Feb. i, 1895,] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
54? 
THE DAVIDSON MAGU1RE r ATE NT TEA 
PACKER. 
The Planter of the 12th iust. gives 011 account of 
some interesting experiments at Calcutta : — 
The first series was made to ascertain the time 
required to pack a chest. These resulted in showing 
that with any grade, the chest could be packed in 
from two and a half to three minutes with ease, 
two minutes 20 seconds to two and a half 
minutes being the actual time taken to pack some 
of them. From 15 to 20 chests should therefore 
be packed per hoiu\ or say 150 chests per day. 
The second series was intended to show tbat, with 
the Packer, more tea could bo packed into the chests 
than with hand packing. Chests which had come 
straight from the garden were opened, the lead 
cut, and the tea turned out before all present : 
the tea was then repacked into its own chests, with 
the result that there was not enough to fill the 
chests up with, one inch, to two inches space being 
left empty in each. Many were the comments and 
remarks made by those present, some maintaining that 
the vibratory motion would cause the fine tea and 
dust to settle at the bottom of the chest ; others 
were of opinion that though the machine worked 
well with the finer grades, they thought that with 
coarse Souchongs the results would not prove so satis- 
factory. Special severe tests were made, which com- 
pletely dispelled such opinions. For example, an 
Acme chest was produced and packed with an un- 
even dusty pekoe. After the chest was filled the lid 
was put on and made secure ; it was then carefully 
turned over and the bottom was taken off, and, to 
the surprise of all present, a sample drawn from 
the bottom was found to be exactly the same as that 
drawu from the top, or from any other part of the 
chest. This result is due to the peculiar vibration 
to which the tea is subjected, Again a chest of 
factory, bulked-coarse Souchong was brought by one 
of the largest tea houses in India, for manipulation 
in the packer. It was requested by the firm that 
this chest be opened, emptied, and repacked in its 
own chest, The lid was accordingly removed and the 
lead cut, aud opened. The tea exposed to view in 
the chest was a bold wellmade Souchong, and seemed 
to be absolutely free of broken tea and dust. On 
turning out the top layer of tea (about one and a 
quarter inch deep) the layer underneath was found 
to be smashed up, discoloured and full of dust. 
This continued for a depth of about five inches, after 
which an eveuer tea containing only a little broken 
tea and dust was found, to occupy the balance of 
the chest. Three samples, however, of distinctly 
different character could have been drawn from this 
one chest, and the puzzle for the brokers would have 
been to decide on which sample the chest was to 
be sold. 
The supposition is that the chest had been packed 
by tramping. It was probably one out of a row 
of 10 or 12 in the factory, each of which had a 
coolie in charge, to whom a certain weight of tea was 
given, which be was instructed to pack into the chest. 
The bottom three quarters of the chest was evenly 
packed, the tramping making only a small percen- 
tage of broken teas and dust. The packing coolie 
then evidently noticed that if he went on as he was 
doing, he would be unable to get the full quantity 
into the chest, and consequently began lo tramp the 
tea in as hard as he could. L'his would account lor 
the broken, smashed up, dusty five inch layer. He 
then probably found he had only a few pounds of 
tea on the floor, with which to till the remaining one 
and a quarter inches. The balance of the tea seenis 
therefore to have been shaken in loosely, which would 
account for the unbroken state in. which it was found. 
Xbia tea then having been turned out was- n-pm-keil 
b\ ibr machine in about two and a halt nuniiies, 
mid wjthout any pressure or rough handling, thus 
without in any way breaking the tea or making dust; 
and what is more, it was found that there was not 
OtiOUght tea to till the chest, as there was still about 
half nn inch to be tilled up. After these testa, 
conducted in the presence of experts, it is not 
difficult endorse, the opinion of. a leading London 
broker, who has expressed his opinion by saying that 
" without doubt the Davidson-MaGuire Tea Packer 
is the success of the season in tea machinery." 
\ '-r-^VriV)" ' • ■'■■I T' iii -fwtM ■ u'V •lli-'i 
PLANTING, &c. IN THE NORTHERN 
TERRITORY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
C From the Neio Official Handbook.) 
Although the Northern Territory possesses large 
tracts oi land suitable for the growth of tropical 
and semi-tropical products, so far experiments in the 
way 01 planting upon a huge scale have not been 
as successful as anticipated. 
Many causes have combined to prevent the rapid 
development of agricultural pursuits. First the some- 
what stringent land laws in the past prevented the 
ready acquisition of suitable land, and 111 one or two 
instances when this difficulty has been overcome the 
work of planting has been entrusted to men who 
were inexperienced in tropical agriculture, and who 
did not exercise good judgment in the selection of 
their land. Another difficulty with which the pioneer 
planters had to contend was the scarcity of suitable 
ciieap colored labour, tor although Europeans can 
work well on the mines and in nearly all manual 
work, they are admitted quite unfitted for work 
in cane or rice fields, or on tobacco plantations, not 
only because the climate is extremely trying in the 
field, but also owing to the necessity for tne cheapest 
description of lauor to enable planters to compete 
with other tropical countries where cheap native 
iabor is available. Both these initial difficulties have 
now been to a great extent overcome, that in regard 
to the selection of land for agricultural purposes 
having been remedied by the passing of the Northern 
Territory Crown Eands Act, 1890, which contains 
most liberal provisions for the selection and occupa- 
tion of suitable laud for agriculture. Part IV. of 
Act permits the selection of land anywhere north of 
the seventeenth parallel of south latitude without the 
expense and delay of survey, in blocks of not more 
than 040 acres, upon lease for five years at a rental 
of (3d per acre per annum. 
The applicant must first mark out the laud he 
selects conspicuously, and within the first two years 
of tne term the lessee is bound to cultivate" one- 
tenth of the area selected, and during the following 
three years to cultivate an additional twentieth 01 
the area iu each successive year. During the terni 
of lease he is further required to enclose the land 
with a substantial fence or wall. Upon proof to 
the satisfaction of the Minister controlling the Ter- 
ritory that these conditions have been complied with, 
and itpon payment of the cost of survey, the lessee 
is entitled to the fee-simple of the land. These 
terms are the most liberal ever offered to intending 
settlers either in South Australia proper or in the 
Northern Territory, " selection before survey " never 
having been previously legalised. 
The difficulty in regard to cheap labor has also 
h°.ei\ overcome by the passing of the Indian Immi- 
gration Act of 18i)0, which provides for the Govern- 
ment Resident of the Northern Territory acting as 
Indian immigration a^eut, and thus renders the Act 
of 1882 workable. 
Planters who desire to settle in the Territory, and 
require Indian labor for field work, will now be 
able to obtain it, through the Government, under the 
Acts of 1882 and lb'JO, and as the authorities are 
most anxious to encourage the cultivation of tropical 
products it may be taken for granted that every 
assistance will be given to them in this direction. 
An unlimited supply of laborers suitable for plan- 
tation work can be readily obtained from India, 
which is only a few days' steam from Port Darwin, 
at a low rate of wages, which should ensure a highly 
prolitable result to any energetic settler with mode- 
rate capital and some knowledge of agriculture who 
may give the rich lands of the Northern Territory 
a lair trial. 
Visitors from Java, Singapore, Ceylon, and China 
who wvre familiar with uopkal agriculture in tbos* 
