August i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
been largely superseded by an article from Java 
knrtivn as "kapok," aud he having asked me if 
Ceylon could supply that article, I replied that I could 
Dot tell until I knew the proper name of the palm 
from which it was obtained : for that the article 
which had fuperseded coir was the product of a palm, 
I never doubted. At length Mr. Moody accompanied 
me to the warehouse of a leading cabinet-maker and 
upholsterer here, a gentleman who has done much 
to bring the beautiful wood of the Huou pine of 
l a in inn. into notic ; as a material for furniture. Yon 
can imagine my amazement aud amusement when I 
was shewn a specimen of the short-stapl-d but beauti- 
fully line wool of what we know in Ceylon as the 
Bilk cotton tree, or tree cotton ! The common green- 
stemmed tree, with its regular whorls of perfectly 
horizontal branches, is common around Colombo and 
over the western and southern portions of the island, 
near native cottages or in fences. There is a thorny 
variety in the Kandian country, and the scarlet-blos- 
somed or Malabar variety is one of the most beauti- 
ful objects possible when in flower : witness the 
line speoimen at the Pavilion, Candy. The ireeresem- 
bles Erythrina Indica in casting its leaves and in 
showing first the blossoms, then the pods, aud then 
the leaves. The cotton, which is easily separated 
from the seedy, is used in India and Ceylon for 
stuffing pillows, but in our hot climate it is rather 
soft an I warm for mattresses. As I have seen much 
of the cotton blown to waste, I think it probable 
that, with cheap freight obtainable, the article might 
be profitably exported to Australia. Java, however, 
is nearer to Australia, and freight to the colonies 
is more abundant. Th 1 want of freight from Ceylon 
of mineral matter against "5 70 of extra< 
of soluble salts. In the case of a two-a,...-. 
green tea, the soluble salts were only M5 '^rTm and 
the extract 20-00. Regarding the first the" r marks 
are :— " Bad. Highly faced with Prussian blu« and 
turmeric. Leaves genuine; adulterated with thy, 
sand, magnetic oxide of iron, and sulphate of linin 
These are entirely covered by the curling up of the 
leaf." Of the second specimen quoted by me, I find 
it stated :— " Very bad. Faced with Prussian blue 
and turmeric, genuine leaves very much broken, and 
adulterated with foreign leaves, withered leaves, excess 
of slalka, sand, clay, magnetic oxide of iron," The 
above 
and to 
two out of 15 
how difficult 
ciled to an article, howevi 
of which they are not fa 
what wa3 stated to me b 
Henty & Co., that whei 
revelations, a consignmer 
introduced, unfaced and 
dealers and consumers in 
spci 
ol 
green tea, 
t is to get persons recon- 
good, with the appearance 
liar, I need merely repeat 
VI r. Moody of Messrs. . las. 
in consequence of such 
of genuine green tea was 
marlulterated, the small 
jnantly rejected l he tea as 
"trash," and the consignment had to be sold at a 
large loss. We need not, therefore, wonder at the 
difficulties experienced in reconciling to pure Indian 
and Ceylon teas persons whose palates have been 
sophisticated by the "lie" teas of China. Of black 
teas (China) fourteen specimens were analysed, and 
the results were as might be expected, nothing like 
so bad as in the case of the green teas. One speci- 
men, indeed, imported direct from China and obtained 
fit to rank with the be<t Indian 
■c and sixpeuny tea (well worth 
12 grains of mineral matter; no 
rice, much 
by last P. 
tree Cotton 
that is the 
gin, for Mi 
lows cost generally 2d per lb. If 
>r clean stuff, there is a good mar- 
in Java is £4 per cwt. It could of course, be screwed 
into bales of small compass, but supposing quantities 
can be obtained at a moderate price, the great diffi- 
culty will be that of freight. 1 was told yesterday, 
however, that a vessel recently arrived from Ceylon 
belonged to Harper & Co., and that she made re- 
gular voyages. The publication of this letter may 
draw attention to the subject and lead to trial ship- 
ments. Iu any case I should be glad if a few well- 
ripened but unopened pods were sent to me, which 
I could hand to Mr. Guillefoile for his museum, after 
shewing them to those interested. But for personal 
inspection, 1 certainly never should have suspected 
that the successful competitor of Ceylon coir in the 
Melbourne market had been tree cotton, going under 
the name of " kapok " (the a pronounced as iu the 
first svllablo of fatal). 
at Beechworth 
or Ceylon. Tl 
the price) yiel 
less than 45 '779 of extract, and 3 57 of 
But such teas are rare exceptions. A 
black tea gave 5 GO grains mineral matt 
extract, and only 2 '49 soluble salts. In 
soluble salts were so low as 4 - 21. Of I 
record is:— " Bad. Large quantity of st 
small particles of Prussian bl 
leave 
the rubbish sold at 
drinkers of Austral 
perfectly pure Indi: 
people cannot cn< 
with chicory, so pe 
of tea and magnet 
inky black liquor) 
i baits, 
ihilling 
y 19 57 
r case 
:as the 
nd ex- 
ile and 
Of course the superior tea, unadulterated 
3. than 
ie tea 
o our 
some 
srated 
ctures 
ig an 
Ceyi.on, Indian and China Teas. 
Melbourne, loth Feb. 1881. 
Pure China tea*, cau, no doubt, bo procured, but 
in the "Laboratory Notes" for 1878 of the Mel- 
bourne Industrial and Technological Museum there 
are some astounding revelations made regarding the 
stuff which has been palmed off ,on Victorian tea 
drinkers. Genuine tea yields about 5 to 7 per cent 
of mineral ash, 3 per cent of which consists of soluble 
salts. The extract runs from 32 to (in choice sample*) 
50 per cent. Somo Ceylon tea which Mr. I hum is 
now analysing ha< given tbo latter result, Mr. Dunn 
stating that it took him a whole day to exhaust 
thoso extraordinary tea loaves. The inoro ox'raot the 
bettor, provided the soluble suits equal 3 pel ceo ol 
the. miner d ash. But any quantity of mineral matter 
beyond 7 per oeut indicates adulteration. Now the 
first specimen analysed at the Museum in 187S, a 
green tea selling 3s. at per lb., yielded 27*10 grains 
*3 
liquor) require a gradual education into 
■ genuine tea. That education the Indian 
large extent and the Ceylon Court in 
lest degree are giving. 
Mr. Sibthorp urged the necessity of bulking and 
blending teas for the Australian 
that what he recommended was 
the stronger Assam and Cachar teas, 
pekoe, Ac, from the Kangia Vallc 
market 
I 
I find 
base of 
flavoured 
larjeeling 
of their 
the moro 
added. So long as the t<-as use 
kind, the impression I have received 
different teas of pronounced but different Ilavours are 
mixed together the better. As Mr. Moody put it, 
the more the flavours are mixed, the less is the 
consumer able to fix on any one flavour to which he 
can object. In fact a tea drinker who would reject 
six different teas in their separate state enjoys and 
approves of th>> whole when judiciously mixed. VVhetht r 
a Ceylon Syndicate be possiblo or not, here is an 
opening for individual merchants or firms in Ceylon, 
who are experts or who have such iu their employ : 
different tea", low-grown ami high-grown, of different 
qualities and prices, can bo bought at market value 
aud bulked and blended, so as to bo exported in 
largo broiks. Of com sea producer like Mr. Blphinstone, 
who grows tea from the heights of Oliphaut down 
to the low ranges of Vakdessa aud the Hats of 
