844 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[June 1, 1904. 
selves undertake the Irrigation work so 
that they might acquire a knowledge of its 
profits and spread this throughout the villa- 
ges. . Liberal terms, including the bearing 
of the cost of preparing the land for Irri- 
gation, are suggested; and the wise counsel 
given, that ajsuccessful experiment at first, 
is of far more importance to the Colony, 
for future guidance, than an early money 
profit. It is finally proposed that equal 
areas for rice and cotton should be watered, 
independently, at the beginning — an exact 
account of expenses, i'ield and profits being 
kept. The thoroughness with which this 
report has been drawn up, and the plainly 
exceptional knowledge that has been brought 
to bear on the subject, leads us in this 
connection to congratulate the local Depart- 
ment, on possessing so able an Irrigation 
Assistant as Mr Henry Parker must con- 
tinue to be found— in the execution of the 
Irrigation Policy of the Ceylon Govern- 
ment. 
A NEW FOOD: " NUPARINA." 
The Ceylon Desiccating Company, Hunu- 
pitiya Mills, Negombo, have lately placed on 
the market a new food, made from desiccated 
coconut and the finest Indian white rice. 
It is a highly nutritious food, and may be 
used for making tea cakes, puddings, scones, 
short bread, ratafia, etc. It may be purchased 
in bulk and also in 1, 2, and 3 lb. packets, 
lead and paper-lined. With each small packet 
are supplied two or three excellent recipes. A 
Colombo lady, one of the first to try it, writes : 
— " Nufarina " makes delicious little biscuits, 
macaroons and other choice delicacies for 
afternoon-tea. No butter is required ; with a 
few ounces of " Nufarina," a little sugar, and 
a couple of eggs, my " boy " makes nicer 
cakes than I have been able to purchase 
anywhere in Colombo." The new food is sure 
to find a ready market at home as well as 
ia Ceylon. 
" IMPERIAL " TEA CHESTS. 
Mr Stuart Brown proposes to save the Ceylon 
tea planters ^ ^ cent per pound of tea by the 
use of his patent Imperial Monii Chest. 
Mr Stuart Brown does not claim to be an expert 
iu tea further than in the carrying of it, bub he has 
been studying this subject closely for 13 years and 
has gradually arrived at a chest that will suit any 
market, Colombo is destined from its position to 
become very soon the chief centre of distribution 
for tea to all parts of the world; and if the Ceylon 
planters can get a cheat at a low price that will be 
suitable for Russia, Australia, America or Britain, 
clearly it must enhance the value of their teas 
at sale on the local market, if all the trouble and 
expense of packing into special chests for special 
markets can thus be avoided. 
Cultivation of Maize in Ceylon.— Sometime 
ago Mr. 0. Drieberg received from the Under- 
Secretary of the Queensland Department of Agri- 
culture a small stock of maize seed. The seed 
was distributed in December last year for trial 
and he is now receiving reports as to results, which 
seem to be extremely satisfactory on the whole. 
TEA SEED OIL. 
THE LATEST EFFORT TO ESTABLISH THE 
PRODUCT. 
The correspondence of Mr. H. Drummond 
Deane, to which we understand Mr. J. 
Coryton Roberts to refer in the letter 
published elsewhere, under cover of letters 
from the Secretaries of the Ceylon and 
Ceylon Planter.^' Association, was dated June 
16th 1901 and appeared in the Tropical Agri' 
cuUurist for August of that year. Mr. Drum- 
mond Deane was then in correspondence 
with bis London Agents about the matter. 
His experiments showed that 1 lb. of clean 
seed gave "20 lb. of clean oil, which he ex- 
pected would be increased to "23 lb. if the 
poonac were boiled and oil taken out. He 
intended, the following season, to gather 
off a field of low-jat tea systematically with 
the object of fully testing the cost of pro- 
duction. Hut we can trace nothing since, 
from Mr. Drummond Deane's pen, as to the 
results obtained. In view of Mr. Coryton 
Roberts' valuation and reports, it would be 
of interest if Mr. Deane were willing to 
tell us something further as to his own 
experiments and the quotations he obtained 
in London. Mr. Deane's letter, we may recall, 
was followed by one from the late Mr. 
Oliver Collett who had himself in 1896 
experimented and extracted tea seed oil 
in two different ways. His results are worth 
quoting again. The methods were : — 
(1) By pressing the seed in a " chekku " and (2) 
by boiliog the seed, when the oil was removed by 
skimming the surface of the liquor. The first kind 
was like fine olive oil in appearance : and, according 
to the City Analyst, to whom I submitted samples, 
it was possessed of many of the latter's properties. 
It made an excellent illuminant, being in that 
respectfully equal to coconut oil ; and was also very 
useful as a lubricant for machinery, being equal to 
the best vegetable oils used for that purpose. I 
user! it in the tea factory for some time, and gave 
samples to my neighbours, who spoke well of it. 
Tea seed oil has been used for centuries by the 
Chinese and Japanese for lighting and cooking, 
and varnishing purposes. Our estate coolies 
use it for lighting and cooking and also 
for anointing their bodies. The boiled oil 
gives a good stain and polish to wood work of all 
kinds, and would make a very fair varnish ; and 
the poonac after the oil has been extracted from it 
would most probably make an excellent fertiliser 
for tea. The raw oil is specially well suited for pur- 
poses of soap manufactures, and would in this respect 
undoubtedly rival coconut-oil, if ic could be pro- 
duced at the same cos*^. But here is the rub ! 
— and I came to the conclusion, after going care- 
fully into the question of production, etc, that, 
excepting perhaps upon land already abandoned 
(i.e. unweeded and uncultivated), it would not be 
harvested with profit. And even than the seed 
would inevitably deteriorate in quantity and 
quality as the bushes become gradually enveloped 
in new jungle growth. In South India the condi- 
tions may perhaps be different. 
Mr, Drummond Deane's samples went to 
Mr. Mann at Calcutta, who, receiving them on 
June 27th, 1901, reported on them on August 
r2th. [His report appeared in the October 
