April 2, 1S94.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
be reduced to its simplest conditions and rules. 
Granted that from the moment the leaf is plucked 
"ohemioal oh^nges" commenoe, no one would dream 
of troubliog the ohemiit to interfere in the pro- 
gress of the first " stage in the series of changes" 
until the leaf had lost a oertaia percentage of its 
weight, say, or had assumed a certain color and 
feel ! Whether to go beyond that point, or to stop 
short of it, the experienced planter ought to know 
by this time, nor do I see what difftrance an 
analytical examination could detect in the com- 
position of the leaf beyond Ihe varying percentage 
of moiiture. The chemist is not yet born with 
skill enough to say that within the margin the 
practical planter allows for this operation, his 
analyses would enable him to say "this resultis better 
than that," or who could beat the palate if applied 
to test a dozen samples of tea made from as many 
heaps of leaf as variously withered, other conditions 
being the same. But is this first stage not very 
well understood alreaiy? or could science provide 
the necessary conditions to practise it to perfection 
where clima'.e differa, room is ineufScient and the 
oae thing necassary to make all easy, "working 
capita'," is nowhere ? Them xt stage in the series 
is more complicated, i e,, rolling. 
Admitted that the planter knows when his leaf 
is " withered " (for though this " chemical change" 
is "progressive," it is only cue change in the 
series) how should he roll ? Is not the price 
realized in competition with a thousand teas all 
difiereiily treated the final test? or should it 
notb)? (though we all know, unfortunately, it 
is not) ; but wa are imagining all tea made 
undtr identical conditions. After the tea, evenly 
withered, has lost a certain amount o£ weight 
representing loss of moisture and a given 
chemical change, it ia rolled for so long and 
Bubjeat to a certain amount of pressure. Here 
another " chemical change " sets in ; but let us 
suppose that no chemist could with existing machi- 
nery and appliances obviate the necessity for thus 
rolling and pressing the leaf until it sweats freely 
and shows a good commercial twist. Of all the 
many thousands of "rolls" done daily in Ceylon, 
probably no two are rolled identically alike, nor 
ever could be, and that's the point. Great approxi- 
mation is of course effected, within the walls of 
the same factory only. We must gently break up 
the cells of the leaf and give it a twist, and as 
it is, we do not stop short or go beyond that, 
keeping the roll cool during the operation. Are 
we at fault here ? If so, the very simplest laws 
of tea-making are not understood yet by anybody. 
The chemical change set up by the rolling is 
continued on the "fermenting" table, progressive 
from the time the roller begins to turn up to the 
point where the practiced eye and nose tell ua 
when to check it by firing; but it is only one 
ohaoge, the second, in the series, and if its pro- 
gress is even and continuous, like that of a grow- 
ing child, all we have to do is with its accomplish- 
ment. Unless we are each and all prepared to 
employ professional chemists as tea makers we 
must have some mirgin and some outward and 
visible sign as our guide, and this I think we have 
and if we are in doubt a few trial heaps will 
enable the palate to decide upon the best. Besides 
this, science has already taught us, though com- 
mou-sense would have done that, that to under- 
ro'.l and under-terraent gives a coarse flavor, while- 
over-rolling and over-fermenting gives a mawkish 
llavor, and seta up decomposition of the leaf. But 
we are told that the ohemist, here, can render us 
the i^riateat assistance : — " Mr. Biraber, after some 
moctlls' trying, has mida important di-icoveries, 
by aoalyeing the tea at dilf jreut stages of the aamo 
operation." Well, Mr. Bamber must indeed be a 
magician I It would take him, or any other 
chemist — not "some months" only — but a very long 
time indeed, to first find what to look for 
in his analyses, and what a few slight changes 
in the resulting formula really indicate; whereas 
the practiced tea-maker — (to which complexion even 
the chemist must come at last, to prove and 
demonstrate his diacoveries, for it is the final test 
and determinator) would in less than " a few 
months," arrive at a satisfactoiy solution of the 
problem by m^trely tasting selections of the tea 
" made at dfferent stages of the same operation." 
This the editor of the " Independent " admits 
ia carefully done by tea-makers, but he would have 
them also " know the difi'erence in the chemical 
composition effected in the tea by the various 
processes." But this is quite a hopeless aspiration 
and let us hope as unnecessary as it is hopeless. 
Given a few broad rules and principles and care 
taking in the work, and that is all we can hope 
for, or reasonably expect " in the factori/"; but if 
the chemist can discover new laws and new rules 
in his laboratory let him do so, but before he can 
be sure of their efficacy, he must submit them to 
the practical tea-maker and to the market for 
" proof.'* 
But all tea is not made under identical condi- 
tions, but under innumerable, varying conditions 
too well-known to mention, though each factory 
may, for practical purposes, consider all others 
in the same case as itself. It must attend to its 
own peculiar circumstances without regard to 
others. Finally, though modern Chemistry is un- 
doubtedly a m'arvellous and a magical science, it 
is not quite so magical as we are asked to b,-lieve. 
Before the chemist can be sure of hia deductions 
he mast prove them, and he can only do that by 
the palate of the tea-taster. TENTACLE. " 
CAREYING TEA LEaF LONG DIS- 
TANCES:— SILO SYSTEM. 
Feb. 22nd. 
Deab Sik, — Some time ago I took up the sub- 
ject of preserving fodder for cattle in the Silo. 
At the same time I was ttying to find some good 
method of carrying tea leaf without injury, for 
long distances, and it occurred to me to try the 
Silo system for this purpose. I would define the 
principle of the Silo to be — " The expressing of air 
in the first place from the product to be pre- 
served, and subsequently the exclusion of air." 
To insure the expressing of the air to a great 
extent, I compressed 3 maunda of tea leaf into a 
box meaauring 22 ixi 20 x 19— the density of the 
leaf may be stated as 1 lb. of leaf to 34-8 cubic 
inches. The means adopted for compi-issing the 
leaf was that of the weight of two men who 
pressed down the leaf with their feet as it was 
thinly sprinklel into the box, and the box took 
two hours to fill. If the filling had baen done 
hurriedly, it is probable that the leaf would have 
turned red. 
Having compressed the leaf and by this com- 
presaion having expressed the air, I placed a faUe 
lid on the leaf — i.e. a lid which would fit the 
inside of tha box, and be able to sink into the 
box. On this lid I placed about G cwt. of \i\<X. 
This pressure on tho leaf was suili^iflnt to injure 
that no fresh air could getintj iha leaf, and to 
express any gases formed. The result of this 
experiment was surprising. I left the leaf under 
pressure for eeveateeu hours, aud it had con- 
traoted throe inches. I opened the box and turned out 
