6i6 
TROPICAL AQRIOULTURI8T. 
[March 2, 1891, 
Calling at the offices of the Colombo Commer- 
cial Company this week to see if the report now 
about due could be obtained, it was told me 
that it would not be ready before the end of 
the present month, but that it might be expected 
to be of a not unsatisfactory character. The Uva 
and Spring Valley Companies, as you know, share 
the offices of the abovementioned Company, and 
Mr. Koberts told me that the directors of these 
had determined upon paying an interim dividend 
of three per cent in both cases, payment of this 
being due on the 12th of this month. 
Conversing with the last-mentioned gentleman, the 
subject was introduced of the success reported in 
our last received Overland Observer of some of the 
land in Ceylon lately planted out with cofiee 
plants from Mysore. Mr. Koberts, in reply to my 
questioning, said that although their coffee in Uva 
was doing pretty well, the results were nothing 
magnificent," the trees still suffering much from 
their insect pests. He further said he did not 
think it unlikely that new blood introduced, and 
planted well away from old infected coffee, might 
do well. “At all events,” he remarked,” it is 
quite certain that no idea is at the present time 
entertained of rooting up coffee on our Uva 
estates for the purpose of planting tea. “I can’t tell 
you, he continued,” whether our directors may 
think it worth their while to replace exhausted 
trees with others obtained from India, for I have 
never heard the subject discuBsed. Mr. Brown 
is out in Ceylon now, and he will doubtless bo 
able to judge whether the experiments reported 
by the Observer have had such a measure of 
success as to induce him to make such an alter- 
ation on our estates as you have suggested. It 
occurs to me personally, that, although the course 
mentioned might be successful on a new clearing 
away from proximate bad influences, it might 
not prove to be so in the case of isolated plants 
put down among coffee trees which have been 
infected and infested for years past. 
The mention of Mr. Brown’s name reminds me 
that it has been told to me this week that one of 
his patent tea-rolling machines is to be put up and 
worked for exhibition in some public part of the 
city very shortly, and this form of advertisement 
being now very popular and very successful, 
it may be expected that orders for these useful 
machines will be greatly stimulated. But we hear 
that such stimulation is not as yet much needed, 
for Messrs. Abernethy of Aberdeen, the manu- 
facturers of the machines, have orders booked very 
much in advance of their power of immediate 
production. A modification introduced by Mr. 
Brown since his earlier machines were made is said 
to have given particularly valuable results. In 
the first instance the lid of the rolling casing was 
fixed. This is now made to revolve, and— as far 
as I can understand— at a speed differentiating 
with that of the rollers. This, combined with the 
use of brass liners instead of wood and a slightly 
increased spaaing, is said to have completely 
stopped any tendency to throw the leaf out, while 
at the same time it keeps the tea under treatment 
far cooler than under the first arrangement adopted. 
— London Cor, 
♦ 
CINCHONA IN THE DUTCH MARKET. 
Amsterdam, Jan. 7th. 
Cinchona Baek. — A t the sales to be held in 
Amsterdam on January 22nd, 2, .’132 bales and 238 
cases (about 215 tons) will bo offered, divided as 
follows ; — Java bark, from Government plantations, 
262 bales, 3'.) cases, about 23 tons ; from private 
plantations, 2,00 bales IV'J cases, about 102 tone, 
of which are ; Druggist's Bark : Succirubra quills 
172 cases, broken quills and chips 113 bales, 18 
cases ; root 60 bales ; C. Sohuhkrafft quills, 6 cases 
Lanoifolia quills, 4 cases ; broken quills and chips, 
6 oases. Manufacturing Bark ; Ledgeriana, broken 
quills and chips, 1,430 bales, 22 cases; root, 360 
bales : Hybrids, quills, 11 cases ; broken quills 
and chips, 281 eases ; root, 88 bales. Total, 2,332 
bales, 238 cases. 
The January sales are comparatively small ones, 
because several parcels destined for that auction 
could not be warehoused timely enough, owing to 
our canals being closed by ioe. Most probably the 
next sales — on February 25th — will be so much 
the larger — say at least 4,000 packages, — Chemist 
and Druggist, Jan. 10th. 
^ 
WIND POWER. 
Deep Well Pumps. — It is remarkable to find wafer 
close to the surface in the alluvial soil in Vere 
in sufficient quantities tc give a continual flow 
from pumps worked by windmills. It appears to 
me that, though there is not sufficient water at 
a depth of 30 feet for the purpose of irrigation, 
an increasing quantity would probably be found 
at lower depths and even enough to supply the 
large quantity necessary for irrigation. A series of 
tube wells driven at intervals with deep-well pumps 
attached might bring up a flow large enough for 
irrigation. The immense value of irrigation is evi- 
dent to anyone who sees the parched look of the 
canes this year after the continuous drought, and 
knows what the land will produce with good seasons. 
At any rate the experiment of a deep well pump 
would be worth making. 
[The above from the Jamaica Botanical Bulletin 
shews that wind power ie commonly employed in 
the western island to raise water. Why is it not 
more utilized here ? A wind-mill has been a suc- 
cess at Galle. — E d. T.A,~] 
♦ 
ANALYSIS OF TEA SOILS, MANURES, &c. 
The following letter was received from Mr. Bambor 
after his first visit to the Tea Districts : — 
“ Having returned from a visit of inspeotion of some 
of the tea gardens in the Dooars, I now give you an 
outline of my observations and inquiries. 
“ The chief gardens visited were Sissobare, Matilli. 
Ohulsa and Hope with others in the neighbourhood, and 
I have to thank the managers of the various gardens 
for their kindness and hospitality, and also for their 
willingness to afford me any information and assistance 
I required. 
“ The soil of the district varies a good deal, that of 
the higher land being of a redder colour 
and slightly heavier than that of the lower 
with land, which is generally of a light open 
texture, varying considerably in depth, and with 
a subsoil full of boulders and pebbles. Both soils have, 
however, been formed by the decomposition of the older 
rocks, and contain a large amount of micaceous sand, 
the decomposition of which, if it was not so slow, 
wonM yield a sufficient quantity of potash for the use 
of the tea plant. This however could be hastened by 
deeper and more frequent hoeing , which would enable 
the air to act more freely upon it, rendering it soluble 
and therefore in a condition in which the plan could 
make use of it. 
“ Although the soil of the lower lands is so open 
drainage is found to be absolutely necessary for the 
hea’thy growth of the plant, owing to the flatness of 
the country. It this is not done, the heavy rainfall 
causes the soil to become waterlogged, which stops 
root growth, and the plant naturally sickens and yields 
a smaller quantity of leaf. 
