TfiE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [June 1, 1900. 
Arrangements on their behalf, and tbey will be iu 
effect until the Directors renew them. 14 is justifi- 
able to assuine that the London Agents have an 
equivalent commission on tea sold in London to that 
sold locally. (Copy forwarded to local agents — reply 
aJSxed)— A. e, w. 
A. R. Wiggin, Esq., Oddington, Lindula, 
Dear Sir, — We return herewith the press copy enclosed 
in your letter wiihout dite. The fuilovfing clause 
appears in the Directors' Eepori-, dated April I7th 
1899, of which you doubtless have a copy :— 
* " The Direet')rs are pleased to report that the 
Colombo Agents have voluijtarily madt) a modification 
in their scale of chsr^es, as from the conQmeDCeruent of 
.the 1898 rea on, to the advantuge of the shareholders," 
It is therefore, unnecessary for us to go into the 
queslion of corrections of iiiaccaracies in your letter 
to the Press. For any further information we would 
refer you to the Head Office of the Company. — If ours 
faithfully, (Sgd.) Whittall & Co., Igeuts. 
Tbe Imperial Cejlon To i Eatate?, Lira'fed, C-lymbo, 
• May 3rd, 1900. 
MK. SUTTON'S SAFETY STEAM DKIEK 
Talawakelle, May 3. 
Dear Sir, — I am sending you a sample of 
cocoa dried in my Patent " Safety" steam heaced 
dryer and shall be glad if you will kindly give me 
your opinion about it. 
In the tiist place I must tell you I know nothing 
about cocoa, nor liad I any one to assist nie during 
the drying process, bar coolies. I carried out the 
instru?tions given me by a few kind friends to the 
best of my ability. Had I liad some experienced 
person to help me the result would have been 
better. 
The beans were fermented at Katugastota, 
washed and put in a bag and sent to Drayton fac- 
tory to be dried, where I have been experimen- 
ting witii one of n)y " Safety" dryers. The beans 
were 24 hours on the road from Katugastota to 
Drayton before they were put in the " Safety ;" 
they were washed in cold vvater. 
The boiler which supplied steam to the "Safety" 
was also supplying steam to an 8 HP engine 
driving three tea-rolling machines. The pressure 
of steam in the boiler was 60 lb per .square inch, 
by means of a reducing valve, the pressure of 
steam in the coils of the dryer was only five 
lb per square inch, which gave a very even 
temperature of 140 degrees F during the whole 
time the beans were being dried, from start to 
fiaisli. The beans were spread over two trays, 
one deep, but I think they could with ease be 
spread two or three deep and thus give a far 
larger outturn. The trays have galvanised iron 
wire mesh, a piece of hessian cloth was spread 
over the wire mesh and the beans spread on it. 
The following are particulars and results of the 
experiment. 
Monday. — Weight of cocoa after washing 54 lb. 
Sprectd oa two trays .S' 6' by .3' 6 '. Time in the 
dryer three hours, turned over about 15 minutes. 
Weight of beans after three hours drying ij5 lb. 
Ttiey were than spread out on a wooden floor and 
covered ever with Hessian cloth and left so till 
next day. 
No u,o..t on of amount or any da^aiis giv^n.— 
A-B.w. 
Tuesday. - Weight of beans before being put in 
dryer 34 lb. Kept iu dryer four hours and turned 
over as before Weight when taken out 27 lb. They 
were then spread on the floor as before and allowed 
to ferment till ntxt day. 
Wkdnesday.— Weight of beans before being dried 
26* lb. Duration of time in dryer third day six 
hours (these could have been spread on one tray 
only). Weight of beans after six hours drying 29 
lb. They were then spread out on the floor as 
before. 
of the beans as per sample 
22 lb. 
Eesult 54 lb. green beans, 22 lb. dry. 
One 16 Tray " Safety " will dry at 12 lb. of 
beans per tr.ay pi need one deep on the tray 
192 lb. in 3^ hours, 3 by 192, 576 lb, per day 
of lOi hours, or 1,152 lb. per day of 10^ if placed 
two deep, or 1,728 lb, per day of lOj if placed 
three deep. It (tan only be found out by ex- 
perience wiiat is the correct thickness to place 
tlieni in on the trays, also what is the correct 
temperature they ought to be subjected to during 
the different periods of drying. 
The temperature can be regulated and evenly 
maintained to a degree, from that of the outside 
air. to auyching up to 260 degrees F with fifty 
lb. steam pressure. The consumption of fuel 
was very hard to ascertain correctly, as the boiler 
was supplying steam to the engine as well during 
the first two days, but on the third day when 
the boiler, an eight horse ])ower loco, was 
used for the dryer alone, it used one yard of 
moderately dry firewood to raise steam from cold 
water and kept up steam durinsr the whole of 
the six hours. The result would have been the 
same had all the trays been in use as has been 
proved when drying green tea leaf. A greater 
economy in fuel would be effected if a boiler of 
three to four horse power were employed, which 
is ample to supply steam for two or three 
sixteen Tray " Safetys." 
The " Safety " in which the experiment was 
made has sixteen trays 3' 6' by 3' 6", but 
these machines are made in larger sizes of 32 
by 48 trays. 
I should be very glad to receive advice on 
the subject, of artificial drying of cacao from 
cacao planters, also their opinion of my ex- 
periment.— Yours faithfully, 
G. W. SUTTON. 
P- <S'.— The dryer has been doing very fair 
work, drying tea, considering the low pressure 
of fifty-five pounds per square inch, at which it 
has been worked. I will send you full details 
as soon as I get the reports on the samples. 
— G. W. S. 
A New Cocoa-Drier.— We draw attention 
to Mr. Sutton's interesting letter on another 
page, describing die working of a new cocoa 
drier which appears to have turned out very 
successful results. The tin of tried beans for- 
warded to us commend the merits of the drier ; 
for the finished article is as clean and evenly 
fired as the most fastidious chocolate manufac- 
turer could desire 5 and further, having tasted 
several of the beans, we can pronounce judg- 
ment that their flavour has been excellently 
preserved. 
