448 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  2,  1893. 
table  bird  and  as  a layer;  and  if  the  Dark  be 
chosen,  the  stock  should  be  carefully  bred  and 
chosen  by  the  owner  himself,  with  reference  to  the 
neglected  points,  by  which  means  a vast  improvement 
may  be  rapidly  effected. — From  “ Wright's  Illustrated 
'Book  of  Poultry.' 
TEA  CHESTS  OF  UNSEASONED  WOOD. 
We  had  hoped  that  what  had  been  pre- 
viously written  with  respect  to  the  injury 
inflioted  upon  the  Ceylon  tea  industry  by  pack- 
ing teas  in  chests  of  unseasoned  wood,  had 
completely  put  an  end  to  the  practice  and  to 
the  many  complaints  reaohing  us  from  London 
to  which  it  had  given  rise.  For  the  last  two 
years,  there  has  been  complete  silence  upon  the 
subjeot  of  such  complaints  ; and  it  was  natural 
to  oonclude  from  this  faot  that  a great,  and,  it 
was  to  be  hoped,  permanent  improvement  had 
followed  upon  the  agitation  previously  raised  upon 
this  question.  There  is  now,  unfortunately,  a 
recrudescence  of  suoh  complaints.  The  Secretary 
of  the  London  Wholesale  Tea  Dealers’  Association 
had  been  direoted  to  write  to  our  London  Asso- 
ciation bringing  to  its  notioe  a resumption  of 
the  objeotiooable  praotice  by  some  Ceylon 
tea  planters,  and  pointing  out  the  injury  thereby 
aauBed  to  the  reputation  of  Ceylon  tea  generally. 
It  is  neither  necessary  nor  desirable  for  us  to  again 
traverse  the  same  ground  that  we  followed  when 
we  wrote  last  on  this  subjeot.  The  evil  conee- 
quenoes  of  paokmg  teas  in  chests  of  unseasoned 
wood  are  now  so  fully  acknowledged  that 
nothing  that  we  oould  add  to  our  previous  de- 
nunciation of  the  praotice  would  or  could  be  of 
any  useful  effect.  The  letter  of  the  Secretary  of 
the  Wholesale  Tea  Dealerd’ Association  would  seem 
to  indioate  the  existence  of  a belief  that  a return 
to  the  evils  complained  of  may  be  due  to  the 
establishment  of  private  saw-mills  upon  certain 
estates.  It  may  be  worth  while  to  consider 
how  far  such  a belief  may  have  sufficient  ground. 
Estate  proprietors,  undertaking  their  own  supply 
of  wood,  must  of  necessity  entrust  it  to  men  who 
might  not  unnaturally  be  deficient  in  the  knowledge 
enabling  them  to  discriminate  between  wood  that  is 
thoroughly  seasoned  and  wood  that  is  not  so. 
They  may  also  very  possibly  be  duped  in  the 
matter  by  unscrupulous  oontraotore  or  subordi- 
nates, an  imposition  to  which  specialists  would 
not  be  likely  to  be  open.  Then  again,  it 
may  be  far  from  impossible  that  such  private 
and  unskilled  agents  may  be  deceived  as  to  the 
nkture  of  the  woods  they  obtain  and  as  to  the 
suitability  or  unsuitability  of  many  descriptions  to 
the  purpose  designed.  We  apprehend  that,  if  there 
be  any  knowD  oases  which  have  guided  the  suspicion 
of  the  faults  exhibited  being  traceable  to  estates  cm 
ploying  their  own  saw-mills,  then  the  fault  may 
be  attributable  to  the  possible  wants  of  knowledge 
to  whioh  we  have  referred.  For  it  would  be  most 
unlikely,  we  should  assert,  that,  knowingly,  any 
estate  superintendent  would  be  willing  to  risk  his 
refutation  and  that  of  the  estate  the  interests  of 
whioh  may  be  entrusted  to  him,  by  packing  tea 
in  dhests  of  wood  whioh  he  was  aware  was  of 
inferior  description  or  insufficiently  seasoned.  It  I 
would  be  outtmg  bis  own  throat  to  do  this,  an 
operation  he  would  certainly  carefully  avoid.  We 
would,  therefore,  recommend  all  estate  proprietors 
who  may  be  the  preparers  of  their  own  chest 
material  to  ascertain  how  far  their  agentB  may  be 
qualified  to  pronounce  upon  the  character  of  the 
limber  they  may  work  up.  It  will  be  poor  eco- 
nomy to  take  the  supply  of  their  needs  into  their 
own  hands,  ignoring  the  practised  dealer,  if  it  is 
done  at  the  risk  of  ruining  the  reputation  of  their 
produce.  ‘‘A  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole 
lump,”  and  even  a comparatively  few  consignments 
of  Ceylon  teas  possessing  the  "oheeBiness” 
of  flavour  complained  of,  must  do  much  towards 
sacrificing  the  reputation,  not  alone  of  individual 
estates,  but  of  Ceylon  tea  generally. 
