March 1894.] 
THE TR0t»ICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
61$ 
THE TEA ENTERFKISE AND SCIENTIFIC 
EXPEKTS. 
" Tentacle" 's lettar will do good in rousing at- 
tention to all sides of the qaeaticn, albeit it 
rubfl some ol us the wrong way. Ho will see 
that we by no means mean that " fresh blood " 
should be imported in order to give the planters the 
needful soientifio help and to carry out important 
investigations, although our language iii hurriedly 
desoanting on our need, may have implied as 
much. We quite favour the utilisation of 
Boientifio knowledge and training in the persons 
of both Messrs. Cochran and Green, and we would 
once again urge that if the appointments were 
"official," it is not alone "tea" or " planting" 
generally, that would benefit. " Tentacle " asks 
us what good Soientists of the most varied attain- 
ments oould have done for us in the face of the 
ooffee fungus calamity which first appeared in 1869, 
Now if there be one lesson more than another 
taught U8 by the experience of 1869-81 (" the twelve 
years' conflict " as we mav call the period) it 
is, " how much the planters lost by 7iot attending 
to the teachings of science " 1 We take a 
full share of blame ourselves ; for we, equally 
with the whole body of planters, failed in 
1869-70, to give due attention and weight to the 
opinion of the late Dr. Thwaites, one of the 
greatest Fungologists the world ever knew, and 
even when many years after, Dr. Marshall Ward 
worked out the life history of the fungus and fully 
confirmed Dr. Thwaites' opinion as to the great 
difiSculty, if not impossibility of getting rid of it, 
there were not a few in the community inclined 
to doubt. Had we all accepted the scientific 
view ten years earlier than most people did, 
how much useless expenditure might have 
been saved ; and had planters in most of the old 
ooSee districts begun to set their houses 
in ordet, and prepared for the "inevitable" in respect 
of their coffee, so might they have turned their 
attention, time and money to other products many 
years before the aotual,orash came. Our experience 
of coffee leaf disease, is therefore, to our mind, all 
in favour of Science and Scientists and against 
trusting alone to the practical man going by the 
rule of thumb or by his own experience only. 
On the other hand, we entirely sympathise with 
the wise words with which "Tentacle" winds up 
his letter and commend them to the attention of 
the leaders of the Planters' Association. The 
prudent course would be to refer the subject to 
the consideration of a Sub-Oommittee which after 
consalting with Dr. Trimen, Messrs. Cochran, 
Oreen and others, might report to the next General 
BURNING OF BLOOMFIELD TEA FACTORY, 
MASKELIYA. 
We rFgret to learn that a telegram has been 
received in Colombo, announcing the total destruc- 
tion by fire ot the Tea Factory on Bloomfield 
estate, belonging to the Upper Maskeliya Tea 
Company. No particulars have yet come to hand 
as to how this has happened. The buildings and 
contents were fully insured — in the Hongkong office, 
we believe. The Company is very fortunate in 
having a factory on the adjoining estate of New 
Brunswick, in which thoy can carry on the preparing 
of their teas. 
It is strange how, after a long interval with no 
casualty, two Buoh fires as those of Peradeuiya and 
Bloomfield should have occurred so close together. 
Kbe present time of drought upouuntry ia onQ 
'A 
whsn special precautions should be taken in con- 
nection with tea factories ; but we trust this ia 
the last fatalily of the kind for the present year. 
GRAIN CROPS IN CEYLON. 
The Season Reports for tho Quarter endad Decem- 
ber 31st, 1893, as well as an abstract of same for 
Januiry last, art published iu Fridny's "Govern- 
ment Gazette" — the former giviui? the average rain- 
tail ia inches during the quarter, and to end of 
quarter from bet;iDuing ot year as well as tbe 
average to end of corresponding quarter of previous 
of three jears, betides price per bushel of paddy and 
dry grain rispectively in the quarter acd the pre- 
vious one, as also in the corresponding quarter of 
1892. On tUo whole the Crops and Proepeota during 
the quarter have been favourable, except iu some 
parts of the North-Weetern Province owing to want 
of rain. There aleo bad been a scarcity of food in 
the Nuwarakalawiya district of tho North-Oentral 
Province. 
The reports of Crops for January last csncot be 
said tobeohe rfal in the Western, Northern, North- 
western and Sibaragamuwa Provincof, and in tbe 
Trincomalee d strict of the Eastern Province. In tha 
Western Province the yield Las been small in Siyane, 
S ilniti and Hapitigam Korales and while there has been 
a plentiful supply of jak fruit in the Colombo though 
plantaii.s are rather scarce and dear. Jak is reported to 
be scarce in the Kalutata district and the prospects of 
the Coconut crop for 189^1 appear also to ba not very 
favourable in the Colombo district. In tha Northern 
Province rain is badly wanted in some divisious of tbe 
Jaffna District, while in the Manuar District, except- 
ing a few villages, ''unless gcod rain, which is most 
unlikely fall wiihin the next fortnight," the paddy 
crops will fail. On the contrary, the dry grain crops 
are very good throughtout the whole district and are 
being reaped. In the Kurunegala District of the 
North-Western Province the harvest will undoubtedly 
be short everywhere, except perhaps in Wetlda ; 
Dambadenija expecting only one-fourth, Dewawedi 
and Katngampola one-half of the average outturn, 
but it is said large areas in Kinijala are chenaed 
and will probably supply deficiencies in paddy. Pros- 
pects in Wanni on the whole, but the health of the 
people and cattle are reported to be tolerably good. 
In the Province of Sabaragamuwa the present dry 
weather i? unfavourable to the second maha; p&ddj 
plants in Nawadun Korale in the Ratnopura Distriot, 
while the late maha crops in Galbada and Kinigod* 
Kora'ej and Beligai Korale in theKegalla district were 
damaged owing to drought. In the Trincomalee dis- 
trict except under tinkscropa in blossom and in ear 
are withering for want ol moisture. For the rest o£ 
the island fair prospects are reported. 
TEA AND SCANDAL. 
I am sorry I cannot send you the music (by Henrif 
Pontet), as well as the words (by Knight Summers) 
of the following piece on Tea ; ljut no doubt those 
who wish will set it to a tune of their own. It, 
adapts itself admirably to my title, and is called 
"Five o'clock Tea": — 
One summer's day, at a Five o'clock Tea, 
There sat a bevy of belles ; 
Of this and that they freely discoursed, 
Those dames and demoiselles. 
Said a stately dame : '• Have yon heard the Jiews '? 
They quickly responded "No." 
"I'm told Miss F. is engaged at last," 
"No, truly, you don't say so." 
"Do yon take sugar/ Do you take cream?" 
Delightful Five o'clock Toa. 
" Now quickly draw near, and yon all shall hearj 
But it's ^trkl/i/ between you and me." 
"Now who is it to.'" thoy oaprerly askod. 
"I fancy tho name is JU-owu.'' 
The eflccl was like an electrical shock, 
That uame vio.^ wot with a, fiown^ 
