822 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fJuNE I, 1894. 
naoeoua subatances, which are very citen the causes 
of hoat, acidity, &o. To ioauro its pnrity I should 
advi-e the reader to buy the nibs, and grind them 
when required. 
Some of the manufactured artic'e is very carefully 
prepared only from selected nibs, and can be used 
with perfect coufideuce an to its purity. 
(Digestion and Jfict mfional/;/ (liscns.uij. By Tho. 
Dutton, M.D., Univ. Durham, Loudon, 1892 p. 102-6.) 
TEA, SWEET TKA. 
' ISlidst maaeioiis or cottages, where'er we muy be, 
Be it ever 80 feeble, thfre's nothing like tea. 
A balm that restorcB seems to yerfume the air, 
Which, seek tliiough'all comforts, is not met elae- 
wbere. 
Tea, tea, swett, sweet tea 
Thtve' s nothing like tea 
There's nothing lilsetta. 
Forbiddeu my tea all else tempts me in Vdin. 
Oh Kive me my Chiuese iufusioa again. 
The urn singiug gladly, responds to my ciil, 
And brings back ihe soothing draught, ohecriuK to all. 
Tea, tea, sweet, sweet tea 
There' s uotbiug like lea 
There's nothing like tea. 
—Edra. A. M. Feegdson. 
. ^ — 
PLANTING AND PRODUCE. 
An Old Story.— We hive often pointed out the 
inquiry inflicted on the tea industry owing to the 
stupidity with which it;notant consumers set about 
the task of brewing tea, and the reckle.-^suesa with 
which they drink it ;it cdd times after tho leaves have 
been stewed for hours. While wo have deplored the 
injury to the industry, we have felt sorry lor the depraved 
tastes of the oonaumer. The injury to the trade ia 
caused by the opportunity this abuse of the tea drink- 
ing habit afforus to dietetic experts, so called, for 
attacking tea. Instead of pointing out that tea drink- 
ing under reasonable conditions is not harmful but 
oenelicial, and that, like other goudH, the tea leaf was 
never intended to be abused, tbose dietetic reform- 
era rail at the habit as if it were a vice, and talk 
of tea as though it wereojiiuin. 
Tea Deinking in AVales.— Attacks on tea-drinking 
come from unexpected quarters. For instance. Miss 
Winifred A. Ellis, of Oy nhs, Merionethshire, and sister 
o£ Mr. T. E. Ellis, M. P., first Ministerial Whip, has 
been giving evidence at Corns, Merionethshire, during 
the past week, before the Depirtmental Committee 
appointed by the Home Secretary to enquire into the 
working of the underground elate quarriea at Merio- 
neth. Miss EHia said she had been giving lectnres on 
plain cookery at four centres in Meriooethahire. In- 
cessant tea drinking, she said, was undoubtedly becom- 
ing a real calamity to the phj sique of men and women. 
The neglect of porridge, oatmeal cake, " bera llaeth," 
"oawl," and "shot," in favour of tea three or four times 
a day is, the witness continued, to destroy the stamina 
to induce indigestion and dyspepsia, and to briog 
sboht enfeeblement of body and mind. Tea has such 
a charm for some people that they are sensitive 
about putting away the cups and eaucera when they 
are not actually in use. Tea often serves as breakfast, 
dinner, and supper, the only accompaniment being 
bread and butter, and sometimes tinned meat. This 
was insufficient for a hard-working man or woman. 
" I regret," Miss Lewis said, " that as a rule the 
women at any rate prefer pancakes swimming in 
butter, with tea, to a good dinner. Miaa Ellis 
makes the attack on tea drinking, so far as we 
know, without any statistical facts in support 
of her statement ; but allowing that all she says is 
borne out by tho real facta, to talk of tea drinking as 
a '"real calamity " is strong language even from a 
lady lecturer on plain cooking. If these unfortunate 
peoplojwere told how to make it and when to drink lea 
the evil would bo remedied. As evidence of the effect 
of statements of this kind, an evening paper quoting 
Miss Ellia'fl speech asks how Boon will tea have to 
be added to Ihe " drinks " which temperance re- 
formers place OD their list of things to be avoided 
adding that a strong case against tea ia presented in 
the curious and interesting evidence. Thia is bow 
''stroDg cases" are built a^.—U. and C. Mail, April 13. 
FIRE-PROOF TEA FACTORIES. 
Our Ceylon friends have been discussing the very 
important matter of having all faotory baililiiiCH con- 
Ktructed of fireproof material, and As«ani proprietors 
c^uld t«Hlify to the advantages of tbia. The prime 
causes (hat caused the N. .Eastern planters to adopt 
kittcha in lieu of paeca, buildings were first the danger 
from earthquakes as experiencad Oa the memorable 
aftetuooii of the 10th January 1809, aud that, when 
gardens were being planted solely for speoulation, it 
was not deemed necessary in co to any great expense 
for housing either the mvntgers or coolies ; in (act, 
a good deal of the mortality and invaliding in the 
early days of planting was oodoubtedly due to the 
wretched boveis considered fit for habitation by the 
projectors of Companies, (or ttieir employes. Things 
have altered since th<n and as Ceylon is not 
exposed to the same violent seismic disturbaooes at 
Kortliorn India, we are strongly of opinion that sub- 
(taotiiil bnildint:s should form the rale ; thus getting 
rid of the intermniable expense of annual renewals 
and repair's. — Indian I'lanters' Gazette. 
A NEW TEA ROLLER. 
The Patent Journal of the 4th qU. bae a draw- 
ing and short explanatory notice of a new tea 
roiling machine by that indefatigable inyeotor, the 
late Mr. John Brown. The patent relates to 
machines in which a box containing the tea 
and an under rolling .surface receive a circular 
translating movement from crank-Hhafte ; and 
it consists in adding an upper plate or lid, carried 
by a shaft and counterbalanced by a lever and 
weight. The shaft is driven by an ezteaBion of 
one ehaft and another shaft through bevels which 
drive the lid in the Bame direction aa the tea, 
but at a greater speed. One of the bevels may 
be loose, so that when the sliding clutch ia out 
of gear the lid may be driven merely by friction 
with the tea. 

INDIAN TEA: THK PJNSUING .SEASON. 
Despite the drought aud subsequent storms in the 
early spring, the tea season may be said to have com- 
menced under fairly promising auspices, in so far as 
the prospects on the gardens are concerned; and if 
fine pluching is mora generally adopted it may be 
possiole to curtail the out-turn so as to maintain 
some equilibrium between the demand and supply 
which would mean better value. It would be far 
better to turn out nothing below moderately good pekoe 
souchong; (we write quite as much in Ceylon's as in 
India's interests) and were this adcipted we believe 
the rise that would result from diminished supplies, 
would more than compensate for the greater weight 
in the bulk of the year's out-turn. But in order to 
accomplish this, co-operation must be thoroughly and 
loyally ooserved, or the tea industry at the close cf 
what may be called an extremely critical season, 
will be very likely to prove the iruth of the adage 
about "a house divided against it.-elf." The gist of oar 
advices from England, Americi and the Coloniea 
all teud to shew that the trade are reckoning upon 
increased supplies, or in Stock Exchange parlance, 
operating for a fall and unless measures are at once 
taken to frustrate this many estates will close the 
year with losses that will land them on the brink 
of insolvency. Many devices no doubt will be 
resorted to in order to tempt the planters into 
increasing their out-turn should restriction be 
agreed upon, but it will be the duty of the Tea 
Association in London to keep the communiiy 
constantly informed of these trade manipulations. 
Indian Planters' Oa'^ette. 
d 
