THE -mOnf^ AaMCUUFUKl'ST, [Dec. 1, 1898. 
THE T£A 
MEET 
Am 
IT. 
HOW TO 
We are in receipb of t)ie followioft iateies^tinij 
and piaclieal ex!(rei'?u>n of opiiUJi) from a wt'-l- 
kuawu jn.naber of Lite planting' coiimmuity 
Just- now I thirJi we are on the verge of a Eccious 
ensia, o^i'ig to tUe Lgndou bujera' cpubmation— tor 
1 believe it to toe uflthiag oL^s,— wliich is now Icetp- 
tag clown tlie pries of onr teas. TJaoy need not 
li5,ve Inweretl the pi-icea iiu tbuy have done. It la 
mc ]jDBine3f< nf>« to de aU wo can to find otUc-r 
raaiketa, ttud thus lessen tho quanti'ev for thcin to 
liandle. Every nianter ought to ao bis utmost m 
this direction aud tlw tiiao may como when tbe 
tefs-crower will reupa fair aUow of tbe profits witb the 
other's who handle it '('.''fore it reaclic-? the CDnsumii*. 
I tiling the queatiou how can we beftt t'lsh cor teas 
iuta new countnes of far more i!UiK>rtftucc to us 
(Diautci's iii&n the redact ion of tho rluty ca nee. Tal;e 
fhi8 estate, say I get 5,000 bnsbols of i\<ie a year 
tine cent per 
iateanathc cooiiea will Bharc, wherona the conanruer 
cught to get the beaefit of tho rediiotion of the rice doty 
ia Ujo first iDBtaueo. Eemember I om qnite with yon 
that the rice ts-x shauld bo reduced ii it cannot be 
abolished s bp.t there ia at least this one tbing of fay 
snore iraporfcanco to at the present time which I 
should lii;o to eee you take xip witli usuoh &e*l 
$i.t yon show fn tha matter of the Eice Duty. 
We are in entice Ryinpalliy v. ibli lb e views aljoye 
expressed and raoio particularly becan.se tliey, in 
teality, do not clash with those we hold in ve- 
iarenca to the llice Duly as the euo above 
aU other local levies cailinj; for attentioo, 
a St, on account of its Eoaaifcst injustice, and 
*viCondl.y. tecaiiso it is the only tax whone 
jt'eduction and removal would bcnelib colo- 
«\ists and natives alikci It is impossible to aay 
taat ths interesfc of planters in this nutter 
ii noi ideatical with that of their raolies or that 
all classes of employees are not benelitttrd by 
tsmission of taxation wiiicli bette«.s the coaditioa 
S the labom-inf; classai'. 
' Afc ths same time, we quite see the torce ot 
ths armament of onr correspondent about the 
dM^?at benefit to the tea industry from tbe 
^Afnndgn to push the sale of our teas in new 
Ciautries beioff energetically advance 1. This is 
a matter the planters have in their own hands 
*noiMh their ropreseab.ttive Commit' 6; and we 
feiiieve there is no lack of funds; but it does 
Rsem a pity that the "cess" should be taken 
f.)r anything but "the eanipaign" for which 
lb -was specially started. In a year v^hen the 
Oovernmenb are likely to Mv^ a sun>ln* of a 
tlian of rupectf—foilowing ou one of U2,300,'!00 — 
CASTOR OIL MANUFACTUKE. 
The seeds are first cleaoecd from daet and fragmente 
ofthe citijsulti.t, and cubj:nlled to a g<>nt.le beat, uot 
greater tnan can be borne by the baiid, vrbich is ia- 
tend«d lo r/inlte the oil more ifluld and more ea-sily ex- 
t/retiijfed. A wliitisboily floidid thus obtained, wliitb ia 
coiled nith a lutge quiiutity of ^^Icr, aud all iiupun- 
ties are f-kimmc-d off hb they riae to tbe suiface ; tho 
water dissolves the inuBilage ood 6tai;cb aud tbe albu- 
Dien is congnldted by the heat, tjina forming a layer 
between ths oil and" tbe water: the clear oil ia ibco 
leraovcd and boiled vfith a email quaatity of water 
Qulil aqueous vapour ceasee to ri«e, and a email quao- 
tit5' taken ortt in • phial remains pe rfeclly ti-anspa- 
tcnt and cool. The effect of this is lo clarify the oil 
And rid it of volatile a'Jd matter. Care is tiecesBary 
not to carry the beat too far, as the soil would acqaire a 
biowuieh colour and (in acid taste. In India the seed 
ia lirst ebolled and then crushed between rollers 
placed in hempen clothes, aud pressed. The oil in afier- 
wards heated with water iaa tin boiler uotil the water 
boils. Thia serves to separate tbe mucilage and alba- 
men, the prodiuit heinfjiben rtrained through flannel 
and put into canisters. Any oily-prefis would Bufiice for 
extracting oilfor ordinary purposes, and by decaoUtion 
and some process of filtration it wanld be purified. 
