Feb. 1, 1904.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
533 
ticaling machine must be usea. In the proceBS of 
hand-8trippiDg, the stems are first depi ived of their 
leaves and branches and either split or left whole, the 
outer bank is peeled off. Tlie shining libroas or bark 
cost is thus laid bare. The stems are then tied 
into small bandies and are exposed for several days 
to the sunlight by day, and to the dews by 
night: at the end of which time the fabroua 
layer ia easily peeled off from the woody 
core beneath. This fibrous coat is impregnated with 
a resinous gum, which it is important to get rid of at 
once. The strips, therefore, should at the moment of 
peeling be passed through the pressed together finger 
and thumb of the labourer, the tips of his fingers being 
shielded by a kind of thimble. The ribands are then 
rinsed in warm water and hung up to dry. If this is 
done in the green state and the gum is not allowed to 
dry and stain the fibre, the ribands reach the Euro- 
pean markets of the colour, appearance, and feel of 
•'China grass," and command a higher price than when 
exported stiff and harsh and laden with dried gum. 
This gum is a valuable bye-product and should be 
recovered. I am informed that, in reply to many in- 
quiries, the Bunbeg Mills have provided, to several In- 
dian growers, samples of hand- stripped ramie, to show 
the condition which it should be in when exported; and 
they would doubtless do this kind service to others who 
applied for information. On the question of degum- 
ming, I can give but little information. The processes 
adopted by various manufacturers are secret, and the 
secrets are carefully and jealously kept. It is, however, 
not necessary for a grower to trouble himself with 
degnmmingi as manufacturers have confidence only in 
their own methods of degnmming, and prefer to buy 
ramie or rhea simply decorlic*ed whether by hand or 
by machine. In conclusion. I must thank you. Sir, 
for having accorded me so much space in your valuable 
paper and thus enabled me to draw the attention of 
planters in India, to what will, I trust, prove in time, 
a profitable and progressive industry in the Great 
Indian Empire.— Yours, &c., BAJA VAKMA. 
London, Deo. 18.— JBovibay Gazette, Jan. 5, 
RUBBISHY CRYLON TEAS. 
AND THE NEED OP EXPERT 
INSPECTION. 
The Report of the Colombo Tea Traders' 
Association with regard to the question ot 
rubbishy Ceylon teas being sold in Colombo 
harbour which Mr. Philip sends us and 
which appears elsewhere, puts forward sugges- 
tions which are characterised by a thorough 
grasp of the necessity of checking the sale 
(as tea), and thereby the manufacture, 
of tea below standard— often so far below as 
to bring discredit on the name of Ceylon 
tea, even should it, if exported, pass the keen 
inspection exercised in America and Aus- 
tralia ; to the last-named countries we trust 
soon to add the United Kingdom. The 
Report we allude to, is, however, of greater 
importance than is to be found solely in its 
connection with the rubbish sold in our har- 
bour. That a Government standard should 
be fixed is a corollary to the expert inspec- 
tion at the Customs which we have urged, 
in season and out, and which the Association 
is in favour of. That teas failing to pass 
this standard should not be allowed to be 
put up to auction locally is, however, an 
extension of this policy and would prevent 
anything but purely local and private trad- 
ing (though the latter, too, would become 
illegal) in rubbishy tea manufactured in 
Ceylon. We understand that complaints 
have been made here ever the putting up 
to auction of teas below the present recognised 
Colombo standard: but cases have occurred 
where teas of even the minimum of good 
quality passed the hammer and no complaint 
was raised — perhaps when buyers were badly 
needing common teas of any kind, A splen- 
did certificate to the good name of Ceylon tea 
would be acquired, if this Government in- 
spection, both at the Customs and in Col- 
ombo itself before sale, could be sanctioned, 
and set on foot, and the Government seal 
affixed to the package— already bearing the 
name of the packer. We commend this to 
the attention of Sir Henry Blake, as the 
Ceylon tea market cannot be kept station- 
ary and its present popularity is bound to 
increase — to the benefit of the General Re- 
venue amongst other parties— by publication 
of the fact that from a certain date Ceylon 
teas would have to be up to a fixed standard. 
The suggestion that condemned tea must 
leave the island in bags or bales, mixed with 
some chemical, is excellent because most 
drastic and effective : and the licensing of 
tea-sellers for the harbour, recommended by 
the Tea Traders' Association, would ensure 
passengers getting only good stuff and in- 
crease its sale imperceptibly by their praise 
of it to friends in other climes : for the 
Haibour Police are not the least smart 
section of the Force and unlicensed tea selling 
would have very short rope. The notices at 
Hotels and Stations must do further good. 
But the whole question is closely connected 
with the making of Colombo a free mart 
for all teas, China, Indian &c., and thereby 
immensely increasing its present importance 
throughout the world and the business done 
here. Messrs. Crosfield, Lampard & Co. have 
been asked to undertake another step in the 
task of constant dropping that wears away a 
stone, in the supply of " conclusive argu- 
ments" to the P. A. Committee, as to why their 
proposed bonded blending warehouse should 
benefit producers generally. We think it 
will be well for the industry if they can 
dazzle the Parent authorities with arguments 
so cogent, perspicacious and lucid and convert 
them in a manner as swift as that which 
fell to an apostle of old. But, it not, the 
old issue must continue : between those 
who believe, as we do, that largely in- 
creased business here, resulting from free 
local trade in tea, must prevent the pos- 
sibility of individual big firms con- 
trolling the local market by any pranks 
they maj' play— these, it must be remem- 
bered, are greatly limited by the pressure 
of demand from clients ; and those who 
think that the industry enters the realm of 
possible self-strangulation when free admission 
is given to the tea-producing countries who 
would be so ready to sell here owing to its 
convenience and central situation as a market 
for export to every quarter of the world, 
all tea being certified by Government as to 
whether it was " pure Ceylon " or " blended' 
and— in the latter case— as to the con- 
stituent parts of the blend. 
