194 
THE tmPiOkL AQRIOULTURlSt. [SmEMEKR t, 1851, 
pianoforte manufaotures, that the timber fhey 
work up into their instrumeuts is weathered in 
their yards for many yenra before UPe ; and only in 
such a way oan material fully rpliable for their 
delicate purpose bo obtained. We should hold 
that the same conditions of necessity apply— though 
of ooureo in a minor degree— to the se^eoniog of 
wood for less important purposes. What we have 
stated justifies the dictum that mere heat alone— 
though this may temporarily get rid of dampness 
— does not exhaust the sap or bring about that 
gradual closing of the cells which renders a per- 
fectly seasoned wood unattackable by damp. All 
of U3 in Ceylon know perfectly well how completely 
thoroughly seasoned wood worked into pianofortes 
will remain uninjured, even in a climate so fully 
charged with moisture as that of Colombo. 
These facts prefaced, let us see how the question 
we have raised may be affected by the conditiona 
present during the packing of tea in chests. We 
know it to be the case that a great deal of the 
tea at the time of such packing is in a warm, 
and very often probably in a relatively hot state. . 
We oan readily imagine the effect of placing a bulk 
of this almost in contact with an imperfectly 
seasoned wood, the lead lining serving as a good 
conductor for its heat. The effect, we should think, 
must be to, to all appearance, dry the wood ; but 
the sap would not bo equally ejected, and the colls 
temporarily constricted, would open and reabsorb 
damp whenever they came into contact with it in 
the hold of a vessel, but the cheat would 
have been weighed while there had been a tem- 
porary loss of weight due to the packing with 
the heated tea, and hence we can understand it 
might have acquired considerably increased weight 
when tared in the scales of the Homo Customs, 
But wood that has been perfectly seasoned after 
the manner above pointed out is, by the constricted 
state of its cells and the binding together of its 
fibre due to the action of time and the gradual 
withering out of sap, in a condition of defence 
against the presence of damp in the atmosphere. 
It remains, therefore, unchanged by the damp air 
always more or less present in a steamer's hold, 
and with the result that its weight, when dealt 
with by the Home Customs, is very nearly identical 
with that ascertained respecting it on the estate. It 
has not, in fact, been affected by the presence in it of 
heated tea. 
The conclusion we draw from this is, that 
alihough, Es we have said, it would seem natural 
to suppose that a dry wood (such as is that 
expoEei to thorough and gradual seasoning) would 
absorb damp more readily than green wood, and 
so be more liable to a change of weight, the exact 
reverse is the case under the conditions attending 
the packing of tea. A fictitious dryness— so to 
speak — is produced, the tendency of which with 
unseasoned wood is to render it specially liable to 
change weight when exposed to damp. 
The moral is that all timber used for tea boxes 
should be thoroughly seasoned, 
^ — - 
THE CEYLON TEA FUND. 
CoMMiTXEK Meeting. 
Minutes of proceedings ot a meeting of the Stand- 
ing Coiinuittee of tlio Ceylon Tea Fund held at 
Kandy on I'^riday, the 14tli day of August, at four 
o'clock in the afternoon. 
i-'reKciit : — Messrs. Giles F. Walker, Chairman, 
Planters' Association of (Jeyloii ; W. Sandys Thomas, 
Chairman, Dimhula Association; A. lii. Wright, 
Maskeliya; J. Anderson, Kandy and Matale West; 
A. G. K. Borron, Kandy ; John H. Starey, Kandy; A. 
T. Karalake, Kandy ; W. D. Bosanquet, Kandy ; 
W. D. Gibbon, Kandy ; G. A. Talbot, Kandy and 
Dimbula ; Wm. Forbes Laurie, Kandy and Kurune- 
gala ; A. W. Stopford Sackville, Chairman, Maskeliya 
Association; J, A, Spence, Medamahanuwara ; A. 
Philip, Secretary, Planters' Association of Ceylon. 
The notice calling the meeting was read. 
