Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
201 
A SUBSTITUTE  FOE  CATTLE  MANURE  (?) 
COCONUT  DUST,  LEGUMINOUS  PLANTS  AND 
MOSSES. 
The  number  of  the  Magazine  of  the  School  of 
Agriculture  for  August  has  a letter  from  a coconut, 
planter  on  a proposed  substitute  for  cattle  manure, 
which  is  worthy  of  attention  from  tea  planters. 
We  should  like  to  have  the  opinions  of  experienced 
planters  on  the  proposed  compost.  At  present  the 
favourite  mode  of  manuring  on  tea  plantations  is  to 
apply  bones  and  white  castor  poonac,  justas  was  done 
when  coffee,  a fruit-yielding  plant,  was  cultivated. 
Potash  is  sometimes  added  ; but  as  the  object  is 
specially  to  promote  the  growth  of  leaf,  we  should 
think  that  an  artiole  so  riah  in  nitrogen  as  dis- 
solved Peruvian  guano  could  be  used  with  advan- 
tage. In  any  case,  whatever,  salts  may  be  applied, 
the  introduction  of  some  bulky  material  into  the 
manure  holes  seems  advisable.  Tea  prunings  at 
least  ought  always,  if  possible,  to  be  thus 
used.  The  amount  of  humus  arising  from 
their  decay  may  not  be  very  great,  and  their 
own  manurial  properties  may  be  but  slight, 
but  while  undergoing  tne  prooess  of  decay  they  keep 
the  soil  open  so  that  it  gets  eerated  and  com- 
minuted. Whether  it  would  pay  to  oarry  com- 
pressed coconut  dust  up  to  hill  estates,  and  use 
it  as  suggested,  might  bs  at  least  worthy  of  ex- 
periment. E dates  at  a distance  from  highways  and 
with  but  little  grass  and  few  oattle  are  at  a disadvan- 
tage, compared  with  others  more  favourably  situated  ; 
but  in  many  cases  mana  grass  could  be  grown 
and  utilised  as  a humus-yielding  material.  Ashes 
from  tea  furnaces  are,  of  course,  valuable  additions 
to  the  manure  heap  and  should  be  carefully 
conserved  for  this  purpose. — Some  time  ago  we 
published  a letter  from  a planter  who  traced  de- 
terioration in  the  quality  of  tea  to  the  application 
to  the  bushes  of  artificial  manure.  The  case  must 
have  been  very  exceptional,  and  in  weighing  its 
lessons  we  should  like  to  know  the  substances  applied 
and  thequantities  ptr  bush  or  per  acre.  It  is  scarcely 
conceivable  that  manure  which  benefits  all  other 
cultivated  products  should  b6  in  any  way  injurious 
and  not  entirely  benefioial  to  tea.  The  questions 
now  are  : — What  artificial  manures  are  the  best  to  use 
(there  being  no  question  as  to  the  value  of  cattle 
manure),  and  how  can  the  benefits  of  bulk  be 
best  and  most  cheap'y  secured?  As  it  seems  now 
beyond  all  question  that  leguminous  plants 
(especially  peas),  and  also  the  mosses  occasionally 
found  so  troublesome  on  estates,  do  really  derive 
appreciable  nitrogen  from  the  atmosphere,  it  seems 
dear  that  some  species  of  lupins  or  peas  should 
be  cultivated  on  tea  estates  and  that  the  resultmg 
crops  and  all  mosses  growing  on  the  soil  or  on 
tea  bushes  should  be  buried  between  the  rows  of 
tea  plants. 
FROM  THE  METROPOLIS. 
July  22nd,  1892, 
CEYLON  PRODUCTS  AND  THE  LONDON  CHAMBER  OF 
COMMERCE, 
A few  days  ago  I was  suddenly  asked  by  the 
Secretary,  Kenric  Murray  whetner  Monday,  the,  25th 
would  be  suitable  for  the  paper  about  Ceylon 
staple  products  which  I had  promised  to  give  before 
the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce.  I had  just 
previously  heard  that  the  meeting  for  Mr.  Grinhn- 
ton  to  give  a report  on  Chicago  was  fixed  for  that 
afternoon  ; but  on  this  being  mentioned,  Messrs. 
