'&'t, 1894.1 THE TROPICAL 
leaves about two inches in length are mere etalka 
civered with rfddish hairs. In some cases the 
fly was rolled up in the tip. In others whpre it 
siuok near the middle of the leaf the stfilk or 
leaf was bent into a semicircle around it to bring 
more of the glutinous hairs to bear on the prey 
and dissolved it. Oce !e^f I noticed had two of these 
curves ia its length around two little flies. These 
plants could hardly have been introduced, for they 
were sir miles from any mission house, and if they 
were at all abundant in the peninsula I think I 
would have seen them before — Yours truly 
" OBSERVER." 
[Dr. Trimen is good enough to give us the follow- 
ing note on the above : — " We find three kinds 
of Sundew in Ceylon, Drosera Burmanni, D. in- 
dica and i>. peltata.. The first is generally distri- 
buted in wet places throughout the island, the 
Eeoond rather rate and confined to the low-country 
andtbe last is found on y in tbe hill-country and 
is common about Nuwsra Eliya. All three also 
inhabit Peninsular India, and the first two are 
no doubt the D. rottindifolia and D. longifolia of 
your correspondent (being very like those Engiieh 
speoies at first tight). As to D. Jilifonnis, it is 
only know as a N. American plant, and I should 
be glad to see specimens of the ;speiiefi considered 
to te ths same found by your corre?ponder»t, it 
ha will kindly send a few. In the sequence of 
natural orders followed in my Flora the Droseraceo: 
come in tbe second pirt, toon to be published. — 
Henby Tbimen, Peradeniya, Jan. 9:h — Ed. T./l.-] 
THE TEA CHESTS OF THE FUTURE. 
DsAB Sir, — A fine to-do about Aome boxes. 
Thera are strong doubts as to their ultimate suo- 
oesB. I should say the rumour of the disease in 
the Momi trees was rot, pure and simple. My Jap 
friend's agent was here three months ago and be 
says the supply is practically inexhaustible. There 
are two quarters where the interest in the near 
future may be to run down and run oat Momi 
boxes if possible in view of the Udiigima Com- 
pany and the Aome boxes, but they won't succeed ! 
There is nothing to touch Momi a' present. 
MOMI FOR EVER. 
[To which we reply that the " rot, pure and 
situple " was contained as we stated in advices sent 
from Japan to a mercantile house, whose int'.rests 
are by no means adverse to the trade in Japm tea 
chests.— Ed. T.A ] 
STOWINU TEA AND BOXES' SUPPLY. 
Dear Sin,— In re the remarks the other clay re 
Tea boxbs, &o., ' the idea of screw-jacks in stowing 
tea boxes is absobd. With cotton bales ana 
similar elastic goods you can understand it. 
Besides they would not have time to work them 
here. I have myself stowed cotton and know all 
about it. A man onme to me to know what truth 
about Momi running short ? By and by I'll send 
you the Jap reply. It is all rot th»t rumour. — 
Soars, &o. TEA BOX. 
THE TEi QUESTION :—XLIV. 
Dear Sir.— The essential conditions for the 
" production of good tea " — which ought, but 
does not always, mean also good priea — have been 
pretty well threshed out in the forty-three letters 
from practical men published by you. Such a 
collection of views does good if it only sets men 
tbinkiog and comparing; but I don't think 
anything very novel has been elucidated, or 
anything which a practical man with an estate 
pkU«»cl^ piloted up aoU factor; ftlrdady baiU ^ai 
AGRICULTURIST. So^ 
fitted, can seiza upon to enable him to do better 
than he always has done. A^", for the majority of 
estates, such questions as "elevation, jat and soil" 
are fixed and settled quantities, it seems to me 
almost superfluous to discuss them in public*. But 
' How to produce the best made tea under these 
fixed conditions ?' is for each planter a problem 
for bis own solution. My own opinion is that 
good tea of the various sorts can be made 
anywhere and everywhere, with care in 
plucking, withering and firing, and sorting. 
But as regards " stand out " teas of cxccptiotial 
values, how can they be of any interest to any but 
a few ? What is the practical use of discussing 
this question by planters at large ? The Ceylon 
planters already turn out good teas in immense 
quantities for which they do not receive approximate 
fair value from the trade. It is not so much that 
the several estates wh'ch used to get high prices 
produce worse t?a than they did, as the fact that 
wa others have caught them up with a general 
rush, neither doing themselves nor ourfelves any 
good. Our great enemies are the buyers and the 
trade who, hij competing and cooperating with each 
other to ^ay as little as possible, nearly destroy the 
tea producing industry. The real question for 
discussion is "How to get value for good tea?'» 
The tea we make is good enough. 
A TEA MAKER. 
GRIEVANCES OF CACAO PLANTERS. 
Wattegnma, Jan. 20. 
Dhar Sir, — Is GoTernirent not going to pro.ect 
us cacio planters? Hare is homo experience aa 
reported to me :— A boy caught redhanded with 
pods in his possession gets off Ecot-free, because no 
other offenca was proved against him. 
A boy caught with pods in his possession was 
let off because he was too jouog for punishment 
(8 to 10 years old). 
Aboutiquekeeper was found in possession of sotce 
10 pods of green cocoa in his house. He accounted 
for them that a relation had sent them to him 
at his request for planting the seed in his garden — 
voluntary statement ; now all the pods were green 
and unfit to plant as the man know well when 
he made that statement. Some pods had been 
robbed from a native close by his boutique, yet the 
later would not go to Court as he would not spend 
the same amount of money as the other man oouldi 
The peace ofiScer took the man to the Magistrate 
and there being no complainant (who lost crop) the 
man was let off. 
A boutique man was found in possession of half- 
cured cocoa. He first said he got it from his brother's 
garden. Then, when that garden was visited 
and no signs on the trees of pods having been 
plucked, he said he bought it from a native. On 
going to the native's garden it was found he bad 
only Uaraccas whereas at least halt of the cocoa 
taken was Forastero. He further said he bought 
the whole for 4d from that man whereas that man 
said he only sold him and got paid for 2d. No 
theft could ba proved by , planters, so no case we ■ 
allowed to be taken. We want a law to enable os 
to get hold of the receiver; either he must prove 
where he got the produce from in a proper set of 
books or stand the consequence for having produca 
in bis possession for which he cannot account fori 
Several oases for cocoa theft have been proved 
in our Court and proper punishments given to 
those convicted, which certainly ought to deter 
others from thieving. 
• Oar correapoiideut forgeti that there are still 
young planters aud " seeking " cupitulista iu tbi; 
laud 1— iiD. T.A, 
