44 
Ihfe  TkOrtCAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
I July  i,  1B95. 
|tei'it)(Uciil  visits  made  l»y  a ([ualilied  inspector, 
wliose  recoiiiniendations  as  to  repairs  and  mainte- 
nance must  be  attended  to  l>y  tlie  usei,  who  is 
tlins  practically  relieved  from  a somewhat  irksome 
res^tonsibility. 
1' or  preventing  incrustation  of  boilers  the  names 
df  specitics  are  legion.  Insomeca.ses  a very  cheap 
jtrodiict  is  labelled  with  a high-sounding  name 
and  )talmed  oil  on  the  ignorant  at  an  nnblnsh- 
ingly  outrageous  jir()fit.  .Such  npimrcnily  absurd 
Remedies  as  potatoes  are  said  to  be  etticacious, 
and  I have  even  heard  ot  a dead  dog  being  re- 
commended by  an  intelligent  wiukman  as  an 
infalliljle  cure. 
J'he  simplest  remedy  for  incrustatiun  is  usually 
fbtiml  to  be  the  Use  of  a small  (p.iantity  of 
caustic  .soda,  or  soda  ash  containing  caustic, 
which  precipitates  the  lime  salts  held'  in  .solu^ 
lion  in  a form  in  which  they  can  be  easily  removed. 
Tannate  of  soda  may  also  be  cited  as  a useful 
remedy. 
The  dangers  of  scale  formed  on  the  skin  of  the 
boiler  are  too  well  known  to  require  any  explana. 
tion.  It  is  now  some  months  since  the  London  Eiifji- 
nrrr  on  the  strength  of  some  safety  valve  story  (a) 
if  such  things  were  never  heard  of  at  home,)  pult- 
lisbed  a violent  diatribe  on  the  prospective  dangers 
line  to  planters’  ignorance  of  boilers.  Although 
the  reflections  on  the  intelligence  of  tlie  jdant- 
ing  community  were  .somewhat  uncalled-for,  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  ([uestion  of  Hoiler  Inspection 
and  Insurance  might  jirotitably  engage  the 
Attention  of  the  Planters’  Association.  A system 
of  mutual  insurance  might  possibly  meet  the 
case. 
It  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  connection 
, to  ]toint  out  the  unwisdom  of  irrational  appeals 
to  (iovernment  inspection.  In  a recent  number 
of  Etiqinecrin;/  were  some  comments  on  this 
point,  apropos  of  the  ex|dosion  of  a compressed 
gas  cylinder,  of  the  kind  now  in  very  general 
use  for  supplying  lime-light  lecturers,'  dentists, 
ami  so  lortb. 
It  is  not  imjiossilde  tliat  a boiler  explosion 
in  this  country  may  create  a scare  and  a demand 
for  outside  inspection.  Which  is  the  .safer  guide 
to  the  steam  user,  the  possil)ly  jierfunctory 
advice  of  a (Iovernment  ins|)ector,  or  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  representative  of  the  Insur.ance 
(’ompany  who  take  on  themselves  tlie  responsibility 
of  making  good  tbe  linancial  losses  of  the  client 
who  follows  their  recommendations ; but  to 
dwellers  in  our  enlightened  colony  with  the 
railway  and  telegra))h  department  before  our 
eyes,  it  is  jierhaps  le.ss  necessary  to  point  out 
the  human  limitations  of  governmental  infalli- 
bility. 
NOTES  EKOM  OUR  LONDON  LETTER. 
LoNHOx,  May  10. 
Ml!.  ClIlilSTV's  VIKWs  AS  TO  TllK  (.' A KK KI ,\ K 
M ANUl  ACJ  Ul!l'. 
ab.sorbiiig  a x'ery  material  quantity  of  your  tea 
are  to  be  accepted,  the  necessity  for  such  new 
markets  may  not  soon  become  an  imperative  one. 
Hut  then  tea  of  quality  sullicient  for  cafl'eine 
making  ]iurposes  can,  1 suppose,  be  grown  at  low 
(ilevation.  The  present  (iovernment  reserves,  if 
planted  upon,  should  be  capable  of  producing 
.sometbing  iiarticulai  ly  line. 
I’.Ul.KIMi  'I'KA  AT  TMK  l!l!msil  C'U.STo.MS. 
With  lospcM.d  to  the  vieu  s of  M r.  ( 'liristy  just 
referre'l  to,  I may  tell  you  that  the  percoiilra 
tide  of  the  question  ha.-,  been  exposcl  to 
me  this  week.  Mentioning  to  a gentleman  highly 
experienced  with  tea  matters  Mr.  (’hristys 
suggestion  that  rebulking  should  be  alxdished 
juid  the  Customs’  estimates  of  weight  be  imjiosed 
upon  buyers,  he  remarked  that  such  insistance 
would  be  likely  to  heavil}^  handicap  Hritish 
grown  teas  in  their  comiietition  with  (Jhina  tea.s. 
