250 THE TROI-iOAL Atsr-SiOULTURlST, [October i, 1891. 
shares, even though he has to pay from 30 per 
cent to 40 per cent premium. I may add that I for 
one have bought more shares since the circulation 
of Mr, Grigson'e report.— Yours faltfifully, 
WHISKEEOSO. 
[AutlieJiticated.} 
A PEACTICAL TALK ON TEA 
M&NUFAOTDEE. 
Sept. 3rd. 
Dear Sin, — Tonr issue of 1st instant contains a 
good deal of interesting matter to t"a planters ; — 
1, Mr. HuRhes' remarks to your London corres- 
pondent regarding tannin in tea as being the test 
of the m&rkot. No word, in Mr. Hugher,' remarks 
or in your leader, appears as io flavour. Any ex- 
pert v?ill tell you that that is the true test of tea.* 
Strong teas are the result of quick withering in a 
warm climate because one day's plucking is rolled 
the next day, and therefore the withered leaf is not 
sufEciently tough ; whereas at a high elevation and 
at a lower temperature the withering process is 
slower and more natural so that the contents of the 
cells of the leaf are released without the texture of 
the leaf or the cell walls being bruised. You say, 
tannin is said to be scarcely "ever present 
to any extent m the first cup of infusion 
obtained from tea if the time allowed for 
it to stand be limited to some three minutes 
or so only," Just so ; so that tea tasters do not 
wait for the extract of tannin. When tannin is 
unduly present the tea are classified as " rough " 
or harsh. 
2, Mr. Davidson's remarks. — Here we have a true 
expert speaking, and bia remarks are worthy of 
all attention. Stewirig is the reEult of rolled tea 
spread thickli/ on the firing trays and not the 
result of low temperature used in the drier. Slow 
firing ia the correct method to dessicate the tea, 
but when a planter is pushed for time he cannot 
afford to do it. Let a machine be adapted to 
finish large quantities of leaf with a minimum of 
firewood. There is a good deal of truth in the 
effect of steep reeky land on tea giving it a "high- 
grown" charaoter. Udugama and Galle being 
" pucka" low country, does not come under that 
category, and I have often heard that tea from that 
part of the island has a distinotoharaoter of its own.f 
3 " Wanderer's" Notes — The remarks as to the 
absence of the planter from the faotory resulting in 
better tea is correct, barring the chaff implied. Your 
Talawakeliie correspondent ia not consistent. He 
first of all " joins isEUe" with Wanderer, that is 
seeks to correct him. Then be says "ho ^Wanderer) 
talks about the absence of the planter from the 
factory as possibly conducing to better mai'e tea," 
and then in the next lire agrees with him that 
"tea is not made in the factory " !! The Talawa- 
keliie correspondent may say what ho likes, but 
when all departments in the factory are strained 
by press Df leaf ; when coolies have 10 tear ahead, 
and Sinhalese called in to help during the rush in 
May ; — surely the tea cannot have the attention 
Tvbich it gets in August. In August a planter can 
pluck, wither, roll, fire, pack, calmly and easily ; — 
■ihere/orc better tea is the result. Many men say 
,tba£ it is ail humbug for the brokers to call out 
about bad tea when large quantities are eoraiog ir, 
but the majority of plantora know what goes on 
whr-n to save their estimates leal be hurvested, 
jvben the lush ig on, and to that end the flush 
« Vmr drinkiuK uuroixed, no doubt; but f r mixing 
puT-ptJseB BtreiiKtli has been desideruted.— Ed T. J. 
' Likctlmt of Ibo Terai and Dooars in In^ia,— 
ilD. T, A'. 
must not be allowed to run away. Theory about 
inferior quality of tea, and iosuffioient labour be- 
comes a screech in the agony of a " May " rush, 
and sinks almost to a whisper in the easy days 
of August. Your Talawakele friend must have 
laughed in hie sleeve when he wrote the follow- 
ing: "I would say rather labour is plentiful because 
more coolies have come in from the coast." Ha ! 
Ha! All our troubles are ended — more cooiies have 
come in from the coast I I wonder who is the 
man whom your Tolawakele correspondent knows 
who " rarely spends over an hour a wfek in the 
factory." His teas may be good, but that argues 
the excellence of the tea maker and the wisdom 
of the tea-maker's master in keeping oct of the 
way, but not that the factory coolies will do better 
without the curai ^'oing ntar. 
4. Then in the issue before the ons under notice we 
had some hard critioism from India. All right, 
wo can afiord to read it and laugh over it. "The 
days are gone when Ceylon planters used to brag. 
That's gone out with coliee. There is no Crag 
now, but a Lard grind to make ends meet ; and 
if great progress has been maWe, then Indian 
sneerera cannot aff.rct whst is known everywhere : 
that we have built a nev/ industry on the ruina 
of another. The Indian tea plant' r^ were always 
tea planters and have been at it for many years ; 
but the Ceylon men havd risen from the a^hes 
of a former great ruin, and if they are not makmg 
their fortunes, they have heid their own and pushed 
ahead by steady determination, energv, combination, 
and advertisemeat, PEACTICAL MAN. 
UNPEEMENTED TEA SELLING WELL. 
Dear Sir, — A planter of many years' experience 
of tea told me a short lime ago that he never 
allowed his tea to f-rment, but put it into his 
driers diteet from his rollers. Keading a treatic'e 
on the subject of Fermentations, I notice the 
foUovi-ing paragraph :—" Fire your tea immediately 
after it ia rolled, and after infusion note flav. ur 
of liquor and colour of out-turn. The liquor 
tastes harsh, pungent and raspy, and is quite 
unpalatable, it further wants body." 
In the face cf these remarks I am surprised 
to find the unfermented teas, made by the planter 
I refer to, have realized an average of about 
47o per lb. during the present year. Can any 
of your readers give me any informatii^n on the 
subject? -Yours faithfully, PUZZLED. 
[We can imngine such teas being pungent and 
valued fur this quality, but if wanting in body it 
is not likely tbey would sell at the price men- 
tioned. Over ■fermenting is certainly injurious, — 
Ed. T. a.} 
CoFFSE Geowing in the Vanni m described by Mr, 
J. P. Lewis, A. G. A. of Mullaittivu, in his Diary 
for 1S''0, as follows : — 
Ju/ie 25. — I turned otE on tlio road also to inspect 
Kachcliilamsulu, a good villogf. Here in ore com- 
pound I saw sfpeviil coff-e trei-s in bcHring — a curious 
sight in t' e Vanni. The owner ('he chief cultivator 
Vell'v«y!>lkul-im) said they h:".d been planted by hia 
grandfather, and that formerly there was a whole 
g-.rdtu of coffee in this villag? ; even now the berrirs 
are somotimcB R' Id. This is the plnce where Pandara 
Wanniya wi s finally defeated by the British troopa 
under Oaptaiu Drieberg io 1803. I ruade iaquiriea 
as to the exact spot where the fight took place, and 
the men refcrroii to above pointed out to roe apart 
of the village clearing! under fome t.amarind trees, 
wbioh he said he heard bis grandfather and other 
people describe as the scone of the fight. 
