460 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  2,  1803. 
Dear  Sir, — Your  favour  of  16tli  inst  to  hand.  Re 
pluekers  the  pluckers  are  getting  an  honest  trial  here, 
and  so  far  they  have  done  as  well  as  could  be  expected, 
but  now  that  my  bushes  are  in  good  order  for  plucking 
I expect  greater  results  from  them.  At  the  present 
time  I have  women  who  can  pluck  16  lb.  per  hour  which 
is  saying  a great  deal  and  hope  still  to  do  better  when 
all  my  pluckers  are  in  order.  I shall  have  more  to 
say  about  pluckers  later  on  in  the  season,  as  I am 
keeping  a record  as  against  hand  plucking.  I am  getting 
otter  10  pluckerb  through  O.  S.  & Co.  This  will  in- 
cr<  o.se  my  stock  to  45  so  that  you  see  that  esmeare 
getting  a fair  trial. — In  the  meantime,  I am,  yours 
faithfully,  (Signed)  Alexander  White. 
N. B.  — Copies  of  the  photographs  allude<l  to  above 
can  be  bad  on  application  alto  sample  baskets. 
B.  B.  Creasy,  Agent, 
Thompson’s  Patent  Tea  Pluckers. 
Copy  of  a letter  from  Mr.  T.  S.  Pobree,  Dikcya 
Estate,  Dikoya,  Ceylon. 
Tea  clipped  from  15  acres  with  Thompson’s  Patent 
Clippers  with  cost  of  clipping  per  month  and  yield 
of  tea  per  acre  per  month. 
lb.  made 
Cost  of 
tea 
clipping 
per  acre. 
per  lb; 
tea  made. 
June..!. 
6 cte.  Fair  flushing 
month 
July.... 
8'6}  Exceptionally 
August  . 
20 
7'3  y bad  flushing 
Septeml 
er...  18 
6 2 ) months 
field  was 
first  tipped 
after  pruning  in  May 
with  the  clippers. 
The  hushes  have  spread  and  found  a better  flashing 
gurfaoe  than  they  would  have  done  if  hand  plucked 
but  to  a certain  extent  have  rather  a Dibbled  appear- 
ance up  to  now  in  four  months  clipping.  I consider 
(be  clippers  a decided  improvement  on  hand  pluck- 
ing, but  whether  the  bushes  will  ron  as  long  as 
they  would  if  haDd  plucked  I cannot  say.  I am 
inclined  to  thrnk  they  will  not.  The  cost  of  clipping 
up  to  date  is  much  cheaper  than  hand  plucking. 
(Sigted)  T,  S.  Dobeee,  Dikcya. 
September  30th,  1892. 
N.B. — The  first  pinchers  wee  supplied  to  Mr.  Dobree 
five  months  ago,  E.  B.  Cbeasy. 
BOTANY,  kc.,  IN  CENTRAL  AERICA. 
ME.  A.  WHYTE,  BOTANIST  OF  THE  BBITISH  CENTRAL 
African  administration,  to  mr.  w.  ncck  of  the 
HAKGaLA  GARDENS,  CEYLON. 
We  have  been  permitted  to  publish  the  following 
interesting  communication  : — 
The  Residency,  Zomba,  B.  C.  A.,  1st  August,  1892 
(3,000  ft.  attitude'  and  about  50  miles  north  of  Blantyre,  ! 
the  mission  station). 
You  will  scarcely  expect  a letter  from  me  from 
this  centre  of  savagedom,  but  I would  have  written  ! 
to  you  sooner  but  for  the  great  variety  of  work  I 1 
have  had  here,  collecting  and  laying  out  experimental 
gardens,  planting  of  some,  and  in  fact  a hundred  ; 
odd  little  jobs  requiring  immediate  and  close  super-  | 
vision  in  a new  country.  I am  stationed  here  at  j 
present  with  Mr.  Johnston,  our  Commissioner,  and 
Consul  General  for  Nyassaland;  and  both  of  us  are 
very  much  interested  in  establishing  botanical  gardens  j 
in  the  grounds  of  the  Residency—  a fine  large  baronial-  ; 
looking  brick  building— the  finest  mansion  in  Central  ' 
Africa,  and  built  by  contract  some  years  since  by  l 
the  BuchanonBrothers,  the  most  enterprising  planters  1 
in  B.  C.  A.  and  who  have  now  a large  coffee  acreage  | 
in  bearing.  We  can  grow  almost  anything  in  this  j 
climate,  which  corresponds  very  closely  to  that  of  [ 
HakgalO',  and  I have  told  Mr.  Johnston  that  I am  | 
sure  you  and  Dr.  Tiimen  will  willingly  assist  us  in 
introducing  new  things.  I have  written  the  doctor  ] 
and  I enclose  this  letter  in  his,  so  that  he  may  peruse  I 
it  also,  for  I have  no  doubt  you  will  he  glad  to 
Jiear  what  we  are  doing  in  these  outlandish  parts. 
We  shall  be  deeply  grateful  to  you,  if  you  can 
make  us  up  a case  of  things  that  will  be  'likely  to 
carry  such  as  fleshy  roots  and  bulbs.  Caladiams, 
arum  lily,  agspanthus,  begonias,  formium  tenax, 
cocoayam,  lily  bulbs,  yuccas,  marantas,  dracamas, 
allocasias,  in  fact  all  or  any  of  the  common  things. 
