6l2 
tME TROPICAL AGRiCtjLTURiST. [March i, 1894. 
but Bight should not be lost of the ideas that West- 
ern peoples have of the East and that add a 
glamour of enchantment to its products. No doubt if 
the Ceylon planter could spare a few cents 
of profit on their chests to adorn them 
slightly on the outside, the inside contents would 
have a higher flavour, and the packages a greater 
attraction, even to Mr. Worldly -Wiseman of Mincing 
Lane I 
However, I have digressed from the primitive 
mode of Chinese tea making, with which Ceylon tea 
manufacture shows an extreme contrast. We do 
not know how long, or how many hands would be 
required to make, in China, say the 
130,000 LB. OF TEA, 
which the Galaha factory sends out in a day 1 But 
the Galaha factory is equipped with the highest pro- 
ductive machine power for all the processes of tea 
making, whereas the Chinese, with his usual conser- 
vatism has still his delights in " the good old times." 
This has been in Ceylon's favour, and long may 
Mr, John Chinaman enjoy them ! 
Ab we have said, Galaha Tea Factory is built in 
the form of the letter " T." The cross wings at the 
top are an addition to the original factory. The 
former is about 150 feet long by 10 feet wide, 
the latter 200 feet long by over 00 feet wide. It is 
built on an island in the Deltota-oya river, pic- 
turesquely surrounded by beautiful hills. Looking 
down upon its glistening white walls, and innumer- 
able windows, with its neatly kept green sward, 
more like an English lawn for fresh greenness, 
theqniet content of the outside Bppesrance betokened 
nothing of the ateedy, qniok motioos of machinery 
ioaide. We felt chanted. The immedisteiy furround- 
iag estates belong to the proprietors of the factory, 
the Messrs. Strachan, but bpyond lay uomerons well- 
known estates, such as Mr. Lipton's Poopraesie estate, 
Le Vallon, &e. There is a tale in oonnectiou with the 
contour of one of the surrounding bills, which has a 
very striking likeness, in profile, to a certain Colombo 
V, A. It is ■ terror to Mr. Hall : as its shadow 
!b always beside him ! Should be at any time 
feel inclined to shirk hif) duty, one look attbe" sleep- 
ing warrior," is enough to check aid prove 
corrective ! It keepa him wideawake — as no doubt 
the V.A, knows ! 
THB Wj»TEH POWEB 
comes from the river named, vfhich was comparatively 
loW at the time of our Tisit ; but io time of flood we un- 
derstand, it rises to five aod six feet higher. To reach 
the factory from Mr. Hall the Manager's bungalow, 
which is built on the rise of a neighbouring hill, ne 
descend to cross over a footbridge, suspended on wires. 
We shouldn't have liked our friends, who believe us to 
be teetotallers, to see us pass over this bridgo, or they 
might believe that the Galaha manufacture was rather 
more exhilarating than the usual run of tea ! But we 
maoBged by steadying efforts to get over, Que 
gentleman, however, it was reported, who tried 
BomethiDg stronger than the Galaha brew, disagreed 
BO much with the bridge, or the bridge with him, that 
he spitefully waded through the rive'r ! Mr. Hall 
thought him foolish, and so did we. 
We entered the factory where the leaf is weighed. 
This is on the second floor, and the ground on this 
side of the factory makes it possible to pass into the 
building, over a wooden bridge way from the road 
which runs round the factory. We were at once in the 
WITHEHING I.OFTS, 
and felt the warm air upon oor face. Both the 
second and third floors are used for witheriog. Mr. 
Hall pointed out that at present they were busily 
lenewiog the withering tats, which has to be done 
every 5J years or bo. The renewing of these clouda 
of tats would be an expensive item of itself, w9 
thought, but Mr. Hall, it was quite evident, had 
made them well serve their day and generition, if 
such a term may be allowed, before he bestowed 
them probably good conduct badges to the 
eoolies to wear round their loins ! Theee 
two atoieys bava tiers of these tats from 
floor to ceiling in unbroken continuity, except 
wliere a passage ia needed to pass from one partof 
|ti9 t)9|ldipg t9 the 9%;. Aoa iQ the Qensi jpatt I 
of the factory an icgenions way of building tiiM* l«U 
enables them to be very easily and quickly removed 
and narrow pasiages formed anywhere for the coo- 
venience of the work. This amcgemeot greatly 
facilitates operations in connectios with the witbwios 
of the leaf. 
