August i, 1887.I THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
113 
Correspondence. 
♦ 
To (he Editor of the " Oeijlon Observer." 
THE EIGHT SEASON TO PRUNE TEA ? 
Matale, 21st March 1887. 
Deae Sib,— Have any of the Ceylon planters yet 
tried pruning during the hot months. In India, 
it is done during the cool weather when tea has 
ceased Hushing. Why not try it here at that time ? 
My idea is that tea should be pruned during March, 
when there are likely to bo a few showers. In 
April more rain falls when the shoots can bo 
plucked, so that we can pluck during our best 
flushing months. 
As is done now, tea is pruned either in June, 
July, or September-October, when we usually have 
good heavy flushes, while during the dry non- 
flushing months we lose nothing by pruning. I 
finished pruning on the 10th of February, and last 
week I plucked those portions. Although as you 
all know we have had a very dry season, the 
growth is strong and succulent. I do not recom- 
mend pruning in January and February as a long 
drought then follows and the shoots are stunted, 
but what I recommend is pruning about three or 
four weeks before the rains set in. This might be 
tried on a few acres at different elevations. 
B. E. 
[We greatly regret that this letter should have 
got mislaid. The subject is one of much interest, 
and experiments over all the months of the year 
ought ere long to give decisive results. It stands 
to reason that, as a rule, pruning should take 
place at seasons when, though rain may not be ac- 
tually falling, gentle showers may be speedily ex- 
pected. — Ed.] 
HOWARD'S QUININE. 
Stratford, near London, E., 15th June 1887. 
Gentlemen, — Your issue of 23rd May contains 
a letter signed " Cheap and Pure Quinine." The 
statements in the above letter, with regard to our- 
selves, are absolutely falso as we have never made, 
put up, or sold, any second quality quinine. 
To please our customers in different markets, we 
have several labels, some, for instance, not in 
English at all, but, whatever variation in colour, 
or language, the label shows there is none in the 
quinine inside the bottle. 
The black and gold label was requisitioned from the 
East because the white and black in the rainy season 
sometimes developes stains. — Yours trulv, 
HOWARD & SONS. 
[We are very much surprised that Messrs. 
Howard <V Sons, in sending this letter, take not 
the slightest notice of the full and absolute correction 
offered of the mistake made by a correspondent, 
in the very next issue of our daily journal. Messrs. 
Howard & Sons receive our Ouerland Observer : 
on page 17<>, the letter they refer to appears, 
and on p. 178 the reply and correction by Mr. 
Ballard with our remarks— all in the same issue 
of our Overland paper ! We repeat our opinion 
that Messrs. Howard & Sons should have only 
ono label and one colour for their one quality of 
quinine to save any chance of misapprehension — 
especially in the East. — Ed.] 
PACKING TEA. 
Pi: w; Sin —The following observations by one 
of the leading merchants in London, sent for my 
own guidance, are so valuable, that 1 think they 
should ho made generally known. R. W. J. 
"Tho Size of Packages most desirable for tea 
must depond ou many circumstances and much 
15 
on the quantity dispatched. But as some gen- 
eral guide, it is as well to bear in mind the 
practice and wants of the trade ; but do not con- 
sider yourself too much fettered. 
" Lots under 8 chests, or 8 half-chests, or 20 
boxes, are technically ' small lots,' are excluded 
from the general sales and taken afterwards 
separately, »vhen as a rule most of the trade 
have left the sale-rooms, and therefore, as a rule, 
cannot receive full justice ; but even that has its 
exceptions. 
" The bigger the lots are the more useful they 
are to, and therefore more liked by, large dealers, 
who would sooner have large lots of chests, but 
where they cannot would rather have half-chests 
than a few chests — the many are useful : if several 
of their travellers sell the same tea, several of 
their customers can get some of it. Large dealers 
are our most important, but not our only customers. 
" A draft allowance to the buyer is made of 1 lb. 
per package on all packages weighing gross 
over 28 lb., i.e., you receive a short payment 
to this extent. It is not much on large, but is 
a heavy charge on very small packages. 
"It is well to sort tea if quantity be such that 
it can be sorted without making the breaks ' small 
lots.' It is well not to oversort — say, excluding 
dust, two sorts or at outside three sorts. 
Let your packages of any sort of tea run even in 
both nett and gross weight — say for pekoe sou : 
chests 90 lb., half-chests 45 lb.; broken tea may 
run heavier, but let them be as uniform as possible, 
see that scales are right and give J lb. over in 
each package. We have this week a lot landing 13 
per cent over and above invoice weights — a mistake 
in scales we suppose." 
"CEYLON^ TEA PACKETS FOR FOREIGN 
MARKETS. 
Under this heading the Ceylon Tea and Coffee 
Company, Ltd., combine useful information and an 
advertisement, thus : — 
29th June 1887. 
Sib, — I am directed to forward you the annexed 
copy of letter received from the Chief Secretary 
H. M. Customs (London), regarding the above as 
being of direct interest to Ceylon tea growers. 
This privilege now acceded permits the repacking of 
Ceylon teas in any sized packets — whether in kilo, 
or kilogramme, Spanish pound or otherwise— suitable 
for foreign and Continental markets in English 
Bond (i.e. duty free), The Directors cannot but 
congratulate themselves upon having secured this 
privilege, which has hitherto been religiously re- 
fused to all applicants, and believe that a resulting 
foreign demand will arise for your teas. The Com- 
pany has its own bonded premises and will b6 
pleased to pack planters' teas duty free for any 
market, colonial or Continental, in any size case 
or package. — Yours, &c.,- J. C. P. AYRES, 
Secretary. 
( Qopy.) 
Custom House, London, 3rd May 1887. 
TheManagiog Director Ceylon Tea and Coffee Com- 
pany, 10, Golden Lane, E.C. 
Sir, — NVitli reference to your letters of tho 18th 
and 26th ultimo, requesting that tea may bo packed 
in Frouch weights in bond, 1 am desir»d by the 
Board to state that, upon a reconsideration of tho 
subject, they will not object to the parcels of tea 
boing made up according to foreign weights, tho 
oflicers being satisliod that tho weight mentioned 
on tho labtl attached to tho package corresponds 
with tho actual woight of the tea in tho package, 
and on tho distinct understanding that the accounts 
as far as they rolatc to this department, are in all 
rospects, to bo kept according to the British Standard 
weights, aud that tho regulations in other reapocts 
arc complied with.— 1 am, sir, your obedient servant, 
(Sigucd) H. Mcukat. 