The use of caslQi oil aa a lubricant for the cylinders 
Of locomotlTeB and other steam-driven engines encores 
a market for the product if tbe quantity is equal to the 
importeu ariirle. For use meaioiuaily the oil ia cold 
tlriwu, r.nd is only fiited for a medicine in that form. 
The plant itecif is tasily culiiv.iied, it require" little 
care, is hardy, and ia Siiid to enhance the value of the 
land on which it has been gro^iir. It ia said that 
ioonslus (u-d killed by catjn^j the leaves, aud this 
ia quoted as ti re-ason for planting the shrub around 
paddocks and cultivated (mi in districts !• tested 
by loou3tU9. Cattle should bo kept from the plaut, as 
in times of ecarci y the green leaves miglit prove 
tempting to them, and the effect would probably be 
that the animals would be seriously affected, if not 
actually killed. Judging by the reported luxuriance 
"witb which the plant grows in the Esperanoe district, 
the extraction or the oil should be profitable industry. 
Quec*$la>ul Agncullural Xonnial. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
out of such surplas. Had this hsen dene there 
Would have been w-ell ni'Ai R2'3,000 more to 
si)end in pushing oar teas on the European 
.Oontinenfe, and ia. Eu.^ and Germany more 
.^ipesialiy.. 
'■'flBii AGiilCut'sUR.-Ui Magazink," 'Ostoivrao.— Oat.-, 
1839. Contents -.-^Seasoir K(3port3 fef Aitgaeb; Rain- 
fall taken at the School of Agiiculture (3urmg tbe 
iaonth of Angusfe, IS93 ; Eekuua Oil: Ocoasional 
asEotas ' The piaBta^Q Treo ana ibs Profluclg ; Citro- 
nella Od ; She CuL. vation of Chiiiies « The Analysis 
of Soil as a Gaide to its Fertility % The U««s o1 
Wood • A Disease of the Pia-ntain Tree ; H'..w ludia has 
;Saved Hei; Foi-eats ;. ■©*«le to'^ t^eir SlaBagement 
in 'fh6 Intetiot. 
BRAZIL Coffee Notes.— There is much com- 
plaint of drought in the state of Itio de Janeiro. 
In many localities live food crops are a total 
failure. Many coffee trees have died and others 
have suffered so much that they will not bear 
next year. — Jtio 2^evs, Sept. 6. 
The '• QrjEEXsLASD Agiuculttre Jouknal," issued 
by direstion of tlie Hon. the Secretary for Agri» 
cuUme, Eiited by A. J. Boyd, F.n.e.s.Q., Vol. Ill; 
Part 8, for September, has for contents : — Agriculture; 
DTvirjinm Poultry; The Orchard; Viticulture; Botany, 
E'^otioiiic Botany; Apicaltnre; Horticulture; Tropical 
Jiidnstries ; Guttapercha — Its History, Kubbar Culti- 
vation in Australia, Indiarubber and Other Produce, 
Coifse at Buderin Mountain-, Goffee-picking iu Queens- 
land, Coffee in Biritish Central Africa, Liberian Coffee 
and Insect Pests. Coffee Notes, and Growing aud Sepa- 
ration of Fiber. North Queensland ; Science ; Animal 
Pathology; Tick Fev.er ; Pisciculture; and General 
Isotes. 
Tea Bt,rC'HTS. — We some time a£0 called 
the attention of our tea planters to the "'Grey 
vs,iu\ Biistor Blights" of Assam and to the 
iwed of being on tlie watch for diseased 
leates and burning them aa well as prunings. 
Messr.^. Wills and Carruther.s are likely very 
soon to emph-asize this counsel , in more detail ; 
bat it is satisfactory to know that both 
atitliorities do not tliink icuch of what they 
have seen of any fungus ©n tea in Ceyloa 
so far. 
