428 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. IDecember x, 1891. 
thonsands of fine coffee trees laden with crop, most of 
■which would have ripened in another week or two, 
were completely washed away, leaving ugly gaps on 
what was but a short time ago splendid and unbroken 
fields of healthy cofifee. The wet weather during 
October has prevented the crop from ripening. Most 
of the planters on the slope of (be Nilgiris anticipated 
an esrly crop this year, in consequence of the blossom 
having come out in February or a month earlier than 
usual. In September picking commenced, and if we had 
had the ordinary October weatber we would have been 
in the height of the picking season by this time ; but 
with such weather as we had, all rain and no sun, very 
little crop was gathered during Isst month. A couple 
of weeks at least of dry weather is wanted to bring 
on the crop. In your issue of the 29lh ultimo "Planter" 
attributes the recent floods on the Coonoor Ghaut to 
atmospheric disturbance caused by continuous blasting 
on the Nilgiri Railway works, aud to establish this 
theory he says that the last recorded floods took place 
jn 1868 daring the construction of the new Ghaut 
oad. I shall express no opinion as to the effect 
Masting may have with regard to rain, but the heavy 
rains in 1868 came down after the Ghaut road was 
completed. During last February, when there was no 
blasting going on, we had very abnormul weather, 
from 14 to 20 inches of rain having fallen in different 
parts of Ooonoor, the average fall in previous years 
during that month being from 1 to 2 inches. To what 
will " Planter" attribute the February rains ? — M. Mail, 
THE PLANTEES, THE TEA FUND AND 
THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION SPECIAL 
SUBSCEIPTION. 
We regret to learn that defections of oontri- 
butors to the Tea Fund continue. Some, we fear, 
are only too glad to find an excuse for ceasing 
to pay ; but we are glad to hear that others 
are giving to the special Chicago subscription 
the equivalents of what they previously contributed 
to the Fund. They really ought to give more ; 
for those of us who have continued to subseribe 
to the Tea Fund (in increased ratio proportionate 
to increase in crops) will be expected to contri- 
bute also to the special fund. Mr. Wm Mackenzie 
is more sanguine than we are about the special 
subscription, for we fear that arguments impeach- 
ing the conduct of the directors of the Tea Fund 
with reference to that unhappy Tea Company will 
bo deemed more conclusive by many than appeals 
to their patriotism, their duty and even their 
prospective self-interest in favour of liberal sub- 
scriptions to the Ohiosgo fund. Nothing will please 
U3 better than a result which will shame our 
doubts and negative our fears. We hear of an 
address to proprietors of estates in the great district 
of Dimbula, which is to be attacked in divisions 
by collectors, with the hope that B25,000 will be 
thus realized 1 The idea is not so extravagant as 
it seems, for the district of Dimbula is believed to 
comprise one-sixth of all the tea in the island. If 
Dimbula contributed the sum mentioned and other 
districts gave in proportion, the sum of £15,000 
would no doubt be realized. We feared we were 
going buyond our tether when we put £10,000 
before the planters as a sum to aim at, but 
the larger amount can be contributed, and if 
it is available it can be all most usefully 
and reproductively spent in making our tea 
and its merits known not only in America 
but amongst the many nations, peoples and lan- 
guages, representatives of which will assemble at 
the World's Fair. We sincerely trust that nil 
misunderstandings, jealousies and even differences 
of opinion amongst all interestod in Ceylon tea 
will be laid aside in favour of earnest and united 
efforts towards of a really good and pffeotive 
appearance of our great staple at the Chicago 
Exhibition. A long pull and a strong pull and a 
pull altogether, and new markets for Oeylon tea 
will be conquered so as to banish the bugbear 
of " OvEB-PEODDCTioN " whioh now is so ominously 
pourtrayed on the canvas of our future. 
HOP TEA. 
A number of gentlemen interested in the tea trade 
and representatives of the Press were invited on 
Thursday to inspect the factory at Maidstone of the 
Hop Tea Company. Upon their arrival Mr. H. A. 
Snelling (the patentee of the process) at ouce proceeded 
to explain the various methods by which tbe hops 
are prepared for admixture vs ith vai ious blends of tea. 
In the first instance, he stated, they ate allowed to 
wither. This is effected by placing them on rows of 
wicker trsys with half-inch webbing, thereby allowing 
a current fresh air to continoally pass through them, 
The hops are then passeu under powerful rollers. 
Fermentation is thus produced. This fermentation 
has the effect of modifying and partly destroying tbe 
bitterness of the hop, and at the same time darkening 
the liquor produced therefrom. The next stage is to 
bake the hops by the '■ Sirocco" system. Mr. Snelling 
claimed that by the introduction of hops prepared by 
his patents not only is the flavour of the tea improved, 
but hop being a sedative it counteracted the too 
exciting effect of tea upon the nerves- Further than 
this, it modified the undesirable astriDgenoy of ordinary 
tea. He alto stated that since the establii^hment of 
the company hop tea had been growing greatly in 
favor, and that this success had led to the formation 
of a syndicate for acquiring the Foreign and Colonial 
patents. 
Subsequently a luncheon was given, at whioh the 
Mayor of Maidstone presided. Mr. Mathew A. Adams, 
F. E. c. s,, F. I. c, r. c. s., in the coarse of the sub- 
sequent proceedings, said thit a chemical aoalysia 
discovered in hops an unusual abundance of alkaloid 
Theine, the substance to which tea owed its valuable 
properties as a food, giving tranquility in nervous 
excitement, and, by some wonderful means, while pre- 
venting waste of nervous energy, promoting intellectual 
activity. He expressed a confident opinion that hop 
tea would be a great boon to many persons who for 
various reasons were not able to take ordinary tea. — 
Daily Oracle. 
TEA TRADERS' TALK. 
[Under this heading the 4 wencon Grocer is pub- 
lishing information and gossip on tea. In the 
number for October 7th a very clearly printed map 
of India and Oeylon showing the position of the 
principal tea districts is given. A glance at this 
map shows by how large a portion of the Indian 
Empire, Ceylon and the Western Ghauts, as scenes 
of tea culture in the south, are separated from 
Kangra in the extreme north, with Defara Dun and 
Eumaon, forming a group yielding fine flavoured 
but not luxuriant crops. These districts are again 
separated by a long stretch of the Himalayas 
from Darjeeling and the great homes of the plant, 
Assam and Sylhet. Between these north-eastern 
districts and Ceylon there is a long line of coast 
and an cxpanso of ocean, the coast line being 
broken only and close to Assam by the small tea 
district of Ohittagong, while the insignificant group 
of estates in Chota Nagporo slightly lessens the 
long distance between Darjeeling and the Nilgiris. 
Over-production being a real danger already, it is 
well for tea growers that Burma has not, and is 
not likely for a prolonged period to have, labour 
in proportion to soil and climate suitable for tea, 
which is indigenous. — En. T, A.] 
