496 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
out at the. rate of about 5 maunds per hour and the 
aroma was perfect. Not a grain of dust or broken 
" tips " [chaUoni goori) was lost, as even the very 
few graius which get drawn down through the meshes 
of the lowest tray are caught in the bottom of the cool 
portion of the drying "chamber,"' whence it can after- 
wards be easily removed through a door for the purpose. 
For " final firing " the trays, which are of the usual 
girrocco size and pattern, hold 6 lb. of tea each. 
In this sirocco, the fresh trays are inserted at the 
bottom and rise step by step to the top as each new 
tray is inserted, being finally withdrawn from the top. 
This arrangement, coupled with the down draft (which, 
striking the top tray first descends through the 
whole tier of 8 trays and then is ejected by the fan) 
causes the warm dry air to strike the upper and 
drier trays first, and to pass away exhausted after 
having done its duty, without an atom of the damp 
from the lower fresh trays ever reaching any 
of the drier trays above them — an advantage 
which might fairly be considered another at- 
tribute of an ideal drier. The heat is most evenly 
distributed over the trays, and the top tray can be 
inspected at any momeut most easily, without shutting 
off the suction of the fan, or interfering in any way 
with the drying ; nor is a particle of leaf ever at any 
time ejected from the tray port whilst even " final 
fired," dusty tea is being thus inspected ; nor is the 
leaf, or tea, on the trays, disturbed in the slightest 
degree by the action of the " draft." Besides the 
actual thrusting in and the withdrawing of the trays 
(us simply done as in the " No. 1 Sirocco ") the atten- 
dant has nothing more to do than to move a handle up 
previous to inserting a tray, and down again, when he 
has inserted it, that is positively all 1 
By using this sirocco for " final firing " in the early 
morning, its emitted and still warm air can be 
conveyed in a canvas pipe to the withering floor above, 
for use in combination with the Blackman system of 
withering, which promises to have a great future 
before it. This would give a great start to the wither- 
ing, before the first roll is ready for drying. 
Having already taxed so much of your space, I will 
not venture upon going into any further details, but 
will conclude by hinting that planters coming home, 
may be sure of a hearty reception as old friends, 
should anything herein said tempt them to visit 
the Sirocco Works, where they will see much more 
than I have described to interest them.— I am, sir, &c, 
OHAS. H. LBPPBR. 
MR. MAY AND THE CEYLON ASSOCI- 
ATION TEA SCHEME. 
31st Dec. 1888. 
Sin,— Now that the May scheme has collapsed, 
owing to causes that I am totally ignorant of, it 
appears to be my duty to thank Mr. Rutherford, 
the Chairman, and members of the " Tea Fund 
Committee" and friends who supported the scheme 
for their generous aid ; to state my profound regret 
that through me, they have been put to very great 
trouble, and to explain to them and the Planting 
community generally, that if any deception has 
been used, I am the most cruelly deceived of all. 
Before introducing Mr. May to the " Planters' 
Association of Ceylon I took, what appeared to me 
all necessary precautions to guard against a betrayal 
of its. interest and, as previously stated investigated 
his business career and standing, as I believed, very 
thoroughly. I had interviews with Messrs. Brown 
Brothers & Co's. New York Manager, with the State 
Examiner of the Banks of the State of New York, 
with several merchants who had transacted business 
with Mr. May over a period covering several yoars, 
and also had read to mo his standing in the books of 
the mercantile Agencies known throughout the 
United States and Canada as " Dun's " and " Brad- 
streets" AgoncioB. Mr. May has been an extensive 
advertiser and, as far an I know, is so now, and 
in his Monthly Review he states that "Our 
Bankers are Messrs. Brown Brothers & Co., New 
York, Messrs. Brown Shipley & Co., London and 
Liverpool, and their various branches and corres- 
pondents in all the principal cities of the world, and 
through them any financial transactions can be made. 
Messrs. Brown Brothers & Co's. connections are the 
strongest financial institutions in the World." 
At Mr. May's countryhou.se there was every in- 
dication of refinement and luxury, and I was told 
that his wife and her family were the possessors 
and owners of extensive real estate and buildings 
in the town of Nyack on the Hudson River. From 
these different sources I gathered that Mr. May 
had means, energy and the business capacity to 
carry out any transaction that he might embark 
in to a successful issue, that he paid all accounts, 
bills, etc. promptly on presentation, and that his 
method of doing business was out of the ordinary 
rut and, therefore a little peculiar, but he was 
honest and straightforward in all his dealings. 
The Chairman of the "Tea Fund Committee" 
has, I presume, later and more reliable data to go 
upon, judging from what fell from his lips at the 
meeting held at Nuwara Eliya on the 7th instant. 
Unfortunately for me, Mr. May has not communi- 
cated his views and intentions to me in respect of 
the "Tea Fund Committee's " resolution which I 
forwarded to him on the 27th August, and, therefore, 
I am completely in the dark concerning them, and 
yet I cannot believe that he is going to remain 
silent or that he will treat me so undeservedly. 
What concerns me most is that those who have so 
generously supported me may think I have tried to 
foist upon them a man of doubtful character and 
had taken no steps to ascertain his real one. 
I need not take up your valuable space by stating, 
at length, what my feelings on this matter are, but 
I cannot forbear stating that I have acted throughout 
in good faith and in the firm belief that Mr. May 
was the right man. The failure of the scheme has 
been a cruel blow to me, but that is as nothing 
compared with the shame and disgrace of having 
been the instrument of deceiving a body of gentle- 
men that so kindly came to my aid and assistance. 
The fate of all pioneers has now overtaken me, and, 
added to the bitterness of failure and waste of time 
and money — is the uncomfortable, annoying thought 
that you, Mr. Editor, and many others may think 
my conduct in this matter has been one of pre- 
meditated and intended deceit. 
Apologizing for troubling you, R. E. PINEO. 
Abe We to Have a Tea Trust ? — It behoves 
the Ceylon tea planter and merchant to look 
ahead in view of the contingency referred to by 
the Spectator in an editorial as follows : — 
The promoters of "Trusts" are going on with their 
work. It is stated on good authority that the Copper 
Syndicate hope to fix the price of copper for the 
next twelve years, and to fix it at the price now begin- 
ning to be felt so severely in State dockyards and ship- 
building concerns. A similar Syndicate, organised 
partly in America, is to drive up the price of lead, and 
make all plumbers' work even more ol a terror to house- 
holders than it is. The Salt Trust has, it is stated, 
already doubled the price of ordinary salt at the pit's 
mouth, and nearly trebled that of block salt for export. 
The Chicago Wheat Ring is keeping wheat above a dol- 
lar a bushel, and the idea of a Coal Trust has not been 
definitely abandoned. We should not wonder if its 
promoters struck up an alliauce with the workmen, 
who are much inclined to regulate output ; and we ex- 
pect every day to hear of a combination among the Tea- 
producers. Part of this movement, as we have ex- 
plained elsewhere, is self-defensive; but part arises 
from the fact that a monopoly is the quiokest road to 
fortune, and that with cheap monoy lying about in 
masses, monopolies are easy to control. 
