July i, iSc)\ .] 
iHF TROPJCAL AQRIOULTUmST. 
51 
To ths Editor. 
FOR CEYLON TEA PLANTERS. 
London, E.G., May 1st. 
Dkab Sib. — The enolo ed figures have only just 
been issued — too late for our circular. We therefore 
Bend ihem to you that jou may publish them if 
you think fit. 
Maeket drooped on Thursday. What a pity it 
ia that planters cannot be induced to make larger 
breaks? This is a most important matter, and 
affects the market far more than can be uriderstocd. 
Many a buyer will purchase 500 clif sts of tea if in 
$tven or dght lots and think notbiDg of it. Put 
the same quantity into twenty lots and he fancies 
he has bought an awful lot of tea ; he has a long 
list instead of a short one and a crowd of samples 
instead of only a few — in addition to which the 
work entailed in selling the twenty lots is three 
or four times as great as in selling only six or 
seven. Cannot you upe your powerful influence to 
help the Ceylon tea trade in this import'int mutter? 
Quality. — We are very sorry to note, in valuing 
teas for next Thursday's sale, a further falling-ofi.— 
We are, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
GOW, WILSON & STANTON. 
Monthly Statistics, April 1891. 
1st May 191. 
Movements (in lb.) of Indian and Ceylou Tea during 
April 1890. 
Indian Ceylon 
April 1891. 
Indian Ceylon 
mports B.S81,283 .5,941,264 4.214,772 3,403,f.32 
Delivery 8,061, 6')2 3,942 242 .5,1,S5.941 ],S34,67» 
Stock 33,181,317 13,778,742 41,iS27,f33 10,543,190 
MoTements (in lb.) of Indian and Cejlcn Tea from 
let June to SOth April 1st June 1889 to 30tli 
1891. April 1890. 
Indian Ceylon Indian Ceylon 
99,6 6,182 42,225,800 100,598,280 30,179,lf2 
93,924,654 38,037,432 86,676,840 26,927,0f0 
Imports 
Deliveries 
KOLA AND ITS PBEPAEATIONS. 
London E. C. May 1st. 
Sib, — If the reports of the experiments made at 
Aldershot by Horace Manders, r r. c.s., have not 
already been published I think many of your readers 
would fiod them interesting. 
This gentleman ioitiated the experiments for the 
Indian Government and after carefully examining 
all the difiereut forms of kola m my warehouse 
Belected a certain quantity of each form for trial, 
amongst others a certain quantity of the pure 
kola powder. As we cannot at present give you 
a full report of the experiments, eufHce it to eay 
that the kola powder surpassed all other forms 
in sustaining properties. 
On Wednesday morning the experiment commen- 
oed and continued till the following Saturday night. 
Each morning a teaspoonful of kola powder was 
taken in hot water and 1^ ounce dry rusk during 
the day. Mr. Manders fuund that he suffered no 
inconvenience whatever from hunger or thirst and 
he strongly recommends the use of kola on all 
expeditions, etc. 
Owing to this series of experiments we have been 
enabled to decide that a teaspoonful of dry kola 
equal to I oz. is quite sufiaoient to take during 
8 
12 or even 24 hours. At the advice of Mr. 
Manders we prepared a kola wine and bitters : 
these he pronounced entirely satisfactory. Wo were 
fortunate enough to obtain the hearty co-operation 
of one of the largest wine merchants in London 
for the wine, and one of the largest distillers for 
the bitters ; and Jurther it was decided that it wsa 
best to supply the bitiera so that they are ready 
for eoneumption without any mixing whatever. 
Having in this country every appliance for obtain- 
ing the fluid and solid extracts of kola we were 
enabled to make the very best preparation of biscuits 
in different form, but none of these gave very 
good results. 
What ia considered of very great importance ia 
that if anyone is on an expedition they could put 
a pinch of this kola powder into the rice from a 
lin box, and as it has no appreciable flavor it 
would not be not:03d, but would nevertheless im- 
part its enormous sus'aining power even perhaps 
10 a greater extent than if partaken of as a watery 
infusion. I think this will show you that I hava 
been on the right track in recommending the 
planting and introduction of kola wherever it is 
posbible in our colonies. 
Aiready we have had reports from Burma from 
some of the merchants and others who have been 
using it and who are more than satisfied with the 
results. Especially has this been the case in the 
hot weather as they have been enabled with kola 
to support the great heat in a way which has 
perfectly astonished them. No foreign Government 
or representative has ever had in Europe the success 
which has attended the experiments made by Mr. 
Manders. As we know that there have been ex- 
periments carried on in India we hope that you 
will be enabled to obtain poeeessiou of the parti- 
culars so as to put them side by side with the 
abbreviated report sent you. — Yours truly, 
THOS. CHEISTY, r.L.s. 
[We have to call attention to Mr. Christy's 
advertisement of kola preparations in another 
column. — Ed. T. A.'l 
"SOAPSTONE" OR RATHER " RENSSE- 
LAERITE " IN CEYLON. 
May 9th. 
Dear Sir —I send you a small piece of " soap, 
stone " found by a native correspondeot in the 
lowoountry. It is the first time I have found any. 
Kindly let me have your opinion of itj value (if 
any) and relative merits. — Yours truly, 
EXPLOREE. 
Dear Sir,— Herewith I send you a piece of metal- 
which ia named by the uativts of this place '• nil 
garunda " and used for medicinal purposes as belly, 
ache, BnaWe bites, &c. ; but 1 considered it to be a 
metal which belongs to Ihe marble kind found in Ceylon. 
If you think that you could pussibly make auy benefit 
ont of it I shall thank yuu to let me know. It 
is found only in cue place of this district in one of 
the Crown lauds. — I aui, sir, your obedient servant, 
E. H. 
[We referred the lump of yellow-looking stone to 
Mr. Geo. Aimitage, who has just completed his 
examinytion and pronounces it to be a variety of 
talc called " Eensselaerite," much harder than 
the Boapstone of commerce. The latter ia used 
for a variety of purposes including gas burners, 
the lining of stoves, &o. The specimen s nt to us 
has a specific gravity of 2-63 and Mr. Armitago 
does not think it will be of commercial alus, — 
Ed. r. 
