3^2 THF TROPfCAL AORiOULTURIST. [November 2, 1891 
notice that the matter is engaging — as well it may — 
the earneet attention of the Ceylon Planters' Abboci- 
ation, I have ventured to communicate to the 
Chairman of that Aesooiation my willingness, under 
certain guarantees, to disclose the nalure of my 
project, prefeotly assured that it only needs to be 
known to be undestood and appreciated, — Yours 
truly, 
W. G. OAEDOZO. 
INSECTS ATTACKING ACACIA 
MELANOXYLON. 
Albion, Nuwara Eliya, Oct. 15th. 
SiE, — On page 313 of the Tropical Agriculturist 
for November i889, in Mr. Maiden's letter on 
Wattles, he mentions that "in Australia the wood of 
acacias is exceedingly liable to attacks by the larva 
of certain lepidoptera" &c,, (fee. By this post I send 
in a match box 2 small twigs of Acacia melanoxylon 
cut ofi and riddled by some poochies, a few of 
■which are still in the wood. Last week I cut down a 
five year-old tree as it was looking sick : the 
accompanying is a specimen of the interior. — Yours 
faithfully, AKTHUK KELLOW. 
[Up till now we have never seen Acacia melanoxy- 
lon in Ceylon suffer from any pest except the 
parasitie loranthus, which could eo easily be removed 
by a bamboo pole with a knife or sickle attached to 
the end, uaed for the clearing process. But there is 
no mistake as to the boring by insects of the 
specimen of wood from Mr. Kellow's five-j ear-old 
tree. We have submitted the twigs to our entomo- 
logical referee, and he reports as follows : — "The 
numerous small holes in the wood are made by a 
minute boring beetle, name unknown to me. It 
probably feeds on the wood as it burrows. The 
female may lay its eggs in the burrow, and the larva 
undergo all its changes in it. I am unable to give 
its life history with any degree of certainty."-— 
Ed. T. ^.] 
TBE LOCAL vs. THE LONDON MAEKET FOR 
TEA. 
Central Province, Oct. 16th. 
Dear Sib, — Let me draw the attention of " Pro- 
prietor" to the memo, of Messrs. A. H. Thompson 
& Co. in the "Independent" and quoted in 
the Overland Observer, " Only 1,900 packages soM 
out of 4,523 offered." The Colombo broker thinks 
it necessary to account for this wonderful feature in 
our tiny market, and so he remarks : "The market 
was somewhat taxed by the unusual weight of the 
auctions; so a knock out practically occurred." 
" Buyers," he continues, " showed no inclination to 
buy txoept at very low rates." The wily Colombo 
buyer wanting to snafile the grower's produce from 8 
to 30c. under current value. Now let us turn to a 
circular issued by Messrs. Forbes cfe Walker. They 
state that the total sales in Colombo market to 
date come lo 7 500,000 lb and the exports to Austra- 
lia &e., reach '2,( 00,000 lb, bo that about 5,000,000 
lb. of the tta bought in local market goes to Englancl, 
probably Mincing Lane. I know that some of that 
exported tea to other countries than Ergland, never 
is handled by Colombo buyers, co I think I am 
giving the local market every justice in giving the 
buyers in it credit for having bought all the tea that 
is sent to foreign porlH. By foreign I mean other 
than London.- Vouro truly, 
ONii WHO HAH TBIED BOTH. 
MR. KELLY'S TEA CROP ESTIMATES. 
Deab Sir,— Two things strike me as very strange 
in connection with Mr. Kelly's speech in Council, 
in reference to the tea crop of 1894. 
If ho put that crop at 140,000,000 lb. or double 
the 70,000,000 expected this year, how was it 
none of the papers challenged an estimate so 
rash, improbable, and calculated to do mischief? 
Our press is generally alive to its duty in such 
matters. 
Then if Mr. Kelly did not speak of double 
70 000,000 lb., but only of 120,000.000 lb., what 
have the reporters to say for themselves ? I might 
also ask why Mr. Kelly was so slow about correct- 
ing a rnistake of such magnitude— one so vital 
to our interests at a critical time and one so 
opposed to all inferences to bj drawn from bis 
Castlereagh Co.'s prospectus. 
tur crop certainly shows a wonderful increase 
this year, but perhaps 5,000,OC'0 lb. of it may be 
ascribed to the abnormal weather early in the year. 
To reach even 120 000 000 lb. in 1894 would mean 
yearly increases of 17,000 000 lb. a year ;— in 1892 
87,000,000 lb., in 1893 104,000,000 lb-, and in 1894 
120,000,0' 0 lb. 
Supposing we have 240,000 acres bearing in 1894, 
Mr. Kelly's estimate of 120,000,000 is an average of 
500 lb. an acre. Is there any good reason to 
anticipate such an average ? I think an estimate 
bearing the authority of the Committee of the 
Planters' Association would be of much service at 
this juncture. Nothing less will counteract the 
evil effects of the reported 140,000,0001b., as that 
estimate will become current at home, while the 
correction to 120,000,000 lb. in a small para will pass 
unnoticed.— -Yours, INTEEESTED. 
[Mr. Kelly, in his desire to make out a strong 
oaee for the contribution of Ceylon tea to the 
British revenue, may have been over-nanguine in 
his estimate of 120,000,000 lb. for 1S94. lOO', 000,000 
would probably be nearer the mark.— En. T. A J, 
THE TEA MAEKETS OF THE WOBLD. 
Colombo, Oct. 24th, 
Dear Sir, — I am about to return to England 
after a stay of three months in your island, during 
which I have devoted my time to the study of tea 
manufacture, going into factories in the different 
districts, learning the process followed in each and 
comparing the results in the cup. 
My visit has been happily timed, for I have come 
at a point where the many initial difficulties of a 
new enterprise being over come the minds of estate 
superintendents are free to consider details, 
and some after careful experiment have made 
great improvements in manufacture in the last 
twelve months. There are many however who 
have yet to learn what has been achieved and 
who continue on the old lines. We are all work- 
ing _ together to open up new markets and especially 
to induce Continental Europe and America to 
drink Ceylon tea ; and careful study and reflection 
teach mo that that which w:ll most assist towards 
this end is the new mode of preparation which 
may be described as " longer and harder rolling 
with shorter fermentation and with lower firing." 
With longer rolling a fuller liquor is obtaiiied, the 
fruitiness of which is not impaired by the firing 
now approved, while the shorter fermentation imparts 
to the liquor more or less pungency and grip all 
according as tbe soil, climate and j;U will allow. 
Compared with China black tea, Ceylon and 
Indian teas have been marked by ahaishness in 
addition to their meritorious equalities of strength 
and flavour, and it is to this harshness the 
