August I, 1888.] THF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
93 
Those annual complaints are boooming a 
serious matter, and may have the effect of lowering 
our teas to an unprofitable price, so the sooner 
we are able to oandidly admit or deny the fact, 
the better, and bring experience to bear upon 
effecting a remedy. — Yours truly, PLANTER. 
A method of preserving the natural colours of 
flowers, recommended by R. Hoglor iu the Deutsche 
Botaniscke MonatsHefte, oonsists in dusting salicylic 
acid on the plants as they lie in the press, and re- 
moving it again with a brush when the flowers are 
dry. Red colours in particular are well preserved 
by this agent. Another method of applying the same 
preservative is to uso a solution of one purt of salicylic 
acid iu fourteen of alcohol, by means of blotting 
paper or cotton wool soaked in it and placed above 
and below the flowers. Powdered boracic acid yields 
nearly as good results. Dr. Schonland, in a para- 
graph contributed to the Gardeners' Chronicle recom- 
mends, as an improvement in the method of using 
sulphurous acid for preserving the colour, that in 
the case of delicate flowers they might be placed 
loosely between sheets of vegetable parchment before 
immersion in the liquid, so as to preserve their 
natural form. — Madras Mail. 
Woodun Blocks. — One of the latest American indus- 
tries is the manufacture of wooden blocks from com- 
pressed sawdust, au art which may hereafter be of the 
greatest value. To produce any finishe 1 article from 
wood a great deal of waste is necessary, not only in 
finishing up the work, but iu cutting out the rough pat- 
terns from the log, especially when these are large or 
intricate. Hitherto this waste has been unavoidable, 
and has greatly increased the cost of all articles 
above a certain size, but now this loss will be un- 
necessary, The small pieces of wood (s-purce fir for 
choice) are reduced to pulp on a grind-stoue, which 
pulp is carefully cleaned and sifted, after which it 
is subjected to hydraulic pressure. The blocks thus 
formed are used for the manufacture of all wooden 
articles not required to staud a severe cross-strain, 
and as the blocks are of large size the cost of pro- 
ducliou is greatly lessened, siuce the value of wood 
iucreases greatly with any increase in its sectional 
area. The cutting from the blocks too can be used 
again and again so that nothing is lost. — Indian 
Agriculturist. 
Jaffna Cotton Cultivation Co., Ld — We 
have received the prospectus of this company, 
winch it is proposed to form, with a capital of 
R50.000, divided into 1,000 shares of R50 each, 
with power to increase. The directors aro Messrs. 
Charles Morrison, Banker ; Samuel A.. Allagakoen, 
Advocate ; Alex. Toussaint, Merchant ; Thos. Mac 
Gown Tampoo, Proctor; Sinnatamby Nagalingaro. 
Advocate ; Saverimutto Manuelpillai, Merchant ; all 
of Jaffna; the Secretary being Mr. Charles Arndt, 
and the bankers the New Oriental Bank Corpor- 
ation, Limited. The prospectus states : — 
The Jaffna Cotton Cultivation Company Limited is 
formed for the purpose of growing Cotton in the 
Northern Province, and it is believed that the under- 
taking cannot fail to be a financial success, and also 
be the meaus of giving employment to many who are 
now in so much uecd of such, Tho starting of the 
Oeylon Cotton Spinning und Weaving Company in 
Colombo will provide a good market for all the cotton 
thut can be produced locally, and wo may depend upon 
tbt! Cotton Mills giving preference to Island gruwn 
cotton, for ns will be seen by the Prospectus issued 
bj it the Directors are those who havo the interests 
of U.ylon at heirt due cure being taken that only 
bhe best seed is sown, and which wu hopo to obtain 
through the kind scrvi. es of Mr. (Ireon of the 0. C S. 
who lias taken tho mutter of Coltou Cultivation iu 
bund. Cotton of good quality has been grown for 
years in this Province, but as mentioned above it is 
proposed to procure and circulate for growth for tho 
luture only the very best and most suitable seed, so 
that every reliance may be placed upou the Outturn 
of'the cotton crop being taken over by the Oeylon 
Spinniug and Weaving Company Limited. The ap- 
proachiug certainty of regular and easy meaus of com- 
munication with Oolombo by Steam is also an ad- 
ditional incentive for the starting of this company. 
Wo have thus notioed tho company, since the object 
is a praiseworthy one, but to insure success the 
scheme should be advertised as has been done by 
the Colombo Spinning and Weaving Co. 
Self-contained Tea Estates. — The editor 
of the Indian Tea Gazette, in an article enforcing 
the necessity of economy in the production of tea, 
writes thus : — 
Every tea garden, that can afford it, should 
provide itself, wherever conveniently possible, with 
supplios of fuel of its own growing, with the 
means of preparing its own manures, with its 
owu stock of wood for the manufacture of boxes 
and with its own labour, not only for the proper 
manufacture of its own tea, but also for its due as- 
sortment and careful packing for shipment, when it is 
intended for exportation. It is posBihle that very 
many gardens may not possess these facilities, but 
they can be gradually brought together by a little 
tact and intelligent management. In importing 
labour for a garden, the planter should make 
it a point to arrange with the recruiting agency 
that he should, besides the ordinary coolie 
for ordinary work of the plantation, be sup- 
plied with a certain proportion of skilled arti- 
sans whose special knowledge could be advant- 
ageously utilized in the internal economy of the 
Tea Factory. With the present available means 
for constant aud speedy communication between the 
over-populated districts and the planting districts, a 
little higher ra.e of remuneration would probably 
suffice to attract to the certain employment of the 
Tea-gardens a large proportion of the artisan classes 
who are next to starving in their own native vil- 
lages for want of congenial work to do. Much has 
been done, and much is still being done on our Tea 
estates, to improve the condition and prospects of 
the peoplo engaged in the cultivation of the tea- 
plant aud iu the manufacture of the tea-leaf. If, 
besides increased wages, skilled artisans on the tea 
gardens were allowed a small commission on the 
savings effected by their manufactures over the pur- 
chases that would otherwise have to be made in 
the open market, the planter would find that he 
would be greatly gaining in the end. Tho work 
would be done cheaper and better, if he took care to 
see it done under his owu eyes. At seasons iu the 
year, when cultivation, gathering and manufacture 
have for the time ceased, such hands as are fitted 
for higher work, should bo set apart to undertake 
what may bo called tho subsidiary labors of a Tea 
plantation. The inducements wo have suggested, 
would make the additional labor acceptable to the 
industrious and thrifty classes, as assuring them 
of a more speedy diminution of the period when 
they might retiro to their nativo villages and live 
upon tho fruits of their present toils. Each planter 
will bo able to ascertain for himsolf how, and to 
what extent, he can utilise hia available resources 
with a view to enforcing economy in the pursuit of 
his industry, and when he might find it necessary 
to import extraneous facilities. 
On a large number of Ceylon tea estates in Ceylon, 
not only is there no timber for tea boxes, hut oven 
the supply of firewood is exhausted. To keep cattlo 
for manure is generally too costly, and tho only 
cattlo kept on most estates are milch cows. 
Ordinary labour is pretty ubuudaut, and arlizans 
are plentiful when wanted. Tea boxes come to 
us in shooks from Japan or are supplied by local 
manufactories at fairly moderate prices, but the 
fuel question is likely to become serious, unless 
the railway, the brewery and other large consumers 
of firewood adopt artificial fuel in tho shape of 
kerosene residuum, of which tho supply in tin ttasaiai) 
oil region is enormous. 
