March 1, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
59V 
injures the real value of tea, the exposure to the 
damp surroundings of the warehouse for however 
short a time being sufficient to begin, in the humid 
atmosphere of Britain, that process of decay in this 
delicate, perishable vegetable product, which in some 
sorts, speoially of Ceylou growths, has now become 
so deplorably rapid, making certain kinds in a few 
weeks quite unmarketable. 
No oountenance should be given to any lowering 
of the present duty, for, besides the question of 
revenue, which is very important, it is emphati- 
cally a protective duty interposing itself as a barrier 
to the clearing for consumption of old and worthless 
teas. Large quantities of this sort have, we 
believe, been brought into this country chiefly for 
the purpose of gaining the difference on the medium 
of exchange, oppressing the Customs establishment 
by having to care for that which, by its being ex- 
ported, yields nothing to the revenue. 
The changes we have suggested could not be 
measured merely by the saving in the cost of one 
of the great branches of the service, for the moment 
that the growers of India, China, and Ceylon realise 
the fact that after a certain date no tea intended for 
home consumption will be allowed to pass from the 
ship's side until the duty has been paid, then a much- 
needed check will be placed on the character, quality 
and quantity of their exports, and the whole condi- 
tions of the trade will be altered and improved. 
We plead for consideration of this subject on 
grounds of public policy, affecting equally the revenue 
and our interest in the Bast, but still more the 
interests of the public, for if the barriers which 
now exist are not removed, and if there are no 
fresh facilities created for enabling this delicate pro- 
duct to enter in its highest state of perfection un- 
injured into consumption in the country, we fear, 
that the taste for tea will fall away.— H. C. Mail. 
Jan. 17th. y ' 
♦ 
THE NEW SIEOCCO. 
(By the " Peripatetic Planter. ") 
Mr. Davidson has just set up two good-sized 
working models of his " Down-Draft " and new 
Tea Sirocco, in the show rooms of Mr. Geo. Ure, 
132, Queen Victoria Street. These faithfully 
represent the full-sized machines down to every 
individual nut. They are capitally turned out, 
regardless of expense, and afford planters at home 
an excellent idea of the improvements in the 
apparatus and the working thereof. I believe a 
similar model of the " Down-Draft " will be sent 
out for exhibition to Calcutta, and another to 
Ceylon. The fan in the model " Down-Draft " is 
worked by a treadle ; and tea is at hand, of various 
grades, down to the finest dust, to prove that it is 
undisturbed on the trays by the violent down-draft 
oreated by the fan. The fan on the new large-sized 
" Down-Draft " has been enlarged considerably, 
with a result that practioally no more power is 
required to obtain the larger outturn yielded by 
the large-sized " Down-Draft " than is required 
to drive the smaller fan (at a higher speed), of 
the smaller "Down-Draft." The larger fan allow- 
ing a lesser Bpeed to be used, minimizes the power 
required, which, as must be apparent, is a distinct 
advantage where the amount of power required is 
a serious item of consideration. Mr. Davidson 
has recently received a letter from a planter who 
reports that after six months' oonstant use, all 
the working parts of his Down-Draft" irocoo 
were found to be in as good condition as the day 
they were put up ; this is satisfactory it will be 
admitted, and bears out what was predicted, as 
to the longevity whioh might be expected, due to 
the improvements in the construction of the stove. 
So rapid is the action of this Sirocco that fer- 
mentation has to Le carried further than heretofore, 
before firing ; as it is oheoked so promptly. This 
alone is no trilling advantage, and was also pre- 
dicted. It stands to reason that fermentation carried 
on previous to firing, is much more under control 
than when an element of guess-work is admitted, 
as, when part of the fermentation has to be allowed 
for during the firing. The orders for these new 
"Down-Draft" Siroccos, which Mr. Davidson is 
receiving daily, show clearly enough that the re- 
cords of its first season have already made its 
reputation. 
The feature in the new Tea Sirocco is a metal 
hood, ending in a metal flue or hot air duct 
The advantages of this adjunct will be obvious, 
when it is pointed out that the great success of 
the No. 1 Sirocco was in great measure due to 
that type having a flue connected with the chim- 
ney by means of which flue the damp was drawn 
off from above the tea. In iron roofed houses, 
or in houses having a boarded close floor imme- 
diately above the Siroccos, unless some such 
flue is provided, it is found that the damp ait 
from the drying tea does not escape from the 
house rapidly enough, and that by remaining 
stagnant above the dryer it retards co. opera- 
tion. By means o£ the new hood and flue, 
which latter can be conducted at will, either 
out of the building altogether, or else up through 
the floor into the withering room above 
the Tea Sirocco to all its other advantages can now 
claim this important one, as well as the No. 1 
Sirocco. If the flue is conducted into the withering 
room above, and the Blaokman fans are there 
used for rapidly ohanging the air, it will be seen 
that valuable heat whioh might be wasted is con- 
ducted without waste, to be turned to the best 
possible acoount. From what I hear, as to the 
companies already going in for the Blaokman 
withering system, the virtues thereof do not seem 
to have lost any time in obtaining due recognition. 
It would seem as though every factory will be 
so supplied within two or three years at the outside, 
I must say the company is very liberal in the 
matter of drawing plans gratis (from information 
supplied them from the factories) showing the best 
means of adapting the system of existing condi- 
tions. — Indian Planters' Gazette. 
PLANTING IN NETHEBLANDS INDIA. 
While we are having such wet weather here, the 
Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad says that the 'feather in Java, 
especially for this time of the year, when it rains 
copiously daily, is very dry. The drought in the in- 
terior of Java is causing anxiety. The young padi 
plants are drying up, and at some places padi planting 
has now to be stopped owing to the drought. 
The Minister of Colonies at the Hague has drawn the 
attention of the Netherlands India Government to the 
bill introduced in the Legislative Council of the Straits 
Settlements for the preservation of coconut trees against 
destruction by beetles, and the Director of the Interior 
at Batavia has by circular requested the different Resi- 
dents in Netherlands India where coconut is cultivated 
whether coconut beetles exist in their Residencies, and 
if so to what extent, and further, whether the ravages 
made by them are of such a uatuie as to render neces- 
sary the adoption of measures t-imilar to those in the 
Straits Settlements. — Straits Times. 
♦ 
COFFEE IN THE PHILIPPINES. 
There is no way of ascertaining the area of land 
in the Philippines occupied by coffee trees nor 
the amount of coffee raised annually, as the trees 
are scattered in various parts of the Archipelago. 
The largest plantations, says the United States 
Consul, are in the province of Batangas, island of 
Luzon, but many of the natives have a few trees 
