,^0 THE TBOPIOAL AGRICULTURIST. [Sept. 1, 1902. 
nie'niin^ leaves the bean devoid of tlie chocolate 
taste, when a longer continuous fermentation, 
taking care not to overheat, brings it out bub 
darkens tlie skin. To dry the bean without 
washing gives it a dirty appearance and ren lers 
it more liable to mildew. It is the reason, I think, 
■for which in some p^rts of Central America 
they earth the cacao (Puerto Cabello, the highest 
priced, is earthed).— Yours truly, 
CACAO PLANTER. 
^CEYLON TEA CHESTS AND TEAS FOR 
THE CANADIAN MARKET. 
July 27. 
Dear Sib,— In view of the recent official 
correspondence published by the Tea Traders' 
Association re Ceylon-made chests, the 
enclosed letter will interest all your planting 
readers, especially as it refei's to Ceylon 
" greens." The writer, as you will see, is a 
Japanese tea importer in Montreal and 
should know what best suits the trade 
generally. It may also be as well to point 
out that pine chests were only imported by 
local merchants when Momis could not be 
obtained. We don't think many are coming 
forward now.— Yours faithfully. 
MERCHANT. 
Montreal, March 12. 
In reply to your inquiry re the prospect of 
Ceylon and Indian teas with the Canadian 
.market, I may tell you my own opinion, which is 
that they have a good prospect in blacks as much 
as Japan has in its greens. They try quite hard 
to compete with us in green tea recently, bub 
unless tliey make still further improvements, I do 
not think they can ever displace us from the 
market. There are many defects on their part 
if I point out, bub ib is needless to say to you 
about its make, etc, except something wherewith 
you are interested directly. Ib may be interesting 
to you to know (as you are exporting Momi Tea 
chests) that I have seen many packages of Ceylon 
tea which are not of (our) Momi wood, but of 
pine ; the latter, in my opinion, is not from Japan 
and resembles very much Ciiinese pine. As you 
have some idea of tea, you should know that 
boxes for tea, made out of pine wood either from 
Japan or elsewhere, cannot be good for bea ; and 
I am greatly surprised to see the Ceylon merchants 
(who are so earnest in pushing their tea and 
effecting all kinds of improvements) use boxes 
made of pine. Tlie boxes that I saw at your mills 
are very good and very suitable. Don't you 
supply large quantities? Perhaps China pine is 
cheaper, but cheap things always come out dearer 
iu the end and I shall not be ab all surprised if this 
is found oub and pine boxes avoided altogether. 
I have also seen some boxes which, I fancy, 
cannot be made in China or Japan, as the wood 
appears to nie to be from some very cold country 
in the North part of Europe as far as my know- 
ledge of lumber tells me ; you may perhaps know 
where they come from. Wicliout anything further 
interest,— I remain, yours truly. 
A GOOD TREE FOR TEA ESTATES. 
August 5. 
Dear Sib,— The tree referred to by a Dim- 
bula Manager in your issue of the 30th July 
should be Ailantus: I thiiik. it appears in 
the Peradeniya Gardens Catalogue as A. 
malaharicus. It was planted in the south 
of France about thirty years ago as a food 
for one of the new species of silk-worms 
then introduced, and on a small scale la 
English gardens on account of its orna- 
mental appearance.— Yours faithfully, 
[" Allan tus Malabarica" — is no doubt the 
tree and here is Trimen's information :— 
" Low country of tlie moist region ; rather rare. 
Seven Korales ; Colombo ; Heneratgoda. Fl. Jan. ; 
white. Tlie bark is tonic ar.d febrifuge. A 
brown, fragrant, resinous exudation is given by 
the inner bark, and is used in dysentery as well 
as material for incense. Wood very light, soft 
and spongy. Ailantus is from ' Ailanto,' said to 
be native name of A glandulosa in the Moluccas.' 
From the '* Treasury of Botany" we 
further quote : — 
" Ailantus. The Vernis du Ja'pon of tlie 
French, A, glandulosa of botanists, is in its 
native countries, China and India, where it is 
called Ailanto, a tree of large size and hendsome 
appearance, bearing numerous pinnate leaves from 
one to two feet long or more, and clusters of 
greenish flowers of a disagreeable odour. It is 
of rapid growth, making, when favourably situated, 
annual shoots from three to six feet in length. 
Its Cernian name, Gotterbaum, ' tree of the 
gods,' is said to be a translation of Ailanto. 
French arboriculturists recommended that its 
lateral branches should be annually lopped off, 
wheti the main trunk will ascend perpendicularly 
and sustain a symmetrical spreading canopy. In 
France and Italy, it is much valued as a tree 
for shading public walks, and is planted for that 
purpose along with the tulip-tree, horse-chestnut, 
plane, &c. Its leaves are not liable to be attacked 
iDy insects, which is a great recommendation ; 
nevertheless they are the favourite food of the 
silk moth, Bombyx Cynthia; and they con- 
tinue on the tree and retain their green colour 
till the first frosts of November, when the leaflets 
suddenly drop off, the leaf-stalks remaining on 
often a week or two longer. The wood is yellowish- 
white, satiny, and well suited for the purposes 
of the cabinet-maker. There are specimens, both 
in England and of the Continent, exceeding sixty 
feet in height. The name ' Japan varnish' seems 
to have been applied to it through some mistake. 
The genus belongs to the Simara.baceos," 
[Probably the Dim bula trees are from im- 
ported seed of Ailantus glandulosa, — Ed, '£,A,^ 
TREES FOR TEA ESTATES. 
Glasgow, Agrapatana, Aug, 9. 
Dear Sir,— The trees growing on this 
estate, of which mention has recently been 
made in your columns, answer the descrip- 
tion of Ailantus Glandulosa given in your 
issue of the 8th inst. 
A small quantity of the seed was got by 
Mr. A L Cross, but I have no record of it, 
and he was unable to give me any informa- 
tion when I applied to him a few years ago. 
They are deciduous trees, shedding their 
leaves about the month of September, So far 
none of them have flowered. The growth 
compares very favourably with grevilleas 
of the same age. Some trees on this 
estate ten and eleven yeais old are about 
50 feet high. They are handsome, healthy 
