722 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  i,  1893. 
decided  to  call  up  R60,f00,  making  the  total  sub- 
scribed capital  R204,000.  This  sum  it  will  be  seen 
appears  in  the  balance  sheet,  although  only  the 
original  360  shares  participate  in  dividend. 
Isabel  Estate. — With  the  addition  to  the  capital 
this  promising  property  has  been  purchased  at  a 
cost  of  R45.000.  The  directors  have  every  confidence 
that  this  will  prove  a valuable  acquisition  to  the 
Company.  The  balance  of  called-up  capital  is  to  pro- 
vide for  expenditure  on  opening  clearings,  Arc. 
♦ 
NOTES  ON  PRODUCE  AND  FINANCE. 
Digestive  Tea  by  Electricity.—  Of  the  wonders  of 
the  electric  belt,  all  those  familiar  with  advertise- 
ments are  acquainted,  but  a new  application  of  elec- 
tricity is  announced.  The  Universal  Digestive  Tea 
Company,  Limited,  of  Manchester,  are  anxious  to 
make  known  the  fact  that  tea  dried  by  their  new 
electric  process  is  “freed  entirely  from  injurious 
tannin.  The  flavour  of  the  tea  is  more  delightful, 
and  the  theine — the  refreshing  property— remains 
unaltered.  The  tea  has  already  been  tested  and 
approved  by  over  seven  hundred  medical  men,  many 
of  whom  speak  of  it  as  the  only  safe  tea.”  We  are 
quoting  from  the  circular  of  the  company.  The 
electric  process  is,  of  course,  the  secret  of  the 
company  at  present,  and  we  have  no  desire  to  pene- 
trate its  mysteries.  This  much  is  made  known,  how- 
ever, and  the  italics  which  follow  later  on  are  not 
ours,  viz.,  that  there  is  a cylinder  which,  doubtless,  is 
as  important  a factor  in  an  e ectric  process  as  the 
drum  to  a Salvation  Army  band. 
May  Quick  Digestion  Wait  on  Appetite. — The 
following  (cays  the  circular)  “speaks  for  itself”: — 
At  >he  suggestion  of  a doctrr  a sample  pound  of  tea 
was  divided  into  two  half-pounds.  One  half-pound 
was  put  into  the  cylinder  for  twenty- fhe  miuu:es  aisd 
treated  by  the  electrio  process;  nt  (he  end  of  tbat 
time  an  ordinary  strength  infusion  was  made  from 
Such  of  the  half-pounds,  ana  tested  to  show  the  action 
on  the  digestion  of  starchy  ford.  In  the  tea  that  had 
been  treated  bv  tbe  electrio  process  digestion  was 
complete  in  eiyht  minutes ; but  the  same  tea,  not  fo 
tree  ted, delayeti  « L<  esiou  three  hours  and  twelve  minutes. 
The  New  Process  Improves  the  Tea.— Any  tea 
can  b?  treated  by  this  process  it  appears.  “The  com- 
pany treats  all  kinds  of  tea — Indian,  China,  or  Ceylon 
tea.  We  thick”  (says  the  circular)  “ that  few  will 
inn  the  risk  of  drinbiDg  tea  that  has  cot  been  dried 
by  the  electrio  process,  when  the  new  process  im- 
proves the  tea,  makes  it  perfectly  safe,  aud  does  not 
increase  the  price.  In  order  that  the  fullest  investi- 
gation may  be  made  by  those  who  are  interested  and 
desire  to  proonre  the  beet  and  safest  tea,  the  Uni- 
versal Digestive  Tea  Company,  Limited,  will  exhibit 
♦be  tea  while  it  is  undergoing  the  process,  and  also 
shor?  several  tests  with  the  tea  both  before  and  after 
it  has  in  the  cylinder.”  The  experience  of  the 
Manchester  Co'"‘Uany  should  give  a stimulus  to  the 
experiments  of  those  ingenious  inventors  who  are  en- 
deavouring to  apply  elec‘',citJ  *he  drying  of  tea 
during  manufacture. 
