March i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
and open to view, ho took account of the immense 
amount of metal embedded in the shape of 
multitubular heating appliances, &c. The Victoria 
Drier seems certainly a triumph of ingeniously 
applied mechanism of which Mr, Jackson may well 
be proud, and which is most valuable to those 
who require and can afford to purchase and use 
such a machine. Apart from cheapness, the merit 
of the Sirooco Driers consists in their simplicity. 
But my experience leads me to press the necessity 
of having spare portions of all machines available, 
from simplest Sirocco to most complicated Victoria. 
This gigantic machine requires motive power for 
all its operations, while the similar but smaller 
machine, the Venetian (on the same principle, ex- 
cept that the webs aro reversed by means of 
handles worked by coolies), requires only to have 
the fan at the top, which draws off the 
moiBt air, moved by water or Bteam. Still 
accidents will occur, and the Venetian in which 
I am specially interested managed to get one of 
its pipes burst recently, and a substitute had to 
bo purposely cast. The agents, we submit, would 
do well to keep reserves of pipes &C. in stock, 
and a few in factories would be useful. In the 
case of the Venetian and we suppose in that of 
the Victoria, the bursting of a pipe does not dis- 
able the machine. From some other cause, how- 
ever, the Venetian referred to broke down recently, 
and help iu drying tea being sought from a 
neighbour, I hear most favourable accounts 
of the performances of a Brown's Desiccator which 
was brought into requisition for the purpose. 
I Apropos of the Desiccator, I may say that my 
enjoyment of the railway trip between Nawala- 
pitiya and Talawakele a week ago was greatly 
enhanced by the companionship of and conversa- 
tion with the inventor of that and other useful 
moehanical or engineering appliances, not the least 
of which are the aerial tramways which ply on 
the sides of Namunakulakanda. Of course there 
was a tendency to "reason rightly from wrong 
premises " if mention of a 2j feet narrow gauge 
railway occurred, or, if the position was taken up 
that Badulla was " the hub of the universe," but 
on all oilier questions, moral as well as material, 
it was a real treat to liston to the views, senti- 
ments and reflections of a shrewd, well-informed, 
good man. Alas! he and 1 have grown a good 
deal older since we mot at Kajawella at the great 
turbine worked pumping machinery which he erected 
for poor Tytler, on which occasion he told me of the 
then o( an anvil weighing a couple of cwt. by the light- 
fingored thieves of Dumbara. I was glad to find 
him and Mr. Rutherford strongly in favour of my 
position that tandem water wheels will give double 
the power of ono, proof of which Mr. Souter shows 
in Kotmale.* As to the relative merits of water- 
wheels and turbines, however, the two engineering 
autliorities are not agreed. My travelling com- 
panion said, " Beforo you go in for a turbine, go 
and hco the 30 feet wheel I have erected on 
Darawella." I could not go, but I should like to 
hear about it. Mariawatto has no " water privi- 
lege!'.," but a l'J horse power steam cngino does 
good work, the Burghor iu charge making him- 
self generally useful for mechanical jobs in the 
store. Next to tho performances of the Victoria 
Drier, I was interested in those of Oow's With- 
oror, now that it has boon supplied with a hotter 
heating stove. Mr. JamioBon spoke well of it as a 
helpful muchino to finish olT partiully withered 
loaf, but he did not Hcem to expect that its use 
would pn . ludo tho nto 'ssity for furthor withering 
s pace, M the yield of tea increased, than was af- 
forded by the loft of the factory, tilled though it 
" I hc.irl of several other caites. 
was with withering webs of jute hessian now so 
largely used in Ceylon in lieu of the gunny cloth 
and bags of coffee times » Our impression was that 
the great (in length and width) factory can bear 
and if so must soon have added to it, an additional 
story for withering purposes, but that is a question for 
the able managing proprietor to decide. What we 
feel confident in our own ability to decide is that 
Mariawatte Tea Estate, Factory and Machinery in 
the valley of Oampola, Ceylon, are well worth 
seeing. This opinion seems to be very widely held, 
to judge from the names of many men from m i n J 
lands inserted in the visitors' book. There is an 
inscription up (very necessary we can believe) re- 
questing that visitors will not unduly engross the 
busy superintendent's time. Happily we. accident- 
ally hit on tho very day when time could best 
be spared, and attention was ungrudgingly given. 
If we, taking none but mental notes, have failed 
to mention any details of importance, or stated 
others imperfectly, it is our fau t and r.ot that of 
our genial and hospitable guide over the rich tea 
fields and through the extensive and well ap- 
pointed Factory of Mariawatte. 
PLANTING PRODUCTS W CEYLON : 
Coffee ; Tea ; Cinchona ; Cacao ; Cakdamons. 
(From the Report of the Planters' Association of 
Ceylon, held Feb. 17, 1SS3.) 
COFFEE. — During the past year the most remark- 
able feature in connection with this product has been 
the great rise in its market value, a rise that has 
undoubtedly influenced many in their reluctance to 
reduce the area under coffee. The favourable blossom- 
ing season resulted in remunerative crops being 
gathered on many Estates, particularly iu t^e Uva 
Province, and p >rtious of Dimbula and Dikoja. Green 
Bug ami Leaf Disease continue to prejudically affect 
much of the remaining coffee, though the effects of the 
latter have not been so manifest iu some parts ofTJva. 
The Exports for 1887 were 17!>, 100 cwt. against 179,210 
cwt. iu 18ot>. 
Tea. — Tho progress made in this cultivation has been 
steady, aud the increased export eminently satisfactory 
considering that the season again has not been par- 
ticularly favourable in several of the Planting Districts. 
In the new Tea Districts of the Kelani Valley and 
Kalutara more estates have beeu opened and further 
fields added to existing estates. Notwithstanding how- 
ever the marked decrease in the export of China tea to 
England, a regretable fall in the aver.igo pi iceobtaiued 
for Ceylon teas has taken place. Still the prices that 
have ruled are as compared to those of Indian teas 
satisfactory, and it is hoped that the continued efforts 
of your Association to push Ceylon Tea will re- 
sult in the maintenance of remunerative rates. Tho 
effect of the continued careful attention to manufac- 
ture with the aid of the many improvements in ma- 
chinery should undoubtedly keep the quality of Ceylon 
tea at a high standard. Tlio Exports for 1887 were 
lu.H.i 1,057 lb. against 7,8 1!), 838 lb. in 1SS6*. 
Cinchona.— As anticipated by your Committee last 
year the large export of Bark has not beeu maintained, 
aud it is unlikely unless there should be a very sub- 
stantial rise iu prico to bu ever approached in the 
future. The number of trees now growing in Ceylon 
can bo but a fraction of those calculated on a few 
years ago. The Exports for IPS" were 13 llo,0i>7 lb. 
against 14,676,669 lb. in lSNli. 
Cacao.— Your Committee notes with satisfaction t he 
inereaso of Cacao exports. " i lelopeltis" is less trouble- 
some than it has been for some paat seasons, but tho 
* It is probable we shall soon bear of the withering 
diffloulty being largely obviated by the introduction 
into the ground floor* of ftetone-i of tin -.team pip >s 
by which conservatories are warm d in Europe. A 
good authority when he heard from us of the Ottigltt 
ran reMed a strong opinion iu it* fivour, *k the pipe 
would give out not I'irnaoy betted air, 'ml warm 
moiVr air. 
