Oct. 2, 1893.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
247 
It contained, indeed, a eupgastion that these might 
have been blended teas, aud that upon suoh data 
his conolusion might have been wholly inoorrect. 
This Mr. Hughes assured me he felt to be im- 
possible. He had exercised the greatest oare in 
obtaining his samples, applying for th»m to a firm 
the three members of whiah were his personal friends, 
that firm deals in China, India, and Cejlon 
teas, and each of the three partners has one of 
three as his speciality. Consequently he was 
content with their aBsuranees that they had 
seleoted for him perfectly genuine and unmixed 
samples, as the partners had no more interest 
in one description than in another. However, 
ha had, as requested by the Association, quoted 
a price for tha analysis of fifty new specimens to 
be seleoted and sent home to him by that body. He 
had suggested that these should embrace samples 
of different kinds, having special regard to eleva- 
tion and varying conditions of manufacture. He 
thought that when theee further experiments 
shall have been made we shall ba possessed of 
sufficient data upon which he could advise as to 
further work to be done locally ; but he remarked 
that the last, to be efficient, must occupy a 
considerable time, and that the cost of them 
must be somewhat heavy. Therefore he should 
counsel further delay before this expense was 
incurred. Mr, Hughes thinks that Mr, Roberta' 
view as to the virginity of the deeper soils of 
Ceylon estates can hardly be maintained, or at 
all events that it is generally held that that of 
the surface is richer than that at greater depths 
because it has the benefit of all vegetable decay. My 
reply was that it seemed to me that this could scarcely 
apply in suoh cases as those wherein the sur- 
face soil had been for years drawn upon for 
constituents which had not been returned to it, and 
I still hold this to be a correct view. It is one, 
however, that can scarcely be determined without 
ANALTBEB. 
being made of the uppar and lower soils taken 
from the same locality, and this should certainly 
form part of the work that Mr. Hughes suggests 
should be carried cut as preliminary. During the 
course of our conversation it was pointed out to 
me that when writing you on the subject of the 
experiments made as to the quantity of stalk in 
different varieties of tea I bad fallen into error 
in saying that Mr. Hughes had sorted out the 
stalk before infusion. This he told me it would be 
quite impossible to do. It was only after the 
expression arising from infusion that it was possible 
to separate the stalk from the leaf. My error, 
however, in no way affects the conclusions drawn. 
It was further remarked to me that the Associ- 
ation seemed to think the analyst had shown it 
some neglect in having communicated the results 
of his last work to yourselves instead of to its 
Committee, but Mr. Hughes explained that his 
previous communication had met with but scant 
attention, and that to fulfil his purpose of awak- 
ing interest in the subject he could not have done 
better than in asking yourselves to oblige him with 
free and full ventilation of it. His work had 
been gratuitously done, and he was at liberty to 
seek his own channel for publicity. If specially 
retained and paid, of course be would be bound to 
communicate only with the Association. 
A PECULIAR DISCHARGE OF LIGHTNING. 
To ihe Editor, yalure. 
I should like to add to the many recent aooounts 
of lightning diaohargea the following particulars of 
which X have not yet leeu any publiebed agcouut. 
On the afternoon of WeilneBday, July 26th during 
a storm at about 5-30, a blue flime was observed by 
some of the inhabitunts of Bpping to approach and 
shatter the chimney of a house upon the hill, occupied 
by Mis. Brown nnd family at the time. 
An examination of the interior of the hou=ie shows 
the discharge to have passed chiefly by the bell wires 
which are fused, down ouo corner of r room upon the 
upper floor, breaking the back of n tiles'; of drawers 
near, and settins: the wall in the vicinity on fire. 
Oil the groand-flior the discharge seems to have 
taken two paths to earth, viz. down the corner of a 
front room by means of some metallio damp-proof 
paper, and in the kitchen adjacent by means of some 
wooden cupboards, the dooirs of which were much 
broken and thrown across the room. 
Mrs. Brown, who was seated in the front room, 
states that a few seconds before the house wai struck 
she noticed what appeared to be a darkened space, 
surrounded by a crinosoo fringe of flame in the corner 
(perhaps a brush discharge), and her son in the kitchen 
at the time testifies to having seen a similar thing 
previous to what appeared to be the bursting of the 
luminous ma«s, which occurred with a loud report 
filling the house with smoke and the usual accompany- 
ing smell of ozone. The walla are much damaged, and 
the polarity of a small oompaaa in a drawer of side- 
board nearest the path of discharge was reversed. I 
considered the apparent forewarning of the brush 
discharge of sufficient interest to justify this letter. 
William Beew. 
Electric Light Department, British Museum, Aug. 8th, 
MONKEYS AND COCONUTS. 
Among the presents given to the Shah of Persia 
by British traders in the 17th century were some 
monkeys ; and this is how they were caught : — 
"We took coconuts from the trees, cut a hole that 
the hand of one of them might go io, which they 
finding thrust in their hand, and could not with- 
draw it unless they drew it back empty, which 
their covetous nature permitted not, ensnaring them- 
selves thereby." — London Athenaeum. 
PLANTING NOTES FROM COORG, 
Ang. 18. — Although leaf disease has shown up in 
patches, coffee ie, on the whole, looking extremely 
well. A very good plan of helping trees to tide over 
the disease consists in giving them a small dose each 
of some quick acting manure, like nitrate of sod<t, 
&c,, and following it up by a renovation pitting &o. 
I noted some trees treated in this way last year which 
h-^ve not had a return of the disease this season. 
Owing to the success as regards crops which has 
attended the constant renovation pitting aid applying 
of manure round the sterna of the trees on one eet 
of places in North Coorg, this work ie coming into 
general favour and large acreages in Santikrppa are 
being pitted. It is likely, I am afraid, to supersede 
digging. This style of work is more in consonance 
with ibe practice in orchards at home, where a 
ttench is dug some distauce awa^' from the trees to 
prevent injury to the fruit producing fibres, and 
the coarse roots producing roots are bared 
and served, manure being applied all round the 
trees between the trenches and the stenis. This 
treatment forces the trees to crop heavily. The only 
danger from constant renovation pitting is increased 
borer. — JI. Mail. 
-« 
PLANTING IN NETHERLANDS INDIA. 
CINCHONA. 
At a recent meeting of Oinohona planters held 
at Batavia, it was decided to restrict the output ot 
bark owing to tbe glut of unsold bark i". the markets 
in Europe. It was also resolved to ask tbo Govern- 
ment to le.tsen the load of taxation on ciuohoua 
planters. Stress was laid on the need for the Gcveru- 
ment to limit sales on its stock of b»rk iu Europe, and 
to stop collecting bark on its plautaiioua until bettex 
times tel \\x,-~&traiti Tmesy Aug, 22. 