Then  seeds  of  trees  and  creepers  and  showy  plants 
you  could  send  direct  by  post  in  packages  of  say 
5 lb.  weight  and  addressed 
H.  H.  Johnston,  Esq.,  c.n., 
H.  B.  M.  Commissioner  & Consul  General, 
British  Central  Africa, 
Seeds  express.  via  Zanzibar. 
Caees  of  root*  and  plants  would  go  by  steamer  to 
Zanzibar,  addressed  as  above,  but  also  to  the  care  of 
H.  B.  M.  Consul  General, 
Plants  express.  Zanzibar, 
who  would  at  once  see  to  the  forwarding  one 
of  them  to  Chindi  our  seaport  at  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi  and  we  would  get  them  up  river  from  there 
in  two  weeks.  Altogether  they  ought  not  to  take 
more  than  5 to  6 weeks  in  reaching  us  from  Colombo 
to  Zomba.  Now  in  return  for  all  this  I promise  to 
set  about  collecting  seeds  of  many  lovely  things  we 
have  on  our  mountains  and  plains,  and  which  you 
have  not  got  and  which  will  be  despatched  from  here 
say  end  of  September.  I would  send  some  no  to,  hut 
none  of  the  feeds  have  yet  matured,  but  are  just 
beginning  to  do  so.  We  have  many  beautiful  things 
growing  wild  but  no  plants  from  the  outside  world 
have  yet  been  introduced  except  such  as,  coffee,  grains, 
Ceara  rubber  and  a few  more.  As  to  English  vegetables 
they  do  splendidly  here  and  castor  seeds  out  the  best 
of  seeds.  I have  raised  magnificent  potatoes  from  his  seed 
(not  sets)  and  have  noted  something  like  500  varieties 
to  select  from.  They  are  producing  at  the  rate  of  5 
tons  [an  acre  without  manure  and  there  is  do  trace  of 
disease.  I lost  all  the  large  stocks  of  English  potatoes 
I brought  out  with  the  expedition  this  time  last  year, 
but  luckily  I had  some  seed  with  me  and  now  in  12 
months  I am  reaping  full-grown  large  potatoes  from 
the  second  planting.  These  consequently  will  be  regu- 
larly native  reared  African  varieties,  some  of  which  I 
have  no  doubt  will  become  of  great  value  and  suitable 
to  the  country. 
As  to  collecting  I have  done  a good  deal  and 
sent  home  collections  of  the  fauna  and  flora 
of  the  Zoneba  and  Hielangi  districts.  This  country 
is  a perfect  paradise  for  the  sportsman  and  within  a 
day's  march  of  this  we  get  on  the  plains  nearly  all 
the  large  antilopes,  the  sable  and  the  water  bock, 
bush  and  reed  bock,  the  eland  and  buffalo  and  all 
these  with  zebra.  I have  got  leopards  (larger  than 
yours)  are  common  and  hyenas,  the  elephant,  rhino, 
and  lion  are  farther  a field.  Hippos  are  abundant  in 
the  Shire  now',  and  we  have  got  six.  I had  a very 
near  shave  with  a big  bull  hippo  in  the  Ruo,  a tribu- 
tary of  the  Shire,  who  made  for  me  with  open  month 
hut  fortunately  I succeeded  in  stopping  him  with  a 
No.  10  bullet  down  his  throat  out  of  one  (No.  2)  of 
Sir  Samuel  Baker’s  trusty  old  M.  L.  rifles.  This 
interesting  old  weapon  I got  from  Reilly,  the  maker, 
and  I value  it  not  only  for  its  excellent  shooting 
qualities  but  as  an  interesting  historical  piece,  being 
one  of  a pair  (No.  land  No.  2)  built  by  Reilly  for  Sir 
Samuel  years  ago  and  mentioned  by  Sir  S.  in  his 
books.  This  is  sure  to  he  a great  resort  for  sportsmen 
when  the  country  is  better  known  and  the  means  of 
transport  is  better.  In  the  meantime  there  is  only 
one  horse  in  the  whole  of  this  vast  region — Nyassa- 
land'— the  sole  remaining  one  of  15  we  brought  with 
the  expedition  from  Aden  and  Zanzibar  ! The  Tsetse 
fly  does  for  them  and  for  cattle  and  donkeys  also. 
At  Zomba  this  pest  is  absent  and  all  stock  thrive  well. 
Our  first  calf  born  last  week,  and  we  have  donkeys,  and 
fat-tailed  sheep,  goats,  fowls,  pigeons  and  muscovy 
ducks. 
Remember  me  very  kindly  to  Kellow  and  ask  him  to 
send  me  two  or  three  roots  of  cush-cush  yam  (ivnd 
anything  else  he  thinks  of),  that  delicious  root  I intro- 
duced from  the  West  Indies.  It  and  all  the  yams 
family  w'ould  do  splendidly  here.  A few  lines  from 
you  will  tell  the  Nuwara  Eliya  new's  would  be  most 
welcome.  We  have  two  old  Ceylon  men  here.  Henry, 
