6§6 
THE TROl^lCAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, i8$4. 
Patje 492.— "Lead in the Tea" : I am investigat- 
ing this eubjeot beoauBe I think the conclusions 
drawn by Teiley & Co. are not quite oorreo'; but I 
will refer again to this matter later on. — Yours 
truly, THOS. CHhISTY. 
TEA LEAD IN TEA TACKAGES 
London, E.G. Feb. 22. 
Sin, — I informed you that I would make inquiries 
i'bspeoting the lead being found in the tea chests. 
1 lind that it is not thought that any fraud 
has been committed in the bonded tea warehouses 
in London, but it is explained that pieces of lead 
are tacked into the ioner linings of the boxes 
in Cejloa, with the object of equalizing tares, 
the boxes themselves not being uniform as to 
the thickness and description of the wood used in 
their oocstruotion. 
If you can call attention to any further par- 
ticulars I shall be glad to look into the matter. 
Naturally the packers of tea in Ceylon will be 
able to furnish information in reply to this charge. 
—Yours truly, THOS. CHRlbTY. 
CACAO CULTIVATION AND RAINFALL. 
• Wattegama, Feb. 14. 
Dear Sir, — I encloce a table shewing the rainfall at 
half a-mile from the Wattegama station for the last 
eight yfars, and other two tables of the perctnt/iges 
of cacao crops on two estates, gathered in each 
month for the corresponding period. The rainfall 
tables run from January Ist to December 8l8t; 
the crop percentages from July 1st to June 30th ; 
August to January being considered the autumn, 
and February to July the spring, crops. 
October, January and June are the most variable 
months, and one may reckon 5 to 6J months from 
blossom to harvest. 
] 892-93 was the latest, and one of the shortest, 
orops. As in the old coffee days, th3 early crop 
is usually a bumper one. 
Many useful deductions may be drawn from these 
facta atd figures, and I hoje they may proYc ol 
service to some of my fellow cacao planters. — I 
Bm, &c., CHAS. GIBBON. 
RAINFALL FOR EIOHT YEARS, WATTEGAMA (ELEVATION, 
1,650 TO 2,500 FEET.) 
April 
May 
June 
July 
5-51 
7-87 
5-93 
5-00 
6-90 
2-00 
5-76 
3-76 
3-31 
8-91 
14-38 
2-42 
9-26 
11-63 
3-45 
8-86 
10-72 
5-28 
8-02 
5-41 
4-87 
15-50 
7-10 
4-95 
3-38 
2-80 
6-30 
7-36 
8-57 
2-30 
7-98 
5-02 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 
Tl. 
10-27 
7-20 
4-22 
13-94 
13-81 
23-67 
90-39 
15 82 
7-18 
15-88 
75-91 
7-77 
6-05 
4-06 
72-10 
5-54 
7-48 
5-83 
69-21 
15-86 
4-76 
6-37 
76-15 
15 57 
10-22 
3-30 
86-54 
10-06 
14-28 
4-48 
74-20 
MONTHLY PEBCENTAGE) Ot CACAO CBOTt HABVE8TED 
FROM TWO ESTATES IN -WATTEGAMA AT AK ELEVATION 
OF 1,0.'>0 TO 2,5(j0 FRET. 
Aug. 
and 
Sept. — 
Oct. 4-30 
Nov. 12 90 
Dec. 46-30 
.Tan. 19-50 
Feb. 2-15 
Mar. — 
April — 
May 4-30 
.Jnne 10 55 
00 <s 
3 -GO 
4-51 
6 75 
2-94 
1080 
7-20 
9.37 
26 60 
4-46 
10-78 
30-65 
27-35 
35-95 
29-16 
34-25 
24-15 
41-56 
27-05 
34-78 
23 95 
2710 
13 70 
21-38 
26-oa 
10-80 
18-00 
15-5-5 
16-66 
270 
16 95 
1117 
5-40 
1-86 
1 20 
5-55 
-40 
6-30 
1-80 
2-10 
9-72 1 
1-80 
1-86 
1-80 
-70 
5-85 
3-60} 
7 46 
1-80 
4.35 
3-00 
2-10 
3 60 
1-80 
11-80 
2-75 
7 75 
5-30 J 
100-00 100-00 100 00 10(J OO 100-00 100-00 lOO-OO lOO-OO 
Anp. 
and 
Sept. l-8« 
Oct ~ 
Nov. 24-29 
Dec. 47-66 
Jan. 19-62 
Feb. — 
Mch. 1-86 
Apl. — 
May 1-8(5 
June 2 85 
1-35 — 
-82 
307 
7-43 1-44 
4-2:^ 
17-90 
9-23 
4-96 
11-93 
38-.50 21-15 
46-50 
37-56 
19-55 
33-50 
45-38 
27 40 33-65 
27-29 
27-04 
33 17 
21-40 
21-29 
11 48 25-96 
9 32 
7-71 
19-25 
11 40 
10-37 
— 4-85 
2-20 
2-30 
8-82 
8-78 1 92 
2' 10 
1-37 
1-14 
10-25 
1.35 1-92 
84 
1 10 
421 
3 80 
^ 7-34 
1 35 2-86 
2 10 
1 92 
8 45 
2 05 
2-36 6-25 
7-62 
2-38 
7-70 
3-80 
100 00 100 00 100-00 100 00 100.00 100-00 100 00 100-00 
" WHAT SCIENCE CAN DO FOR US IN 
THE TEA FACTORY." 
Dear Sir,— When your contemporary, the editor 
of the "Independent," writes on soimoe we all 
accord him a resptclful hearing, for he is an 
accepted authority on matters ecientifi?, and bia 
long sxpc-rience baa taught him the danger of 
hasty conclusions. He has suppoitsd you, sir, 
ihroughout in your insistence on the necessity for 
professional assistance and advice to planters in 
the field and in the factory. I did not write the 
sentence which that editor has taken for bis text, 
but as it is much after my own w&y of thinking, 
I should like to criticise the critic who cays 
your correspondent, presumably "an authority, 
appears to mits the object of analysis entirely." 
Your correspondent argues tbat:, " as all the 
processes of the factory are conducted with a view 
to bring out the best flavour of the tea, the 
palate seems to be a better guide then chemical 
analysis." Your contemporary contests this, and, 
following the expression of opinion just given, 
asserts : " the palate tests the result, but cannot 
discern at what stage of the process the flavor is 
gained or lost, or to what particular chemical 
change that essent'al quality is attributable," "for," 
he adds, " the whole process of manufacture from 
end to end is one continuous series of chemical 
changes &e., <io " Now, before going further, let 
us suppose, for a moment, that all the leaf manufac- 
tured in Oeylon into tea, was grown and made under 
iientioally the same conditions as regards soil, 
climate, plucking, witheriog, rolling, oxidizing 
and firing &c. Given, then, the faoihtiea for tha 
due petfoimanoe of all these functions everywhere 
ali^e, thQ etttdy q£ tbg nftauf^ctute ol tea w9Hl| 
