Jan. 1, 1903.J THE TROPICAL AGScSfiTtfRlfeT. 
503 
To the Editor. 
i%A CULTURE IN SOUTH CAROLINA, 
U.S.— MK. SHEPHARD REPLIES. 
Pinehurst," Sammerville, S.C., Nov. 22. 
Dear Sir,— Some kind soul has caused to 
sent to nie copies of your issues of October 20t.h 
and 22iid wherein your " funny-man " has dis- 
ported himself at my expense and to my very 
consideraUle aniuseinent. It was about my turn 
and I should not complain ; for I liave throiicrh- 
out Llie past summer intensely enjoyed the Indo- 
Ceyion {jreen ina controversy as conducted in 
those valuable journals, The Tropical Aqncid- 
tui-ist ■'\nt\ the " Indian (iardeniuor and i^lanting." 
Incidentally I would state my surprise thac the 
old Ind'.an process ot lighieuin;,' the color of green 
tea by panning or attrition (described by Dr. A. 
Tschi ch in 1892) should have baen overlooked by 
so many of your able scholars and planters for so 
long; a time, and adulteration at least contem- 
plated ! ! 
The Pinehurst Experimentation has received 
30 much notice from the Press of this and other 
countries that it has become almost impossible for 
me to correct the frequently erroneous statements 
as to its ol)ject and results, and has compelled 
me to ignore personal aitack-^. 
But as I am iudebted to the Ceylon Tea Industry 
and es|)ecially its mouth-piece, The Tropical 
Agriculturist, for so much valuable infoi mation, 
I deem it propar to call your attention to some 
errors into which you have inadvertently fallen, 
and which in your desire to continue as a f-iithful 
historian you may choose to publish. The Pine- 
liurst undertaking has been experimental from 
the starD until now ; at first and until within a 
few years at my own expense, but lacterly it has 
received generous and welcome aid from the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture after ctHcial 
investigation had shovvn that its object was not 
commercial, but an attempt to prove the feasibility 
of s-tablishing a new and profitable industry in the 
SoHiheru States, with all of the attendant beueiits. 
It should be supeilluous to inform you that the 
experiments although on a small scale (none of 
my gardens are larger than a few acres in extent), 
have been diiecteil so as to cover as many sorts 
of tea-seed and as differeent typc-s of soil and 
exposure as possible. It was expected that suc- 
cess— measuied pecuniarily — mighi attend very few 
of the experiments, but it was hoped that some of 
them might result favourably. I will leave to 
your own judgment whether the following returns 
for this' season may be reganled as promising, 
especi'illy as the limit of production does not yet 
appe u to have been reached : - ; , J, 
Ud Rose Uuden, Assaiu hybriU'^seed, 392 lb . 
dry tea from 83/100 acre, or at the ra e os ^12h lb 
to the acre, or over 7 oz to the bush. 
Lincoln Garden, Darjeeling seed, 551 lb dry tea 
from 1 90/100 acre, or at the rate of 200 lb to the 
acre, or over 2 oz to the bush. 
South Fraser Garden, Chinese seed, 530i lb dry 
tea from 2 acres, or at the rate of 2j0 lb to the 
acre, or IJj oz to the bush. , . . 
1 will not exhaust your patienco Vyvivli com* 
parisona wilU Asiatic prodviction. 
Yield of Pinehurst tea tor 1902 (don't laugh, 
pIp.Tse) about 8,500 lb. It is neither expected not 
desired to exceed double that amount (don't be 
alarmed, please). 
As to that liu lo, cheap rotary sterilizer for the 
Green-tea m-inuf -cture, it does its work so well 
that the product sells very readily in the 
American mniketata ptice which my respect for 
your feelings forbids me to quote. 
In concluding this too lengthy note, I would 
ask you to favour me with any further notice 
that you may deign to bestow on this modest 
undertaking, even though it may be some fire- 
works from your aforesaid "funny-man." — Yours 
very truly, 
CHARLES R. SHEPARD. 
yNAKE , AGAINST SNAKE: A QUERY. , 
1 'j '■' Dec. I7i 
Dear Sir,— Can you, or any of your 
readers inform me through the medium of 
your much esteemed paper whether the 
bite of f)ne venomous snake is fatal to another 
of a different species— and also venomoiis. 
And does <a snake really prey upon another 
for food, or vise the means of deglutition 
as a mode of vanquishing its .adversary— and, 
subsequently, disgorging its inanimate boily. 
Ee Mr. Blacklaw's disclosure I have seen' 
the kinds " Karavilla " and " ToHavissa " ih- 
conflict, and both seemed to be mnking 
more than mere efforts at destroying each 
other by biting. In this instance, the former 
snake (always when full-grown larger than 
the latter) was getting the better in the 
fight. Being then at school and quite dis- 
interested in the matter we, school hoys, 
stopped the battle to the death of both 
coniliatants without waiting for results. 
Natives tell of the deadly conflict between 
the cobra and polonga, in which the 
former is always victorious over the' latter 
by the more deadly nature of its venom, 
buc this statement seems to be mere 
tradition as I have never heard the report ; 
from an eye-witness. In my opinion onei'' 
snake uses the act of s\vallowu:g as a 
means of defence when its poison is of no 
avail against its opponent. However, iVIr. 
Blacklaw's discovery and evidence are 
very singular— (the more so as the r.at snake 
is not very venomous) and ought to be closely 
studied by all interested. —I am, Sir. Yours, 
&c , VIRUS. 
P S. — l have seen Koravens (gipsies) keep 
polonga and cobra together. 
MOSQUITO BLIGHT ON THE HILLS ? 
i ■ Dec. IS. 
Dear SiBj -i-J waa.told, not long ago, thafc^'l 
I was wrong as to Mosquito Blight bein^? 
possible at (J.QOi) feet— so I daren't express 
ai\ opitiion. No sign of it this year yet ; but . 
Ill take c'li-efnl "stock" should what I- ' 
t'^ink is Jlo-iquito, appear again and their' 
I will be able to follow wh.it Mr. H.irold ' 
Maini has written on the subject. If Mos- ^ 
quito Bliyht is prevalent iu Assam, Cachar, 
