June 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 
867 
saturated with steam from a boiler or with 
steam or water from a tank placed in 
a suitable position, the amount of saturation, 
by means of the appliances for which patent 
has been taken out, being regulated at will, until 
the leaf is wilted, when it is replaced with dry hot 
air only, or with a mixture of hot air and carbonic 
acid gas only, to remove the excess of moisture, 
or n.'i^Li the desirable condition for rolling 
is obtained. (2) By the application of carbonic 
acid gas to the leaf during the process of wilting, 
rolling or dryine green tea, this inert gas having 
the property of retaning the desirable green 
colour, and improving flavour, so enhancing the 
value of the finished product. 
The novelties in the above process claimed by 
Mr Baraber are (1) the conveyance of dry air, 
or air saturated or over-saturated with steam or 
water only, to green tea leaf for the purpose of 
wilting it. (2) The application of gear to regulate 
the conveyance of dry air, and the saturation of 
air employed for wilting green tea leaf. (3) The 
conveyance of air, carbonic acid gas and steam 
or water simultaneously or separately into the ap- 
paratus for wilting green tea leaf. (4) The ai- 
plication of gear to regulate the conveyance of air 
containing carbonic acid gas, air alone, or air 
saturated with moisture and carbonic acid gas to 
the apparatus for wilting, rolling and drying green 
tea, alternately or concurrently as desired. (5) 
The conveyance of carbonic acid gas to green tea 
leaf and the keeping of the leaf in an atmosphere 
of carbonic acid gas during all or any of the ope- 
rations of green tea manufacture. (6) The method 
or procees of wilting tea leaf and of preventing 
fermentation or oxidation by the application of 
carbonic acid gas. (7y) The application of carbonic 
acid gas to wilted leaf, while being rolled and 
dried, to prevent oxidation. 
The invention is a promising one and the ap- 
plication of carbonic acid gas to prevent oxida- 
tion is a distinctly scientific advance. — Indian 
Gardening and Planting, May 9. 
INDIAN CARDAMOMS DISEASED. 
In a re'port on cardamoms in India, J W 
MoUison, Deputy Director of Agriculture at 
Poona, says that a form of disease has appeared 
in tne cardamom crops in most of the Kanara gar- 
dens, and is restricting cultivation. No particular 
indications of disease are presented by the affected 
plants, but they do not seem to thrive, and the 
leaves in parts become yellow and wither. 
Like any other plant under cultivation, the 
cardamom degenerates when grown for long 
periods under exactly the same conditions of soil 
and climate, and without any change in the 
methods of propagation and reproduction. The 
Kanara crops have for a long period been grown 
with practically no changes in the system of 
general cultivation, and to these conditions, in Mr. 
Mollison's opinion, the so-called disease is due. 
The vigor of the cardamom plant may be renewed 
from time to time, as may that of any other 
cultivated plant, by change of seed, change of soil, 
rotation of crops, and other regenerating influences. 
Our information in regard to Mr. Mollison's re- 
port does not state to what extent, if any, he 
estimates the crop shortage on account of the 
diseased plants. In this market at present there 
is a fairly plentiful supply of the lower grades of 
cardaiuom seed, which are held at from 60 to 70 
Tear. 
Pounds. 
Tear. 
1891 
. . 41,399 
1896 
1892 
. . 65,204 
1897 
1893 
.. 31,315 
1898 
1894 
25,723 
1899 
1895 
. . 42,587 
1900 
cents per pound. Large, white Mangalore seeds, 
however, are rather scarce, and are quoted at from 
$1 to $1-10 per pound. In the event of any 
shortage in the supply at primary points, there 
would, of course, follow an advance in the local 
market price. 
Below will be found a table showing the total 
imports of cardamom seeds during the liscal years 
from 1891 to 1900, inclusive :— 
Pounds. 
. . 24,540 
.. 34,437 
. . 43,644 
. . 77,076 
.. 45,657 
—New York Drug Reporter, April 15. 
DOLOSBAGE AND ITS ESTATES : 
NOW AND THEN. 
Mr, H, Cottam, who is making a peregri- 
nation through his old district, sends us some 
chatty notes about the changes he notes in 
different estates. These should prove very 
interesting to old residents of Dolosbage 
now away from Ceylon,— for example Messrs, 
W, Rollo, W, Anderson, Cuthbert, Forbes 
Laurie, R,;Porter, &c, Mr, Cottam is not aware 
that a special "circular" was issuedfrom the R, 
B. Gardens, dealing with the Lantana bug. and 
there can be no good excuse for Dolosbage 
men not burning off and extirpating the 
pest, let a worse thing befall them and their 
tea. We lose sight of old names, through 
amalgamations. Kellie alone now represents 
in the Directory : -Pairlie, Hormusjie, Moo- 
rootie and Inyerugie. We believe in this day 
of low prices that, for any proprietor of a small 
tea garden, it should pay him well to use 
chulas in the preparation of his tea, after the 
careful, slow, old-fashioned style. The result 
ought to be worth an extra good price, both 
for the flavour and keeping powers of the tea : 
so we have been told by our Rood Lane friends. 
Of course "chulas" will not do where 
there is area and quantity. — What does H.C. 
mean by cracking up a fiat for giving 1,300 lb. 
of leaf per acre per annum? That is only 
325 lb. of made tea. He surely means 5,200 lb. 
of leaf ? Thab would indeed be worth writing 
about, though we see that Mariawatte 
exceeds this with an average of 5,428 lb. 
of leaf! (1,357 lb. of made tea) for its 100-acre 
field. 
The China Tea SsAaoN is now closed and 
Messrs. Siemssen & Co. show a total for 
1900-01 of 123,566,984 lb. against 115,139,3771b. 
in the previous season. The following t;ible 
gives details : — 
TOTAL EXPORT OP TEA SEASON PKOM ALL 
CHINA : 
1899-01 lb 
21,208,348 
10,474,121 
33,043,331 
50,837,045 
6,514,722 
1,378,864 
To England 
„ The Continent 
„ Russia 
,, Ameiica 
„ Australia 
„ Soutli Africa 
1899-1900 lb 
29,297,824 
4.999,317 
29,635,815 
43,888,486 
S,094,660 
1,223,245 
Total lb 123,566,934 115,139,377 
[Besides, perhaps 100 million lbs. sent overland to 
Russia, Thibet and Central Asia generally, inolad- 
ing brick tea.— Ed. T.A.} 
