Jan. 1, 1902.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
467 
Mininmm cash subscription 200 sliares. The no. of 
directors is nob to be less than 3 nor more than 6 ; 
the first are J F Kenipson, J C Goode and N F 
Nalder ; qualiKcaoiL)n £250 ; remuneration £100 
each per annum. Registered by Holianis, Sons, 
Coward and Hawksley, 30, Mincing Lane, E. C. — 
Investors' Guardian, Nov. 9. 
THE NEW GREEN TEA FACTORY. 
Since publishing our article announcing the 
erection of a green tea factory in Colombo, 
which by the way was by a couple of clays 
the first public intimation made of this new 
and important departure, information has 
been supplied to us to the effect that the 
mansufacture of tea in the new factory will 
be superintended by a Chinese expert who 
has had extensive experience in his own 
country and in Japan. This gentleman, who 
was in Colombo abouc nine months ago 
when the matter first began to be contem- 
plated by Messrs. Pinlay Muir & Company, 
giving his advice, is now daily expected to 
iirrive and will personally superintend the 
jwrangernents and fitting up of the machinery 
With the new factory in full working order,. 
Canada and the States need have no fear 
that Ceylon greens will not be turned out 
in a manner suitable to the most fastidious 
taste, accustomed only to Far Eastern 
manufacture. They are convinced of this 
and once the local enterprise is proved 
successful we foresee prosperity for the Green 
Tea industry in our midst, and increased 
progress for blacks in the world's markets 
owing to the relief effected in the supplies. 
" THE TEA SOILS OF ASSAM.' 
We have to thank the Secretary of the In- 
dian Tea Association for a copy of a pamphlet 
containing a most interesting paper on "The 
Tea Soils of Assam and Tea Manuring" by Mr. 
Harold H. Mann, B.Sc, Scientific Officer to the 
Association. The pamphlet is illustrated and 
from it we quote the following : — 
SUMMARY. 
Summarisinf]; therefore it may be said that— (1) 
The older parts of the Assam gardens are grailually 
deteriorating in yield and it may be also in quality. 
(2) It is unsound to try and make up for this loss in 
yield by putting out new clearances. (3) This 
deterioration can be largely stopped by the judi- 
cious use of manures, principally obtained locally. 
4) No new clearances should be put out ualess the 
old area is producing its maxinunn, or it is iiuended 
to abandon an area equivalent to the new clearance. 
(5) A system should be laid down for the future 
pruning and treatment of every plot on a garden, 
only to be departed from for very trenchant 
leasons. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
The following remarks about packet tea and the 
Merchandise Marks Act appear in the annual report 
of Mr George F AUwood, inspector of weights aad 
measures to the Wolverhampton Corporation: "Local 
conditions have operated this year to necessitate the 
institution of legal proceedings in regard to packages 
of tea sold and exposed for sale upon which the 
height W8B marked. A couimen oustom now itj 
vogue 13 for large firms of tea-dealers to import coni 
signments of tea in bulk, and cause it to be wrapped 
in packages of various weights from 1 oz to 1 lb 
Ihese packages are then despatched for sale by the* 
numerous small shopkeepers, who retail as received 
baveral quantities of these weight-marked packages 
have from time to time been tested iu the shop?, and 
the results go to show in some instances a lari^e pro- 
portion of the packets were deficient in net weit^ht 
iJ^u^'iT^^^^^^ desirable, wherever blame appears 
attachable, to proceed against the wholesale 
dealer. Great diffioultie?, however, are found to 
operate against this being done with the prospect of 
a successful termination. Under this Act if a 
defendant can prove to the satisfaction of the court 
that he has taken reasonable precautions to ensure 
full weight, he is exonerated from liability. The 
two cases dismissed were in this manner adjudicated 
upon, allhcugh the retail shopkeeper was shown to 
bo in possession for sale (in one case) of no fewer 
than thirty.four packets short weight, out of a total 
of forty-two tested. The cases against the shop- 
keepers were then withdrawn, although it is only a 
fair requirement that these traders should take the 
precaution of ascertaining how far such weight- 
marked packages are safe for sale before offering 
them to the public. How important a matter the 
subject dealt with in the above paragraph is will 
be fully realised when I mention it was stated in 
evidence that one of the firms concerned disposed of 
no_ less than 20,000 marked packets per week— and 
this by no means a leading firm in the tea trade ' " 
Oommenting on last week's tea market, the " Pro- 
duce Blarkets Review" says :-" The market for 
Indian teas has been less active, and a considerable 
quantity of the larger supply was withdrawn from the 
public sales, as the prevailing fog made it difficult 
to value the teas. Prices for the common grades are 
easier, more tea being obtainable at 5id and under 
With a continuance of lower values the demand will 
probably materially increase, as several of the 
larger buyers of these descriptions hold only moderate 
stocks. The medium and finer qualities have shared 
m the decline which will probably prove but 
temporary under more favourable cond'itiona 
s°nnn oml^^ 7'"' u^"""'- , '^^^ >^ about 
8,000.0001b larger than last year, which ia 
mainly accounted for by the quicker transit severa 
of the districts being able to forward their teas two 
0/, three weeks earlier than in former reasons 
Although the market for Ceylon teas has been onlv 
poorly supplied, a flat tone was displayed at the ^ales 
on Tuesday, and a lower tendency generally was 
manifest. This was most apparent in whole leaf des- 
criptions from about T'd downwards, and these in 
some cases showed a fall of Jd to ^d per lb There 
was, however, very little sold under 6d, this being 
practically the lowest quotation.''-^-, and C. Mail 
THE ACETYLENE LAMP TO KILL 
TEA BLIGHT. 
MORE ABOUT THE APPARATUS 
CONSTRUCTED POR THE GOVERNMENT ' 
ENTOMOLOGIST. 
We had the pleasure recently of }h. 
specting the simple apparatus which Mr E 
B. Creasy has constructed for Mr. E E Green' 
Government Entomologist, with a view to 
the destruction ot tea blight and insect 
pests^ To begin with the generating cham. 
ber Itself : this, we saw, is a light tin vecsel 
containing two chambers, in the inner one 
of which gas IS generated through the contact 
of water with calcium carbide. The water 
remains m the outer chamber, but is so 
connected with the inner fone— up which 
passes a series of spiral traj^s bearing 
