November i, 1888.J THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
349 
Already, Mr. Dickson has provided with the 
aid of a village carpenter (the work not 
costing more than 20 rupees) one of Greig'e 
patent roll-breakers— a fan with strong arms, 
running 100 revolutions a minute into which the 
rolled tea is shovelled by a boy and sent stream- 
ing out in a shower — the contrivance saving the 
time of 2 coolies a day 1—250 lb. of tea is broken 
up in 1 minutes in this way. 
The Lebanon Factory is, as already mentioned, 
to have electric light, and this is to bo provided 
by a separate turbine of 10 horse-power, so as not 
to bo affected by the slacking or stopping 
of the machines driven by the larger wheel. 
The smaller turbine will also be useful in dry 
weather, or in a season of prolonged drought, to 
drive trio rolling, &c, machinery when possibly 
there might be a scarcity of water for the bigger 
turbine. 
The Hood which occurred on the Knuckles rivers 
during last south-west monsoon is said by the 
" oldest inhabitant ■' — the arachchi of the village — 
to have been the biggest within his memory and 
there is this to justify his (-pinion, namely, that 
a huge tree used as a bridge over one division 
of Lebanon stream, which had remained safe since 
tho place was opened in 1858, was carried off 
this timo and made matchwood of at tho foot of 
tho estate. Mr. Dickson's wire bridge — one of tho 
longest in tho island — was also carried off, and 
for a week communication destroyed, so that tho 
coolies were in danger of starvation till he contrived 
a means of sending rice over. Across the river Mr. 
Diokson had formed a low dam between two enormous 
rocks (so as to send a full supply into his watercourse) ; 
huge blocks of stone were keyed in and formed an arch 
against the stream, so that the force of the Hood 
could not bend or drive it, but the waters 
lifted this mass of keyed stone upwards and blocked 
the opening below with small boulders, gravel, 
debris, so that now it forms more of a dam 
than ever I 
♦ 
DR. DUKE'S TEA SCHEME FOR AMERICA. 
Planters' Association of Ceylon, Kaudy, 18th Oct. 1888. 
The Editor, 
Slit, — I encloso copy of Dr. Duke's letter submitting 
In-. M-homo for making Cevlou tea known iu America. 
—Yours faithfully, A. PHILIP, Secy. 
Sandy, 21th September 188S. 
Tho Chairman of tho Pointers' Association of C ylon 
Sir, — As a member of the Planters' Association, and 
DOB personally interested in the staple industry of the 
island, I beg to submit the following comparatively 
BCOnomioal scheme for making known the merits of 
Ceylon tea throughout the United States of America, and 
I shall be obliged if you will kimlly lay it before your 
Tea Fuud Subcommittee for consideration, and if 
approved to act upon it and work out the necessary 
ilrtuils : — 
The following is the schomo which I would sug- 
gest, viz. : — 
1. To utilize the li.Ullli lb. tea not now required for 
Mr. HlwOOd May by dividing it into 1,200 packets of 
f> Ih. eaoh, each to be packed into neatly made boxes, 
and each box to contain it .short pamphlet showing 
tin development of the tea enterprise in Ceylon and nlao 
giving instructions for the proper infusion of the tea 
ieaf, &0., <Sco. 
9. Tlii'so boxes to be shipped direct to Now York, 
or any other American port to an approved agent, kihI 
by him to be distributed by parcel pent as a Christmas 
present tr< in the I'limtrrs' Association of Ceylon to 
the editors of 1,200 of tho loading daily newspapers, 
including the inedioa] journals and those organs ad- 
vocating total abstinence throughout the United States, 
Ouudfta and California. Tho udvuntuges that would 
result from this procedure would, 1 aulioipute, iu tho 
first place be a very extensive publicity not to bo 
obtained by any ordinary means of advertising within 
our reach, as the gift would probably elicit 
favourable editorial comment and in many instances no 
doubt a transcript or extract from the pamphlet would 
find its way into the columns of the papers as the 
article is one of such general interest. 
In addition to this we securo by the consumption of 
this quantity in the editor's family a fair trial of 
Ceylon Tea by 1,200 men of more than ordinary 
intelligence, who to a great extent guide the public 
taste, and who, from the nature of their profession and 
its powerful influence, command a very large circle of 
acquaintances and friends. — I am, &c, 
(Sigued) Valentine Duke. 
« 
THE COCA PLANT IN CEYLON. 
Messrs. J. P. William & Bros, of Henaratgoda write: — 
" AVe send you by this post two branches of / ryth 0 
Ion Coca pale leaved variety, and E. Coca dark leaved 
variety. We imported parent plants of the pale \< avi d 
variety; it grows fast and yields plenty leaves and 
produces a small quantity of seeds ; the dark-leaved 
variety which exists iu Ceylon produces large quan- 
tities of seeds and small quantity of leaves, grows 
slowly ; the palo variety is the true and host kind 
iu commerce and fetches a high price. We have a 
tree of tho pale variety two years old 1 feet hiijh and 
3i feet circumference * loaded with a large quantity 
0? leaves, and the dark variety of same age 1| to 2 
feet high with a small quantity of leaves and a large 
quantity of seeds." 
♦ 
Tea Seed. — With reference to a recent warn- 
ing a planter writes: — "Seed which has been 
plucked before it is properly ripe ferments and rots 
soon after packing, but ripe seed will retain its 
vitality for a considerable time. The kernel of a 
ripe seed has a rough skin adhering to it ; im- 
mature seed has none, but some of the Calcutta 
experts don't seem to recognise this fact, and pass 
all seed as good which is not absolutely rotten at 
the time of inspection." 
Ceylon Tea and its Keeping Qualities. — 
We call special attention to the letter of " M." on 
this subjeot on page 351 : it doserves tho 
serious attention of every planter and merchant 
interested in the future of Ceylon tea, for, as the 
writer remarks in a private note : — 
"I fear we shall wake up in a few months' time to tho 
fact that we might have attended to our tea manufac- 
ture as regards its 'keeping quality' with very serious 
advantage to ourselves." 
Our correspondent makes certain practical sugges- 
tions which, we trust, will receive the prompt 
consideration of the Planters' Association Committee, 
backed as they are by a clear offer of praotical 
help in any special attempt to solve the present 
dilliculty. 
Selling Ceylon Tea in the United Kingdom 
is declared by recent arrivals in the island to bo 
an exceedingly profitable business for not a few es- 
Ceylon colonists engaged iu it. Among others, 
Messrs. Roger and Bett of the Glasgow Planters' 
Agency are named as already doing a very large 
and rapidly expanding as well as profitable busi- 
ness ; while " J. A; Robertson " of Dimbula fame 
is said to be carrying all Yorkshire before him with 
his numerous shops for the sale of Ceylon teas. 
The figures given for tho weekly sales in some of 
these cases stagger us, for they exceed by a good 
deal those appertaining to London-Ceylon tea 
agencies for the monthly sales, even though for one 
of theso agencies, thrco Baronets were actively 
interested if not engaged in making tho merits of 
tho teas known. Wo suspect the Yorkshire and 
Glasgow figures want a little amendment. 
* Btanchts round the tree, 
