75° 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[June  i,  1893. 
COMPARATIVE  ANALYSES  OF  TEA: 
FLAVOUR  VS.  QUANTITY. 
London,  April  7. 
In  my  communication  on  the  above  by  last  mail 
I find  an  error  was  made  in  the  figures  for  dried 
soluble  extract  in  Table  II.  speoimea  No.  3 — the 
figures  should  be  38  04  instead  of  28  04  as  stated. 
The  corrected  results  should  stand  as  follows  ; — 
No.  3 
Ceylon  Pekoe  sold  at  1 IJd 
Water  originally  present 
563 
Dried  exhausted  leaf 
32  53 
Dried  exhausted  stalk 
23  80 
Soluble  extraot  (dried) 
38-04 
100-C0 
Proportion  of  leaf 
57  74 
Proportion  of  stalk 
42-26 
These  results  agree  very  well  with  those  for  No.  1 
representing  Assam  Orange  Pekoe  with  40  57  of 
soluble  extract.  It  will  be  noticed  that  Indian  and 
Ceylon  tea  yield  a larger  proportion  of  extract  than 
China  tea.  Possibly  some  objection  may  be  taken  to 
the  term  stalk  as  opposed  to  leaf.  Specimens  of  each 
are  therefore  enolosed,  and  if  some  hot  wa  er  be 
added  and  time  allowed  for  the  necessary  expansion, 
planters  and  tea  experts  will  Bee  how  far  the 
application  of  the  term  stalk  is  justified.  The 
enclosed  rough  sketch  of  the  tea  leaf  as  it  grows 
naturally  on  the  tree  is  taken  from  Blytli's  Food 
Analysis  and  will  indicate  that  a considerable 
quantity  of  stalk  may  be  plucked  with  the  leaf 
unless  proper  care  be  taken. 
Instead  of  pioking  the  fine  tips  or  undeveloped 
leaf  the  writer  thinks  it  would  be  more  profitable 
to  allow  the  leaf  to  mature  and  open  out  into  full 
blossom.  In  fact  to  give  up  fine  flavour  and  go 
in  for  quantity  and  a large  soluble  extract. 
These  analyses  have  certainly  proved  that  it  is 
the  quantity  and  colour  of  the  soluble  extraot  that 
commands  the  markets  and  not  fine  flavour.  If 
these  results  are  deembd  of  practical  use  they  may 
suggest  future  wbrk  in  a larger  and  more  extended 
scale.  JOHN  HUGHES. 
I hope  the  correction  will  be  oarefully  made  in 
the  figures  for  No.  3 Table  II  before  the  MS.  appears 
in  the  T.  A.  [Yes — this  correction  is  in  time  for 
T.  A.  and  Overland  Observer. — Ed.  T.A.) 
TASMANIA  REVISITED. 
{By  Old  Colonist.) 
When  three  and  thirty  years  ago,  a man  who 
even  now  I only  partially  know,  wrote  a series  of 
“ objectionable”  letters  to  the  Observer  signed  “Young 
Scotchman  ” the  planters  of  the  day  were  up  in 
arm's,  and  a meeting  was  held  in  Kandy  at  which 
I was  present,  when  it  was  resolved  that  should  the 
offending  scribe  ever  become  known  he  must  be  horse- 
whipped. And  to  this  I agreed. 
But  the  planters  of  the  past  generation  were  better 
than  their  word,  for  after  the  culprit  became  known 
he  was  punished  with  such  lavish  kindness  that  to 
this  day  be  has  the  tenderest  affection  for  all  and 
sundry  in  Ceylon. 
In  the  same  way  Tasmania  has  had  its  revenge. 
I had  forgotten  that  in  writing  to  the  Observer 
from  Souih  America,  I had  compared  Tasmanian 
hospitality  rather  disparagingly  with  the  spontaneous 
entertainment  we  received  from  the  hill  tribes  of 
Peru.  But  if  1 had  forgotten  my  friends  in  Hobart 
very  soon  reminded  me  of  the  fact.  Though  in- 
stead of  tarring  and  feathering  me  as  I doubtless 
deserved,  they  proceeded  to  pile  coals  of  fire  upon 
my  head  For  five  nights  in  succession  I have  dined 
out,  declining  BOYeral  invitations  with  greatful  thanks. 
The  Great  Tipple  here  is  Tea — invariably  the 
best  Ceylon,  and  “brewed”  to  such  perfection  as  we  sel- 
dom get  it  in  Colombo,  where  the  anti-tannin  craze 
is  carried  to  an  absurd  length.  Here  the  majority  like 
a little  taste  of  the  tannin  and  I much  prefer  it 
to  the  mere  hasty  washing’s  ofl  the  tea  leaves  remorse- 
lessly offered  to  a jaded  mau  in  Ceylon.  The  tea 
may,  and  doubtless  is  the  finest  in  the  world  but  as 
the  Buchan  farmer  said  of  “Wandering  Willies” 
neck  “ it  wad  be  a the  better  to  be  drawn  a little 
longer.” 