Murray  and  Leake  kindly  arranged  that  the  one 
gathering  should  follow  the  other  : that  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commeroe  at  Botolph  House,  Eastoheap, 
coming  off  at  2 p.m.,  when  Sir  Arthur  Birch  has  pro- 
mised to  take  the  ohair  ; while  the  gathering  to  hear 
the  Exhibition  Commissioner  will  take  place  in  the 
Ceylon  Association  Room  at  3-30.  This  arrangement 
makes  ms  very  busy  putting  together  the  information 
for  the  required  paper  and  must  be  the  apology  for 
only  a short  letter  by  this  mail.  One  practical 
objeot  I have  in  view  is  to  indicate  what  products 
can  be  produced  in  such  abundance  in  Ceylon 
and  adjacent  countries  as  to  make  it  unwise  to 
encourage  pioneering  and  planting  experiments  in 
n-w  lands!  The  risk  of  “over-production”  and 
unremunerative  prioes  which  has  overtaken  the 
cinchona  bark  trade,  may  well  be  considered  in 
view  of  what  Ceylon,  India  and  Java  can  do  in 
respect  of  tea,  and  cardamoms,  and  the  produots 
of  the  coconut  paim,  as  well  as  cinnamon.  Surely, 
it  will  be  wise  in  respect  of  the  planting  of  such 
products  in  new  lands— except  in  so  far  as  local 
consumption  and  not  the  European  maiket  is  to 
be  served — to  tender  the  famous  negative  advioe 
of  Mr.  Punoh  in  another  department,  and  say 
“ Don’t.”  The  case  is  rather  different  in  respeot 
of  coffee,  and  perhaps  cacao— certainly  in  respeot 
of  rubber  and  perhaps  pepper.  We  may  possibly 
have  an  interesting  discussion  in  whioh  my 
opinions  may  be  contradicted  ; but  all  who  oan 
get  away  are  moving  for  the  holidays  now  : 
Mr.  Rutherford  is  always  in  Scotland,  Mr  T. 
N.  Christie  has  gone  North,  and  many  more  are 
preparing  to  follow. 
A NEW  PATENT  “ TEA-MAKER.” 
In  connection  with  our  staple,  it  is  of  interest  to 
mention  that  Mr.  J.  H.  Barber  has  just  added  to 
his  list  of  inventions  a patent  “ Tea-maker  ” very 
simple  in  construction,  but  well  calculated  to  make 
it  impossible  for  the  English  housewife  to  turn 
out  infusions  of  tea  of  the  blaok,  poisonous  oolour 
and  consistency  condemned  by  Sir  Andrew  Clark, 
The  arrangement  is  in  fact  self-working,— auto- 
matic ; the  tea  is  placed  in  a reoeptaole,  boiling 
water  poured  over  it  and  in  due  time  (4  minutes) 
the  infusion  passes  through  filters  into  the  pot, 
and  is  ready  to  be  poured  out  and  drunk.  The 
invention  has  been  taken  in  hand  by  a well-known 
City  firm  who  report  that  all  the  tea  experts 
who  have  so  far  seen  it,  give  it  unqualified  ap- 
proval.  Mr.  Barber  brought  me  one  this  forenoon, 
and  our  trial  of  the  little  invention  was  certainly 
very  satisfactory.  Now  oomes  a further  benefit  whioh 
Mr.  Barber  may  be  able  to  confer  on  his  brother 
tea-planlers.  I see  a contemporary’s  London  cor- 
respondent referring  to  my  seoond  letter  to  the 
Financial  News  criticising  Sir  Andrew  Clark,  con. 
siders  it  was  equivalent  to  “ whipping  a dead 
horse.”  It  would  be  a good  thing  if  such  were 
the  case  3 but  his  remarks  still  meet  you  very 
often  in  prominent  places  as  an  argument  for 
using  China  rather  than  Ceylon  or  Indian  tea. 
Well,  Mr.  Barber  intends  if  possible  to  interview 
Sir  Andrew  with  his  new  “ Tea-infuser,"  the 
invention  of  whioh  he  will  frankly  confess  was 
due  to  his  (Sir  Andrew’s)  complaint  about  tea 
standing  too  long  and  so  containing  a large  and 
dangerous  proportion  of  tannin.  It  will  be  easy 
for  Mr.  Barber  to  give  the  veteran  physician  a 
cup  of  superior  Ceylon  tea  and  to  get  his  approval 
perhaps  patronage,  for  an  “ Infuser  ” whioh  has  been 
reoeived  with  favour  by  tea  experts  in  the  City. 
I have  indeed  suggested  to  the  inventor  that  he 
should  ask  permission  to  call  his  patent  “ The 
Sir  Andrew  Clark  Patent  Tea  Infuser  ” for  Ceylon 
and  Indian  teas — a title  which  ought  effectually 
to  neutralise  the  influence  of  the  address  of 
October  last  1 
Messrs.  Gow,  Wilson  & Stanton  report  $ 
splendid  increase  in  the  quantity  of 
