244 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



MR. WICKHAM'S RUBBER CURING 

 PROCESS. 



A SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION 



IN THE KELANI VALLEY. 

 A successful demonstration of Mr Wickham's 

 new Mocha rubber smoke-curing process has 

 taken place in the Kelani Valley,and theColombo 

 Commercial Go. now have a block of the rubber 

 so treated. It resembles fir.e hard Para in ap- 

 pearance, but on being cut is seen to be finely 

 laminated, each flake of rubber having been well 

 smoked. The block produced is about i.ine 

 inches or a foot square, and at the present time 

 is not quite hard. This, however, will be at- 

 tained in about a fortnight or so and then its 

 appearance will closely approximate that of 

 hard Para. The process is interesting. Latex 

 is poured into a revolving drum, smoked and 

 pressed. In the Amazon the smoking is done 

 with fuel obtained from the palms. The palms, 

 however,are different to those growing in Ceylon, 

 but Mr Wickham thinks that the local palm tree 

 will be quite suitable for his process. The 

 machine at present is foot powered, but it is ad- 

 aptable for belt drive. We understand that there 

 is a possibility of a further demonstration in 

 Colombo. Those who have seen both the rub- 

 ber and the proof ss are convinced that it is a 

 good thing, and may have an important bearing 

 on the plantation industry. 



" TEA "—A POISON. 



There is no end to the nonsense that is pro- 

 mulgated now a-days. Here, for instance, is a 

 letter which appears in the Financial Supple- 

 ment of the London Times on Aug. 12th with- 

 out comment, or reply as we have seen since : — 

 THE DUTY ON TEA. 

 (To the Editor of The Times.) 



Sir, — In all the endiess discussions we have 

 had about reducing the duty on tea I have 

 never heard any one point out that it ought to 

 be taxed on very much the same grounds as 

 justify the taxation of alcohol ; because, even if 

 not an actual poison, it is at any rate a pernicious 

 luxuiy, and to speak of it as a "food " is really 

 too ridiculous. " If bad beer has killed its 



undreds, bad tea has killed its thousands." 

 The Rev. W. Morgan.) "In the form and in 

 the quantity now indulged in, tea-drinking 

 ranks high as a source of much of the ill-health 

 today." (Dr. Thomas Harrington.) 



Let us at least give up the absurdity of clas- 

 sing it as a " f ood. " Taken in moderation, good , 

 sound beer js probably more useful as food. 



" If wine's a poison, so is tea, 

 Though in another shape, 

 What matters whether one is killed 

 By canister or grape ?" 



In self-defence I must add that I am in no 

 way interested in "the trade," and have loDg 

 since given up beer in favour of tea. 



Yours truly, 



ANGLO-INDIAN. 



August 11. 

 — London Times. 



The writer must have Brewery shares 1 He 

 quotes a "Rev," who says " bad tea." Anything 

 "bad" should be oondemned and the "Dr.'s 

 quotation does not describe" what "form "or 

 " quantity " is injurious. Properly "infused" 

 there is nothing less innocuous or no more bene- 

 ficial driuk than is afforded by good tea like 

 Ceylon and Indian teas— the percentage to be 

 condemned as "bad" being of the slightest. Not 

 5 even if 1 per cent P Taken with sugar and milk, 

 who does say that the drink is not a "food" 

 and always, when properly made, a delightful, 

 refreshing as well as innocent refreshment. 

 Even "cold tea" is pronounced by Governors 

 and sportsmen as the best drink in the world 

 for the jungle. 



TRUE PROBLEM OF AGRICULTURAL 

 REFORM. 



In the recent discussions of agricultural de- 

 velopments in the East; and Far East in gene- 

 ral, and the propositions of the "model" aud 

 "small" farm in Ceylon, Indian Engineering 

 contributes a very instructive article in its 

 August number, dealing with the agricultural 

 industry in India and the East, and the intro- 

 duction of scientific cultivation. The article 

 says in part : — 



" The belief that there are portions of the 

 world, and that India is one of them, in which 

 the cultivator has only to tickle the earth to 

 make it laugh out corn, has lately in more 

 than one influential quarter, as well as in a 

 limited professional circle, been advanced as a 

 kind of reason why the more elaborate plough- 

 ing and harrowing machines which have come 

 into general use in Europe should not be in- 

 considerately introduced into this country. It 

 would be interesting to discuss how far if at 

 all this belief has obtained a footing in the 

 minds of agricultural experts who may haye 



