April 1, 1904,] THE TROPICAL 
AGKICULTUlU ST. 
701 
a lot of correspondence if I point out to you that 
tlie Government of India naturally lias at least 
as good a claim to the Para Rubber seed from our 
gardens as any local one. Tliat para rubber 
is now growins; in Ceylon in large quantity 
and that Ceylon has got the start of all 
other countries in this matter is entirely 
due to the action of the Indian Government aidtd 
by the Koyal Bjtanic Gardens of Kew. The 
Indian Goverjment hore the entire cost of in- 
troducing seed to the East from Para ainouuting 
to no less than £1,505 4s 211, and Ceylon planters 
are now reaping the benefit of this large ex- 
penditure which would have been quite impi actio 
able for this Colony. Owing to the wan r, of any 
accessible and properly conslicuted Butanio 
garden in any part of India suitable for growth 
of this completely tropical species the plants were 
sent to Ceylon to be cultivated and piopagnted 
for subsequent distribution to Burma, and other 
hot and moist parts of the Indian En)pire {on 
page 9 of Report of the New Products Commission, 
Sessional Paper XXIII of 1881). Thai Ceylon has 
any claim to seed at all is due to the fact 
that tlie cost of cultivation has been borne by 
the Department of ihe Koyal Botanic Gardens, 
but this cost is less even than the in- 
terest on the expenditure made by India. 
Ic was decided in 1898 that India shuuld have 
a prior right to one-half of the supply of seed 
available and in recent years, this right has been 
exercised. The total amount of seed avilable in the 
Gardens is negligible in comparison to that now 
sold from private sources amounting to only 
180,000 seeds a year. — I am &e.— (Sgd,) John C 
Willis, Director, K. B. G. 
The Secretary, Ceylon Planters' Association, 
Eandy. 
^ — 
TEA PACKET PACKING IN CEYLON. • 
BY MEANS OF AN AUTOMATIO MACHINE 
A NEW DEPARTURE IN THE TEA 
TRADE. 
A NEW COMPANY TO BE FLOATED. 
Mr. R. Valentine Webater, so well known in 
Ceylon, where he has his livrgest interests, arrived 
in the Island about two months ago, and during that 
time he was busy in perfecting all arrangements for 
floating a new Company in the Island, whose business 
will consist mainly in 
PACKING TEA IN PACKETS BY AN AUTOMATIC 
WEIGHING MACHINE. 
Oar representative called on Mr. Webster with 
a view to gaining full p aticulars of his scheme, 
an was given some information which will 
bed of special interest to all merchants. Asked 
whether the machine was entirely his own idea, Mr. 
Webster said '' Yes, while I was at the Paris Ex- 
hibition in 1900 I saw the necessity of a maohme 
an automatic machiDO for the packing of teas, as 
the present method of packing even at home, by 
the hand, was found to be very primitive and 
incurring loss of time and money. I set to work and 
devised a machine to meet the present require- 
ments, and took a patent for the same, N"ot being 
a praciical engineer I had to put the matter into 
the hands of an experienced mechanic, aud know- 
ing that the French Engineers were more patient 
in working out the intricacies of the machinery, I 
placed it into the hands of a French Engineer. 
Liftter on Mr. Van Allen, my manager in Paris, snper- 
vised the construolion of the machine daring my 
absence in August of last year. 
THE IIEST MACHINE WAS BUILT. 
This is now working at my placo in i, Rne 
Caamartin, Paris, This machine has been con- 
structed only for packing -| lb. packets of tea, and 
now we have constructed machines for packing 1 lb, 
i lb and 2 oz. packets of lead or p.iper." 
Our reporter asked " Would not the tea lose its 
flavour if packed in paper ? " '• Well, you know, 
it is only for home consumjition, and is sure to 
be snapped up readily. We are confident that packet 
tea packed in paper will be sold before the month is 
out, and there is no fe;ir of its running dry." 
TUE METHOD OF rACKINCV. 
" Can yon give an account of the process by which 
the tea is packed up into packets, aud how the 
packets are formed?" — ''The machine takes the 
paper or lead— whatever packets are going to be 
made of — from a roller which is drawu through a 
cylinder which gums the edges by a specially pre- 
pared quick-drying mucilage. The paper is then cut 
to the required length aud folded on a block mak- 
ing the packet complete. The tea passes through 
a pipe which leads out into the automatic tea wares 
at the top of the packer of the machine. It then 
passes into the package v/hich has automatically 
been placed in a receiver. It is then shaken down 
(not rammed). This is a great advantage as it 
DOES NOT BltEAK THE LEAF, 
The packets containing the tea move on a circular table* 
After that the top of the bag is gummed and folded 
closing the package. The labels, which are placed 
in a receiver at the side of the machine, are auto- 
matically gummed aud pasted on to the packages 
which are then dropped on to a moving belt. This 
conveys the packages to the boxes in which they 
are placed by the hand, and during the whole process 
this is the first and only time the hand is brought into 
operation." 
" How many packets are turned out in a minute by 
the latest machines?" — "The new machines now 
being completed turn out 
AT THE RATE OF 30 PACKETS PEK 3IINUTE." 
" It is worked by steam I suppose ? " queried our 
reporter. " Yes, it takes three horse-power to drive 
the machine, and only one man to look after it. 
It has the advantage also of being stopped instan- 
taneously. It is a very reliable machine, and simple 
in its construction." 
" Have you selected a spot for your factory ? "— 
" Yes, I have secured 3 acres of laud close to the 
Maradana Junction, and plans have been com- 
pleted for erecting a three-storied building where all 
the packing will be done." 
"How do you propose to fit up the factory? "— 
"My iutention is that teas should be worked on 
American lines, taking every advantage of the 
FORCE OF GRAVITATION. 
On the top story will be the tea cutters, siroccos 
and blenders ; from there the tea will flow into 
cylinders on the second floor. Pipes will lead from 
the cylinders to the various tea packing machines, 
and, of course, the How iuto the packing micbiues will 
be through the force of gravitation." 
"Will a large staff be required for this purpose ? " 
— " It will entirely do away with the necessity of 
hand labour, and very few workmen will be required." 
"What are the dimensions of the building?" — 
•'The building will be 60 by 120 feet, and will be 
very substantially built and have hydraulic lifts." 
DESIGNATION OF TH3 CJSIPANV. 
" la it going to be a Company, and if so, what 
is to be its title?'' — "Yes, it is my intention to 
make it a Limited Liability Company, and it will be 
know as "The Automatic Tea Packers, Ltd. It is 
not intenled to amalgamate this with my present 
business, the Co-Operative Tea Gardens, of which I am 
the Managing Director." 