VARIOUS  NOTES 
Will  Tea  Last  in  Ceylon  ? This  is  the 
answer  of  “ Old  Colonist  ” (Mr.  A.  Sinclair)  in 
his  lecture  on  ” Our  Leading  Crown  Colony ’’ deli- 
vered before  the  Aberdeen  Philosophical  Society  : — 
“ But  will  this  industry  last  ? ” may  well  be  asked 
after  the  various  vicissitudes  the  Colony  has  already 
come  through.  I see  no  reason  to  doubt  it.  In  the 
first  place,  tea  is  not  an  exotic  like  coffee  ; second, 
no  island  in  the  world  produces  tender  leaf 
so  profusely  ; labour  is  cheap  and  abundant ; 
and  third,  the  crop  is  not  exhausting  like 
the  fruit  or  seed  crops  taken  from  coffee 
or  cocoa.  Moreover,  there  are  tens  of  thousands 
of  acres  eminently  suited  for  tea  that  never  would 
have  produced  coffee.  The  only  real  danger  is  over- 
production. There  is  a limit  to  the  capacity  of 
even  this  tea-drinking  nation,  but  in  any  case  the 
Ceylon  planter  deserves  well  of  British  housekeepers. 
The  fact  that  the  price  of  tea  haB  been  reduced 
by  one  half  during  the  last  decade  is  chiefly,  if 
not  entirely,  owing  to  the  persistent  energy  of  our 
countrymen  there. 
Fkuit  Growing  in  Ceylon. — ‘‘  B.  S.  M.”  writes  to 
the  Morning  Post: — ’•  Quoting  from  ‘Ferguson’s 
Ceylon  Mercaoile  aud  P.antiDg  Directory,'  1 learn 
that  in  Ceylon  there  are  9 000  acres  of  pioeappleB  and 
about  28,000  acres  ol  plantains,  or  bananas.  Id  1890 
fine  oranges  were  offered  freely  in  the  market  in 
Nuwaia  Eliya  for  60.-.  (half  a rupee)  per  hundred. 
What  a fia/d  is  open  here  for  European  energy  and 
capital.  All  these  proauots  (and  some  of  ihem  oan  be 
growu  with  a minimum  of  labour  aud  attention)  are 
sure  to  meet  with  a ready  sale  either  prepared  or  au 
noturel.  It  would  be  possible,  I think,  for  CeyloD  to 
enttr  into  competition  with  Florida,  and  the  trans- 
port would  not  take  much  longer.  When  the  railway 
in  Ceylon  is  opened  to  Haputale  a magnificent 
country  will  be  opened  up  ler  ventures  in  fiuit 
growing,  as  well  as  the  hitherto  rectgnised  staple 
products.  In  Badulla  orange  treeB  thrive  wonderfully 
without  any  care.  This  town  is  2,200  leet  above 
sea  levtl  I have  heard  ol  200 oraDges  being  picked 
off  a tree  without  much  effecting  the  appearance  of 
the  crop.” 
Coffee  Prospects  in  Nyassaland. — The 
following  passage  occurs  in  the  leport  ol  the  Di- 
rectors of  the  British  South  Atrica  Company 
issued  for  the  year  ending  31tt  March  1892,  and 
published  in  the  London  papers  of  Nov.  26th  : — 
Under  Mr.  Johnston’s  Administration,  steady  de- 
velopment has  been  effected.  During  tbe  past  year 
successful  epeiations  wire  conducted  against  tbe 
slave  traders  in  tbe  district  by  the  Indian  police  force 
under  Uoptaiti  C.  M.  M.  guire.  It  is  now  believed 
that  with  the  assistance  which  tbe  Imperial  Go- 
vernment has  at  length  afforded  by  placing  two  gun 
boats  on  Lake  Nyassa  and  a steam  launch  on  the 
Upper  Snire,  tbe  power  ol  the  slave  traders  Will  be 
effectually  broken.  Recent  reports  confirm  the  favour- 
able anticipations  previously  formed  B6  to  the  resources 
and  capabilities  ot  tbe  regions  lymg  to  tbe  north  of 
the  Zambesi.  Rich  agricultural  aud  pastrol  districts 
are  ready  for  occupation  aud  cultivation,  aDd  indi- 
cations of  mineral  wealth  ii_vite  investigation  by  tbe 
prospeotor.  Airiady  the  cultivation  of  coffee  has  made 
large  strides.  One  planter  alone,  the  Directors  are 
informed,  owns  1,000,000  coffee  plants.  Additional 
areas  are  being  brought  under  cultivation  by  planters 
who  have  recently  proceeded  to  the  country. 