Coffee  in  America.— Messrs.  W.  D.  Du.',£let  & 0o- 
report : — The  coffee  markets  at  New  York  for  lll0r..e 
than  a week  past  have  been  fevemh  ai  d unsettled, 
there  being  a number  of  sudden  declines  and  recoveries, 
in  which  fluctuations  were  generally  confined  to  the 
narrow  limit  of  ten  and  fifteen  points.  Very  little  in 
the  way  of  new  speculative  business  was  drawn  in,  and 
since  thelstinst.  the  trading  in  contracts  for  future 
delivery  was  almost  no  larger  than  cash  sales  from 
warehouses  to  the  regular  trade.  It  is  worthy  of 
notied  that,  while  the  market  for  several  months  past 
has  been  controlled  by  speculative  influences,  the 
aotual  volume  of  speculative  transactions  has  been 
all  the  time  growing  smaller  and  smaller  in  Loth 
Europe  and  America.  Apparently,  the  temper 
of  operators  bas  been  undergoing  some  change,  and, 
whereas  it  was  in  accordance  with  the  general  ciaze 
some  months  ago  to  be  bullish,  there  is  now  an  in- 
clination towards  the  bear  side,  Trices  at  the  close 
.vere  lower  than  at  any  time  sjuce  early  jjj  tjje  year, 
with  locil  traders  working  f;  r a further  decline,  and 
the  professional  hears  selling  moderately.  The  rcec- 
tion  seems  due  to  the  discovery  that  the  discount- 
ing of  the  deficiency  id  the  present  crop  yield  had 
been  ca-ried  too  far,  and  tint,  at  the  lowest  yield 
estimated,  the  world’s  large  visible  supply,  with  the 
enormous  invisible  s(ock  cariied  over  from  last  year, 
will  be  more  than  f-ufficient  to  meet  ordinary  consump- 
tion until  ihe  next  cr<p  becomes  available.  Dad  it 
lot  been  for  this  sniplus  stock,  wLich  is  always  in- 
vi-ible  snd  impo-eible  to  estimate,  the  shortage  of 
the  present  crop  would  have  been  felt  more  severely. 
— II.  and  C.  Mail , March  24. 
REMARKABLE  EXPERIENCE  OF  A CEY- 
LON PLANTER  ; HIS  GUN  STRUCK  BY 
LIGHTNING. 
A gentleman  retidem  on  a tea  plantation  between 
2,100  and  3,0C0  feet  above  sca-lcvel  writes  to  us  : — 
April  11. — I do  not  wish  my  name  published  with 
the  following,  but  if  you  think  it  has  any  interest 
to  your  readers  by  all  means  publish  it.  I ’d  like 
a scientific  opinion  on  the  subject.  One  afternoon 
lately  I was  in  the  jungle  with  2 coolies  superin- 
tending the  cutting  of  a path.  We  got  to  the  edge 
of  the  jungle  into  light  cnena  juBt  as  a thunder- 
storm came  on.  Rain  did  not  fall  till  later  on.  I 
was  carrying  a gun  on  my  right  shoulder,  when 
suddenly  my  gun  was  knocked  out  of  my  hand  and 
thrown  about  4 feet  in  front  of  me,  and  I saw 
very  red  lightning  under  the  rim  of  my  hat  and 
found  myself  knocked  down  and  sitting  with  my  legs 
straight  out  in  front  of  me,  my  gun  being  4 feet 
away  from  my  feet.  I had  on  a very  thick  pith 
hat  and  tweed  clothes,  and  there  was  a smell  of 
singeing  either  from  the  cover  of  the  hat  or  from 
my  clothes  I suppose.  A cooly  about  3 feet  from  me 
who  had  a billhook  in  his  hand  remained  standing ; 
and  when  I spoke  to  him  he  remarked  that  my 
gun  had  been  struck  by  lightning.  I suppose  this 
was  really  the  case,  and  that  the  gun  being  knocked 
out  of  my  hand  instantaneously,  the  electric  fluid 
hit  the  ground  instead  of  hitting  me.  The  above 
may  seem  rather  like  a yarn,  but  if  I had  col- 
lapsed from  fright  when  the  clap  of  thunder  came 
I should  have  gone  to  earth  in  a heap  gun  and  all. 
The  gun  has  only  two  small  dents  in  it  from  its  fall, 
and  I had  no  bruise  of  any  kind  or  any  feeling 
that  anything  unusual  had  happened,  except  of 
course  a momentary  fright  and  a feeling  of  grati- 
tude for  what  seemed  to  me  a most  providential 
escape. 
The  only  parallel  case  we  can  recall  is  that  of 
the  Geylon  Rifla  soldiers  who  were  struck  down 
in  their  barraob3  just  as  they  were  about  to 
mouDt  guard,  a good  many  years  ago.  The  event 
is  recorded  as  follows  : — 
1854. — 22nd  May.  Awful  thunderstorm  bringing  in 
montoon  from  3 to  9 a.m..  Rifle  Barrack  struck  by 
lightning  in  Colombo,  29  men  accoutred  stiuck  down 
and  more  or  less  injured,  rifles  twisted,  40  men 
kuocked  down  by  ebook.  (On  16th  May,  storm  at 
Galle,  lightning  made  hole  near  Fort  wall  3 feet 
diamqfer  by  20  feet  deep.) 
-f, — 
PLANTING  IN  EAST  AND  WEST 
AFRICA. 
{From  the  letter  of  a Ceylon  Planter  in  East  Africa.) 
Civilization  is  fast  catching  us  up — hand  over  fist, 
for  the  Chief  Engineer  and  Surveyor  of  our  Rail- 
way line  is  out,  and  hard  at  work  getting  ready 
to  begin  operations,  so  sometime  between  this  and 
Christmas  next  I hope  to  see  the  cutting  of  the  first 
“ sod”  of  the  Tanga-Koroague  line.  It  is  just  possi- 
ble I shall  be  opening  elose  to  the  line  soon,  some 
20-26  miles  from  this.  However  can’t  tell  till  I 
pitch  my  tent  there.  I’ve  done  a good  deal,  but 
