May t, 1894.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURISt. 
759 
To tht Eiihr, 
CARRYING TEA LEAF LONG DISTANCES. 
Mortheia India, March. 
fcJiH, — The abo76 formj a better heading than that 
adopted m'3 in ray first letter. I usel the term 
" Silo System," &o.. in order to attract instant 
attention to the essential principle of my system, 
which is that the exolusioa ot air by the applica- 
tion of prossur.} prevents fermentation. Your 
quotation from Mr. Bamber's new book does not 
apply to my system, because the leaf under pressure 
does not become red, if it his been compressed 
sufficiently and if air is excluded. 
I have to thank the " experienced Ceylon mana- 
ger" for his reply to my letter, but I think that 
he has not quite realized the prinniple on which 
I propose to work. Ot course, the simplest way 
ot testing my assertions would have been to try 
them practically as detailed in your issue of March 
Idth. AU that is required is a wall-fitted tea-oheet 
(of well-seasoned wood which will not give any 
woody smell) of any dimeDsions, and the labour 
of two men to trample ia the leaf slowly and 
evenly — so slowly ihit the two men will be em- 
ployed for two hours before the 3 mauads ot leaf 
well be pressed into the box. Note carefully the 
required aenstty 34 8 cubic inches to 1 poun l of 
leaf from tbiB it will be easy to determine the 
amounti of leaf ; to be put into the box the dimen- 
sioue of which are known. 
The weight of (load, altones) pressure to be put 
in the false lid should be from l\ to H pounds per 
square inch of surf^tcc of the false Jid. With these 
simple appliances the " Silo " system can be tried : 
a box, two coolies a few heavy weights. Care 
must be taken that the wrigats do not get sup- 
ported by the sides of the box, I can assure your 
c^rrespoudetit that it is possible to compress 240 
lb. of fresh tea leaf into " an ordinary lea chest " 
without expressing any juice, and that heating 
and fermentation will not t;ike plaae. He has 
quoted instance where leaf " hard pressed into a 
basket has been spoilt but he must see that this 
is the most favourable condition for active far- 
mentation, i.e., condit'Ons of moderate pressure to 
Btart the beatmg and the admission of fresh air 
to carry on the combustion. I propose to pack 
the leaf so tightly that the air is expressed and 
no rapid heatmg can take place, and after that 
to prevent fresh air from getting at the leaf. Mr. 
Bamber in one of bis circulars states that roiled 
tea leaf deprived of air remained absolutely un- 
changed in colour after 24 hours ; also that it 
remained almost uoohanged with a limited supply 
ot air. To begin with I only want your readers 
to allow that there is some possibility of success 
in the system I have brought to notice. FK£liSS. 
F. S. — The bruised condition of the leaf after 
being compressad is not to be taken into consider- 
ation because whether fresh or withered leaf, has 
been pressed, it must be put into the rolling 
mAohine as soon 09 it is taken out of the pres" 
sure abest. There mutt not be a delay of even 
half an hour, as if there is any delay, the exposure 
to the air will turn the leaf red, and of fiesh 
leaf the stalks mil again become brittle. Once 
in the cheat the lea( will remain there under 
constant prtaaure until it is put into the rolling 
machine. Withered leaf can be manufactured aa 
nBUal, but unwitheiod leaf will require di£[erent 
tieftUnent beoaase tha moisture has to be got rid 
ol aftdT iaitikd ol hifgrt rolling. fBESS. 
09 
A PLANTING QUERY: TEA ROOTS 
AND SOILS. 
Dear Sib, — It will be interesting to read what 
answer your " Scientific Referee" will give to 
"An Old Coffte Stamp's" question: "Do the deep 
roots in very dry weather abnormally draw upon 
reserves of mineral aalts"? This question pre- 
supposes the probability that in ordinary rainy 
weather such roots are inactive in consequence ot 
the sufficiency of the supply of " mineral salts" 
nearer the surface. The roots of plants can absorb 
or feed on nothing that is not soluble and in a 
state of solution, and when all moistare is absent 
from near the surface, it is only rea-onable to 
suppose that greater activity is induced in the 
deeper regions. It is possible that the principal 
function of deep roots is that of searching to^ 
water, while they gratefully accept any chane^ 
mineral food that may come in their way in the 
course of such explorations. If the long whippy 
feelers that are thus sent out are examined they 
will be found to be of very varying length, going 
round and smooth through barren regions, but 
developing bunobos of tender rootlets wherever they 
coma across bits of good feeding, and these bunches 
are large, or small in proportion to the riohnees 
of the finds thus made. Now this is what "An 
Old Oofie Stamp" supposes our tea-roots have 
been doing lately, during the dry weather, re- 
EultiDg in improved "flavor" rather than "strength" 
and that he shall suffer for it when the rains set ia 
and the surface roots again become the sole feeders. 
I think much of this is pure fancy, beyond tha 
very possible supposition that greater activity is 
developed in the functions of the deep roots 
during very dry weather. But according to the 
reports from nearly every district (except & tew 
places in very low districts) the flush everywhere 
has been ver^ abundant through all the drought. 
This could scarcely be in consequence ot the 
deep roots suddenly and almost universally finding 
new pastures. If it were so, it would by no means 
be a bad sigu, but go far to prove that vast 
reserves of plant food exist where he had expected 
to find it. 80 long as plants get " enough," I 
suppose the plethora of a supply near the etem 
would render unnecessary, and meohanioally oboke 
out, later-arriving supplies from a diataoce, which 
supplies, however, are always there to be drawn 
upon when wanted, — if, indeed, the dry weather 
flushes go to prove their exiatenoe at all 7 Soil 
that seems perfectly dry and burnt , up, etill con- 
tains the water of orystalization, and the roots 
of plants have the mysterious power of extracting 
this. Dry as the weather baa been, I do not 
tbiok it has been so dry as to justify either yout 
correspondent's inferences, or his fears. 
Then, why should ' mineral salts" give "flwout " 
rather than "strength "? jPurely " flavour " is due 
to the " organic " — not the. inorganic (mineral) — 
constituents, aj you, sir, recently ahowel in yoiir 
Beview of Bamber's New Text Book on tea. 
The aroma of tea is doe to the volatile esaeotial 
oil, which when obtained piure, and expoaed— " gra- 
dually diffuses into the atmostpheie.'' Boyood 
this science is still at fault as to what it ia wbiob 
gives body and strength to tea. " Taunin impKti 
to it puugeocy and strength," Bays Bamber, and 
it is probable that the fulness ot tea, apait from 
pungency, ia dua to the Muoilaginoua Cooatituents 
dieaoived by the boiling water, as well aa t3 (ha 
tannin and other soluble matter.'' And that a 
all scieuoe seems to know about it. But all this 
has reteience to such constituents only as aru 
obtained by the plant eithar from the atujoapberd 
or the earfioe soil. The "mineral salt*," pboa- 
pb|t« ol lim«. potash, tulpbar, iron, irs., %<i 