The minutes of proceedings of a meeting of the 
Standing Committee of the Ceylon Tea Fund held 
at Nuwara Eliya on Saturday, the 18th day of June 
1891, were taken as read and were confirmed. 
Read letter from Messrs. Baker & Hall, Colombo. 
Read letter from Messrs. Whittall * Co. intimat- 
ing that the following estates will subscribe to the 
" Ceylon Tea Fund " from 1st .July : — Dea Ella. 
Dammeria, Uda Eadella, Gleneagles, Oonoongaloya, 
Aberdeen, Hayes, Battewatte, Calsay, Luccomoe, 
and Deanstone. 
Read letter from Mr. A. R. Lewis. Resolved : — 
" That the letter be acknowledged, and that it be 
pointed out that the Ceylon Tea Company, Limited, 
under the Patronage of the Planters' Association 
of Ceylon is not in connection with the Ceylon 
Tea Fund, and that the Standing Committee trusts 
that he will recousider his decision." 
Read letter from Messrs. Walker, Sous & Co., 
Limited. Resolved ; — " That ia conveying the thanks 
of the Committee for past liberal suboription to the Tea 
PuHd the Committee hopes that Messrs. Walker, 
Sons & Co., Limited, will see their way to continuing 
their subacriptions as heretofore iu view cf the im 
perative neoesaity of stendily persisting in making 
known snd pushing Ceylon tea throUKhoub the world, 
and the fact that their interests are iu large ex- 
tent affectfid by the prosperity of the Ceylon toa 
enterprise." 
Reud letter from Mr. W. Blaokenzie. T esolved : — 
" That Mr. Mackenzie be thanked for his letter and 
that he be asked kindly to obtain information as to 
what the law of Victoria ia in reference aud bearing 
on the prosecution indicated." 
Read letter from Mr. E. de Frisoh, vice Consul for 
Russia, acknowledging with best thanks a vote of 
tbauks accorded to him, and intimatiug that he will 
always be most happy to further tbo uudertakiugs of 
the Planters' Association of Ceylon. Resolved : — 
"That the letter be acknowledged." 
Glasgow Inteenational Exhiiutio'n. — R^ad letters 
from the Manager, Eastern Produce and Estate Com- 
paoy, Limited, aud from Meesrp. Aitken, Spence & Co. 
Resolved:— " That the requests made be complied 
with." 
Ceylon Tea in Germany. — Read letter from 
the Imperial German Consul enclosing letter 
from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, 
Berlin, notifyicg that His Majesty; tbe Emperor 
and Her Majesty the Empress Frederick have 
been graciously pleased to accept the presents of 
Cejlou tea, aud have directed him (tho Secretary 
of Stite for Foreign Affairs) to trausmit to the 
Planters' Association of Ceylon their Majesties' sin- 
cerest thacks for this courteous attention. Kesolved : — 
"That the letter from the Secretary of State for 
Foreign Affairs, Berlin, be sent to the newspapers 
for publication. 
Read letter from Mr. Shelton Agar. Resolved: — 
'That Mr. Agar's letter be ackuowledged, and that 
a copy of tlio rules for the Regulation of Grants of 
tea f >r free distribution be sent to hiui, and that Mr. 
Agjr be requested to ask Mr. Schrader to give a 
detailed accouut of his proposed methods of working 
with particulars as to the duty payable upon tea in 
Germany and any other matters of interest for the 
consideration of the StanJing Committee." 
CfcYLON Tka in FfiANcn.— Read letters from the 
Secieia-y, the Ceylon Asscoiation in Lon>ioii. 
Head le'.ter from Air. H. Wliilliain with enclosure. 
Keso ved : — "That it be pointed out tj the Ceyion 
Association in Loudon that thrre wa.s do inieution 
of .ladgiug their action in the inatler reteir^d to, 
hut raiher inviting a reconaideraliou iu the light of 
tho information received by tbe Standing Conimit'.ee." 
Read letter from Mr. H. Clayton Mauisty regarding 
his scheme for pushing the sale of Oeylun tea in Paris 
&c. Resolved: — "That the letter be acknowledged 
