November 2, 1891.] 
THF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Eufsian buyers object, Now, wo all wish to see 
the adtU'd millions ot pounds of Ceylon tea go 
off each year without further fall in the London 
weekly average price, and a more general application 
of the new mode of preparation will assist the 
end in view. May I suggest, sir, that ov^ners of 
gardens bo asked to publish throuf^h your columns 
full details of manufaoture ; details of wither, of 
rolling, fermentation firing and sifting with per- 
centage of eaoti grade and prices obtained and that 
dieeussion by letter be invited; such comparison of 
results obtained over the wholo tea area o£ the island 
could not fail to be of great value to each manu- 
facturer. 
No jealousies ought to arise— the crack gardens 
will not lose their stand cut position becnuss of 
a poasible ten or fifteen per cent advance in 
other's prices due to improved make : indeed a 
general improv ment in Ceylon teas would enhance 
the reputation of the best Ceylon gardens in tho 
markets ot the world. — I am, sir, with much respect, 
yours faithfully, FRED. WALKER. 
[We commend this letter ot an experienced 
broker and tea tusti r to the best attention of 
planters ; and we shall cordially welcome any com- 
munications on new find improved methods of manu- 
acture, such as Mr. Walker suggests. — Ed. T. A.] 
The PnoGREss of Netheelands India. — According 
to the Colonial Rtport for 1891, the populaiioa of 
natives in Java ami Madura had at the eii;i of 1889 
ircrea«ed to 22,806,433 soule, against 22,526,88b souls 
in 1888. • The request made by planters in North Bor- 
neo for the immigration ot Itibourers from Java coald 
not bo agreed to, owing to tlie unsatisfactory sauiiary 
conditio 1 of B into and tho coufciderable rtortality 
among the foreign labourerK on tbe posseesions of tho 
British Nor-h Borneo Company. Two deputies, charged 
with a mission, one to French ludo-Cliina tostudy the 
existing system of opium, : nd the other to JBritish 
India to inquire into the most suitable mode of trans- 
planting suiiar^cane, experienced the moft ready sup- 
port from thu luithorititB. In West Java much incli- 
nation was shown to undertake ft pilKiimf'ge to Mecca, 
which, as far as itcoicerua the Prv an^er districta, 
proves » better fioaucial po,=itioii of the prpulaticn, 
chiefly caused by the active trade in rice. With regard 
to Acheen the report obBervoa that during tbe past 
year Ihc re.-istauoe of the enemy has lo^t much ol its 
power, which is tuerely to be ascribtd to the blockade 
cl the greater part of the north and weet coxst. The 
faiiilary condition during 1890 was generally pretty 
favourable. The uumberof beri-beri paiiieuts among 
the troops, of which the strength has not charged 
very much durinij last year, was in 1890 3,293, aod 
thus larger than in 1889, when il; was 2,637. Hjwever, 
the number is lees than in the three preceding yi.ar.-<. 
The fitates Gazette coninins a state meut of the principal 
Bi tides of icupori. lind cspcrt t. Juva auil iMadurt. 
during ihe first six months or thi.s year, compared with 
those of 1890, viz. :— 
1890 
kilos. 
997.918 
1,013 '130 
5,779363 
1,368,802 
98,054,896 
9,987,879 
1,571,913 
2,206,747 
1,663,627 
Tho nbovo shows pienerally a considerable increase, but 
a dccreu.so is exhibited in the following table : — 
Indigo 
Oinchonii Bark 
Coffeo 
Popper (black) 
Sugar 
Tobacco ... 
Tea 
Tin 
ISaadries ... 
1891 
kilo). 
1,224,293 
1,262,234 
5,875 292 
2,152,315 
143,B42„3S9 
10,301,489 
1,722.903 
2,645 189 
5,024,969 
1890 
kilo.^. 
Hides 1,262,706 
Kapok 1,122,745 
Kiittans 579,760 
— ii. (Did ('. Express . 
1891 
kilos. 
1,209,573 
1,070,657 
351,297 
Messbs. Davidson & Co.'g Central FactoSy, 
CoLOMro. — The local " Times" says that Messrs. 
Davidson & Company Belfast have at length dcoidtid 
to start a workshop in Colombo wiih the view of 
providing skilled superintendence for the erection 
of any of their machines upcountry and to provide 
a proper and efficient means of repairing, altering, 
and oorreciing any mistakes complained of in regard 
to their several inventions. Messrs. Davidson & Com- 
pany have obtained a portion of Messrs. Mackwood 
& Co,'s Mills at Suduwelle for the purpose, and 
Mr. Maguire, who will now reside here permanently, 
will be put in charge of the necessary machinery, 
plant, stock, &o. ■ and all castings of the maohineB 
and plates and so on will be sent out from hoiQe, 
while, whenever a new machine has been erected 
up country, Mr. Maguire himself will proceed to 
the estate and see it put together. This wilL be a 
great advantage to planters who intend going in 
for the down-draft Sirocco, and may be taken as 
evidence of tho large demand which Mfssrs. 
Davidson & Co., foresee for their new machines. 
A coBEESPONDENT sonds the following interesting 
note : — " A few months ago a new theory was put 
forward respecting the origin and nature of the 
moisture found in the morning on leaves and grass. 
It has hitheito been held by all naturalists, ap- 
parently without exception, that this moisture was 
dew. But a gentleman in Scotland, not known to 
fame, was not content to accept tho current and 
traditional opinion ; and assuming nothing, ha 
investigated the subject de novo, with the result 
thai he was able to prove to demonstration that 
between the dew and the moisture found after- a 
rainless night on vegetation there was an essential 
difference. He discovered that while dew is but the 
mere exhalation of the soil, this moisture was an 
exhudation from the vegetation itself. The theory 
came as a surprise to the scicntiiio world : but the 
steps of the demonstration were bo clearly worked 
out that the author of the discovery, though not 
noted as a man of science, was at once brought into 
public notice. He was held by tlio highest scientifio 
authorities to have made a distinct discovery in 
nature. Now, there are some phenomeoa not 
mentioned by him which appear undoubtedly to 
bear out his theory on the subject, and they may 
be noted at the present time, because they are 
patent to the observation of us all at this time of 
the year. Let a tree overhang a white washed wall 
or gateway, and in course of time we shall see the 
white-wash is covered with green film. On the 
time honoured theory that the moisture on leaves 
was but the exhalation which had risen from the 
soil during the previous night, it was impossible to 
account for the colour of this deposit. Mere water 
would not have produced the phenomenon. The 
only adequate theory is that the moisture which 
fell upon the whitewash was chemically a green 
composition. The theory is further corroborated 
from tbe curious fact, equally near at hand to us all, 
that after a rainless night mendhi that was out on 
the previous day and is now entirely without green 
Ifavcs, isdry, while the mendhi whichis buddingand 
that which has leaves is saturated with mois- 
ture. A servant after such a night will without 
hesitation put an article of clothing to air in the 
sun on mendhi so recently cut, though he would 
deem it the height of folly to place it on green 
mendhi for that purpose. There wore two points 
which first awakened the attention of the discoverer 
to tho subject : the first was, that moisture was 
found on the uuder surface of the leaves as well as 
on tbe upj er ; and the second, that moisture was 
found on the leaves after nights in which no dew 
had fallen, phenomena for the presence of which 
the old-world theory provided no satisfaatory ex- 
planation."— Aiji iciillumt, Sept. 2Gth. 
