782 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[June  1,  1893. 
To  the  Editor. 
THE  LARGEST  CARGO  OF  CEYLON 
PRODUCE  : 2.200  TONS  (850,000  LB.  TEA) 
WELL  DONE! 
Colombo,  15th  April. 
Dear  Sir,— The  BrooHebank  Line  s.s.  “Mahratta,” 
whioh  left  for  London  at  2 p.m.  today,  took  away 
from  Colombo  2,200  tons  cargo  consisting  entirely 
of  Ceylon  produce,  including  850  tons  tea,  say 
850,000  lb.  This  is  we  think  the  largest  cargo  of 
Ceylon  produce  ever  taken  away  by  aDy  one  liner. 
—Yours  faithfully. 
per  pro.  DELMEGE,  REID  & CO., 
F.  M.  Simpson,  Agents. 
THOMPSON’S  PATENT  TEA  PLUCKERS. 
Dear  Sir,— -With  reference  to  the  notes  in  your 
last  night’s  paper  by  a planter  of  experience  re- 
garding Thompson’s  Patent  Tea  Pluokers,  it  is 
satisfactory  to  know  that  their  capabilities  are 
being  steadily  and  carefully  developed,  and  that 
Mr  Thompson’s  claims  yvhich  were  at  first  laughed 
at  are  being  largely  realized.  Before  long  they  will 
no  doubt  be  fully  realized,  but  it  takes  several 
months’  careful  and  patien  * working  before  the  full 
benefits  of  the  pluokers  ar,e  comprehended. 
With  regard  to  the  clippers  being  olumsy,  I do 
not  see  how  such  a machine  can  bn  made  more 
Bightly  but  this  is  a matter  which  is  of  very  little 
importance  As  to  the  charge  of  flimsinees,  this 
has  been  rectified  to  a considerable  extent  and 
the  pluckerB  now  sold  are  muoh  stronger  than 
those  which  were  first  received  and  further  im- 
provements  are  now  being  made  by  the  manufac- 
turers from  instructions  given  by  Mr  Thompson, 
the  patentor  and  inventor,  so  that  before  long  I 
think  there  will  be  very  little  to  oomplain  about 
on  the  score  of  stability. 
As  to  their  being  expensive,  the  machines  neces- 
sarily carry  a royalty,  and  in  viewof  the  great  benefits 
the  invention  gives  to  all  tea  planters  who  use 
the  pluokers,  and  the  very  large  saving  tlhey  effect 
I cannot  suppose  that  the  royalty  will  be  grudged 
to  the  inventor.  [Then  follows  a sentence  whioh  is 
too  much  of  an  advertisement  altogether.—  ICd.  T.A.] 
Yours  faithfully,  E-B.  CREASY 
Sole  Agents  in  Ceylon  for  Thompson’s  Patent  Tea 
Pluckers. 
TROUT  IN  NUWARA  ELIYA. 
Nuwara  Eliya,  April  18. 
Dear  Sir, —I  was  glad  to  see  by  Mr.  Fowler’s 
letter  and  the  advertisement  in  the  papers  that 
<mnethinci  is  now  likely  to  be  done  to  stock  the 
waters  about  here  with  trout,  aDd  I trust  all  sports- 
men will  take  a R30  season  ticket  from  the  Looal 
T5o'>rd  • for  undoubtedly  large  sums  will  be  required 
.o  " Joverlv  stock  the  lakes  and  streams  about 
Nuwam  Eliya;  for,  to  put  in  2,000  or  3,000  fish,  is 
simply  pottering,  and  will  afford  real  sport  to  no 
one  unless  a few  native  poachers. 
We  have  now  known  for  several  years  that  trout 
thrive  well  in  these  high  waters,  and  take  the  iiy 
ureedilv  though  from  some  unknown  cause  they 
won’t  breed  ; so  if  we  only  put  a proper  stock  in, 
Trul  kepD  It  up  by  annual  importations  from  Eng- 
land . good sport  would  reg^riy  be  afforded  fora 
number  of  rods. 
With  so  many  keen  fishermen  in  the  island,  it 
seems  to  me  astonishing  that  the  matter  has  not 
been  taken  properly  in  hand  long  ago,  and  if  Mr. 
