Aug. 1, 1900.] 
THE TKOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
1-27 
Tea Sampling. — A correspondent above draws atteii- 
tiou to a state of affairs at many of the Londou Tea 
Warehouses which is scarcely credible. If the f;icts be 
as stated a case for immediate investigation by some 
competent authority is urgently called for. What 
guarantee can a buyer have if all the samples which 
are furnished to him at the docks are taken from one 
chests '? Of ooorse this is a matter which does cot 
immediately coaoern planters, but we feel sure they 
would, strongly condemn any such practices if they 
were brought, under their notice ; and we can scarcely 
believe that the management of the various tea wavs- 
houssa can have the remotest idea of such reprehen- 
sible conduct on the part of their servants. But it 
is proper that inquiry should be made, as the com- 
plaint is a serious one. 
OVER-PKODUCTION OF INDIAN AND CEY- 
LON TEA, AND THE REMEDIES. 
(To the Editor of the Home and Colonial Mail). 
Sir, — I was unable to be present at the annual 
meeting of the Ceylon Association, but I hp.,ve care- 
fully read the interesting communication from Mr. 
William Ma(ikenzie. published in your issue of 
the 22nd, and can imaoine the feelings of des- 
pondence, if not of positive despair, that the views 
expressed in that letter are likely to produce 
in the minds of siiareholders in at present 
unsuccessful tea companies. In the first part of 
the letter it is stated that "production has far 
out-stripped consumption," and further on that 
"in Ceylon m.anuring is now helping to swell 
the output, and to complete the demoralisation 
of prices already injuriously affected by exten- 
sions of area." But after these two statements 
comes the following: "The price has fallen re- 
gularly about Jd a j'ear, whether production 
exceeded consumption or not." 
If the last statement is correct, there has 
been a steady fall in prices quite irrespective 
of relative production or consumption. This 
steady tall is probably due to a decline in qua- 
lity, and the only really practical method of 
removing this p'etty generally admitted fact 
must be the adoption of improved cultivation, 
judicious manuring, and scientilic manufature. 
Instead of regarding manuring as deterimental 
to the tea industry, it may fairly he contended 
that the planter is only following in the steps 
of all experienced agriculturists, who have found 
that every crop requires some kind of manuring. 
It is now upwards of twenty-two years.^incel 
went out in 1877 oflicially for the Ceylon Planters 
Association to report as an agricultural analyst 
u))on the manures best adapted to Ceylon coffee and 
tea soils. After making a very extensive tour oi 
seven weeks through the planting districts, seve- 
ral months were devoted to the analyses of the 
soil sent from these localities, and since then at 
great number of soils have been forwarded to 
me for examination and report, especially dur- 
ing the last two years. With (he knov/ledge thus 
obtained I have every hope that the application 
of judicious manuring will be of the very greatest 
benefit to the Ceylon tea crops. The soils for 
the most part are poor in the important ele .:ents 
of plant fooii, but the climate and rainfall are 
both most favourable in Ceylon to the proiluetion 
of frequent flushes of leaf ; so that I d not 
think proprietors siiould be -discouraged by pre- 
sent prices, but rather bestir themselves to ener- 
getic action. 
1 cannot agree with the first remedy suggested 
by Mr. Mackenzie, namely, that all tea grown in 
July should be eitlier destroyed or held off the 
London inarket, for, instead of doing this, if July 
tea is inferior, I shoiiid recommend that no tea 
should be made in July; certainly it should not 
" be shipped to Russia and sold there for whatever 
it would fetch,'' beea'.^ue tiiat proceeding would be 
calculated to preju licethe n.une of Ceyloa tea. 
With the second remedy recommended, namely, 
to pluck 10 per cent, less and aim at quality ratii'er 
than quantity, I however, fully agr^ia ; for' it is to 
the improvement in quality that planterrs should 
look to if they wish to improve prices. 
Tea is judged by its quality and pur- 
chased according to its quality and streugtli, 
so that each individual estate or groups of 
estates under one management should seek to get 
a better piice according to the care taken ia cul- 
tivation, manuring pruning, and manufacture. 
As to the third remedy suggested, namely to 
make teas suitable to the Aiiierican palate, that 
is a matter that may s.afely be left in the hands 
of the author, whose experience of American 
tastes rightly places his opinion above any doubt 
and I think planters would do well to follow the 
advice given on this point. In spite of the gene- 
ral increased production of Indian and Ceylon tea 
there is plenty of scope for a higher individual 
price if attention is properly directed to the points 
named. Some of our poorest soils can be, and have 
been, made to yield remunerative crops under 
the influence of suitable manures, a favour- 
able climate, and personal attention ; as, for 
lustance, the early crops of potatoes in Jersey 
and the spring flowers in the Soilly Isle.s. 
Tea _ planters, therefore, and' those inter- 
ested in tea properties need not despair, but 
rather direct attention to careful detail in the 
growth and manufacture of tea. Yours 
laithfully, 
John Hughes, f.i.c, Agricultural Analyst 
79, Mark Lane, E.C., June 2G, 1900. ' 
THE STRENGTH OF CEYLON TIMBERS. 
The cuiTeut number of the Imperial 
his.itute Journal hiis an interesting article 
by Prof, W. C Unwm giving a comparison 
ot the strength of Ceylon and European 
timbers. Very definite deductions from any 
set ot tests on a limited number of loo-s 
VV^cepted as subject to correction, 
but Mr. Unwin lias compiled a table of 
i^jiiropean timbers representing fairly, as he 
thinks, what is accepted as the average of 
such results as are most trustworthy. Oak 
elm, ash and red pine are included, and it is 
shown that their heaviness in pounds per cubic 
foot, W, IS .52, .51, 47 and 37 respectively; th-ir 
crushing strength in pounds per souare 
men, t.c. 10,000, 10,300, 90u0, and 5,800 ; their 
transverse strength in pounds uer snuare 
inch, 12,000, 8,000, 13,000, and 8,300 ;'f c W 193 
820, 191, and 157 ; f.b. W 230, 235, 277, and 224* 
Broadly speaking, the strength of timber 
increases with its heaviness. The most 
valuable timbers for structural purposes are 
those which have considerable strenoth 
without exce.ssive heaviness. The pine tmi- 
bers so largely used are not only easy to 
work, but they have good strength in uro- 
portion to their lieavineas. In the figures 
just quoted the strengths have been divided 
by the weights per cubic foot, and the 
results are given in the last two sets. Com- 
