July 1, 1899.J 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
43 
having improved on tlieii' use of the juice of the 
Moon-flower ; or I may be called to accouofc forusing 
a modified form of butcher knife for sticking a 
rubber tree ; but I hardly thought I should be held 
responsible for having with others used the principle 
of the " Babcock " machine. 
There is a point which I would commend to Mr. 
Bilien's attention, and this is the special character 
of the Rubber globules of Castilloa. Perhaps it he 
examines them he may find the cause of the rupture 
which is evidently the real cause of coagulation. 
This rupture can be caused in various ways, and he 
who succeeds in causing it in the simplest and most 
economical way will have solved th3 question of the 
preparation of Castilloa rubber, be it by a physical or 
)iO)i-physical process. 
April 21st, 1899. J. H. HART, f.l.s. 
TIMBER TEA CHESTS COMPAiNY, 
LIMITED. 
(Tlie ColiaiUa.) 
22 Fenchurch Street, London, May 5. 
DkarSir,— I am directed to enclcse for publica- 
tion a report just received from the Colonial Tea 
Warehouses, bearing upon the condition of the 
Colindia chests arrived trorn Ceylon. Last mail 
we handed to your London correspondent copy of 
the brokers' report. We ai e now shipping tiie chest 
in large numbers as the orilers are coming in most 
satisfactorily. — Yours faithfully, 
THE TIMBEU TEA CHESTS Co., Ltd. 
T. W. Kicksby, Secretary. 
Copy of letter from Colonial & Granite Wharves, 
London E, 
Re — 93 chests tea marked " Belgravia " ex " Staf- 
fordshire'' 2ndinst., packed in the new "Colindia" 
packages. 
We have received and weigTied 90 of the above and 
as requested a careful exammation of the condition 
(external) has been made. 
The packages are sound and intact, not a leakage 
showing anywhere, the nails and clamps being quite 
firm, there are a few splinters, showing signs of a 
heavy weight having being dropped on packages but 
in no case any damage occurred, and we feel quite 
justified in stating that this is the best package of its 
kind we have yet handled. 
We find the gross weights are exactly even all the 
way through, not varying by a single pound and 
this with an even tare is of great importance as it 
will enable us to turn out the full net weight. 
We understand that one chest not yet to hand has 
been roughly handled in ship which necessitates co- 
operage before we receive it, this package we will 
write to you about later. 
Another consideration with these new packages is, 
that they need not to be opened for the Brokers' in- 
spection but simply bored ; which practically leaves 
the chest as it arrived. 
"THE JUNGLE CROW." 
Hakgalla, May 7. 
Dear Sir,— It is a fact that the "Jungle Crow" 
nests and rears its young in the trees in this 
garden. Yesterday morning a young one was 
found at the foot of a large Araucaria tree. It 
had apparently got out of the nest before it 
could fly properly, and one of the coolies caught it. 
I sent niy son up the tree to find the nest, 
which he did in the thickest part near the top. 
The nest was rather untidy. The bottom part 
was of twigs, something like a rook's uest, with 
lots of dirt like "wormcasts" among them. It 
was oval in shape, with a sort of hood on one 
side, and lined with leaves. The young one makes 
a noise like a young owl. It eats lizards and 
frogs, but rejects beef. 
I think there were two young ones, as I several 
times heard the same sort of noise as the one we 
caught makes ; but it was concealed in the tree, 
and I have not been able to catch sight of it. 
The okl jungle crow was fidgetting about all 
day and seemed much troubled at the loss of 
her young one, — Yours truly, 
W. N. 
THE WESTRALIAN E'XHIBITION AND 
CEYLON TEA IN AUSTRALIA. 
Coolgardie, Western Australiii, May 8. 
Dear Mr. Editor,— The Ceylon tea-room 
has, as, I anticipated, done an immense deal 
or good. It has opened the eyes, not only 
of West Australians, but of many of our 
visitors, to the fact that these colonies, 
where tea is consumed in such enormous 
quantites, have been and are poiscyned. It 
has been my hobby for many years — and 
your dear old senior and I had many talks 
about this opening up of the Australian 
trade. The time has come to do it. I have 
written by this mail to Mr. Lane and I 
want you to help me in carrying out the 
scjieme. 
I am tired of Exhibition work — this is my 
jubilee one ; 50 Exhibitions ! I have my 
youngest daughter married atFremantle, a son 
in Perth, the others — seven — scattered over 
the eastern colonies — all doing well. I would 
pitch my camp in Perth, have a depot here, 
and through my sons open up others in Mel- 
bourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. The 
great thing is to have in Ceylon some 
expert to mix or blend the teas so as to ensure 
a constant supply of one sample of each 
grade — cheap, medium, good, and superior — 
being four prices — the first, of course, will 
command a huge sale. 
The great and more important matter is 
to be able to rely on a supply : that the 
demand exists there is no doubt, and that 
we could soon increase the present trade I am 
confident, provided it be done systematically 
and well. 
I woidd gladly undertake this and even 
forego the oflier I have to go to the Paris 
Exhibition of 1900. As I said I am tired of 
Exhibitions. I need rest, but not idleness. 
This tea racket would suit me, and if the 
tea planters are willing I am "on the job." 
So satisfied am I of success, that I am willing 
to be paid by results, if they* will guan 
antee tvorking expenses as a first call or» 
profits, of say £200 or £250 a year. Colombo 
is only a few days from here. I might, if 
need be, take a run across. But it is hardly 
worth while encountering even one day's 
oiial de oner and I am an awful bad sailor. — 
Yours very truly, 
JULES JOUBERT, 
General Manager, West Australiaq 
Exhibition, 
