128 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1I93. 
OoEBuaATED Iron Bdildingb. — Messrs. Bruoe & 
Still Ltd. of the Mersey Galvanizing Works Liver- 
pool, who are advertisiDg in the Tropical AyrUul- 
turht have issued a beautifully illustrated catalogue 
of v^hioh we would recommeud our readers to 
obtain a oopy. It shows substantial and artistically 
designed corrugated iron buildings suitable as re- 
sidences, clubs, warehouses, hal.'s, ^.o , and the 
prices stated seem very moderate. 
Tea Cdltiva'i'ion : Prospective Extension. 
— We take the following from the //. and C. .Hail : — 
A notable feature of the past week is the issue of 
a "confidential " circular to its shareholders by the 
admiDiafratiou of the two large Glasiiow companies 
engaged in tea planting, informing them of their 
intention to increase the joint capital by the issue 
of £800,000 of fresh capital for the purpose of 
extending operations to the Bramapootra Valley and 
Ceylon, in both of which districts land has been 
applied for. One-half of this same it is intended 
immediately to offer to existing shareholders in the 
two companies. 
Can this have reference to the pioneering already 
reported in our Balangoda-Bamberabotuwa district ? 
Cp:ylon Tea Expobts. — The total for the half- 
ye^r, according to the Customs accounts, is 
43,913.878 lb. as compared with 39,639,796 lb. for 
the same half-year of 1892. This would point in 
the case of the current year to an aggregate total 
as per Customs, of about 82 million lb. But the 
Chamber of Commerce figures for the halt-year 
indicate a total for the year under rather than 
above 80 million lb., for the shipments during the 
seoond half of the year have always been about ten 
per cent less than in the first six months ; while 
if fine tea-making becomes more general we may 
even see a shorter outturn. Messrs. Forbes and 
Walker give the exports to date (6th July) as 
follows: — 
To United Kingdom ... d 1,461, 000 lb. 
„ Aastralasia ... ... 3,032,000 „ 
44,193,000 lb. 
One reason, undoubtedly, why the total of our 
exports has not reached larger figures in pro- 
portion to acreage during the past eighteen months, 
is that a good many corners put into tea on 
some of the older coffee estates, have latterly 
been left without plucking. The acreage so treated 
may be comparatively trifling in each individual 
ease, but when the aggregate is made up for 
the whole country, it is undoubtedly appreciable. 
Tea is Eueb a hardy plant that non-cultivation does 
not affect it in the same way as coffee, and in the 
event of a better market and higher prices by and bye, 
a resumption cf plucking, after getting the bushes 
into order, might take place in the oases referred 
to- It will be cf interest to see how our total 
acreage under tea works out this time for our 
Directory. We are not prepared to say as yet ; 
but hope before long to be able to lay the figures 
before our readers. 
The Action op Lightning on the Vine. — A 
memoir, having the above title, has just been 
presented by E. Kalliay to the Academy of Science 
at Vienna, in which the following afSrmations 
are made : — 
1. CoUadon's statement with regard to the redden- 
irg of the Vine-leaves during thunder-weather is 
confirmed. It had been impugned by Caspary, but 
Rathay finds that it is common amongst all Vines, 
the leaves of which redden in the autumn. 
2. The reddening of the leaves occurs in Vitis 
Bvlvestris ; it does not affect some of the American 
Vines. 
3. The phenomena are comparable to those which 
resnlt from various mechanical injuries. 
4. The colouring is an immediate consequence of 
the lightning, and is followed by tronbles in the 
cambium, and by decortication. " 
5. The fruit BuHers, and appears tu wither. 
A number of statements oi less importance axe 
also made. — Gardeners' I'hroniele. 
Senegal Bcbbeb should be '< lookiog up " a 
little, as the Belgian ^'ice Consul at UoiZ-e eaye, ou\j 
five or six years ago the exports of oaoutobouo 
only attained 50 to OO tons, but in 16^*3 tbej 
reached 306 tone He states that the ijutlity baa 
been Eenribly improve! •' by prooesses that the 
natives have borrowed from Europeans ' Ctya 
mance \h the district where rubber oolleetion has 
most ijrogressively developed.— /?<^cfr(>af Trade$ 
Journal, June 8. 
Pbdnino or Tea.— No liard and fast rule can be 
laid down for this imjiortunt work on a tea estate. 
A mistake many of us have made, was iii cutting 
down our bushes too soon, aud getting leaf out of 
them before they came to maturity. One of our 
most successful coffee planters, as he is as a tea 
planter — Mr Blackettor Dolosbage— is nbw reaping 
the fruit 1 of being in no hurry to cut down or 
to prune. Jat, soil, and climate have all to be 
taken into account in this important work. It 
cannot be managed from Colombo at any rate. 
Plants as Rabcxietebs — A French observer, named 
M. Cans, has been for some lime past closely 
observirg the action of several common planta 
when the barometer indioatei a change of weath< t. 
He found that if the beads of clover and other 
leguminous plants stand upright there will be rain. 
If the leaves of sorrel turn up, it is a sure sign 
of storm, which is also foretold by the leaves of 
willow graes slowly turning up. The closing ol 
the flowers of convolvulus indicates rain, which, 
as is 80 generally believed, may be said of the 
flowers of the pimpernel, and also the hibiscus 
flowers. When the flowers of the sorrel open, it 
is said to be a sure sign of fine weather, but if 
they olose it will rain. If the flowers of the carline 
thibtle olose, there will be a storm. The expanding 
flowers of cicquefoil suggest rain, but their closing 
means fine weather. The African marigold flowers 
close before rain ; while the scales of the teasel, 
pressing close together, pretty surely mean rain. — 
Boston Conmonu eallh. 
Planting and Transport in Haputale. — We 
learn that planters in Eastern Haputale are on 
the whole well-pleaeed with the railway rate equi 
valent to 1^ cent, per lb. on their tea to Colombo. 
This has hitherto been the cart rate from the 
Koslande end of the district to the capital, 
and steps are now being taken to secure carts 
on estate account to «ork to and from the 
Hsputale railway station. Of courEC this will 
add somewhat to the transport charges down ; but 
there will be a saving on goods up, apart from the 
immense advantage in time and safety en route. 
There is a talk of a wire shoot through Eelbnrne 
to connect with the railway station as there used 
to be of one between Batgodde and Idulgaehena when 
that itation was projected. More likely will be 
road extensions to serve the Eastern valleys from 
Bandarawella, though it will not be easy to get a 
route that will be convenient for all. — We hear 
very gcod accounts of the prospects for an autumn 
coffee crop ; green bug ia not so prevalent, aod 
still more satisfactory, some fields that were 
treated to a brushing of lime solution after a 
severe pruning of the bushes, have kept free of 
bug since. We sincerely trust that it may be pos- 
sible by fighting bug with lime to keep in profitable 
onltivation, even a remnant of coffee in Hapotala 
and other Uva districts, — Oaoao in some parti ii 
also doing well. 
