably obtain a mixture that 

 would at any rate be harmless, and remind you of 

 collie, though not to be sure of th" finest quality : we 

 sbodd then have only to look about for the most 

 lib and attractive form. 



Ths Trade judges of the coffee by its external 

 appi araiice, and colour is the chief criterion. This 

 is a pity, because the colour does not exactly rule 

 the flavour ; one region prefers fair, yellow, or blown 

 coffee, while another gives the preference to blue or 

 green. There is no answering lor tastes. Hut these 

 various claims again give rise to all sorts of malpractises. 

 There are some estates, where it is made an object 

 to produce any colour that maybe wauted. Is there 

 any reason to blame them for seeking their own profit? 

 None in tlie least. It is the fault of tho consumers, 

 who arc ignorant of the intrinsic value of eoft'ee. and 

 .stick to .some particular colour, because it has a 

 reputation. It is true, for a judge the colour has some 

 value but the uninitiated knews it not ; he only 

 judges by usance, prejudice and so forth. 



Yet not :il tho processes for colouring coffee are 

 harmless, for colouring •■gencies are sometimes used 

 that are anything but innocent. But the practice, 

 also prevalent in Netherland, of exp -sing the coffee 

 to a high moist temperature in rooms arranged for 

 the purpose to secure a deeper co'onr of y !low or 

 brown, is from a hygienic poin'u of view, I ielieve, 

 unimpeachable. It is even pretended, and it is very 

 possible, that the cofVeu even improves intrinsically 

 by this process. 



The coffee-planter ought to make himself thoroughly 

 acquainted with the claims of the consumers in differ- 

 eul countries. It is then highly probable, nay certi"'' , 

 that he will discover the means a ways nf enhancing- 

 the value of his products. From the Goveinracnt 

 »torc.s- especially, coffee i? eomttiints brought t^ 



