i*EB. 1, 190i] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 531 
THE TREATMENT OF TEA PRUNINGS. 
VIEWS OF ME. JOHN HUGHES. 
Pending receipt of Mr. .Joseph Eraser's 
reply to " Inquirer," regarding the growing 
of Albizzias in tea, we have an interesting 
question raised by Mr. John Hughes, the 
well-known analytical chemist of Mark 
Lane, regarding the advantage, or otherwise 
of the burial of tea prunings in trenches 
in all weathers and in every soil. These 
are excited by a remark at the Dimbula 
P. A. meeting about two months ago, when 
it was stated buried prunings had not become 
decomposed during three or four months of 
a wet season ; but a fungus arising from 
them had destroyed 1 per cant of the tea 
bushes. This being a serious result and 
likely to recur in other districts— where 
such changeable weather, as that of the 
last two years has proved almost through- 
out Ceylon, is the rule — it is of importance 
to consider the remedy proposed by an Agri- 
cnltural Arialyst of Mr, Hughes' standing, 
who knows well one of the chief defects 
of Ceylon soil, its deficiency in lime. The 
acid in decomposition, set up by excess of 
moisture and the want of air, are the prime 
causes of disease through which the plant or 
shrub suffers injury. This being the case, 
artificial manures in the form of Basic Slag 
and Basic Superphosphate provide a safe- 
guard in tliat their alkaline properties 
produce the required reaction which a soil 
wanting m lime is unable to effect. But, 
as Mr. Hughes points out, it cannot be 
done in sufficient quantity to neutralise the 
acid decomposition from prunings : hence we 
have a comparatively simple remedy offered — 
namely, to strip the prunings of their 
leaves," use the wood as fuel and let the 
leaves be stacked at some central spot 
where they may be sprinkled with soil and 
fresh-burnt lime, and will then decompose. 
The action of the air having full effect, the 
conversion of the leaves into sound and 
profitable humus will be thus rapidly brought 
about. Planters, who have not tried this will 
welcome the suggestion for handling their 
prunings, which should— we believe— cost 
less in the end than the customary burial 
in trenches. 
JAPANESE TEA OUSTED IN RUSSIA. 
Of late years Japanese tea has gradually been 
ousted from the Russian market by the Chinese 
article. This is, of course, partly due to a heavy 
duty our tea has to pay in Sibeiia, from 
which Chinese tea is exempted within certain 
limits on the boundary between that region and 
Manchuria. Bub according to the report of the 
Bureau of Commerce and Industry in the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture and Commerce, the failure 
of Japanese tea in Russian dominions is to be 
traced in the following three causes: (1) That 
the quality of our tea does nob suit the taste 
of Russian consumers ; (2) that our tea is so 
imperfectly packed that it is utterly unfit to be 
transported to distant countries; (3) that the 
plan pursued in trying to find new markets is 
defective. Though our black tea is now fairly 
good in quality, it cannot yet equal the Chinese 
67 
product, while our brick tea is almost out of the 
question. As already intimated, the defective 
condition of the packages is often the cause of 
much inconvenience while passing through the 
Russian customs. Lastly, almost all the attempts 
to develop our tea trade with Russian dominions 
have proved so far a failure, the only success 
attained being in the retail line, which has steadily 
developed.— t/a^san Times, 
TEA IN JAVA, 
lb is often claimed by those who should 
understand the question, that the tea pro- 
duced in Java could all be consumed there, and 
although this has possibly changed now that tea 
lands are continually on the increase, it is never- 
theless the case that producers are more anxious 
to geb their marks known in Mincing Lane than 
in the Java retail shops. Such policy is, we are 
persuaded, doubtful in its wisdom, for Java prices 
are really much higher— although the task may 
be a slightly more difficult one, and the tea growers 
of Java in making a bid for the big markets — 
where their tea is looked upon as inferior, more 
possibly from prejudice than reason — are very apt 
to overlook business nearer home. In these days 
of modern improvement and artificial flavour surely 
some one of our smart men ought to imitate in 
Java tea the flavour of the Chinese tea, and so 
touch the big tea-drinking public, for no doubt 
• seven eighths of the tea consumed in Java goes 
down Chinese throats, and is therefore (such is 
the prejudice or taste of the Chinaman) Chinese 
tea. The planter may claim that he knows 
his own business best. So be it, and may 
his fight be easier than we fear it may 
be. In the meantnne at least he will com- 
pete against Ceylon, Assam, etc. , at a great dis- 
advantage, for he is not known as they are and 
his produce is not judged on merit only. The day 
will come when this is altered, no doubt, and then 
Java will be as well paid for as Ceylon, and what 
will no doubt grow to be the principal industry of 
Java will then receive the encouragement it needs, 
— Straits Times, 
ADULTERATED CITRONELLA OIL. 
[by ERNEST J. PARRY AND C. T. BENNETT.] 
A shipment of citronella oil recently imported 
has been examined, and disclosed an adulterant 
which, althousih easily detected on analysis, is of a 
very dangerous nature when an oil is sold as a 
" Schimmel's test " contract and is only examined 
in reference to its solubility. The adulterant was 
alcohol, which was present to the extent of 20 per 
cent, and had probably been added in order to 
make an already adulternted oil soluble, and thus 
pass " Schimel's test." The oil had the follow- 
ing characters : 
Sp.gr. .. ... 0-899 
Optical rotation ,.. ... — 12° 
Refractive index . . ... 1-4578 
Goraniol value ... ., 50 percent. 
On distillation under reduced pressure the oil 
commenced to boil so rapidly that the vacuum was 
broken and the distillate carried out at atmospheric 
pressure. Twenty per cent was obtained in a 
steidy stream, with the thermometer constant at 
82°— 83°. after which it rapidly roso. The dis. 
tillate was soluble iu water to the extent of 9-5 
