294 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November t, 1887. 
has been done in a small country ?'. e. Scotland by 
private efforts in a few years. He has also shown 
how small a contribution pro rata on our shipments 
would suffer to provide an annual fund for pushing 
our teas. 
The points where I join issue with Mr. Rutherford 
are, first, in his doubt as to the success of the appeal 
for funds, which would make him postpone action 
from the right time until an indefinite next year. I 
believe, were it not for a certain lukewarmness to- 
wards Melbourne in some leaing planting circles, 
it would be quite possible to raise money sufficient 
for both Exhibitions. I have more faith in my 
brother planters than Mr. Eutherford has, but the 
example he sets them by contenting himself with 
pity for Melbourne until after the fair, will cer- 
tainly be fatal unless others with different views 
and convictions come to the rescue. 
2nd. Mr. Eutherford would ' do ' Glasgow not 
because it is the best field of operations, but be- 
cause it was early in the field, because Mr. Christie 
has made certain arrangements, and because having 
done London and Liverpool, it was considered de- 
sirable, &o. 
Such weak reasons, for what to me appears a mis- 
direction of funds, [Oh I Ed.] are almost enough 
to deter subscribers from coming forward, who, seeing 
that there is none to waste, naturally desire their 
money to be turned to the best account. Now, we 
know that, besides having done London and Liver- 
pool, every corner of Britain is being canvassed 
most thoroughly ; and it certainly seems more 
rational that (while helping at Glasgow) we should 
mainly direct our efforts to the wide field which 
is practically untouched, where we have not al- 
ready done the two chief cities (at the time of 
the last Melbourne Exhibition Ceylon tea was in 
its infancy), and where we have no friends help- 
ing us as the business of their lives. 
3rd. Mr. Eutherford would postpone to next year 
all action in the colonies, admitting, however, that 
such an opportunity as the present may not occur 
soon again, that there will be no exhibition again 
for years probably, and certainly none comparable 
to the Centenary," I should like to know how 
we are to carry out the colonial crusade ? By 
fitful efforts in each town, with vested interests 
against us 1 Or should we not rather take advant- 
age of such an opportunity as brings, practically, 
all men and women of Australia to one centre, 
bent upon seeing and testing neiv notions, fashions and 
products ? 
If planters do not subscribe towards this object, 
it must be because they find cold water thrown upon 
it by those who generally lead in such matters. But 
let the men of leading and standing throw off the 
coldness towards the best chance we have ever had, 
or may have, in our generation : let them clear 
themselves of indifference, prejudice, preconceived 
partiality ; let them cease to shelve the object w ith 
•pity, or postpone it to an impossible future, and 
to mislead their districts with plausible pretexts, 
and go heartily into the work of advocating re- 
presentation at Melbourne, and the end will be 
achieved. Their (and all our) pockets will benefit 
even if the oracles are found for once to be wrong 1 
Let our old allies — the merchants and bankers — 
be asked to assist ; their liberality has always 
been conspicuous in every good cause. Let the 
tiij'.kk English papers (the "Examiner," in honor 
of Mr. Barber) be asked to publish daily lists of 
subscriptions, as a more rapid and certain method 
of exciting emulation and enthusiasm than circulat- 
ing lists in the different districts. 
I have been asked not to divide the country on this 
matter. I have no desire to do so, but at the same 
time I object to P lantorB Association officials taking 
it upon themselves to quiet the country by assur- 
ing it that it is enough to " do " the coming 
Exhibition this year, while the opportunity for 
" doing " the right one slips past. I feel confident 
that energetic action, on the part of the leaders, will 
ensure success ; and, failing success, I would call 
upon them to give an account of their stewardship 
at the meeting in Nuwara Eliya on the 15th proximo. 
Let us all, in the words of Mr. Eutherford, 
" subscribe to the sprat, to catch the whale." 
For Nahalma and self, I promise E250 to & joint 
fund for the Exhibitions. If we start by being 
afraid that there will not be funds for both, depend 
upon it we shall not be disappoints. Failure 
surely attends such a start. But for the attitude 
already assumed by those entrusted with the planters' 
interests in such matters, I would have bet Mr. 
Eutherford B250 (to go to the fund) that money 
sufficient would have been forthcoming. 
WILLIAM MACKENZIE. 
EXHIBITIONS AND " COMMEECIAL 
SAMPLES " OF TEA. 
28th Sept. 1887. 
Dear Sie, — The Matale exhibition appears from 
your special report to have been an unqualified 
success and the different estate products better re- 
presented than was the case in the Kandy exhib. 
ition in May last. Blackstone has at last had to 
take second place ; this is a matter for congratulation 
as indicating that planters are fully alive to the 
importance of manufacturing finer teas and that a 
spirit of emulation has been aroused by the same 
mark gaining the gold medal at two successive 
exhibitions. There is no doubt the success of the 
recipient at the Matale show will stimulate others 
to compete for the coveted prize, and it might be 
well to have a proper definition of the term 
"Commercial Samples," as it occurs to some that until 
this is done many will be deterred from competing. 
A discussion took place at the late Kandy ex- 
hibition as to the smallest lot from which a bona 
fide commercial sample could be drawn. One 
planter had it "that as one cwt. of coffee or 
cacao could be made into a shipment, that quan- 
tity of either product would be sufficient." 
Another " believed that it could even be cut 
finer and so long as an actual shipment was made 
the weight was immaterial." Indeed, this author- 
ity concluded by saying : " One may select 25 lb. 
of say coffee, send home 5 to constitute the 
shipment and exhibit 20." This shows the elastic 
nature of the phrase "bona fide commercial samples." 
As a means of remedying this and giving all 
an equal chance something like the following 
might as regards tea be submitted for the con- 
sideration of next year's exhibition committee : — 
I. — Let all samples be drawn from a break or 
invoice of not less than 1,000 lb. of each of 
three grades. 
II. — The samples to be drawn by a Colombo 
tea broker appointed by the committee, who 
would be furnished with a letter from the ex- 
hibitor authorizing him to draw the samples from 
a break on arrival in Colombo. 
III. — The samples might be taken any time within 
three months and up to ten days of the opening 
of the exhibition. 
IV. — Samples would be at once sealed and num- 
bered. A corresponding number placed on an 
envelope which would contain the name of the 
estate. The envelope to be opened only after the 
tea was judged and the prizes awarded. 
It is a comparatively simple matter to make a 
few hundred pounds of a superior class of tea 
by plucking a fine flush off the best bushes on 
the estate, withering, rolling and fermenting care- 
