tHE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, f April 2, 1894. 
Belfast Tea Machinist and larentor ia to devote to 
the manufaoluro or storage o( everything needful to 
the Tea Planter. The arrangemeutj ure to be fully 
adequa'^e and with a btifi of (our European 
Engineers devoted entirely lo Te* Fuctoriej and 
Mttohinery — no wotk being taken in General Engi- 
neering or Building — Mr. Davidson hjp;8 to be 
of spicial service to the Oeylon Plautars. He 
has already devised a " model f iccory " and 
that the now Colombo Staff are not likely to be 
idle, is evident from tha fact that orders bulh.ient 
to keep tbetn busy lor a year have already 
been booked. 
THE TEA TRADE 
has undergone a complete chaago, and the mix- 
ing is now done for them in the central ware- 
houses of London by specially-trained " blenders," 
with the obvious advantage tliat grocers can draw 
their weekly supplies made to suit any taste, and 
need not hold large stocks, liable to depreciate day 
by day, With any resumption of demand, however, 
from provincial dealers— which is by no means im- 
possible in the more hopeful outlook for trade 
generally— the effect would be quickly noticed in 
Mincing-lane. For nearly twelve months the value 
of tea has been declining, until recently it touched 
the lowest price on record. . Now, it seems probable 
that the pendulum will swing the other way, for 
a time at all events, an t, if it do so, even con- 
sumers of the cup that cheers will not grudge a 
turn of fortune to those who are engaged in its 
production and distribution.— /"jnanciai JSewa. 
THE VALUE OF MICA AS A 
MANURE. 
A Pulney correspondent, in writing to this paper 
a short time ago, mentioned that mica was to be 
found in very great quantities in his district. He 
further expressed his opiuiou that, as mica con- 
tained a large amount of potash, it would be a 
great thing tor coffee planters if a method of ex- 
tracting tue potash could ever be disco. ered. Our 
correspondent further said that, as potassic mica 
cannot ba formeJ without potash, the presence of 
mica on the surface argued a large reserve of 
potash in the soil. His two arguments are ob- 
viously contradictory as, if a large reserve of potash 
is in the soil, the extraction of this element from 
the surface mica, is on the face of it, needless. 
Moreover, on referring the question to Mr. D. Hoo- 
per, Cijeuiical Analyst to the Madras Government, 
we find that mica by no means invariably contains 
potash, the percentage varying from nothing to 
only 11 per cent. As regards the extracting pro- 
cess, the potash contained in the mica is so inti- 
mately combined with si jca, that, with the present 
prices of potassio salts, it would never pay. So 
tfiat our Pulney- correspondent's theories are incon- 
clusive, to say the least. — iSoutk of India Observer, 
March 3td. 
COCOA CULTIVATION : CROPS AND 
RAINFALL. 
The pressure caused by the many meetings and 
much " speeohifying " nas delayed the publica- 
tion of the letter and useful returns on this 
eubjeot sent to us by Mr. Chas. Gibbon and 
given further on. The cacao shrub undoubtedly 
ioveSj moisture in its own congenial climate, 
and where favoured with a good soil and protej- 
tion from wind. An old planter with much 
experience in manuring, has never met with a 
plant that responds more readily and certainly 
to liberal cultivatioa. At Wattegama, Mr. Gibbon's 
annuul rdinfall has ranged for seven jcars betiireea 
('/.) and 90 inches, the average being about 77 
inobos. November and Doo<.mber ate. the iwo 
greht crop gatberiLg moatbs, as much ab 67^ per 
cent of tbc to.dl baia^ credited to iLem two 
months uf one }ear, and that the raiofdU has a 
decided eilcos on the crops aa be readily inferred 
from Mr. Gibbon's table. 
TEA AND SCANDAL. 
Tbe earliest notice of Xka by • Europettn writer 
is said to be the fol o«riug : — ''They als3 (tue Obineae) 
Lave also ao htrbe, out of wbicb tLiey preisj a deli- 
cate juice, which bervea them fur driui-ke instead of 
wine. It also preserves the^r beiJtb, aud frj«.s thout 
from all thuso evils tual the immoderate use of wine 
doth breede aaiu us." (p. 75, A Treatite cjuoerning 
the cauises of the Magnibotnce and Ot^atness of 
Cities, Divided iuto 3 Bookt<, by 8ig. Giovanni 
Botero, in the Ital an tougue, low ooue luto Eutiliab 
by Eobt. Petcrsou, LiucolueB Inne Gent LoDjod. lOU6.) 
Sir Thomas Herbert, io ' .'^ome Yeur'a TraveU 
(p. 370 )' says:— " Their (the CbiDese) driuk ii coni- 
moiily liOl, nnl by itt t>st- aid colour ap|.eirB to 
be ootfee. They dribk ult aud little. A< d I find 
in tbe 'Atlas Japanuen-iia ' by Arnoidus Aloatauua, 
transUted by John Ogilby, (p. 64.) 1070, this account 
of tea amongst the Jsptuete :— " Xtie iiloud of tbe 
Qtm^e is al ogother aukuowu to them, but iusteiid 
thereof they make their wine of rice, but most of 
all tbey aie delighted with nat<'r beated and mixed 
with the puw>lfer of Cbis. In notbitg tbey are itore 
ouriona aud diligent thau in mukiug thia oompounj, 
which tbe Grandees tbemselves pride to prepare when 
tbey enttrtam their friends ; fur which purpose, to 
make this their apecial liquor, tbey bate par- 
ticular places ia tbeir houses, where in a kind of 
furnice over a getitle fire it itaDda ioliuiDg, from 
whOQoa, when they are visited by strangers, lifting 
up the lid, tbey take it up in dishes and present it 
bo^, trowling the cup around one to anotLer. 
"Their several vesse.s wbich they use io this pre- 
paration are a kind of Limbeck or Fur„ac?, TauDel, 
Stone, Oruses, Spouos aud Put<, in wbich tliey keep 
both the Herb and Powder of Chia. Tneir last 
compliment, which they are mott proud of, if- to show 
them (heir wealtb, boasliug iheir acouuju'ated tiua- 
sure. Bat their foremcntioned urink the Jm annesea 
esteem aad value more thaa we our preciuus stone* 
and ineeiimable Jewels.'' 
In 1774 toe American pipers teemed vrith attackg 
upon Tea, some in poetry, a spi cimeu of which 1 
send yon, takeu from the A'ew Hampshire Craiftlc 
of July 22ad of that >ear. -It ia is rather jrevohiug 
in its references to tbe mummies thtt used then to 
be shipped along with the fragcaat Obinese btrb: 
1 
Bouse, every generous, though ,'ful mind, 
Tbe risiug uauger flee ; 
If you would lasting ireedom fiod 
Now then abandon Tea. 
2 
Scorn to be bound with golden chaios 
TUough ihey allure the eight ; 
Bid them defiaDce if they claim 
Our freedom and birthright. 
3 
Shall we our freedom give away, 
And all our comfort place 
In drinking the outlandish Tea 
Only to please our ta^te f 
4 
Forbid it Heaven, let us be wise, 
And seek our country's good. 
Nor ever let a thought ar se 
That Tea shoull be our food. 
b 
Since we so great a plenty have, 
And all that's for our health, 
Shall we that baleful herb receive 
Impoverishing our wealth? 
6 
When we survey the bloodless corrwA 
With putrid matter filled, ^ 
foi crawling worm s a bweet resort 
By us 'reputed ill ; 
