:2o8 THF tropical agriculturist. [September i, 1890. 
given to the horn- like spine which rises from the head of that most deadly of all tea pests, th 
Melopeltis. Our eqgraving — executed by Messrs. H. W. Cave & Co. — fairly reproduces the characteristics 
of this deadly insect. 
a — Imago X 4; c. — Soutellar horn x 6; d — c. — Pupa x 4; /.—Larva x 4. 
Nutmegs in Grenada. — A West Indian plan- 
ter in ordering the Tropical Agriculturist and offering 
to send us an occasional letter — an offer we gladly 
accept — adds : — “ The staple on this estate is nut- 
megs, and we have lots of trees from 70 to 80 years 
of age, fine sturdy old fellows which bear enor- 
mously and look ‘ good ’ for another century.” 
Plasteh. — A new process of hardening plaster, so 
as to make it available for the construction of floors 
in place of wood, has been brought before the French 
Academy of Science by M. Juite. A mixture of six 
parts of plaster of good quality and one part of finely 
sifted recently slaked white lime is employed like 
ordinary plaster. After it has become thoroughly dry, 
the object manufactured from it is saturated with a 
solution of any sulphate, &c., whatever, whose base is 
precipitated in an insoluble form by lime. The sul- 
phates specially recommended for the purpose are those 
of iron and zinc. In order to obtain the maximum 
of hardness and tenacity, it is necessary to temper 
the lime plaster well in as brief a space of time 
as possible, and with no more water than is strictly 
necessary . — Indian Agriculturist. 
UvA Planting Companies. — We have received 
copies of the Reports of the Spring Valley and 
Uva Coffee Companies Limited, details of which 
will be found on p. 201. Meantime we may men- 
tion that besides spending money on tea planting 
and Factory machinery, the Uva Company declares a 
dividend equal to 2 per cent per annum. The Company 
has 027 acres under tea and 270 more are to be 
planted this year, while 942 acres will then be 
left under coffee. The prospects for both coffee 
and tea are satisfactory. — The Spring Valley Com- 
pany is able to declare a dividend of 4 per cent 
notwithstanaing the falling-off in coffee and exten- 
sions in tea. Of the latter, 671 acres are planted 
and 108 acres to be done this year leaving 826 acres 
■till under coffee. 
Howto Infuse and Drink Tea. — One who 
knows writes : — “ The Norwegian tea cans (sold for 
a trifle in Vienna) should be sold by millions to the 
British working men : they keep tea piping hot for 
quite 3 hours.” Specimens should be got from 
Vienna for inspection by the Ceylon Tea Fund 
Committee and then if approved of. the advantage 
of such tea cans could be “ officially ” proclaimed 
in England and especially in America where the new 
Company would only be too glad of a novelty of the 
kind to accompany their crusade in favour of 
Ceylon tea. 
Tea Boxes. — During a conversation latlely held 
by me with a member of the Stanley-Wrightson Syn- 
dicate it was mentioned that it is not only tea planters 
that are patronizing the boxes made by it. The soap 
manufacturers and other traders requiring packing 
boxes have shown a great interest in the progress 
of the new undertaking and are likely to aid it ex- 
tensively. Until the raw material is produced in 
this country, however, the extension of the manu- 
facture must certainly be delayed. The prices 
hitherto charged for the tea boxes sent out to India 
and Ceylon have been below the absolute cost of 
making them. It is the heavy duty charged on 
the strawboard exported from Holland that handi- 
caps the Syndicate at the present time. But 
once let the supply of board become reliable and 
cheap, and the capacity for manufacture may be 
extended almost indefinitely. There is one detail 
as to the making of the ohests which at present 
creates some difficulty. The strawboard is so tough 
that the ordinary punches break in many cases 
where they have to be driven through two or three 
thioknesses of it. A tool which shall partly screw 
and partly punch seems to be a necessity for 
working in this particular material.— Oor, 
