September i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
187 
about 12i grains of lime, whereas this quantity is 
mor6 than doubled when sea water takes the place of 
plain water. The analyst is of opinion that the 
action of plain water, should it be a hard water, and 
when the hardness is due to the presence of chalk 
(carbonate of lime) held in solution by excess of 
carbonic acid, would be gradually lessened. In this 
case the free lime of the cement would seize upon 
the carbonic acid holding the chalk in solution, and 
a crust of carbonate of lime would be produced, 
acting more or less as a protecting surface to the 
interior portion of the cement. With regard to 
the character of Portland cement, Professor Brazier 
considers that it has not sufficient power to resist 
the action of sea water. It is usually understood 
that the chemical process concerned in the solidi- 
fication of hydraulic lime is due to the presence and 
mutual action of the silica and caustic lime con- 
tained in it; and the more silica, therefore, that 
can be introduced into the composition of the mat- 
erial within certain limits, the better it must be 
for the purpose. The whole question of the damage to 
the concrete is meantime under the consideration of a 
committee of the Harbour Board. — Scotsman. 
♦ 
Coffee in Vene zuela. — From the St. James ,s 
Budget of August Oth we learn, that in the American 
Magazine, Br. W. F. Hutchinson recounts his ex- 
periences of Venezuela, where "everybody raises 
coffee, deals in coffee, or owns coffee," but no- 
body can make a cup fit to drink — as Americans 
like it. Large quantities of "Java" and "Mocha" 
are imported into the United States, and haply 
other States, from Venezuela. 
A Huge Coffee Tree in Brazil is thus 
described in the Rio New*: — 
A recent offer to the Club of Engineers is the 
trunk of a coffee tree from the neighbourhood of 
Campinas, S. Paulo, measuring 8.20 metres in length, 
and 48 years old at which ripe age 0J alqueires 
of cherries were gathered from it. The party offer- 
ing this proof of Brazilian fecundity desires that 
it be presented to the National Museum, where, 
possibly, Sr. Sant'Anna Nery may be enabled to 
triumphantly vindicate his theory that in Brazil 
it is necessary to climb the trees to gather the 
coffee crop. 
Coffee Production in Brazil. — While the 
production of coffee has largely increased in the 
comparatively new field in the Province of Santos, 
there has been a corresponding diminution in the 
old scenes of culture in Kiode Janeiro. The deficiency 
in 1880-87 as compared with 1880-81 is represented 
by no less than a million bags of GO kilos each, the 
figures being for 1880-81, 1,519,871 bags; for 188G- 
87, 3,500,059 bags. The figures for seven years 
are as follows : — 
1880- 81 .. 4,519,871 bags. 
1881- 82 .. 3,839,053 
1882- 83 .. 4,730,078 
1883- 84 .. 3,188,420 
1884- 85 .. 4,114,903 
1885- 80 .. 3,888,378 
1880-87 .. 3,500,059 
Ceylon vs. China Teas. — Messrs. I. A. 
Rucker t fc Bencraft, in their weekly tea circular 
of August 1th make the following remarks: — 
We suppose pretty nearly every individual on this 
side who has tlio smallest interest in Ceylon, has 
at some time or other impressed upon his corre- 
spondents tho absolute necessity of keeping up quality 
and t'liia limiting quantity. The importance of this 
to tho Colony cannot ho over stated. In our last 
Circular wo pointod out that China Teas under sd 
are far cheaper and bettor than low Coylons, and 
it w.ll not bo long boforo the trade finds that out. 
\\o have had to tackle over ti,(KX) packages of 
Coylou Tea in the auction room this wuek, and 
by this time our urgent warnings must be coming 
home to shippers. Those who have stuck to fine 
Tea have done remarkably well, but those who 
have laid themselves out for quantity, and get ac- 
count sales of large parcels down to 8*d average, 
will understand us when we say there is no security 
the average will not touch 6d for inferior Tea. 
Is it Chemical Action Solely on is the 
Fault in the Cement ?— Such is the pertinent 
question propounded by a correspondent of an 
Aberdeen paper regarding the case of the Portland 
cement concrete which has recently engaged so 
much attention and the details of which are so 
fully given in an article quoted on page 185 
from the Scotsman, The paragraph is as follows : — 
'• "What about this new story of the ' chemical action' 
of sea water on the Aberdeen Graving Dock ?" asks 
a correspondent. " The whole thing looks to me very 
queer. How happens it that the action in question, 
and what the Harbour Engineer learnedly styles ' the 
unbalanced pressure' upon a certain part of the 
works, was neither discovered nor foreseen till now V 
Is the simple explanation of it all — bad concrete ? I 
am aware that, when the Aberdeen South Breakwater 
was built, the proportions of cement, &c., were 
radically wrong, and that consequently the concrete 
was bad, as is well seen by tbe holes that have been 
and still are continuously breaking out in the struct- 
ure. But in other localities the composition of con- 
crete for sea works has got to be fully understood, 
and, as a consequence, nothing is heard of ' chemic.U 
action' playing such uuexpected tricks. My own 
opinion is that if the Harbour Trustees don't insist 
upon haviug a thorough inquiry by some competent 
person with practical experience, and that person 
instructed to report the whole truth and nothing but 
the truth, they will commit a very grave mistake." — ■ 
Aberdeen Herald. 
Mr. McComdie Murray on Green Tea for 
the United States. — Mr. McCombie Murray 
writes : — ■ 
Philadelphia, 22nd July 1887. 
Has green tea been manufactured in Ceylon ? 
I am asked at times if there is such a thing as 
green tea in Ceylon, and I am not at all sure, 
but that it might be well for Ceylon that such 
an article should be manufactured. A pure green 
tea would go down well here. It is hard to get 
a green tea drinker to change to a black, but 1 do 
believe that a green tea guaranteed free from 
all colouring matter would meet a ready demand 
in this country. If any enterprizing proprietor 
will fix up a case of 1001b. or so of pure Ceylon 
green tea, I will take pleasure in disposing of it 
for him without charge and will return the proceeds 
in full after deducting the expenses incurred. 
Mr. Gow's opinion on the matter would be valu- 
able, and, if he has not already expressed any 
opinion on the subject, I doubt not but he would 
interest himself in the matter. There is a decided 
' cry out ' for a pure article in America. The 
bakers are getting it hot at present for using 
chrome yellow in their buns, a custom which has 
been carried too far in one conspicuous case and 
has caused the death of several people. Green tea 
is powdered thickly over to give it 1 the colour ' 
wanted. It is now the colour not wanted, or 
fast becoming so. I believe a blend of Ceylon green 
and black tea would take well here, and am anxious 
to try it if anyone on your side will risk a little 
on the experiment. Weather very hot. Over 100 
degrees in the shade for several days in succession. 
Mr. Pineo is in Nova Scotia at present. I don't 
know what lie has decided on doing. Business 
dull, and everyono who has a dollar to spend 
goes out of town to spend it. The Japan Oolong 
tea, which is so great a favourite in the United 
States, is a highly roasted tea with a good deal 
of the flavour of green tea, 
