June i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
7 
MINERALS, ROCKS, AND FOSSILS. 
Jury. — 0. R. Rule (chairman), George Foord, H. Y. 
L. Brown, Jas. G. A. Stitt, and R. H. Bland ; Nor- 
man Taylor, expert. 
Second Order of Merit. — W. A. Fernando, Ceylon, 
plumbago. 
Third Order of Merit. — Delmege, Reid and Co., 
Ceylon, plumbago ; Armitage Brothers, Ceylon, plum- 
bago ; A. C. Dixon, B. Sc., F.C.S., Ceylon, collection 
of rocks, minerals, gems, &c. 
Fourth Order of Merit. — A- M. & J. Ferguson, 
Ceylon, plumbago, enclosing quartz, showing what care 
must be taken to separate foreign matter. 
CHEMICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS. 
Jury.— C. R. Blackett (ehariman), M. Galloy, H. 
Brind, P. R. Challen, Sydney GibboDs, W. Johnson, 
J. Kruse, J. Robertson, S. H. Roberts, J. G. A. 
Stitt, R, G. Wilson, Dr. Renzio, and Baron von 
Mueller ; expert, Geo, Mauley Hopwood. 
MEDICINAL OILS. 
Third Order of Merit.— D. A. T. Dessanaika, Ceylon, 
medicinal oils. 
MEDICINAL BARKS, &C. 
First Order of Merit. — Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, 
oollection of cinchona barks ; Government, of Madras, 
Madras, cinchona bark, jalap, &c 
Second Order of Merit. — E. H. Cameron, Ceylon, 
cinchona barks ; Lee, Hedges and Co., Ceylon, cin- 
chona bark ; Mackwood and Co., Ceylon, cinchona 
bark ; T. C. Owen, cinchona barks. 
Third Order of Merit.— Botanic Gardens, Brisbane, 
collection of medicinal and other barks. 
VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES USED IN TANNING AND DYEING. 
Honourable Mention. — Dissanaika, Ceylon, tanning 
barks. 
SYNOPSIS OF CEYLON TEA AWARDS. 
T. C. Owen 
1 
3rd 
award 
G. H. D. Elphinstone. 
.3 
3rd 
C. S, Armstrong... 
.1 
3rd 
Keir, Dundas & Co. 
.6 
1st 
,, i And 1st award 
do 
.1 
2nd 
, , > for collective ex- 
do 
.3 
3rd 
„ 1 hibits. 
Haldane and Anton 
.1 
1st 
Ceylon Co., Koladenia . 
..1 
1st 
do do 
.1 
3rd 
do Hope 
.1 
3rd 
}< ;»-)•< do Sogama 
.1 
1st 
do do 
.1 
3rd 
Mackwood & Co. 
.6 
3rd 
A. J. Stork 
.1 
1st 
,, ) And 2nd award 
do 
..1 
3rd 
,, ) for collective ex- 
P. R. Shand... 
..1 
2nd 
,, [hibits. 
do 
.1 
3rd 
G. & W. Leechman 
23rd 
J, A. Smith 
"l 
3rd 
Summary. 
10 1st awards. 
2 2nd 
22 3rd 
1 1st ,, for general collection. 
1 2nd „ do 
In all 36 awards. 
From the latter it will be observed that, out of the 
'M> awards, the teas exhibited by Messrs. Keir, Dun- 
das & Co. obtained 11 (including the collective 
award) or very nearly one-third of the whole. Of the 
ti First Class awards gained by this firm, 4 were for 
special teas classed as "orauge and flowery pekoes." 
They also, of all the exhibitors from Ceylon, obtained 
the only First Class award for what I Buppose I am 
right in regarding as our staple tea:— pekoe-souchong. 
For souchong they obtained a Second Class award, and, 
for broken pekoe a First. Besides their four First Class 
awards for th»- special or fancy teas, orange and flowery 
pekoe, Messrs. Keir, Dundas & Co. obtained two Third 
class awards for the same class of teas. A Third Class award 
for congou makes up 10 direct awards, to which must be 
addtd an additional or collective award for general 
excellence. With 11 awards in all, of which 7 are 
First Class, Messrs. Keir, Dundas & Co. take first rank 
not only amongst Ceylon exhibitors but also in com- 
parison with India and all comers. This must be 
gratifying to those immediately interested, especially 
to him who may be regarded as almost the pioneer 
of tea growing and tea manufacture in Ceylon, — Mr. 
James Taylor. 
Next in order to Messrs. Keir, Dnndas & Co., tested 
by number of awards, come Messrs. Mackwood & 
Co., who received 6 Third Class awards and a col- 
lective award for general excellence, or 7 in all. One 
of the awards for orauge nntl flowery pekoe, one for 
pekoe-souchong, one for soufhong, and two for broken 
pekoe. To these 6 Third Class awards is added a 
Second Class award for genrral excellence. If any 
person is inclined to undervalue Third Class awards, I 
may say that one of tlie jurymen told me that the 
standard of marks set up was so high that admittance 
to the Third Class involved a very severe ordeal. Fol- 
lowing Messrs. Keir, Dundas & Co. and Messrs. Mack- 
wood & Co. in number of awards comes the Ceylon 
Company (Limited) with five awards, Of these two 
are First Class : one for orange and flowery pekoe and 
one for broken pekoe. Two Third Class are for pekoe- 
souchong, and one Third Class for souchong. 
Fourth on the list as regards number of awards 
comes Mr. G. H. D. Elphinstone with three Third 
Class awards. One was for orange and flowery pekoe, 
one for pekoe-souchong, and one for souchong. I 
hope this result will not be disappointing to Mr. 
Elphinstone and to the practised Indian planter who 
superintends the manufacture of his teas. With re- 
ference to the whole of the awards the composition 
of the jury must be kept in view and the tendency 
in Melbourne to judge teas largely by outward ap- 
pearance. One juryman said tome, not with reference 
to Mr. Elphinstone's teas, but as accounting for the 
number and class of awards for Ceylon teas generally, 
that some of the teas were " out of condition." As 
the teas were in good order when tested by Messrs. 
Moody and Sibthorp, any change for the worse, if 
it has occurred, must be attributed to delay and ex- 
posure, the result of Mr. Everard's pig-headed ob- 
stinacy in so long resisting the presence of Mr. Bro wn. 
Had I known at the first all I know now, 1 should 
have protested against the appointment of Mr. Everard 
as juror and especially against the samples being 
taken to his office and lying there during the long 
delay which his obstructive action involved. Mr.Sibthorp, 
in the official letter in which he requested the execut- 
ive to add Mr. Brown to the jury on tea (of which Mr. 
Everard was really chairman, Mr. Gibson being 
chairmau of the general jury which took in tea, 
coffee, &c.) stated distinctly that Mr. Everard could 
be objected to as agent for Japan tea, and th.it 
the objection would only be waived if Mr. Brown's 
presence was allowed. Mr. Brown was then allowed 
to act. I have nothing to say against Messrs. 
Cowderoy, Harvey, and Hurley, except that they are 
naturally swayed by the traditions of the Melbourne 
tea market. This person wasted the time of the jury at 
one sittiug for an hour by personal abuse of me, 
and he has favoured me with a characteristic 
letter, because of my efforts to gel justice done to 
Ceylon. I have not replied to Mr. Everard, and I 
only mention him and his animus now, to say 
that, considering all the circumstances of the case, 
we have only reason for surprise that the jury 
