25G 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICrLTURIST. 
[Oct. 1, 1898. 
•wliif.h the vciii stnff is carried in baskecs. These 
inclines follow down the rich parts of tbe vein, niid 
branch oil !ind zifjzag in a most intricate manner. In 
order to give liglit and air to those tortuous passages, 
perpendicular shafts two and-a-half feet in diameter 
are sunlt at intervals to meet the inclines. Where 
water is met with, douljle rows of women side by side 
extend along the inclino from bottom to surface. 
Earthen gurrahs holding about four gallons are filled 
at the bottom, and pass from hand to hand along one 
row to the surface : the empties coming down the other 
row. Only the softer portions of the vein are removed, 
and the crystals of mica loosened out by means of a 
steel chisel and hammer. A coarse gunpowder, 
m inufa':tared locally, is sometimes used for blasting 
out hard pieces of rock. Latterly dynamite has boeu 
introduced by Kuropean proprietors. Not the least 
attempt at regular mining after European methods 
has been attempted even by the largest niine ownors, 
although as much as 115,00,000 a year is spent by one 
gentleman on wages, transport, iip-keep, etc. 
When thn mica crystals are brouglit to surface, 
they are split into sheets of about one-eighth of an 
inch in thickness and all the frayed and loose layers 
peeled off. Tlio edges are now trimmed witli a sickle 
to remove all imperfections, and the plates sorted 
according to their size. The sheets are not squared or 
cut into any particular shape. Soveii sizes are 
rocogniecd in the trade. 
Specials, having an area of more than 50 square 
jnches. 
No. 1 .. 32 to 50Sq. iuches. 
,.2 .. 21 to 32 
„ 3 .. 16 to 21 „ 
,,4 .. 10 to 30 „ 
,. .5 .. C to 10 „ 
G anything between 4 and C square inches. 
Blici is sold by weight. Specials fetch from 8 to 20 
shillings a pound, 
s. il'. lb. 
No. 1 ..CO,, 
„ 2 .. 4 0 „ 
„ 3 .. 2 0 „ 
„ 4 .. 1 0 „ 
„ 5 .. 0 4 „ 
„ 6 ..0 2 
, Four classes of mici are also recognised. 
Hard, tough, ruby mica .. First class. 
White transparent mica .. Second ,, 
Other colour . . Third ,, 
Stained and discoloured .. Fourth ,, 
The first class would sell twice as much as the 
eecona, four times as much as the thirJ, and eight 
times as much as the fourth class. Thus if a pound of 
first class would fetch eight shilliugs, -second would 
sell for four shillings; tliird for two shillings ; and 
fourths for one shilling. Large sheets of ruby mica 
fetch fancy prices, as they are admirably adapted for 
painting on. The smaller sheets are used for electrical 
purposes in secondary batteries, chimneys of incandes- 
cent gas lamps, fire, screens, stoves, etc. With the 
growth of the use of electricity in the arts, the demand 
for mica increasing. 
The amount of mica available in the district is 
practically inexhaustible. The pegmatite veins from 
which the mineral is obtained, are numerous and of 
large size. — J^ioncer. 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
f By Cosmoimlite. ) 
LOOLECONDUEA TEA. 
I WAS glad to read that the oldest field of 
tea, in Ceylon, on Loolecondura estate, is still 
looking well, and yielding 400 to 500 lb. per acre. 
I cau remember its being planted in the sixties, 
when I was in K. I). & Co.'s ottice in Kandy, 
and after the produce got into the market for 
local consumption, I drank no other tea but it, 
unless, ptrchance, niy supply ran short and I 
liad to send iny beef coolie to tlie Mincinf; Lane 
of Oodispaitu to buy a 'break' of about half a 
pound of pure China cli ip stick tea. 
MiixiCAN Kunniat. 
And writing about that country affords nie an 
opportunity of enclosing the following cutting 
from a paper : — 
"Last year the output of rubbjr from Mexico was 
1,000 0 0 lb. Hundreds ol thousands of rubber trees 
are beiog planted, and iu a few years most of the 
supply of rubber will come from that country." 
Thi.s will b.idly affect the good prospect* of the 
line I'ara trees on Culloden e-itale, allhongli I 
doubt not rubber will yet prove a ca|iital string 
to (lie planters bow. [We are not disposed to 
accept as reliable Konie of liie statistical fore- 
casts connected with Mexic<^i, and tliiii i^s one 
of them -Ed. T.A.] 
CHKAP TKA. 
Tea at a lb. reads clieap, but I daresay 
it was the clearest tea nold, in the Lane, that 
iiiODtli. Arid just think of liie jc%- of those 
V. A.'s., who made a prolit of one cent, per 
lb. on such a sale, regardless of the injuiylliey 
are doing to your chief industry. JSiU w hat do 
(hey caie for a liercatter, absolutely nothing ; 
economy at any jtiice is what lliey aim at, and 
Mhicli fias culniin-itcd in that contpatiy's orders 
to their down lrod<len suiierintendenls, — " liaise 
your tea 2d, or e.v|>ect to be sacked." No 
wonder (hen tlie poor but lioncst planter is 
complaining that b:id luck In being dropi>ed on 
hini like a ton of coals. 
LANTANA. 
In the days of king coll'ee, had any one dis- 
covered a pooehie that w iuld kill o(t lantana, 
he would have been considered a saviour of our 
industry, and probably been made a K.M.u. 
I>ut now that a pooehie— a foreigner too — has 
taken a contract (o eiadicate lantana in two or 
tlirce years, a howl has got up to «-]>are their 
old friend who was once their encniv. 
C(JCONUTS IN FIJI. 
While coconut property in Ceylon has been 
regarded as a valuable posse-ssion amongst its in- 
habitants for the [)ast century or more, coiiiiuand- 
ing its figure in the market, its creation as an 
industry i-i a comparatively new one in Fiji, and, 
at the outsicie, it is not more tiian 20 years since 
the regular planting of coconuts was lirst entered 
upon by Euroiieans. It is therefore only of 
later years the coconut property has grown to be 
looked upon as a real live asset, and that it does 
not today command a large figure on the exchange 
than it does is owing principally to the fact that 
very little new capital has, for s<iuie undefined 
reason, found its way to this country. That there 
will be a change in these conditions presently 
there can be very little doubt, and coctnut pro- 
lierty will then realise its proiier value in the open 
market. In Ceylon papers we freijiiently read of 
coconut estate.? realising £30 per acre for very 
small patches, and the larger ones must intrinsi- 
cally be worth a great deal more per acre. In fact 
the question may be asked : How is it that 
coconut property in Ceylo i realises three or four 
times more than it dees in Fiji, where climate aad 
soil are a long way superior? It may be that 
Ceylon is on the high road to more numerous and 
nearer markets than Fiji is, and that consequently 
the industry here is handicapped with additional 
freight charges. However this may have been the 