On  my  asking  why  it  would  do  so,  he  observeil  : — 
“ Perhajis  j ovi  are  not  aware  that  China  teas 
never  have  to  be  rebulked.  You  see  all  of  this 
is  collected  in  small  lots  and  is  never  dealt 
wdth  until  it  is  received  at  the  port  of  shipment. 
Then  the  native  experts  classify  it,  and  it  is 
packed  in  largiJ  breaks,  being  accurately  weighed 
into  the  chests.  Thus,  you  see,  China  shippers 
score  uiion  two  points  o\er  Ceylon.  They  avoid 
the  small  breaks  that  are  .such  a bugbear  to 
our  brokers  and  their  teas  are  never  rebulked 
on  arrival  in  this  country.  Ruyers  here  there- 
fore willingly  accept  the  Customs’  weight  de- 
clared upon  these  teas.  They  would  never  do  so 
with  Ceylon  or  Indian  teas  unless  these  were 
declared  to  be  factory  bulked.  Of  course  the 
Chinese  system  has  one  great  drawback.  Their 
teas  are  never  known  by  estate  marks,  and  the 
estate  Viranding  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas  is 
much  valued  as  a guide  to  [mrehasers.  Hut  this 
is  largely  compensated  for  by  the  extraordinary 
skill  of  theCiiine.se  in  grouping  their  teast.  It  is 
very  rare  for  a single  chest  in  a break  of  200 
boxes  to  vary  ajqireciably  in  (|uality  from  the 
others,  and  s(>  buyers  may  rely  upon  the  flavour 
of  single  samples  qualifying  the  whole  break. 
So  you  see  it  does  not  seem  to  me  that  Mr. 
C'hristy’s  suggestion  couhl  be  acteil  upon  so  hmg 
as  any  tea  comes  home  from  Ceylon  that  has 
not  been  factory  bulked.  Rebulking  here  must 
be  continued  so  long  as  uncertainty  rem.ained 
as  to  the  degree  of  care  exercised  on  estates 
upon  packing  the  chests  with  .accurate  weight. 
Ceylon  planters  are  notoriously  sinners  about  this, 
and  until  this  reputation  has  been  amemled 
imrchasers  will  not  buy  teas  of  their’s  on  the 
Custom’s  weight.  Rcbulking  will  be  insisted  upon, 
and  would  be,  in  my  oiiinion,  absolutely  ne- 
cessary. No,  I could  never  see  any  ditliculty 
in  the  way  of  te.a  being  .accurately  weighed  into 
the  boxes  on  the  est.ates,  neither  c.au  I believe 
that  it  would  b<>  iiiqiossible  to  .avoid  the  number 
of  small  bre.aks  sent  liome  by  your  planters. 
I'ntil  they  mend  their  w.ays  in  both  these  respects 
Mr.  Christy’s  recommendation  can  never  u.ave 
effect,  and  icbulking,  with  its  attendant  evil  of 
loss  by  spilling  must  reni.ain  the  practice.” 
Mr.  .folin  Hughes  thinks  it  mignt  be  best  for 
something  of  the  China  .system  to  be  introduced 
in  Ceylon,  the  te.as  being'  locally  jiurchased  by 
Syndicates  and  ]iacked  in  large  breaks  by  it  in 
Colombo.  No  doubt  this  would  do  away  with 
the  rcbulking  nuisance,  but  then  could  the  ad- 
vantage of  cst.ate  m.arks  be  retained  ? Mr.  Hughes 
is  lu'obably  inlluemaHl  by  Ids  belief  that  tasting 
is  far  more  ellicicnt  in  (Xylon,  owing  to  the 
softness  of  the  w.ater,  fh.an  it  is  in  London, 
and  that  te.as  so  graded  would  be  more  reliabh; 
under  local  classification  than  they  can  be  under 
the  existing  system. 
TALCA.SM’ELLA. 
OKN'KIJAI,  HLl’OItT  |•(ll!  Cl  i:rUI,.\TIuN  AMoNliST 
TllK  SIIAI!KIIOI,m;its  OK  Tilt:  COMK.VNV. 
Upon  this  occasion  I w.is  accoinpaiiicd  over  the 
estate  h\  Mr.  .lames  t'’orlies.  the  (‘hairman  of  the 
ftoard  of  Directors,  and  it.  heing  Ids  first  I visit  to 
Talgaswe  la,  he  will  no  doubt  liavc  convoyed  to  the 
other  itiroctoi'H  tlic  iinprosBion  ho  food  of  th^’- 
Ijroiaii’ty . 
