442 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec, 1, 1898. 
s.ayinf; lliafc it has not yet been proved tliat 
these plants can digest and absoib nitrogenous 
compounds from captured insects. Has lie not 
heard or Mr. Darwin's researclies in this subject * 
I send a quotation from Dr. Master's ' I'lant Life,' 
referring to the question at issue. D. 
The leaves of certain plants are endowed under 
certain circumstances with a power of digebting and 
absorbing animal substancaB placed in contact with 
them. When ft minute fragment of meat, for instance, 
is placed apon the leaf of 
A nnOSEBA, OE BUNDEW, 
the tentacle-like glandular hairs of the plant bend 
over to grasp the intruding morsel, a peculiar digei>tive 
fluid is formed as a result of the coutact — just as the 
gastric juice in the human stomach is secreted when 
food enters that organ — and this fluid effects the 
■olution of the meat, the nutritive solution so formed 
being absorbed and applied to the benefit of tlie plant. 
To common obssrvation the actual gain to the plant 
by this method of feeding mny ajipear slight, or even 
none ; but the more delicate tests applied by the 
botanist have sufficed to prove, not only that the 
processes juat mentioned really do go on, but also that 
they are beneficial to the plant, and contribute to the 
formation of more numerous and more robust 
seedlings. The rationale of this mode of obtaining 
nutrition seems somewhat analogous to that in the 
root, where also the acid fluid with which the cell 
wall is permeated, when it comes into coutact with 
the particles of soil, determines their solution and 
renders them fit for absorption into the plant. 
Practically this admittedly exceptional mode of 
nutrition b}' the leaf might seem of little moment ; 
but it is probable that in the future direct nutrition 
by this means will be shown to be of much greater 
importance than it appears to bo at present 
In any case, the fact that ammonia-solutiona 
and ammonia-vapours are absorbed by leaves with 
increased manifestations of vital activity renders this 
mode of feeding a matter of some consequence to the 
agriculturist ; and the escape of ammouiacal vapour 
from the muck-heap may not after all be the wasteful 
operation it is usually supposed to be— that is, if the 
circumstances are such that plants can avail themselves 
of the exhaled vapour. 
It is a very remarkable fact that fluids which 
DO NOT CONTAIN NITROGEN 
do not give rise to the movements ot the leaves, the chan- 
ges in the protoplasm, the formation of a digestive fluid 
and other consequences, which Darwin has discussed 
in bis work on ineectivorous plants, Mere mecha- 
nical irritation of the leaves is not sufticient to ensure 
the foimation of the ferment requisite for digestion. 
The different effects of salts of soda and of potash, in 
the case of the leaves of Drosera are also suggestive, 
for while soda salts give rise 'to the physiological 
activity in the leaves potash salts do not do so, and. 
some of them are even poisonous. Neither the. one 
nor the other is poisonous to the roots, unless applied 
in very large quantities. Phosplmte of ammonia and 
phosphate of soda act with remarkable vigour on the 
leaves, while phosphate of potash is quite inert, the 
activity in the former cases being probably due to the 
phosphorus. 
It would thus appear that while almost" all plants 
absorb the inorganic elements, including their nitro- 
gen from the soil and derive their carbon from the 
atmosphere, there are others such as Drosera, which 
digest and absorb nitrogenous matters by means of 
their leaves. Such plants can even extract 
nithoctEnous matter 
from pollen, seeds and bits of leaves (Darwin). Oiher 
plants absorb ammonia by means of the hairs cover- 
ing their leaves, and this class is probably more 
numerous than the foregoing. Others, again, have no 
fticulty of digesting by their leaves, though they 
absorb solutions of decaying animal matter by their 
means. Some, such as the bird's nest orchis, feed 
on the decay of vegetable matter, and are themselves 
nearly or quite destitute of chlorophyll. Lastly, there 
is the case of true p^irasites such as the br<>om-r&pes 
(Orobancbe) and dodders (Cuscuta) which affix them- 
selves to living plants, and being themselves desti- 
tute of chlorophyll, are unable to live except a,t the 
expense of the plants upon which they grow. 
CEYLON TEA IN AUBTRIA AND 
HUNGAliy. 
Kandy, November 25t)i. 1898. 
Sir,— I enclose Report received from Mr. Ryan 
on the subject of Ceylon Tea in Ausiiia and 
Hungary.— I am, sir, yours faitlifully, 
A. I' HI LI P. 
Secretary "Tiiirty Coniuiitte," Kaady. 
CEYLON TEA IN AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY. 
EEPORT IIV JA.MES RVAN TO iJlE •' THIKTV 
CO.MMITTKE," KANDV. 
VIKNNA. 
I arrived in Vienna ou July 1st, 1898, and was met 
by Mr. Marinitsch— to whose intimtte knowledge of 
that city and linguistic ability I urn much indebted. 
Through his help I was able to-do iny work in Vieuuft 
aud Rudapest at a considerable saving of time and 
money. 
HOW TKA IS SOLD IN VIENNA. 
The Vienna tea shops are l«irly numerous and are 
of the best class of shops gauged by a local standard. 
I was surprised to find tea in such general use as to 
make it in many instances the principal article sold, 
although as a rule coffee, spices and Japanese curio- 
sities were sold in the same shopB. 
I visited a large number of these te» shops and 
purchased samples of tens, which I forwarded to the 
Secretary of tue Ceylon Association in London for 
valuation and report. Messrs Geor,j;e White & Co. 
exaaiined these teas, but found them so out of condi- 
tion that anything like a minute valnition was 
impossible. They report, howe -er, that some of the 
teas had originally been of very fair quality. This 
might very well be the case as the teas ranged as a 
rule from eight shillings per lb., one sample being 
retailed at about one sovereign English per lb. 
In making these purchases Mr. Marinitsch and I did 
not disclose our identity or pose as experts, professing 
to be ordinary travellers anxious to purchase tea for 
their private use. 
In all instances China tea was recommended as the 
best. Ceylon tea was as a rule known by name, but 
was generally depreciated and the geographical posi- 
tion and British occupation of the Island were evi- 
dently unknown to many ot the vendors — some of 
whoni had a vague idea that it was a province or 
insular appendage of China. 
In one or two of the shons, however, Cevlon it\ 
was procurable unmixed and we saw it in the'original 
packages— (half chestj— I noticetl particularly the 
names of Abbotsleigh (pronounced in Vienn"* " Al- 
bertslake ") and St. Johns. These teas were Orange 
Pekoes, wiry tippy and clean of dust. 
MEMORANDUM rC TEAS WANTED IN VlENKl. 
It appears that only leafy teas— (ab.olntely free 
from dust and small broken and flat leaf)— have any 
chance m this market. The merchants tell ire that 
t leir London constituents do not supply thenj with 
teas suitable to their requirements iu this particular, 
but th^t Hamburg vendors do manage to do so. 
Complaints to London of dustiness are met with th« 
reply that such a percentage of dust cannot be 
avoided. If this is actually the case, the cause may 
be due to the tea being broken in the repacking 
necessitated by the London Warehouse regulations, 
as my experience in Ceylon leads me to think that 
most factories sufficiently comply with the require- 
ments of the Vienna merchants taking the teas as they 
leave the estate. 
"What struck me, however, was that, so long as teas 
were free from dust, the twist was not grealy looked 
to and wiriness was not directly recognised as"a desjr- 