But  to  return  to  the 
TEA  DRINKING  IN  HORABT. 
It  is  in  the  good  old  style  only  to  be  seen  at  per- 
fection in  Hobart  and  Aberdeen.  It  is  late  in  the 
afternoon  the  table  is  laid  with  Artistic  taste,  and 
here  literally  trembles  under  the  weight  of  flowers 
tempting  meats,  fishes,  cakes,  fruits  and  sweets  of 
the  most  digestive  and  indigestive  discreption.  The 
grand  prologue  is  the  pouring  out  of  the  tea.  Not 
diBhed  on  the  sideboard  and  apathetically  handed 
round  by  the  appoos  as  in  Colombo,  but  at  the  end 
of  the  table  surrounded  by  her  precious  hand  painted 
Carlsbad,  eits  the  lady  of  the  house,  or  if  the 
family  be  up  the  prettiest  of  the  pretty  daughters 
presides.  And  here  let  me  say  that  Lima  may  well 
look  out  for  her  iauraU  when  Hobartina  euter  the 
field — the  first  act  viz  : — the  pouring  out  of  the  tea 
is  accomplished  with  a grace  that  leaves  nothing  ’to 
be  desired  and  if  the  unvarying  queries  as  to  whether 
you  take  milk  and  sugar  are  apt  to  prove  ft  trifle 
tedious— they  break  the  ice,  and  pave  the  way  for 
the  brilliant  chatter  which  follows.  Mountains  ofoeke 
disappear  and  enp  after  cup,  passes  round  ; the  aroma 
6o  excellent  and  the  effect  so  exbileralii  g that  we 
no  longer  wender  why  the  Cascade  Brewery  shares 
have  gone  down  20  percent,  since  the  introduction 
of  Ceylon  tea  ! 
Such  a tea — in  3 acts,  usually  takes  a full 
hour  to  accomplish,  is  equivalent  to  a dinner 
in  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  fact 
that  I am  fit  to  tell  the  tale  on  the  morning  after 
five  such  outings  is  a sufficient  guarantee  of  their 
wholesomeness. 
While  in  Hobart  I visited  the  Training  School 
for  boys  under  the  able  supervisou  of  Mr.  Longmore 
himself  a born  and  trained  teacher,  having  had 
much  experience  in  the  management  of  similar 
institutions  in  Scotland. 
THE  SCHOOL  AT  HOBART 
is  one  of  the  most  creditable  thngs  ever  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Tasmania  undertook,  and  is  being  carried 
on  with  a tact  and  perseverance  truly  admirable, 
Here  are  a number  of  previously  neglected  boys  of 
the  genus  larrikan  from  12  to  18  years  of  age  whose 
only  crime  is  that  they  were  badly  brought  up  by 
their  parents,  or  it  may  be  orpban  outcasts.  It 
requires  only  a cursory  glance  at  the  majority  of  the 
faces  to  see  that  the  ‘loons’  are  amenable  to  kind, 
firm  and  methodical  treatment,  and  will  yet  prove 
useful  men.  A minority  of  course,  there  are — the 
formation  of  whose  heads  indicate  that  there  is 
something  hopelessly  wrong,  and  we  wonder  how 
far  such  boys  are  responsible,  and  how  far  the 
doctrine  of  free  will  applies  to  them.  Beside  being 
taught  the  three  Rs.  These  boys  are  trained  in 
many  useful  occupations  such  as  gardening,  plough- 
ing, carpentering  &c.,  and  unquestionably  much  tact 
and  patience  is  required  in  dealing  with  them,  the 
result  shows  that  this  is  not  a wanting  on  the  part 
of  their  foster  father  Mr.  Longmore  who  is  more  than 
a parent  had  ever  been  to  them.  I had  the  pleasure 
of  listening  to  the  rehearsal  of  sundry  songs  and  re- 
citations prepared  to  celebrate  the  9th  anniversary 
of  the  school.  All  the  pices  were  admirably  ren- 
dered with  good  musical  voices,  and  particularly 
was  I gratified  to  hear  them  sum  Dp  with  what  I 
would  call  the  Federal  Anthem  of  the  great  English 
speaking  race,  for  I have  often  seen  Yankees,  Irish  or 
other  malcontents  leave  a meeting  with  their  noses 
in  the  air  when  the  English  National  Anthem  was 
sung,  but  never  once  did  I come  across  an  English 
speaking  soul  that  did  not  lustily  join  in 
