424 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. r, 1894. 
Colombo, 4th Dec— Scorched leaf always betrays 
itself by smell and taste, and if badly scorched, by 
appearance as well. Light leaf and stalks often 
float whether burnt or not. — H. T. 
Dear Sir,— So far as my experience goes, burnt 
teas only rise to the top of the tasting pot more 
than those which are not burnt do, because the pores 
in the leaves are seared in the drying and conse- 
quently take longer to absorb water. After a short 
time these leaves fall io the bottom of the cup, just 
as others do, and nothing remains at the top of the 
water except stalks and possibly a few flat flaky 
leaves which would naturally float. 
If the water too is poured on the dry leaf slowly, 
much more tea will float than if poured on rapidly. 
As a matter of fact the great bulk of the leaves of 
all teas, whether burnt or not, comes to the surface 
of the water when first infused, gradually sinking 
down as absorption takes place. 
As for your correspondent's last query, of course 
tea which is burnt, scorched, or over-fired, call it what 
you will, is easily detected by any tea taster who 
knows his business, both in the dry leaf and in the 
cup. Tea which is scorched always shows its 
peculiarities both in aroma, and flavour, except to 
those who do not want to discover it. 
I have often noticed a seller or grower of tea to 
describe a sample which I call burnt—" a little high 
fired"—, a tea which I call high tired, he calls 
"malty," a mere distinction of terms without a 
difference in fact.— Yours truly. TEA. 
VARIOUS PLANTING NOTES. 
Sun-heat and Tea Flush.— Mr. Grig; of 
Lower Maskeliya sends us an interesting letter 
and return, which corroborates Mr. Walker's 
figures for Bogawantalawa as to maximum tem- 
perature being lower this year than in 1803. 
Coffee. — We are indebted to " Agricola " for an 
interesting note in our correspondence columns, 
about old "King Coffee " which will be read 
with a sigh of regret by ex-planting K. C. B.'s 
in the old country. Still let us be " thankfu ' 
for sma ' mercies " in respect of the coming 
coffee crop. 
Future Tea Soppliks. - The Home and Colo- 
nial Mail is far too eannuine in anticipntirg that 
" Ceylon will very ehoitly contribute almost, if not 
quite as muo'n as India to the world's ooni-umpliou, 
considering that there are already 280.000 rcree 
planted up with tea io that island— a quite pheno- 
menal area when it is remembpred that 20 years Bgo 
there were al ogetbir. n y 350 ameof tea in Ceylon." 
India's tea orop in 1893 was 125 m llion lb : Ceylon 
not likely to reach that figure in ber tea crip, 
much before the year 1900 a d 
Tea-TASTING. — A correspondent sends us a cut- 
tine from a home paper on this subject, which 
gives information that must be 40 or 50 years 
old, referring to the days when tea-tasting "iras 
supposed to be such a mystery that an expert 
earned "£350 in 6 hours" of one day and when tea- 
tasters died young of wasting and ulceration of the 
lungs ! All this belongs no doubt, to the time when 
big teamen ran out to China 4 months each year, 
earned £10,000 by commissions and got home in 
time for " the twelfth" and grouse shooting in the 
Highlands of Scotland ! That day has— alas ! 
for the tea-tasters— utterly faded away. 
CLOSETS, Urinals, Night Commodes, Stables, 
Kennels, &c. should be lightly dredged 
(after cleansing) with CALVERT'S 15 per cent. 
CARROUC Powder, to destroy bad odours and 
to kill or keep away insects.— The most effective 
preparation.— In Jib., lib. and 21b. dredgers, at 
fid Is & Is. 6d. each, from Chemists and Stores. 
F. C CALVERT & Co., Manchester. 
Ceylon Cinnamon used as a Cure for 
Cancer — We call attention to an extract 
elsewhere which, we trui-t , will receive atten- 
tion at the hands of experienced local medical 
practitioners. If a decoction of cinnamon ha* 
done so much good to cancer patient* treated 
by Dr. Came Ross of Manchester, it would he 
interesting to know if it has ever been so used in 
Ceylon ; and further whether there are not many 
other complaints affecting the blood and constitut- 
ion in which a similar decoction would be beneficial! 
Witli cinnamon in such abundance at our door», 
its curative proj>erties ought not to be neglected. 
Grevillea Trees on Plantations.— The 
faith felt in the beneficial influence of grevillea*, 
planted along with tea especially, continues to 
gather strength among Ceylon planters. These, 
trees afford shelter from wind, supply an ample litter 
with fallen leaves, and their root*- penetrate and 
open up what is often a hard sub-soil. We have 
just heard from a Mid-Dimbula planter of gre- 
villea leaves being used a* a substitute for paddy- 
straw, as a bedding for cattle, sheep, pigs and 
even for horses. 'I he trees are lopped op, the 
branches carried to the store where the leaves 
Speedily drop off and are then used for bedding 
for the cattle, &c with satisfactory results, spe- 
cially in an economical point of view. 
The Pktbifihj Forest? (T Arizona. — In one o! 
the meetings of the American Forestry Aseociaton, 
held in Brooklyn lately, Dr. Horace C. Hovey, of 
Kewburypdrt, Maseacbo;ettP, shewed by sreoimens 
and by views tbe pc'rifi- d foreets of Arizona. This 
i reat tract of a.-a'ited wood, rf at least 2 COO 
acres i x'ent, is near the sta'ion of Oorrizi and 
Adanmi nas on tbe Atlantic and Faoifio Rulroad in 
Arizora, and resembles an immense logeing camp 
with 1 uge trunks thrown abeut. Tbe largest are 
tin feet in diameter, many of them s«ve»ed se 
evenly as though cut op by a cross cut faw, atd 
the seotions vary from difxs like cart wheels to 
logs thirty snd more feet long. Many of the 
petrified logs have teen broken into glittering 
fragments by action of t' e weather and by Indians 
and tourists, and at every football the traveller 
steps upon a mosaic of cerne'ian agate, jasper, 
to^az, onyx, acd ame'hyst. A pe'rified trunk. 150 
fiet long, sp^na a canon, and his known as the 
Agate Bridge. Tbe name Chalcedony Park has been 
given to the traot. Curiosity hunters, manufac- 
turers and spsculalo-s, are rapidly destrojing i s 
besuties, and recently a company proceled to 
pulverise tha ch/pa and logs the powder to be ns^d 
in place of emery. Car loads of the petrifijd wood 
are being flipped away fur this use, and Dr. 
Hovey advocates the saving and piotection of theee 
dead forests in a publics reservation by the Gov- 
ernment - Public Opinion. 
The Botanic Garden of Buitenzobg. — In Java, is 
one of the finest in the world. It is situated on 
the northern slope of Mount Salak, some 300 yards 
above the sea, and dates from the year 1817. Be- 
sides the botanic garden, there are also agricultural 
and forestry gardens attached, the latter in the vir- 
gin forest. The hot moist climate is favourable to 
growth, and in five years Oreodoxa palms have 
grown some 30 feet, while the albizzia moluccana 
has actually attained a height of over 60 feet in that 
time. The garden is particularly rich in palms, 
tree ferns, and climbing plants. Students, whether 
Dutch or foreigners, are allowed to study there 
gratuitously, and the use of a library, photographic 
studio, and laboratory is afforded them. Russian, 
English, German, Swedish, and other naturalists 
have availed themselves of this privilege, which ex- 
tends to the agricultural and forestry departments. 
The present director is Dr. Treub, who lives at the 
Botanic Garden,— Globe- 
