tSdible Products. 



[Dec. 1906. 



we have some evidences of a revival in the trade. Obviously if it is to be revived there 

 should be conscious effort to that end, and one of the means of exerting such effort is, 

 in these days of combination, a Union, or League, or Association of some kind. 



We were informed this week that a 6 China Tea Association' is actually in 

 existence ; but that apparently there is nothing more than an adumberation of such 

 a body. It is nevertheless quite possible that some leading people in the trade may 

 think that the psychological moment has arrived for convening a meeting in order 

 to form such an association. It must be admitted that those interested in the China 

 tea trade have not hitherto made the most of their opportunities. The efforts made 

 to restore the popularity of the Chinese leaf have received support and free adver- 

 tisement from various quarters, but the "psychological moment" has been allowed 

 to pass again and again. The cult of Chinese tea is not neglected in the training of 

 the young grocer who is frequently reminded by those who lecture to him that tea 

 from China is the thing from the medical point of view, and that the delicate palate 

 will always give the preference to it. 



Notwithstanding all this, the majority of tea drinkers here find Indian and 

 Ceylon teas good enough for them, and they do not seem deeply affected by the 

 information that real lovers of tea drink the Chinese leaf only, and that in exclusive 

 circles it is consumed as a matter of course. We doubt if it be possible to engineer a 

 boom In China tea, although so long as medical men continue to sing its praise and 

 professing " experts" give themselves airs about it, importers of Chinese tea can 

 always claim that the time has arrived for making an effort to increase its con- 

 umption.— H. and C. Mail. 



Dry Grains of Ceylon. II. 



By J. F. Jowitt. 



Pani-Chamai, T.— Pani signify ing ' ' Dew," so called because it is said to require 

 very little water, dew alone sufficing for its growth. Meneri, S. 



Panicum MiUaceum.— An annual ; stems, leaves, and sheaths clothed with 

 long soft hairs. Habit erect at first, as the seeds ripen the panicle droops and be- 

 comes purplish in colour. Stems stout, tufted, leafy up to the panicle, joints 

 bearded ; leaves linear, acuminate, base rounded, ligide of long hairs ; panicle large, 

 decompound, branches fascicled ; spikelets solitary, pedicelled, ovate, acute. 



Ellu Chamai or Chiru Chamai, T.— Ellu is the name for gingelly, and is used 

 to denote anything small in size. Chiru, Tamil for small, little. 



Been Meneri, S.—Heen, small. I find that this grass is often called Meneri, 

 without the prefix. 



Panicum Miliare. — This differs from P. MiUaceum, in its smaller size, in the 

 joints of the stem, stems, sheaths and leaves being hairless or practically so. The 

 panicle is sub-erect and more contracted than in P. MiUaceum, and the spikelets much 

 smaller. The seeds of these two cereals though resembling one another in some 

 respects are easily distinguished. 



P. MiUaceum. P. Miliare. 



Shining, broadly ovate, 3 mm., Shining, oblong ovate, 2 mm., 



apex obtuse, yellow, more often apex acute, generally blackish, 



olive coloured, yellow, or olive coloured. 



Veins in both light coloured, 5-7 on convex side, converging from base to apex, on the 

 flattened side, 2. 



These species are fully described in Trimen's Flora, Vol. V. p. 150. 

 There seems some confusion in Trimen's Flora regarding the vernacular 

 names of these grasses, vide note under P. trypheron, Vol. V. p. 152. 



