February 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
539 
The guarantee fund of .£2,000, required in connection 
with the scheme for selling Indian tea at the Paris 
Exhibition, has been more than subscribed ; in fact, 
we believe that the sum guaranteed reached £3,000. 
After this, who shall say there is no enterprise among 
tea garden proprietors. Wo shall now look lor the 
establishment of a home for decayed planters and 
possibly an orphau asylum. 
We hear a great deal about Natal tea and its 
wonderful future, and not long since we inspected a 
packet of tea which was called "African," but which 
was unmistakably .lava. One would think that all the 
sugar planters of Natal had suddonly gone wild over 
toa to bear some people talk. At any rate, the Min- 
cing Lane Market has nothing to fear just yet from 
a glut of tea from Natal, for the Natalians will find 
a very good market in South Africa if they make 
good tea. 
At meeting of the Brahmapootra Tea Company 
Limited, to bo held on Jan. 2 next, a dividend of 
5 per cent, on the whole capital of the company, 
on account of the profits of the company's business 
during the year 1888, will bu declared. — //. C. Mail, 
Dec. 28th. 
♦ 
PURPULINE TRIED IN CEYLON SOME 
YEARS AGO. 
Learning that some years ago Messrs. Delmege, 
Reid & Co. got out some " purpuline" — no doubt 
allied to "London purple" — we endeavoured to trace 
its history with tho following results : — 
(From Mr. A. Forsyth of Messrs. Delmege, Reid <j£ Co.) 
Colombo, 17th Jan. 1889. -We had some "purpuline" 
some yearB ago. Some was sold in April 1581 to Mr. 
Janu s Irvine, in July 1881 to Messrs. George Steuart 
6 Co., and in June 1882 to Messrs. Lee, Hedges & Co. 
W bat tho results were I never heard. It was scut out 
as a remedy by for loaf -disease in coffee, and was highly 
craeked up its makors. As far as I recollect it was 
said to be good for all pests. 
(From Mr. Hedges of Messrs. Lee, Hedges dt Co.) 
The purpnlino wo purchased in 1882 was sent to 
Mr. Oraut of Pitaratmalle ostate, Haputale. I am 
not able to state as a fact that it proved useless as 
a romody for lout-disease or bug ; but I am morally 
certain that it" did, otherwise Mr. Grant would have 
reported any favorablu resale of his experience to as. 
(From Mr. Oriyson of Messrs. Geo. Steuurt dt Co.) 
Colombo, 17th Jan. 1889. — Tho purpuline roferred 
to was sent up to NtUJ Xilambe to be nsed as an 
antidote to white ants which were attacking the 
youag cacao plants. That was in July 1881, and the 
following mouth tho agency of tho estate passod 
from us into the hands of Messrs. Lee, Hedges it Co. 
Wv have therefore no records to show what effect 
tho purpnlino had. Messrs. Leo, Hedges & Co. will 
probably be able to give you tbo required information. 
Nothing was over heard of benefit derived on 
Nilambe. Nevertheless, we must remembor that it was 
the leaf fungus at that time which it was oxpected 
might bo overcome. Now it is "green bug" and 
'■ Loudon I'urplo" is clearly an insecticide. 
♦ 
PEPPER-VINE GROWING IN CEYLON. 
Of course, now that European planters aro giving 
their attention to tho matter, not in ouo district, 
but in several districts from sea-level to an altitude 
of 2,000 or more feet, all obstacles in connection 
with an oxtondod cultivation of peppor will be cer- 
tainly overoomo. In addition to Mr. Martin at 
AmbtUngtxU, Mr. lliaokett in Dolosbage has a 
good deal , t | c pper Micce.- fully fruiting, and he will 
bo sending his first sample hundredweight away 
this year. It must not be torgolton that the 
Tropical Botanic Cardcn (lienaratgoda) has for some 
time, been offering cuttings of good kiuds at rea- 
sonable rales. 
Remembering what a lively scene of pepper cul- 
ture the Kegalla and adjoining districts must have 
been a hundred years and even two centuries ago, it 
is difficult to understand how the industry was ever 
allowed to collapse. "Wild pepper" we are told 
is growing everywhere ; but if we are to believe 
Dutch official reports, undoubtedly Ceylon pro- 
duced first-class pepper at one time. A corre- 
spondent who takes a different view says : — 
" Pepper has failed so {ar, though tried at Udugama, 
under the best auspices. I think you are mistaken 
as to the Dutch export ; you must have overlooked 
the fact stated in a paper published in your ' Literary 
Supplement ' thai most of what went from Oeylon 
came from India, besides did not the word 'peppers' 
include much besides what we know as pepper ?" 
But here is what we take to be a reliable state- 
ment as embodied in the Agricultural Review in 
our Handbook, and we do not see how the autho- 
rities quoted can be gainsaid :— 
"In 1650, it was reported that ' Pepper grown in 
Ceylon was sold at a higher price than that produced 
elsewhere.' Governor van Imhoff, in 1740, considered 
pepper ' a far more important article ' than cardamoms, 
and he added that 'unlike coffee (!) it is not proba- 
ble that the demand will be lessened by a change 
of opinion as to its salubrity, or by its being over- 
grown in other places, as all grounds are not able to 
produce it.' In 1739, the Dutch exported 465,000 lb. of 
pepper, the greater portion from the Kandyan pro- 
vinces, where the harvest began in Dqc. and ended 
in April. Bertolacci blames the indolence of the natives 
for not greatly extending the cultivation of the pepper 
vine, which will grow on almost any soil, and has 
everywhere forest-trees to spread over. The fruit itself, 
when gathered, requires no further care thau having 
it well dried. In 1813, the export of pepper was 
190§ candies, valued at about £12,000, and the 
average for seven years was then 200 candies, or 
about 1,000 cwt. The site of the former Dutch pepper 
gardens at Madampe has long been under coco- 
nuts. Bennett, in 1843, declared that the District 
of Kalutara alone ought to produce more pepper than 
the whole of the island did." 
We trust Mr. Price will look up the old Kandians 
of his district and get them to resume the culti- 
vation : we suspect that so long as it was a case 
of Rajakariya— so many thousands of lb. of pepper to 
be delivered annually "willy-nilly" — the people 
looked after their vines and the industry flourished ; 
but when they had no longer a forced tax in pepper 
to pay, they allowed the culture to collapse. 
COFFEE AND "LONDON PURPLE." 
A proprietor writes: — " I think there is something 
in this ' London Purple.' Anyway, anyone trying 
to grow coffee again from, say, Coorg seed might, 
by using London Purple in the nurseries and again 
in the planted-out fields, be able to reap some 
profit from old K. C. The long-tried old ooll'oe 
may perhaps never bo mado to bear again to a 
profit, hut is tho same result to be expected from 
now and vigorous seed aided by suoh a oheap ally 
as L. P.? 40 bushels coffee per acre, at R15 per 
bushel, is tempting enough surely to anyone who 
cares to make a small experiment." 
» 
Till'. TKA WlTIIKUINt; I'KOIiLF.M SOLVED. 
The one remaining problem connected with tea 
manufacture on scientific principle*, an distinguished 
from the primitive Chinese system, which hu 10 far 
dot received the attention its importance justified, has 
been that of rendering the plnuter ludupeudeut of 
tu. o.i tiirii urolu^ical condition, which frequently balllo 
bis best effort* to wither his leaf at it should bu 
withered. Properly withered leaf in so important e> 
factor in tho production oi good tea, that it may be 
