434 
THE. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January t, 1889. 
THE PATENT TEA. BOLL BREAKER. 
Where are tea planting inventions to stop ? From 
our advertising columns today, it will be seen that 
Mr. Souter of Kotmale has patented a tea roll 
breaker which ought to come into general use 
from its moderate price and oapital work, saving 
as it does two men in the factory. We learn that 
a roll of 300 leaf is thoroughly br ken up and 
separated in 4 to 5 minutes ; the same quantity 
dona by hand would take 6 men from fifteen to 
thirty minutes. The leaf is not torn or broken by 
the machine. The twist on the leaf is not des- 
troyed by th6 machine as is often the case when 
the balls or lumps are rubbed between the hands. 
The leaf falls in a shower from the breaker and 
immediately below it. The machine can be attached 
abova a green roll sifter or worked separately. The 
one at Westhall is working over a sifter. The tea 
Boll Breaker complete with driving pulley can be 
obtained for B150, but could easily be made out of 
old coffee machinery at a trifling cost. We have no 
doubt that every factory in the country worthy of 
the name will go in for a tea roll breaker with its 
better work and absolute economy in labor. 
DRUG- TEADE REPORT. 
London, November 8th. 
Quinine Impokts in Tukkey.— In consequence of 
repeated complaints regarding the alleged fraudulent 
practices of certain quinine importers in Turkey, who 
are accused of systematically opening quinine in bottles 
and adulterating it to a large extent, the Director of 
Customs in Turkey has ordered his customs officers 
to place an official band or label over the corks of 
all quinine bottles examined by them. A charge of 
about jd per bottle is made for this. 
Quinine for the Million.— Mr. Rivers Hicks, who is 
the gentleman alluded to iu the paragraph under this 
head which appeared in last week's issue, asks us to 
state that his offer to supply quinine Sf direct to the 
consumer " applies only to such places in India and 
the East as are beyond the reach of ordinary trade 
influence. In all other places, Mr. Hicks proposes to 
sell through wholesale firms, and negotiations are now 
pending for the introduction on a large scale of "penny 
quinine" through the medium of such firms. 
Cinchona. — At Tuesday's periodical auctions a mode- 
rately heavy quantity was offered, consisting of 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon bark ... 1,935 of which 1,798 were sold 
East Indian bark ... 567 „ 525 ,, 
Java bark ... 49 „ 31 „ 
South American bark 1,284 ., 919 „ 
Total ... 3,835 „ 3,273 ,, 
It will thus be seen that afar larger proportion of 
the total quantity offered was sold on this occasion 
than is usually the case, and this applies specially to 
South American barks, large parcels of cultivated 
Calisaya quills and a good many lots of Ouprea bark 
being readily disposed of. The average quality of 
the barks shown was decidedly good, more particularly 
as regards East Indian cinchonas, and in quite a num- 
ber of parcels sold at prices ranging between 7d and 
lOd per lb. At first bfifere was a kind SI iiMectsTon 
amortg buyor-i, bttt ■« tUe auctions proceeded the tuno 
grew firmer, and the general result of the buIo is a 
slight advance on the proceoding one, the consensus 
of opinion placing the unit at fully 2d, oeoa^ioimllg 
reaching 2g.i. 
The following uro the- approximate; quantities of bark 
purcha-ed by the different quinine manufacturers anil 
their agents : — 
hh. 
Agent* for the Auu-bach quinine works ... 142, '.179 
„ Messrs. Bbhrioger & Sous ... 138,391 
„ the American and French works 118,516 
,, the Brunswick works ... 79,3o8 
Messrs, Howards & Sons ... .., 59,249 
Agents for the Jobat & Zimmer works ... 55,301 
Mr. Thos. Whiffen ... ... 20,436 
Sundry buyers ... ... ... 7,832 
Total quantity sold ... ... 617,072 
Bought in or withdrawn ... 94,498 
Total offered ... 711,570 
Cetlon and East Indian Bask. — Nearly the whole 
of these barks were sold, the best price being realised 
for parcels imported from Madras and Calicut. Led- 
geriana chips, rather small, mixed to medium, 2Jd 
to 5d ; good to fine bright stem chips 6d to 8d ; 
shavings 5d to 5£d ; root, very dusty to fine rich Id 
to lOd ; renewed, poor to good shavings 5d to 8£d ; fine 
ditto 9J to lid bold branch chips Is Id ; original 
chips Is; strong, but dusty chips, and good renewed 
sittings Is Id to Is 2d (in large quantities; ; one lot 
of very fine chips Is 4d p-?r lb. ; Suecirubra, dust l£d; 
common branchy to goo i stein chips 2d to 6§d ; sha- 
vings ordinary dull to very rich 3 i to Is; root, com- 
mons, to good Id to 4d ; tine lots, up to 7d ; dull dusty 
shav ngs Is ; four cases of medium to bold stout sil- 
very i druggists' quill Is lid per lb. (the highest price 
realised iu the sales) ; and ordinary broken quill at 
6d to 7d per lb. 
Java Bark — The supply was a very poor one, and 
about 31 cises chips were disposed of at prices rang- 
ing from 2Jd to 5d per lb. It is pointed out that the 
direct shipments of Cinchona from Ceylon to the United 
States have fallen from 554,430 lb. in the season 1885-6 
to 392,027 in 1886-7, and 100,980 lb. 1887-8, and the 
reduction is said to be caused by the stoppage of one 
of the American quinine works. The falling-off in the 
exports to some Continental ports, such as Antwerp, 
Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Bremen, during last year and 
former seasons, is probably due to the high rates of 
freights to these places, which were greatly in excess 
of those to London. But, on the other hand, large 
quantities of bark passed London in transit only on 
their way to Germany. The following information 
concerning " Peruvian bark " is given us in the October 
Board of Trade returns : — 
1886 1887 1888 
October 
Imports ... cwt. 9,700 11,378 9,218 
„ ... value £ 47,390 47,792 35,261 
Exports ... cwt. 11,177 10,556 10,297 
... value £ 42,558 29,778 24,764 
January to October 
Imports ... cwt. 118,796 125,030 120,445 
...value £ 635,570 585,419 458,560 
Exports ... cwt. 91,412 116,012 103,487 
„ .. .value £ 436,133 440,146 284,626 
Oubebs. — Some business is said to have been done 
at £26 per cwt. for fine quality, but we have reason 
to believe that that price could be shaded. 
Quinine. — There is no alteration in the makers' 
quotations, but second-hand holders have shown much 
more willingness to sell this week, and now offer Ger- 
man bulk at Is 4|d on the spot, and Is 5d per oz. for- 
ward. Transactions have been very small this week. 
The imports of quinine into the United States, which 
early in the year showed a great falling-off compared 
with 1887, have recently been rather heavy. Iu the 
period from January 1st to October 23rd they were 
1,519,275 oz., against 1,682,886 oz. in the correspon- 
ding period of 1887. 
NETHERLANDS INDIA NEWS. 
EXCHANGES TO THE 17'1'H NOV. 
(Fkuu the Straits Times, Nov. 26th.) 
Till' BIIITISH BORNEO PROTECTORATE. 
The Java Bode deems that the British protectorate 
in North .Borneo will prove a bt.ierit to that promis- 
ing field for industrial and planting enterprise, where 
so many Netherlander are now trying their fortunes. 
CHINESE COOLIES NOT WANTED. 
The Chinese coolies lately imported from Siugapor 
to Batavia for labour purposes have aroused such auta 
gonistic feelings by competing with the native labourer 
