2J8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1887. 
go on from field to field conquering as we go. 
However, to enable us to make an " Ever Vic- 
torious Tea Fight " against China we must have 
funds. Up to this time planters have not spent 
£1,000 on pushing the tea enterprize, but I do 
not think I am far out in saying that what they 
have spent, aided by the good offices of many 
friends, will (if we take the sales of teas season 
1884-85 to 1887-88 as having an increased value of 
Id per lb.) bring back to the colony no less an 
extra sum than £180,000. With such a result 
it surely offers every encouragement to planters to 
push more than ever and Government to assist 
them in bringing their teas before the notice of 
every nation, 
There were, at the end of 1886, 900 estates growing 
tea in Ceylon, and the crop this year 1887-88 will be 
about 22J millions of lb., or say an average 
for each estate of 25,000 lb. Surely in & 
country like Ceylon a sum of E20,000 might 
easily be raised annually for our own benefit. 
No better investment can be made by the tea 
planter and the Government at the present moment 
than the advertizing of Ceylon tea. The burden 
should be as far as possible equally distributed and 
every grower ought to recognize that what is done 
in the interest of Ceylon tea generally is done in 
his particular interest also. No man in Ceylon is 
true to his fellow labourers, or indeed is justified in 
growing tea in this island, unless he gives support 
to that which is for the good of those who cultivate 
the same product as himself. It is by united effort 
we will win in the struggle for our existence in the 
tea world. Our efforts should not be by fits and 
spasmodic starts, but be' a long pull, a strong pull 
and a pull altogether. Money and enerey will do 
what is required, and if every planter will see the 
necessity of subscribing not only to the Glasgow 
Exhibition but to a general fund for future efforts, 
the thing will be done. 
Let it be an axiom among us all, that we subscribe 
El (one rupee) for every 1,000 lb. of tea we turn out 
of the factory for the next few years, which sum 
should be paid every 6 months to the Planters' 
Association, and we would soon have funds enough 
for our purpose. This would only come to one- 
tenth of a cent per lb. of tea, and if this returns 
to you (not Id per lb. as I believe it does at present) 
but one farthing, per lb. extra, you will have made 
a very handsome profit on your small outlay, and 
again I say your little sprat will have caught a very 
big whale. 
The subscription should be looked upon as a 
voluntary tax if I may be allowed the expression; 
and I would suggest, and hope it may become a 
recognized duty of every tea proprietor that he pay 
into the Association for the purpose I have men- 
tioned El for every 1,0001b. of tea he produces. 
It would be well if this subject were prominently 
brought forward before every District Association to 
obtain the views of the whole body of planters on the 
subject, and superintendents or agents might in the 
meantime lay the matter before absent proprietors. 
Should general support be given to the creating 
of such a fund somewhat on the basis proposed 
and the Parent Association ratified the general 
desire, we could then approach Government on 
the subject of obtaining their aid. It could be 
pointed out that this year from the good effects 
of the Colonial and Liverpool Exhibitions and 
other means taken to push our staple there will, 
in all probability, be fully 111,200,000 returned to 
the island in the shape of extra profits ; and that 
as tea planters who have saved the island from 
utter arid absolute commercial ruin, we are en- 
titled to receive every possible assistance at the 
handti of Govcrumont. H. K, KUTHEKFOED. 
ANALYSES OF GEEEN TEA LEAF. 
Planters' Association of Ceylon, 
Kandy, 27th Sept. 1887. 
Sir, — I beg to enclose for publication copy of 
correspondence with reference to green tea leaf 
analyses laid before the Committee of the Associ- 
ation at a recent meeting. — Yours faithfully, 
A. PHILIP, Secretary. 
Colombo, 20th July 1887. 
H. K. Rutherford, Esq., Nuwara Eliya. 
Dear Sir, — I have pleasure in handing you the en- 
closed list of determinations of certain constituents 
in four samples of green tea leaf received from Tor- 
wood estate. I am sorry I cannot afford the time 
necessary to prosecute the investigation : indeed, 
owing to excess of other work, I have not been able 
to do anything to the last three samples received. 
I should state that the samples were not all treated 
exactly alike. I had not made such analyses before, 
and therefore altered my methods of working some- 
what as experience suggested. Two of the samples 
were dried first in the sun, and afterwards in an 
oven, and two, on account of wet weather, were 
dried in the oven at once without a preliminary 
drying in the sun. 
When these facts are taken into consideration, I 
think the result of the investigation so far, is to 
show that the tea on Torwood estate is very rich 
in the alkaloid theine or caffeine at least as com- 
pared with tea after it leaves the factory, and of 
a pretty uniform composition. In the case of No. 4 
the filtration of the aqueous extract was very slow, 
extending over several days. I think the leaves had 
got somewhat stewed from not being turned over 
often enough in the oven. I fancy, if the leaves 
had been well dried in the sun, I should have, in 
this case, got a closer approximation to the other 
results as regards amount of aqueous extract, and 
matter insoluble in water. I should like to have 
determined the amount of tannin in the samples, 
but the necessary chemicals for Lowenthal's pro- 
cess could not be obtained in Colombo. I have 
been waiting to receive these from England, and 
may possibly still add this determination to the 
other results. — I am, yours truly, (Sd.) M. Cochban. 
Determination of certain constituents in four 
samples of tea received from Torwood estate from 
April to June 1887 : — 
5.-2 t»f> -3 ^ 
a <J 
., . ''1 M 
16thApril...75'66 49-91 50'09 5-66 3"59 T66 5"25f 
(2) Reed. 
3rd May ..7819 47"77 52'23 5"64 3'62 1'83 5-45 
(3) Reed. 
16th May.. 77-36 47-71 52-29 544 3'48 1 78 5-26 
(4) Kecd. 
2nd June.. 76-50 44-89 55'11 5-13 3-70 1-62 5-32 
(Signed) M. Coghhan, f. c. s., Analyst. 
* Percentage of dried leaf. 
f Expressed in percentage of total ash : potash 
41-96, phosphoric acid 16 - 04, and lime 10-24. 
Colombo, 30th July 1887. 
H. K. Rutherford, Esq., Nuwara Eliya. 
Dear Sir — In reply to yours of 29th inst. I would 
undertake to give monthly analyses of green tea leaf, 
and I would do my best to overtake fortnightly analy- 
ses without positively binding myself to the latter. _ I 
would make the following determinations, which I think 
would be sufficient for all practical purposes for R30 
for each analysis. 
Moisture; Extractive matter; Insoluble matter; 
Theine matter; Tannin; Total ash; Ash soluble in 
water; Ash insoluble in water; Ash insoluble iu 
acid ; Potash ; Phosphoric acid ; Lime. 
If the last 3 items were not determined, the fee 
would be E20 for each analysis.— Yours truly, 
(Signed) M. Cochban. 