Fowler  cannot  get  the  Looal  Board  to  take  over  his 
fish,  and  make  arrangements  for  getting  out  very 
much  larger  quantities  next  season,  then  he  should 
start  a regular  Fishing  Club,  and  I will  be  surprised 
if  he  does  not  receive  ample  support  throughout 
the  island,  to  enable  him  to  thoroughly  stook  the 
surrounding  waters  with  river  and  Loch  Leven  trout. 
If  this  were  done  I need  scarcely  say  how  it 
would  add  to  the  already  numerous  attrsctions'of 
Nuwara  Eliya.— Yours  truly,  CHAS.  YOUNG. 
“JAVA”  TEAS  AND  W7HAT  THEY  ARE 
LIKE:  CORRECT  INFORMATION. 
April  23rd. 
Dear  Sir, — I wonder  where  your  ooirespondent 
“Planter”  got  the  impression  that  Java  teas  were 
allied  to  high-fired  Japans  or  low  Chinas.  Such 
is  net  by  any  means  the  case.  Some  years  ago 
Javas  were  very  fishy  in  flavor  and  got  a very 
bad  name  in  consequence,  but  they  have  improved 
vaf-tly  since  then,  and  Messrs.  Geo.  White  are  quite 
right  i i saying  they  nearly  approach  Indians  in 
character — especially  in  leaf  which  is  made  after 
Indian  and  Ceylon  style  and  not  like  China  leaf. 
Some  Javas  have  an  Indian  eharao*er  in  liquor 
and  some  a China  character.  About  five  years  ago 
a Java  tea  was  sold  in  London  with  such  a fine 
China  kintuck  flavor  that  several  brokers  could  not 
say  from  the  liquor  only  whether  it  was  Java  or 
China.  As  China,  it  was  valued  at  2s,  as  Java  at 
Is  3d,  simply  because  buyers  were  prejudiced  against 
the  name  of  Java.  Early  Javas  were  rather  thin, 
but  sinoe  more  Indian  jat  was  planted  they  are 
thicker — due  to  jat  of  oourse.  If  many  buyers  were 
not  afraid  of  purchasing  Javas  in  quantity,  the 
price  would  be  higher,  but  probably  even  then  lower 
than  Ceylon,  as  we  have  unusually  good  flavor  here. 
As  for  Ceylons  being  compared  to  Indian  Assams, 
which  they  often  are— Assamy-Ceylons  they  are 
called,  i.  e.  Ceylons  with  an  Assam  character. 
Putupaula  used  always  to  be  called  Assamy,  and  very 
similar  it  was,  and  heaps  of  other  gardens  had  a 
similar  character.  I don’t  see  that  Messrs.  Geo. 
White  have  made  an  error  in  any  single  state- 
ment of  theirs.  They  oertainly  are  not  puffing  up 
Javas  in  particular— they  echo  what  the  general 
opinion  of  the  trade  is.— Yours  truly,  M.  C. 
PASSENGERS,  PLANTERS  AND 
SHIPOWNERS. 
Ceylon,  April  27th. 
Sir, — Having  read  in  your  journal  about  tea- 
freights  by  s.s.  “ Marathon,”  as  well  as  seeing  in 
other  Ceylon  papers  letters  relative  to  the  combina- 
tion of  Indian  steamshipowners  who  have  formed 
themselves  into  a ‘ring,’  or  Conference,  and  have  fixed 
in  an  arbitrary  manner  a minimum  rate  of  passage- 
money  to  England,  and  minimum  rate  for  planters’ 
produce;  in  excess,  as  I submit,  of  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  services  rendered,  and  vastly  above  that 
prevailing  in  all  other  quarters  of  the  globe  when  we 
consider  the  type  of  ships  employed  in  the  trade, 
their  speed,  age,  and  the  mileage  distance  covered, — 
I think  a letter  showing  what  co  operation  can  bring 
about,  this  current  year  will  be  of  interest. 
Over  three  years  ago,  when  tea  from  Calcutta  to 
London  was  about  100  per  cent  more  than  it  is  now 
carried  for,  I was  asked  to  form  one  of  the  Com- 
mittee in  a purely  defensive  coaiiter-combination  of 
passengers,  planters  and  shippers  to  checkmate  the 
conference  ‘ ring,’  by  inducing  independent  shipown- 
ers to  run  1st  class  modern  steamers  regularly  to 
Bombay  and  Calcutta,  at  a speed  equal  to  that  of  the 
mail  line  contract  (12  knots  only),  and  to  carry  tea 
