694 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, i»9i. 
SHARPE’S PATENT AUTOMATIC TEA 
DRYING MACHINE. 
This is "anoHef Hichuionc},” and the luven’O:', whJ 
is at present amongst us, only asl;s a fair field and no 
favour. Mr. Sharpe leaves for the tea districts of 
India very shortly! meanwhile, he has given Ce^ I n 
the first opportunity of seeing what his automatic 
drier can do. 
He has engagements to erect other and larger ma- 
ohinea in Assrm, and elsewhere, and is full ot hope 
that the merits of his machine will in time win 
for it a good place in the race. While fully satis- 
fied that the drier is second to none, ho do, s not 
claim for it that it ia yet a perfect machine, but he 
hopes, that after some little tune in use, he wil! 
learn wherein it may be improyred, and is anxious 
for practical hints. There is one thing however on 
which he takes his stand and that is that his drier 
will bo made to turn out the quantity of tea it 
professes to do — a one maund machine will deliver 
80 lb. an hour, and not 60 or 70 lb. If this is done 
itjwill be |a boon, for hov/ seldom do we find 
manufaoturera’ estimates to agree with those cf 
practical men. A detcriplioa of this new drier can- 
not be better given than ia the words of the inventor. 
He says : — 
The machine coasistaof a cyliudrical casing, in the in 
terror of which a number of horizontal pertorated trayS’ 
fixed on a vertical spindle, are caused lu revolve by a 
suitable system of pullejs, bells ami glared wheel;. The 
trays are divided into a nucuber of sectors or liaps, each 
of which is hiuged on the frame of the tray on ot e ot 
its radial edge.*’, the other eige remaining loose, whilst 
the rertors uro maintsiued in a horizoutal position by 
fiat circular suppoi'tiug riugs of somew’hat smaller dia- 
meter thau, and suitably arranged within, the casaig. 
At a certain point a portion of each of these fiat rings 
is cut away, so that the loose edge of each of the tec- 
tors or fiups on reaching that point falls, and the leaf on 
the sector is depo-iited on the tray below. The leaf, 
spread wet ou the uppermost tray tlirough au opening iu 
the top of the ca-;c, is carried round through oue revo- 
lulion of each tray aud then dropped ou to the tray 
below until the bottom tray is reached, the le.if bviug 
evenly distributed over the surface of the trays by means 
of adiustable regulators. The fully dried tea faita irem 
the bottom tray iuto a spout or shoot which conveys^ it 
into a proper receptacle placed to receive if. The liue 
tea or “ dholgoorio ’’ falls to the bottOQi of tire mividiine, 
where it is received by a non-psrloraleJ revolving 
tray which delivers it automatically into a separate re- 
ceptacle. 
The heated air from the furnace is drawn up through the 
perforated trays and the superincumbent tea loaf, and is 
driven out of the casing by means of powerful exhaust 
fans fixed ou the top of the machine, but no light leaf is carried 
away with ihe current of air, as is so often the case when 
exhaust fans are used. 
15y futeans of a pair of cone pulleys the .speed of revolu- 
tion of the trays may bo varied within ail practical lUuits, 
so that the duration of exposure of the leaf to the heated 
air may bo regulated with great nicety. 
A number of openings are made in the cssing, each pro- 
viiled with a olose-littiug door, so that the process of drying 
may be examined at any stage. Tliose openings also give easy 
access to the interior of the machine for repairs. The 
lubrication of tlio bearings is so arranged that no oil or 
grease readies tlie interior of the machine. 
The furnace consists of a llro-grato of laivo area enclosed in 
a lirc-urick Iluo, from wliicli tlio heat is conveyed by suitable 
porCs to a brick chamber, in wliicli are urranged a number of 
cast Iron tu ;es licid in iiosicion by ca.st iron tube plates at 
cltlii'r end. ifalllc jdates are so fixed us to ensure lliorough cir- 
culation of the licat amongst tlie tubes. A wrouglit iron 
chiiimey, lilted with a damper, secures tlie necessary draught 
and carries away tlio smoke. Openings with doors are 
proviilcd toi- cleaning Uio tubes and linos, and of examin- 
ing tlic interior of the furnace. 
The iiia'.-nino is attaflicd to the tube plate at one end 
of tlie air-licjlmg uilies, ilie oiiiiositu ends being open. 
'I'lie air !.■- ilravvii tlirough tlie tubes by the before mcii- 
lloiicd e.vliaii.,t fans, liccomlng heated on Its passage. 
