432 
THP- TqoP'CAL AQR!CULTUR»ST. [December i. 1891. 
THE STANDARD TEA COMPANY OF 
CEYLON, LIMITED. 
A general meeting was he)d at the offices of the 
oompeiny, Tuesday October 27th Directors present : 
Mr. Alexander Brooke (in the cbair,) Mr. Peter 
Moir and Mr. Robert Kay Shuttleworth. The 
chairman, said " the meeting was neceRBary within 
four months of registration of the company, under 
the Acts dealing with the incorporation of joint 
stock oompanies, in order that the necessary 
returns of capital might be made to the Registrar of 
Joint Stock Companies, which will be attended 
to by the secretary. The prospectus was issued 
with certain estimates of the probable produce to be 
expected from the St. Leonards estate during the 
year 1891. The estimates were Mr. Edward S. 
Grigson's. The company, as stated in the prospectus, 
was entitled to all the produce gathered from 
March Ist, i.e., entitled to the great balk of the 
crops. I am happy to say that Mr. Edward Grigeon, 
under date Colombo, Sept. 21st, reports that, the 
quantities gathered since March 1st will exceed, in 
each case, the quantities estimated for the whole year, 
thua :— 
Original esti- Revised esti- 
mate for twelve mate for ten 
months. months. 
Coffee... 3,000 bushels. 3,500 bushels. 
Cinchona 40,000 lb. 46,000 lb. 
Tea Leaf 80,000 lb. 100,000 lb. 
The expenditure will also be somewhat in excess of 
estimates, partly because they are estimates only, 
partly because of the increased quantity of produce 
to be cured and handled, for it goes without saying 
that the cost to transport and cure the greater 
quantity is more than the smaller -e.g., 3,800 bushels 
coffee more than for 3,000 bushels, &c. This produce 
has not yet come to any extent into the hands of the 
company. It is yet to be accounted for. The St. 
Leonard's estate was handed over to the com- 
pany on August 24th. Perhaps, if your directors 
had their own way, they would not have asked you 
to meet them until they had something more 
definite to announce, but the dates are settled for 
them- the Act requires the shareholders to meet 
within four months from the first formation of the 
company. All the capital asked for in the pros- 
pectus was applied for, and a good deal more. Many 
of the applicants for shares— I think I may sayj the 
greater number — were residents in Ceylon, or people 
acquainted with the island and with the district of 
UdapuBsellawa, and some of them with the estate 
itself and its exact condition, and no perhaps better 
than anyone else in the island what are the prospects 
ol coffee continuing to;.yield on a remunerative scale, and 
when the young ten mentioned in the prospectus will be 
in a playing condition, and thought favourably of those 
prospects. On tea, when it has attained full bearing 
is our chief reliance. The production of tea is greatly 
on the iuorease both in India and Ceylon ; but Ceylon 
holds its own wherever it has obtained a footing. It has 
maintained it, because it is a good article, and no one 
accustomed to it will go back to an inferior article such 
as China, notwithstanding anything Sir Andrew Clark 
may have said. The best Ceylon teas promise in the 
opinion of your directors most permanency in this res- 
pect. Among the best of thu Ceylon teas are those from 
Udapussellawa, and your directors have pleasure to 
announce that they have arranged with Mr. Norman 
W. Grieve, tho owner of Eskdale and Liddesdale 
Estates, near to the company's property, St. Leonards 
to throw in his lot with the company from January Ist 
1892. I prefer to say Mr. Grieve throws in his lot with 
the company, to using the expression ' that the com- 
pany have contracted to buy from him an.^ fo» thio 
reason, th«t Mr. Grieve t^Uoo „, great part of the 
purchaso-iuoncy in shares of the company, and j our 
directors hop« to liavo him as a valued colleague. The 
fcleolion of a director isst uctly a matter in the hanrts 
of the otlier siile of Iho table ; but Mr. Oneve is a well- 
known man in Ceylon, is a gentleman of high character, 
kiiOWB the districts, bas had experience as a planter and 
I donb- not tbs.t when the time comes the sharehoWera 
will hifariily welcome him hs a valuable and trustworthy 
direetor." 
A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the 
roceedings. — M. and C. Mail, Oct. 30lli. 
rAUPHOB FROM Jaffna. — This article of export is 
used in the manufacture of smokelees powder, and 
came into prominent notice when this invention 
was first publicly announced. The stock at that 
time in London was exceptionally small, so that 
values were suddenly forced up. In order to 
maintain the abnormally high level of prices pro- 
duced by speculatien, dealers withheld supplies for 
many months, bringing to market only sufficient to 
meet actual engagements. The bulk of shipments 
to Europe were so well watered that the loss in 
weight upon arrival there was found to be in many 
inetanops from 17 per cent to 20 per cent., instead 
of the usual 7^ per cent to 10 per cent. Prices at 
one time during the year rose nearly 100 per cent but 
closed quite normally, — Manufacturer and Inventor. 
Tea Prepaking Machineey. — Here is an item that 
may interest tea-men. We take it from the 
Kokkai: — "Tea is among the most important articles 
of export from this country. Every year about 60 
million lb. are sent abroad. Hitherto in the manu- 
facturing districts everything has been managed by 
band, the expense being great and tho profits to 
producers small. In India on the contrary ma- 
chinery is used with the result of materially eco- 
nomizing time and outlay. Lately the Governor of 
Saitama Prefecture informed the department of 
Agriculture and Oommeroe that a certain Mr. 
Takebayashi Kenzo of Kawagoye, in that Prefecture 
bad invented a tea-preparing machine after many 
years of labour and experiment. The Governor 
asked that an expert be sent by the Department 
to examine the machine. This duty was entrusted 
to Mr, Omura Takeshi and he has reported that 
he found the invention thoroughly suitable and 
very convenient. He added that if the machine 
be brought into general use throughout the tea- 
producing districts, a great saving of time and 
expense will be achieved." — Japan Weekly Mail, 
Oat. 24th. 
Artificial Ivobt. — Persistent attempts have been 
made to produce a good artificial substitute for 
ivory, says the Engineer. Hitherto none has been 
suooessful. A patent has recently been taken out 
for a process based upon the employment of those 
materials of which ivory is composed, i.e., tribasio 
phosphate of lime, calcium carbonate, magnesia, 
alumina, gelatine and albumen. By this process 
quicklime is first treated with sufficient water to 
convert it into the hydrate, but before it has beoome 
completely hydrated or " slaked," an aqueous solu- 
tion of phosphoric acid is poured on to it, and while 
stirring the mixture the calcium carbonate, magnesia 
and alumina are incorporated in small quantities at 
a time ; lastly, the gelatine and albumen, dissolved 
in water, are added. The point to aim at is to obtain 
a Qompost sufficiently plastic and as intimately 
mixed as possible. It is then set aside to allow the 
phosphoric acid to complete its action upon the 
chalk. The following day the mixture, while still 
plastic, is pressed into the desired form in moulds 
and dried in a current of air at a temperature of 
about 160° 0. To complete the propaiaiion of the 
artificial product by t-t"" f rooess, it is kept for three 
or fowl- naeKs, during which time it becomes per- 
fectly hard. The following are the proportions for 
the mixture, which can be colored by the addition 
of suitable substance : Quicklime, 100 parts ; water, 
3U0 parts ; phosphoric acid Solution, 1-05 sp. gr., 75 
parts ; calcium carbonate, IG parts ; magnesia, 1 to 
2 parts ; alumina, precipitated, 5 parts ; gelatine, 
1 ) p irt3, 
