6i4 
on making a trial of a manure of this nature. The 
results to that trial do not seem to have had 
public announcement as yet, so that we are igno- 
rant how far Mr. Hughes' reoommendation has been 
justified by results. The letter by that gentleman 
tells us that " the value of shoddy, or woollen waste, 
as a manure for hops, has long been recognized 
in this country ; and in Italy, in the crude form 
of old rags, it is at present largely applied as an 
economical dressing for olive trees." Eeference is 
also made to the single trial as yet made in Ceylon, 
and Mr. Hughes wr ites that the manure promises 
to be an excellent fertilizer for tea. 
Owing, however, largely to the bad quality of 
much of it that is manufactured, Mr. Hughes says 
that tho use of the manure has largely decreased 
in Kent, and he warns intending users that much 
must depend on the quality of the supplies they 
obtain. Prices quoted m the letter show that these 
vary in an upward ratio with the higher quantity of 
ammonia present, the increased amount of organic 
matter, and the decrease of mineral matter and 
water. These prices range over twelve sam-plings 
from £1 3s 5d to £3 (is 4d per ton. The nitro- 
genous organic matter, upon which the agricultural 
value as a manure ohiffly depends, varies from G2 to 
2(5 per cent. A variety of other constituents go to 
make up " shoddy, " Of mineral matters alone 
there are no lees than twelve, ti;e^e being lime, 
naagnefria, potash, soda, oxide of iron, alumina, 
phosphoric acid, sulphuric acid, carbonic acid, 
chlorine, soluble silica and insoluble siliceous 
matters. Who would have thought that our cast- 
off coats and trousers could contain such a variety 
even aa that above quoted, and of course there 
are many more of a different nature which might 
be added to that list 1 It appears that two tons 
of "shoddy" manure are required for each acre of 
hops, and this quantity yields gradually 358 lb. 
ammonia, 113 lb. of soluble silica, 90 lb. oxide of 
iron, 651b. of hme, 52 lb. sulphuric acid, I'J lb. 
of potash, and G lb. of phosphoric acid. Space 
does not permit me to quote further from Mr. 
Hughes' letter, but in view of the favourable opinion 
expressed by him as to the applicability of this 
manure to tea, it seemed to ma desirable to call 
special attention to it. 
Another long letter, which appeared in the Moni- 
ing Post of Deo. '25th, deals with the subject of 
Indian tea, and quotes largely and appreciatively 
from an article that appeared in the Ccijlon 
Observer just received, in which you most justly 
condemned the character of many advertisements 
of China teas as calculated to, and as intended 
to have the effect of injuring the reputation 
of Ceylon teas. We do net know who the writer 
of the letter is, es he conceals his identity under 
the nomde plume of "Mincing Lane." He writes, 
among other much se.isible matter, that "Indian 
teas cannot ba placed (aa the writer of the article 
in the Ceylon Observer would have) in the same 
comparison with tho good old China Ningchows, 
as Oeylon teas can. At the present time Ceylon 
Pekoe selling at from U^-d to Is 2d per pound, m 
the market are generally equal to the finest old 
China tea which, 15 or 20 years ago, realized 
2s 6d to :is per pound, and by far superior to the 
best of the samo class that arrive now and com- 
mand at the openin- of tlie fcason on the average 
about Is Od to Is 8d, and a few chops of exception- 
ally line Is lOd to 2i per pound," It is to this 
fact that the writer atu-ibul's the rapid ousting 
of China by Cey'on teas. He closes his letter 
wiUi a vigorous calling over tho coals of Sir Andrew 
Clark for his late uncalled-for assertion, though 
he admits that in one seuBo that distinguished 
tiwdicu bit the unM ^be head when be 
qua'ified his dictum with the remark " if the right 
quantity be put in ihe pot." 
You will be glad to he^r that the matter relative 
to the holding of Ceylon tea sales in Mincing 
Lane has now been definitely and satisfactorily 
settleel. The proprietors of the sale room have 
acjtded to the request of the wholesale dealers 
that a second room should be granted for the sale 
txclusiveJyof your production, the oonoession being 
made from the 15th December. We learn that for 
the present the brokers propose to limit the 
use of this room to the entire of Tuesdays and 
Thursdays, believinj? this will afford all facilities 
required ; but as trade extends, and if it may be 
found necessary to do so, there will now exist 
no obstacle to sales being lixed for every day in 
the week. Tho arrangement now made will not 
be without iis inconvenience to some of the 
wholetale buyers, because it will be necessary for 
these to increase their ptalf of buyers, aa the sales 
of Indian and Ceylon teas will now proceed 
simultaneously, and a single agent cannot possibly 
attend both. The larger men in the trade, we are 
told, assert that they will not consider this to be 
a burden on them, as tho decreased sales of China 
teas will enable them to utilize the services of the 
men employed by them in that branch of their 
business. There is now every prospect that we shall 
have no more complaints of difiioulties in the way 
of properly examining and tasting the large number 
of samples exhibited by the brokers, though the 
circumstances attending the sales render it desirable 
that your planters should send home as large breaks 
as they possibly can. 
Noticing in the last received Overlund Observer 
the letter addressed to you by Mr. Price of the 
Brokers' Association on the subject of the alteration 
of estate marks on many of the tea chests received 
here, I this week sought and obtained an interview 
with that gentleman. We discussed the subject of 
his complaint in all its bearings, and, as the result, 
we could come to no other conclusion but that 
the alterations must be made in Colombo. Mr. 
Pi ice assured me that they could not have been made 
on this side, as it would be in direct contravention 
of all the Customs rules to do so, and these are 
strictly, and with the greatest earo. enforced by 
the officials, iianifestly, Mr. Price thinks it cannot 
possibly be to the interest of any Ceylon planter 
to commit an act which would efface the identity 
of his estate, and the only possible solution of 
the matter to his mind is that in order to form 
breaks of a large size, the purchasers of tea in 
Colombo endeavour to assimilate the marks through- 
rut their shipment Mr. Price tells me that he 
hears of repeated complaints, and of return of 
teas sent out, to the grocers to whom the members 
of the wholesale trade have sold them, on the 
ground that the estate marks do not properly 
correspond wi'h the description. We must all see 
that this is likely to cause much injury to the 
trade, and Mr. Price is most anxious that jour 
Planters' Association should take active steps lo 
check the practice. 
TEA IN WYNAAD. 
IMr. J. W. Biincbin, of OetacaniuDd, sends us a most 
interesting communique anent the pedigree of the tea 
seed now being planted inWjnaad, which, cs he states, 
is probably unique. We beliere that there are some 
very old tea trees on the Asharoboo Hills in South 
Travaocore, nnd it would be interesting to learn 
whether their pedigree is similar to those in Wynaad 
wbich we surmise is more than likely. Mr, Minohio 
writes ; — 
With regard to the high quality of the te» trees iu 