The hot air supplied to tbe»e large withering lofia 
comes from five firing driers on the fint flo'r. Tbe 
floors, right above the fans of these driers tia*e been 
cut away, and No. 4 galvanised mesh fixed in. A 
contipaous stream of hot air rises, through thee* 
openings, aod permeates tie whole place. ThasA 
opetiQgs, however, are in tbe older pan uftletuild- 
iug, and Mr. Hall, always baving an e>e lu Ltedlul 
improvements, ba^ under courideratiuB a scheme 
whereby the heated air from tbe older building may b« 
by a 
fiY6TBM OK I'ANS, 
drawn more rapidly throughout tbe newer p«rt, aod 
tbe heavily laden, moist air expelled from tbe buildiog. 
He is first to try tbe eStct of two ^B-icch fan*. tx> be 
driven by belts from the main bhaftiug oo tbe first 
floor. The floor of the newer part of the building is 
of English pice, rpooially imported, and we noticed 
that tbe beat of the place had little or no efi^ect upon 
this wood whereas in tbe older building, wbere native 
wood is u»ed, the heat has contracted it, aod left small 
openings between the boarding. Eight shoots from 
tbe seound and third floors, for sending the withered 
leaf down, are placed directly ever the rollett, lor 
feeding the mtcbines direct from tbe loft«. 
Theae are tbe principal features cf the withering 
lofts, bat there is one matter, which Mr. Hail bas not 
overlcoked to which we may refer. The openings in 
tbe floors for allowicg tbe heated air from the ori*rs 
to ascend to tbe lifts are almost fatal to tbe sue- 
Of s^ful extinguishing of fire, ebculd there be such an 
ULforiUBate occurrence. One course would be to 
have means for closing them, and Mr. Htll has 
likely provided for th<s, bol what be aims ai 
is the extingnirhing of fire at tbe ontaet. H« is 
atraoging to have hose pipes, connected with a 
forcc-pamp attached to the tut bine, on each floor of the 
building. This will be aa good as a fire brigade, and 
is only another instance of the general adaptation of 
means to meet tbe demands for efiioiency and eecnritj 
from loss- 
Passiog down to tbe first floor, where all the 
OPERATING MACHINEBT 
is placed we see the green leaf in process of maonfaetoN 
into black tea, in all stages. At ore end of the factory 
the leaf is placed in the rollers, and fiom one machine 
to another it progresses, till it is, at tbe other end, 
weighed, soldered up, and nailed in cheste, ready for 
delivery. This beautifully lighted and airy floor ia 
about 200 feet long, and io the centre aod along the 
entire length sbatting runs, supported by brackets 
attached to the second floor. Toia abifting from 4^ 
inches at one end, tapers down to 'J^ inshei, and 
drives the whole ot the machinery direct without the 
intervention of counter shafting, except in the case of 
tbe sorting maobine?, which work in ore of tbe erose 
sections formed by the "T" shape of the building. 
As we have said either the engine or turbirc, or 
both together, may drive the abafticg, bat whereas 
the engine will have to be started in tbe engine-houre 
the turbine msy be started from the first floor, 
by an operator at one ot tbe 
LEAF BOIXINO MACHINES. 
These rolling machines are eight in number — six 
"Excelsiors" and two"K»jths" — and are placed four 
on each side of the shaft, at the end of the building 
nearest the engine and turbine. On our visit tbey were 
rolling about 10,000 lb. of leaf per day, but in the 
busy season, say from the middle of Marcb to the 
middle of June, from 25,000 to 30,000 lb. of leaf ia 
rolled easily. Below each of these roller'^, the floor, 
which is of concrete, Blopes downwards, so as to 
receive a barrow for holding the rolled leaf. These 
barrows carry tl.e leaf to the nearest machines — 
roll sifters. But it may aho be mentioned that 
beneath each of the roller", the slope for the 
barrows is continued in a small drain, and when 
