March 2, 1891.] THE TROPICAL AQRlCULTiJRfST 649 
The harder the brick the better it is appreciated by 
the people of Oeutral Asia. It requires an axe or ham- 
mer to break one of them. The green brick tea is maile 
in like manner, but of green tea. Green brick tea is 
made larger than the black. All the brick teas replace 
money in busine.ss affairs in Central Asia. The Mongols 
divide a brick into thirty equal parts. E ich part is called 
“oha-ra.” A sheep, for example, is worth 120 cha-ra, 
that is to say, four bricks. A brick in Mongolia being 
worth 1.5 to 20 cents, a sheep in that wild country would 
be worth 45 to 60 cents. The M .ngolians boil water in 
a pot of metal, using csmel dnug for fuel. They break 
off a portion of a brick and throw it into the pot with 
milk, butter, sheep fat, and silt. After a few minntes of 
ebullition, the beverage is ready. Tablets of green tea 
are made dry, by means of a hydraulic pre.ss, out of con- 
gou of good quality. A tablet is divided iuto eight 
equal portions, like chocolate tablets. It weighs 110 
grams (a gram is 15’438 grains troy). Owing to the 
facility of transportation and it.s conservation of its 
aroma, the Russian Government uses it largely for its 
troops. — H. k C. Mail, Jan. IG. 
RAO FALL IN RADUGANNAWA. 
Mr. Wm. MacGregor of Gona Adika favours us with 
the rainfall, and writes The annexaii memo, of rain- 
fall for the Kadugaueawa district during 1890 may 
interest some of your readers. 
“ A nice shower of rain fell last evening registering 
•90, and }t is raining today again- The tea bushes 
wanted it badly, ‘75 registered this inorning (5tb). 
Memo. 
No. of days in each 
mouth of which Total rainfall, 
rain fell. 
■.Tnnnary 
3 
clays 
1-24 
F :bruary 
8 
i 
5'33 
March 
9 
,, 
2-94 
April 
20 
n 
13-20 
May 
7 
4 01 
June 
18 
11-35 
July 
15 
5 79 
August 
13 
4-67 
September ... 
14 
}) 
10-50 
October 
19 
j? 
7-30 
November ... 
17 
j) 
12 56 
December ... 
6 
5) 
7-65 
Totals 
149 days 
86-54 

Liquid Gutta percha is made thus : — Gutta- 
percha in thin slices, 1 oz. chloroform, 8fi. oz. ; 
carbonate of lead, in fine powder, 1 oz. Add the 
gutta-percha to 6fl. oz. of the chloroform in n 
stoppered bottle and shake them together frequently 
until the solution has been effected. Then add 
the carbonate of lead previously mixed with the 
remainder of the chloroform, and, having several 
times shaken the whole together, set the mixture 
aside and let it remain at rest until the insoluble 
matter has subsided. Lastly, decant the clear liquid, 
and keep it in a well-stoppered bottle. — Indian 
Jingineer. 
OiNCHONA Barks — It is strange to see by the 
following extract from Chemist and Brugnist that 
not only Ceylon but Java and Indian bark have, on 
the average, fallen off in richness last year: — 
The following figures denote the average percentage 
equivalent in sulphate of quinine of the pirincipal 
cinchona barks of commerce during the last three 
years : — 
1890 1839 1888 
Ceylon cinchona bark ... 2y ... 2^ ... 2J 
East Indian ... ... 2 ... 2 ... 2j 
Java ... ... ... 4 ... 4j ... 4 
Oalieaya cultivated ... 1^ ... 41 ... 4^^ 
The following are the unit pricee (in pence per lb.) 
of cinchona bark in London on January 1st of the 
last seven years : — 
1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 
6 to7 4Jto5 3ito3i 2ito2i lit°li l|to2 Igfcoli 
Gai.le : Cacao.— It will be recollected that, a short 
time back, reterenco was mads to the existence of cacao 
at Mapalagama, a little beyond lladdegama, where the 
trees were said by a correspondent to be of immense 
size and vigorous growth in spite of the dense jungle 
which surrounded thorn, and speculation was tl.on 
rife as to who couM possibly liavo introduced the 
product into the district. There can be no doubt that 
there are tnes in the neighbourhood, the value of 
wloje produce the natives have come to recognize to 
some extent, a few days ago I am told quite a largo 
number of pods were taken across the ferry, all 
more or less ui an •ru ripe condition. — Local “Times.” 
Tub Revival op C'opi’EE. — Liberian Colfi.e clearings 
in 1891. IVe learn that, in sp te of the alleged 
failure of Liberian coffee in Kslmava, two estates are 
opening clearings of it this year, the proirriotors being 
confident that, at current rates and owing to tha im- 
proving prospects before coffee genernly, it will turn 
out a remunerative cultivation. An experienced Kaiu- 
tara planter recently expressed the opinion that in 
topping Liberian coftee in the tame manner as we l ad 
bten accustomed to do the Arabian variety we made 
a great mistake. In bis opinion the Liberian is a 
forest tree, and if left unlopped and planted on suit- 
able soil, would yield excellent retnrns. We shall 
watch tbo experiment with great interest, more es- 
pecially iis several Uva planters have recently expressed 
the opinion that coffee there was showing signs of a 
distinct revival owing, drubtless, to the reduction in 
the area over which it is cultivated. We sincerely 
hope til's may prove to be the case, — Ibid. 
The Return of Mr, David Ketd, at this time, when 
the export of te* has reached such large dimensions, 
is rather noticeable seeing tliat ho was amongst the 
first to take up its cultivation on any considerable scale 
in Oeyloii. In this connection it may be of interest 
to recall the fact that the first estate opened by 
Messrs. Reid, Rutherford, aud Maekay was Dewala- 
kande, in the ICelani Valley. This block of land bad 
been originally acquired by them for the purpose of 
cutting shepers for the Nawalapiti) a section of the 
Hue which they constructed, and much valuable timber 
was felled by them from it and carted up to tha 
Ginigateune Gap, and so on to Nawa apitiya for use 
as sleepers, etc. Not knowing what to do with the 
land, Mr. Reid was advised — by Mr. Jack Tyndall wo 
believe — to plant it up with tea, aud so nurseries 
were formed and the esta'e was opened. From this 
small beginning the large Company, which has since 
acquired so many valuable properties, grew; Mariawatto 
being afterwards laid down in tea. From that date 
these indefatigable pioneers of the new cultivation 
never slackened in their efforts to extend it, and Low 
sucoeseful they were will always remain a record in our 
island’s history. — Ibid. 
A New Fibre. — A new fibre plant has just been 
discovered that ia claimed to be better than ramie. 
It is a native of the West Indies, having been found 
on the island of Trinidad. The great advantage 
possessed by this plant is that the ribbons at 
nearly all times of the year are easily despatched 
from the wooden piortion by simply stripping them 
with the hand, and, therefore, a decorticating 
machine is not required as for ramie. When it ia 
known bow readily the stems allow themselves fo 
be deprived of their coating of bark and fibre it will 
be seen what an advantage this simple faot gives 
the new product over many of the fibre-producing 
plants. All that is required is to out the stems, 
which are fully ten feet long, split the bark at the 
larger end, and strip off the bark from end to end 
without stopping, as fortunately the stems have no 
side branches. Samples submitted to London 
brokers were most favourably reported on, and were 
valued at from £17 to £20 per ton. It is thought that 
ramie will probably bo beaten by this new fibre, when 
cultivators fully realise the greater ease and conse- 
quent loss expense with which it cau be decor. 
I UtRLd . — India liahber Journal. 
