418 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [De(j. ], 1898. 
placed in one of the hot jtots, and allowed to re- 
main with the cover on foi' lialf a minute ; boiling 
water should then he ponred in quickly to ihe 
amount required, and the pot allowed to stand 
under a cosy for four minutes, or from three to 
five minutes, accordin;^ to the kind of tea used. 
Alter "this period has elapsed, the infusion should 
be used at once, or if requircil to stand for a 
little while should he poured oil' into the second 
hot pot. On no account is a second brew jier- 
missihle if the tea prepared is to be non-injurious, 
and although this method may appear wasteful, 
yet it is not so, when conducted in a proper 
manner. 
Usually an excess of tea leaves is jjlaced in the 
pot, in the first instance, for the purpose of obtain- 
ing the second brew, Ijy the addition of hot 
water, but the same result in quantity would be 
obtained if the original tea were divided into two 
portions, and two separate infusions made, with 
the additional advantage of a smaller quantity of 
the astringent tannic acid. When the leaves are 
allowed to stand for a time in the hot water, 
notable quantities of the tannin are disso'.veil out. 
When, therefore, hot water is added to the leaves 
that have been standing in the pot, the result 
is a solution of tannic acid, which being as- 
tringent and biting in t.\ste, the i)roperties are 
looked upon as the strong tea of the brew, Imt 
as the stimulating properties of tea depend upon 
the theine, it is obvious that special tea does 
not produce the refreshing effect for which tea is 
taken. 
To those who will persist in making a second 
brew in this way from used leaves, 1 would say 
that it would be well to drain the tea pot from 
the first brew, so that the leaves are not steeping 
in water. This would reduce the quantity of 
tannic acid in the second intusion. Many people 
believe that the color of the infusion indicates 
its strength with regard to its refreshing proper- 
ties. Tills is wrong, as theine is colorless. In 
factj very often the deep color of common tea is 
due to tiie tannin, and such tea is usually poor 
in theine. The fact is that very high-class teas 
ito not produce deeply colored brews. Such teas 
usually possess a high percentage of theine, 
with low proportions or tannic acid. — DaUji 
Chronicle. 
CINCHONA BARK AND QUININE 
TO THE FRONT, 
We would very seriously advise a renewed 
attempt at cinchona cultivation in Ceylon, e.s- 
pecially in the Uva districts where plants did 
hesfc and lived longest in years gone by. If 
fresh seed is got from Java or Northern India, 
there is no reason why both nuisery and clearing 
-"-"judiciously chosen — should not be successful ; 
or it might be enough from the nursery to plant 
up all the boundaries, sides of roads and drains. 
A rather satirical, but still instructive, criticism 
of Java quinine and cinchona planting from 
the Ck'-mist and Druijgid, (see page 419) winds up 
with the pregnant remark that " it is astonishing 
how the consumption of quinine goes on," and 
gives facts and figu' es in demonstration. 
Moreover, our contemporary dwells on the 
great and trrowing demand, which has set in for 
cinchonidine, which is rapidly rising to the price 
of quinine. Now we have learned horn Messrs. 
PoUringer that Ceylon cinchona bark— what is 
left of it- excels in its proportion of cinchoni- 
dine and here is a new re;iS<in for once ii{;aih 
extending the callivalion. We know wliuiin 
disappointment the plant h.-is been to many a 
the past : but »vas not that due in many c.ises, 
to the use of local seed and hurried injudicious 
jil.anting on exposed or ba<lly-<lrained clearings. 
At any rate there is much to cni-ourage tlie 
planting up of boundaries and roaitsidcs ilirou/li- 
out the Uva distrii;ts, Udapus-ellawa, Malurata 
and some other divieious where the plant did 
well in bygone limes. 
THE UNITED I'L.^XTEIIS' ASSOlIATON OF 
SOUTHERN INDIA. 
We have to acknowledge the receipt of a nicely- 
bound volume containing the proccedingM ot the 
Filth Annual (jleneral Meeting of the L'nile<i 
Planters' Asso iiation of Souihern India held at 
Bangalore in August last. The M. ilnil t-ayo : 
— We who have followed the proceedings of (hia 
body carefully from year to year xince, six years 
ago, it started as the Planter.*' Conference, cnniiot 
fail to notice how as the years have gone by the 
subjects that have come up for discussion have 
gradually increased in imptirtance and in- 
terest. The Re[)ort under notice, in our opinion, 
gives place to none of its predecessors in this 
respect. 
TUAVANCORE TEA. 
Mr. II. Drummond Deane, of the '' StaKbrook ' 
Estate, Peerraaad, has ventured upon a new departuio 
in the direction of pushing the sa e of Travancore 
Tea on the local inniket. hia nialu idea being (o get 
directly at the consumer by niahiiig it possible for the 
purchaser to buy even small qiianlicies of the produce 
straight from the E3tate. With this object in view, 
he has appointed Messrs. Marse & Co., of this city, 
his local agents for supplyiug packets of tlie leaf 
coutaininK from J lb. to 2 lb. each of carefully selected 
teas of three different Krados, viz.. " Orange Pekoe," 
'■ Choice I'ekoe," and •' I'ckoe Souchong," all of 
which are securely packed and made available at 
extremely low rates. Orders of 60 lb. and upwards 
will be attended to directly on the Estate, but tmaller 
weekly of monthly supplies of fresh leaf can be 
arranged for with Messrs. Marse & Co. Mr. Deane, 
as some of our readers are doubtless aware, is no 
novice at tnis business, for he hxs had something like 
twenty yeais of planting experience in Ceylon, where 
he was ainoug the first to undertake the manufacture 
of tea with the aid of machinery, his success in this 
line being amply attested bj' the fact that he has 
taken several prize-medals for the excellence of his 
outpnt, among them being two premier awards at 
the Chicago Exhibiiion. His manufictnre has also 
found favour with Sir Avthnr Havelock, to whom he 
was the chief purveyor during the whole time that 
personage held the Governorship of Ceylon. We 
have been favoured wiih sample packets of the three 
grades of leaf now manufactured on the '• Stagbrook " 
listate, and have no hesitation in pronouncing them 
the very best of their kind we have ever tasted 
anywhere. This opinion is shared by all to whom we 
have submitted samples for trial. Considering how 
largely tea is coming into use among onr Native 
fellow-subjects of all classes, and taking into accoont 
the unquestionable excellence of the samples under 
notice, together with the low price at which they are 
offered, we are disposed to predict a big '• boom " for 
" Stagbrook " outputs in the near future. At any 
rate, Mr. Deane deserves to be congratulated on his 
enterprise, and on the success it bids fair to achieves 
•—YVc&tern Siar. 