B.'ccl.il nii.-aii.s are provide 1 for making a iierfect joint 
lictW's II till; uilic.- aii.l tulK! Idates, so that tlierc is no risk 
of deleterious liimcs or ga-c- li'oin tlie furnace gaining 
ace. , i’, ilic interior of ilio drier. 
X Uieniiometcr Is lived to llic iiiadiiiic, liy attciiUon to 
wlileii Uie liiniiiec aUendaiit m i.v ea.sily maintaiii an uui- 
lonn teiiipei-alure. SlioiiM llie heal, liowcvcr, become ex- 
ec five. It limy lii.-laiilly lie rc<liieed liy admlsslim ot cold 
all ilirongii viilvv- |iriivl-leil lor llu; |iui')iosc. 
Oh Wetliiov ay, Mr, J'’. D. i’niliipti of Hangtanoya 
on whojo (.stale this t’ a (Iriyr has been put ufi, h .U 
a public trial, which was seen by a number of planters 
from different districts. The inventor was somewhat 
at a disadvantage, as there bad been much delay in 
getting a pulley, and it was only the day before 
the public exhititioa that the maohiue cculd be run 
at all. The tea was tired at a very much higher 
temperature than we are accustomed to, but at the 
first tri 1 the maund was not managed by the hour. 
The tea seemed to run a considerable risk of over- 
firing. Duriug the second trial, a change was made 
in the cone pulleys, wliich brought the tea out very 
much quicker, but it was hardly fired enough. The 
quan'ity however was very much increased, anditwrs 
clear that an intermediate pulley would effect all that 
was wanted both as to quantity and condition. If Mr. 
Sliarpe had had more lime, this would have been 
seen to before tl e public were invited to criticise. 
The feeding too was wanting alteration : it was too 
primitive; but this is to be attended to, in fact an auto- 
matic feeder will be supplied. The machine is very 
strongly built, and it was warm. I don’t know that I 
ever was in a tea house with so high a temperature; a 
wooden casing wiih asbestos packing will soon put that 
to right, and save fuel. 
By-and-bye this new machine will have a fairer 
trial thau it had on Wednesday, and it is only when 
it is iu good working order that a reliable report of its 
doings can be given. Meanwhile it is pretty clear 
that the principle of the mach'ne is a good one, and 
it is only minor matters which want a litde adjusting. 
Mr. Sharpe was very anxious for practical suggestions, 
and it seemed to me that begot this. Perhaps he got 
mor for tho p’autir is sadly wanting in reverence, 
and when they gather together iu a critical spirit 
there i.s a good deal of amming effervescence. 
bfr. Phillips hospitably entertained the company at 
breakfast and tiffin : at the latter meal, suoc-fss to the 
drier and the health of the inventor was enthusias- 
tically dru.uk. Mr. Phillips’ health too was also pro- 
posed. Altogether the gathering was an enjoyable one. 
COTTON SPINNING IN CEYLON. 
Bombay millownors will learn with interest of the 
early experienoea of the pioneers of mill enterprize 
in Ooylon. A year or two since a Company was formed 
for establishing a spinning and weaving mill at 
Colombo, the first wo believe in the colony. Some 
of the lessons t. ught by Bombay experience have 
bein carefully taken to heart by the Ceylon Com- 
pany. The quurter-anna par pound rate of remuiiera- 
tion for tha agents has not been introduced ; if it 
had been, it was pointed out at the meeting of the 
company last month, the agent wouM have “walked 
away with the whole of the profit balance,” In 
some o' her respec’s, however they do not manage 
things better iu Colombo than we do in Bombay. As 
only half of the capital of eight lakhs has been 
issued the comp >ny ia in need of money to pay for 
its machinery and other purposes, and as the shares 
are at a discount of nineteen per cent the direc- 
tors think it better to raise money for imme- 
diate ivqaironieiits either by loan or in debenture 
stock. If, as one of the promoters said at the 
meeting the ciber day, the company can make 
more than enough to cover bank iuterist it ia 
better for the e.xisling shareholders not to issue the 
balance of their capital; hut in that case the chair- 
man’s reference to the company ha v ng been crippled 
for want of money was much too pi-siimislio, Itssems 
as though the Ceylon mid were no more free thait 
other mills have been from the _ inconvenience 
attendant upon having started with too little 
capital. Tne company has diffioidiies probably not 
iiisupi rable, iu other direotious. It has not 3’cl solved 
the nroblem of cutioii supply, and it has had to solve 
i(s labour problems iu a somewhat expensive way by 
importiug sk lied hands from Bombay _ and Madras, 
The labour difficulty is oue which tho directors do not 
uuderestimate. The Cingalese labourer, in addition to 
being US yet untrained, is very irregular in hts alteUs 
