May 1, 1901.] 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
777 
ppearance— the levels of Mie terraces are dug two 
feet deep and planted ; the flat land is also dug in a 
similar way and every root and stone removed. 
There are two large glass houses for germinating 
seed. At the present moment v;e are expecting 
from Uhioa 665 maunds of tea seed ! which, 
planted 4" by 4" would, if all germinated, require 
nurseries to tlie extent of 81-^ acres including 
drains, &c. ! ! and there are now three million 
seedlings i» nurseries. They tell me they have 
found pruning a mistake, and before last winter 
only .-^ut off the ends of each branch with scissors: 
The fl'ish is now coming on, hut has been delayed 
this year by the cold weather; in about a fort- 
night I hope we shall begiu plucking and it will 
be" my duty to give the order for this work to be 
carried out. My especial duty is the manufacture 
of tea. There is a good factory— a^Z iron, wither- 
ing loft above with jute hessian tats— it was built 
by Messrs. " Sirocco " Davidson, who also sup- 
plied all the machinery, viz :— 12 H.P. steam 
engine, roller, dry tea sifter and equaliser, ditto 
cutter and equaliser, oxidiser, down-draft sirocco, 
packer, machine for compressing pillules and 
hydran lie press for tablets, and electric machine. 
Also, Chinese hand sieves, pans, chulas and win- 
nowers. It is lighted by electricity ; there is a 
telephone from the factory to the office and thence 
to uiy house. 
Each of the estates is worked by a head-gardener 
with an assistant, the labour being Turks and 
Qi ozines— all men. The office and financial part is 
managed by a gentleman with an assistant, the 
latter'' being also a dispenser. A weekly meeting 
of the three gardeners, the book-keeper and myself 
takes place, when the work being, and to be, 
carried out is discussed, it being necessary for 
each of us to visit the three estates weekly. At 
these meetings we air our opinions and pass them 
on tolVl. Popoff, who decides what is to be done. 
Should tiie others differ from me on what I consider 
a vital point I am to write or wire to Mr. P. direct. 
The crop will be only some 12,000 lb. of tea this 
season, as I have advised husbanding a great part 
of tlie estate. ' 
The pillules and tablets made here would be 
of inestimable value for soldier.s' use during 
warfare as the space and bulk is so much reduced, 
and I commend this serioushi to the attention of 
the military authorities. m, • i 
I callerl on the British Consul here, Mr Patrick 
Stevens (Badminton Club), who was very civil. He 
showed me samples of Indian green teas which he 
says are largely eocsumedin the Asiatic provinces. 
(By the way, I am still in Asia !) On the 1st 
instant I entered in my diary that I rhought it 
would oe long, if ever, before Indian or Ceylon 
teas (black) ousted Chinas in Russia, for the reason 
that they do not lend themselves to the customs of 
the people, as does the China tea ; and Mr 
Stevens used to me almost identically the same 
Avords. The Russians like very v^eak tea, very 
hot, and plenty of it at a sitting, many times 
a day. The China article is put Into a teapot with 
only a little boiling water and kept on the top of 
the Samovar (or urn) v/here it is continually 
" drawinc," A little only of this is poured into 
a tumbler, which is hlled up with boiling 
water from the samovar, two or more lumps of 
sugar are added and generally a slice of lemon- 
it is rare to see milk used— the teapot is replen- 
ished with a little boiling water on the old leaves 
continually. This method cannot be carried out 
^\ith Indian and Ceylon teas as, after the five 
minutes' "drawing," it begins to cool and it 
would be difficult to make it in sufficient quan- 
tities for their constant use. Indians and Ceylons 
are nicer with milk than with lemon. The poor 
classes drink an immense quantity ciaily, very 
weak, and they could not get milk. 
MR. J. O. ROBERTS' NEW TEA BOX. 
Mr. Roberts writes :— "It is encouraging at 
least to hear that merchants, and others 
amongst the nnotficial residents, have ac- 
corded my sample some favorable notice and 
attention. Numerous specimens of compressed 
wood (made of Ceylon timber with my cement) 
forwarded to the Colonial Secretary, have 
attracted no interest in Government circles 
as I have not received any acknowledgment 
of them. I really hoped that they would 
be of public interest, (also possibly the Tea 
chest going forward shortly) as they are made 
of common kinds of wood at present practi- 
cally of no value, and which in fact never 
can be as plain timber." It means in tact that, 
if the processes are a practical success, as 
I think these samples sent forward shew, 
the Island possesses in its forest reserves an 
rmsuspected value, if encoirragement is given 
to develop it." 
COFFEE PLANTING IN BRAZIL. 
THE DUMONT ESTATE. 
3S MILES OF RAILWAY : THE LARGEST COFFEE 
PLANTATION IN THE WORLD. 
12th April, 1901, 
Four and a half years ago the group of Coffee 
Estates known as the Dumont Company changed 
hands and the Erencli proprietor sold out ro the 
Loudon Company who paid the enormous sum of 
one million eight hxmdred thousand pounds 
for the property. It was the general 
OPINION IN BRAZIL 
that Dumont sold out for a good price and that 
it would take the new Company all their time 
to work the estates to pay, as they were taken 
over in bad order and during the past four 
years required a liberal expenditure to keep 
down the heavy weeds and grasses (for Brazil 
qrows tveeds) and labour is very expensive. Chiefly 
Italian tiud Spanish families engage themselves as 
" Colonials," working by contract if married and 
possessing a family. The single men work as daily 
labourers called in Brazil " Coniarados " ; their 
pay is from 2'50 to 3 milreis, (a mil means one 
thousand, therefore the milreis would be 1,000 
nickel coins.) Paper money is used in Brazil and 
EXCHANGE 
is always rising and falling ; three years ago 
the milreis were down to 5d. English 
money and last August went up to a 
shilling. One of our contractors who planted 
and cultivated eighty thousand trees was recently 
paid off and doubled his money by the rise in Ex- 
change. Oa the other hand the officers of the 
company, who are paid in gold, stand to lose 
money in Brazil as the purchasing power in stores 
of the milreis never changes; and one Officer or 
Superintendent of a section had his pay raised 
fifty pounds, yet he had to draw on private money 
to meet expenses. This was brought to the uoticQ 
