THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June r. 1894: 
The Government Bhould publish in the Gazette, 
monthly or quarterly, for the information of the 
planters, the number of such people io each Korale. 
This would enable the planter to get his labor 
supply from the ieland itself. 
It the unemployed, Bpecially in the villages of 
the maritime dietrict, could be got to work on the 
estates, there would be less crime and it would do 
much good to the oountry. 
The Government should obtain from the different 
Planters' AsBOoiations the rates of oooliea' wages in 
each planting dietrict and this information should 
be made known in the villages.— I am, &o., 
SPEOTATOB. 
PRIESTMAN'S OIL-ENGINES: INTEREST- 
ING INFORMATION. 
Hatton, Ceylon, 28th April, 
Dear Sib,— Our attention has been called to 
your leader (eea page 813) re Priestman's Oil 
Engines. 
You ask in your leader for information regard 
ing theso engines, We being the sole agents in 
the inland are please! to be able to hand you 
the latest information we have on the subj act, and 
enclose same for your perusal. 
You will see by the oiroulars that Priestman's 
Oil-Engine is steadily gaining ground and there 
is no doubt that a better oil-engme cannot be 
procured up to date. As regards C'eyloa, we be- 
lieve that gas engines out of Oolombo are of 
no good, in fact the only one we have heard 
of upciountry has been superseded by a steam- 
engine. 
There are at present 4 oil engines in the island 
used tor tea manufacture, Mr. Egan of Fern- 
lands has worked one regularly and we are sure 
he will be glad to give you any information as 
to the working of same. Mr. Buxton Laurie has 
had one at Claverton for some years supplied to 
Mr. Skrine by ourselves. This one is worked 
during the dry season when there is no water. 
We have an 11 H. P. Engine herci which we keep 
as a stand-by and use as an auxiliary. 
The above are all old-type engines ; great im- 
provements have been made since they came 
out. Mr. Roberts of Dartry imported one which 
we are. about to erect. The iniquitous cil tax 
has damped the ardour of many who might have 
gone - in for this type of engine, but when oil 
tanks are erected all over the island and oil can 
be brought in bulk, when also firewood becomes 
more expensive there will very likely be a much 
greater demand than at present. 
We will be very pleased to give jou any fur- 
ther information and will be glad to answer any 
queations any of your readers may ask on the 
subjecu. — We ara, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
BROWN & Co., LIMITED, John Grieve, 
Manager. 
AN INDIAN PLANTER ON THE TRADE'S 
TREATMENT OF INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEA. 
Deak Sir,— March 19th Report by Messrs. Geo. 
White & Co., on Ceylon tea (Supplement to the 
May issue of the Tropical .Agriculturist) unce ■ head- 
ing of Manufacture, I see: — "It is hoped that 
the wea,ther will enable planters to s-nd leas with 
more strength and flavour, so that these growths 
may not fall in the estimation of ihe publiri " 
What " pfliblio" is referred to, and have they 
(or it) a obiiQee of forming any ''estimate" of 
jOttI growths wbetbex gOOCli bad, or indifferent. 
One might be led to imagine the public in aeareh 
of such and such a growth? "Pleasilet in-ilave 
a pound of Ceylon Os lea." " KooobpBr«i>roewatle 
pekoe,'' " That is Ecarce tir. now, guin^-a a pound 
sir I" Yes sir ! good day sir ! We must "caiuptiga" 
America aiid Catadct and Australia why oct 
" Home" first of all ? Why not ask Tit Biti to get 
up a priz'j competition ?— each subsoribrr to send 
in a report as to whether he or ehe preftre 
Indian to Chiaese tea, and to guesg the number of 
people who prefer China 1st pri^e— 2od prise for 
nearest guess to the number of people who doot 
know that tea is grown io India; and 3rd prize 
nearest number of thoeo who declare solenmly 
that they know the difference between tea and 
coQee without being told. " The MiseiooarieB 
want to oust their enemy from foreign parts 
leaving him fairly \v<ll in poseesBion at home, 
aud Indian tea apparently is adopting the same 
line. Do Messrs. Geo. White really want tea that 
will be appreciated by the public or by the 
leaders of the public. la it good drinking tea that 
they honestly ar.k for, or ie it tea which will 
bolster up the China trade at home ? A good priced 
"market" tea will make your teeth curl— is that 
the tea that the public hawker for and appreciate ? 
There u a " bitter cry" for that tea ; but there 
would be a worse cry if none of it was sent and 
China tea had to be sold alone. Can China keep 
its hold on the market without the support of 
strong undrinkable Indian tea. Can they put down 
tea in London at a profit, as good as cheap as our 
low-class ladiaa and Ceylon lea? I know that io 
parts of Ireland medium Sylhet teas are very much 
liked and paid for readily at Is 6d per pound and 
this leaves the dealer a good profit. The weakest 
must go to the wall. If we can oust Chioa from 
Home and everywhere the weakest will have a few 
years more run then must the wall be approached 
again I PRESS. 
AN INDIAN PLANTER ON THE PROS- 
PECTS BEFORE TEA PLANTERS. 
May 2Qd, 1894. 
Dear Sir, — Every man has his infallible test of a 
" good leader." No man will listen for long to any 
one whose opinion does not in the main agree wiih 
his own. We tea planters have now come to a 
stage where we find that our old leaders are not 
with us and we want a " Prophet " — one to tell as 
of good days to come and how to hasten them. 
Going back to my proposition (with which I began) 
I now proclaim a " Prophet " and his name is 
"Siward" and he wrote in the Indian Planters' 
Gazette of April 14th, 1894. Let me for the sake 
of brevity emuaerate what is to me the cream of 
his words : — 
1. New markets for Indian Tea. 
2. Indian and Ceylon tea did not gain a footing 
in England or Australia through the aid of any big 
self'advertising retailer, 
3. Keen enough to seize the introduction through 
the auction room of Indian and Ceylon teas. 
4. This is done not by one grocer, but by thou- 
sands and tens of thousands of travellers and agents 
through innumerable channels, and the money epent 
must be aa tha Ganges to a bottle of foda-water 
as compared with any money the Indian Tta 
AFsociation can ever spend in advertising. 
5. But there are varied tastes in tea and it ia 
no good rushing all sorts and conditions of tea iaio 
the market. Thtre are men who know what the 
Americans will take and what they won't take. 
6. ChoosiDg the right sorts and having the right 
Boris made ip the gardeua. 
