672 
THE TROPSOAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March 2, 1891. 
Of having more than one etring to the bow. If a 
given piece of land is believed to be unequal to 
the profitable growing of tea, for at least one gene- 
ration refrain from planting it with that product. 
Those who plant tea and coconuts on the same land 
must have very little confidence in the former and 
only use it as a means of making something oS 
the land while the main and permanent plant is 
coming on, but yielding nothing; and if the coconuts 
thrive, down goes the tea when it has just reached 
its prime and is yielding a larger profit than coco- 
nuts ever will. Tea is a plant that will not yield 
its product freely under shade ; and at ten years 
old a thriving field of coconuts throws a dense 
shade over the whole surface if planted at the 
usual distance apart. Then as the stems run up the 
trees shed about 800 heavy leaves twenty feet long 
annually on every acre, and each one smashes five 
or sis tea plants. This sort of thing is tea cul- 
tivation under difficulties, and the object of plant 
ing the tea, that of making some profit off the 
land while the coconuts give none, will be defeated ; 
for the spread of the coconuts will ruin the tea 
before it arrives at its full yield, and that before 
its successful rival yields a nut. To those who 
would have both tea and coconuts on their land, 
I say, plant them apart on separate fields, and if 
you do not believe that tea alone will pay do not 
plant it. W. B. L. 
[Yes ; but suppose the coconuts were first planted, 
and being slow of coming on, tea is added a 
year or two after and from the third to the tenth 
year, gives net returns equal to from E40 to EsO per 
acre without injuring the palms ? And than up 
to perhaps 15 years gives profitable though less re- 
turns, We have heard of at least one place that is 
likely to do this or something like it. — En. T. A.~] 
CEYLON TEA IN EUSSIA. 
St. Petersburg, 16/28 Jan. 1891. 
Dear Mr. Editor, — Allow me to offer you my 
hearty thanks for the book and the copies of the 
Ceylon Observer, all of which I have safely received. 
I see by the report in the Observer that Mr. 
Eogivue is at last commencing to introduce the 
tea in Moscow and other places. In St. Peters- 
burg none of my acquaintance, which is a pretty 
extensive one, have yet been able to purchase 
the tea. As Mr. Eogivue cannot be in every place 
at one time, I should be very glad if he would 
establish a sub agent here, whom I would be very 
glad to assist so far as my present duties will 
permit. 
The most suitable person for this post according 
to the wriler’s opinion is Mr. Eichard Wylie, a well- 
known broker on the St. Petersburg Stock Exchange. 
Mr. Wylie has resided in Petersburg over 
20 years and is one of the most influential persons 
in the British Colony here. As Mr. W — is acquainted 
with almost every person of importance, he would 
bo a capital agent not only for your tea, but for 
other colonial productions : coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, 
cinchona, &c., lor which Petersburg is a great market. 
Mr W — is the son of a Scotch clergyman and is 
a gentleman of unblemished reputation. His 
eldesi, son is tutor to Lord Eosebory’s children. 
I recommend Mr. W — so strongly to your notice 
not only on account of his personal qualities, but 
also beeauBO he formerly resided in India and was 
engaged in the cultivation of cinchona on the 
Nilgherry Hills whero ho had 2 estates. 
Mr. Eogivue has not yet called for the writer. 
My idea would bo to establish two small shops in 
I’eteraburg and Moscow and from these establish- 
ments to take orders and sell tea wholesale and 
by retail. I would have also had a refreshment 
room adjoining the shop whero the public could taste 
the tea before they purchased it at a moderate 
charge. These shops would have been small, but 
furnished and embellished with all the taste and 
richness the Sinhalese people are so famous for. 
Tea could have been sold at this place and small 
samples distributed gratis until the public had 
overcome their oldfashioned prejudices. There 
would have been no risk in carrying out this plan, 
whereas I am not so confident that the one that 
has now been adopted is not somewhat too risky. 
But it is not for the writer to criticize. I can 
only wish you and the planters every success, 
and that you will be able in the future, to seize a 
large portion of the Chinese tea trade and by 
means of commerce enters into more close and 
friendly relations with the millions of this mighty 
Empire. — Yours sincerely, 
WILLIAM BAENES STEVENI. 
P,S . — If you could once get the Russian public 
to like your tea it would pay (in a commercial 
sense) to run a railway through Afghanistan and 
send all your tea to Eussia direct by land via 
Persia or the Transcaspian Eailway. India and 
Ceylon ought to beat China. They are much nearer. 
WASTE PRODUCTS : SURPLUS TEA SEED 
SUBSTITUTES FOE FIREWOOD. 
Dear Sib, — It has often occurred to me that if we 
only looked about us we might easily find a profit- 
able use for the hundreds of tons of really good tea 
seed (except for nurseries) which we cannot help 
growing but for which hitherto no one has suggested 
a use. I mean, of course, the seed which %vill insist 
on growing on our plucking bushes. 
Some years ago, a planter of my acquaintance 
having gathered a large quantity of seed for which 
he could not find a purchaser endeavoured to turn 
it to account by converting it into oil. He obtained 
a common village oil-press, and having thoroughly 
dried the seed for several days in the sun, 
succeeded in pressing out about 10 per cent of oil 
which burnt with a clear bright flame in 
common oil lamps and which the coolies used 
greedily for their curries, etc. This particular lot of 
seed, however, having been carefully gathered and 
husked had cost a considerable sum, and being still 
valued at EIO per maund, the experiment was 
pronounced a failure; but with seed worth absolutely 
nothing and which would cost a mere trifla to gather 
and prepare, might not the result be very different ? 
Besides I am of opinion that by fermenting the 
seeds (and perhaps a gentle roasting) the percentage 
of oil would be considerably increased. 
Of course, the time to gather the seeds for this 
purpose would be when pruning a field, when the 
whole could be stripped off and thrown on a 
barbaeue where it would remain till ready for the 
press, requiring no further attention except an 
occasional turning, as all the ripe seeds would 
fall out of the husks after a few days’ ex- 
posure, and a few showers would net hurt the seed 
(fer oil) ; hence as I said before the cost of gather- 
ing and preparing would be a mere trifle. 
Then is it not natural to suppose that the oil- 
cake of this seed would prove to be the best possible 
manure for tea, and if so it would also be the 
cheapest to apply, as a lb. cr so would, probably 
be sufficient for each bush ? 
Having thus found a use for the ripe seeds, we 
should still have the husks and unripe seed of which 
large heaps would soon be collected. I believe 
this would make a capital fuel and would probably 
