Sept.  2,  1895.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
i8g 
G u i;  respond  6 n CO 
To  ilie  Edilor. 
CEYLON  EIBRES  IN  llEQUESt. 
London,  29th  May,  1895. 
Sib, — My  letter  of  15th  March  was  not  written 
with  any  view  to  publication,  but  I have  none  the 
less  to  thank  you  for  giving  so  much  prominence 
to  the  subject. 
I have  also  to  thank  “ X ” for  his  remarks,  but  it 
does  not  appear  to  have  occurred  to  him,  that  if  the 
proper  scientific  names  could  have  been  given,  and 
the  “habitat"  known  of  any  fibre  or  other  material 
in  demand,  one  would  not  have  required  to  trouble 
public-spirited  men  like  yourself  to  call  attention 
to  the  subject,  orders  would  rather  have  been  sent 
for  what  was  wanted,  through  the  usual  commer* 
cial  channels. 
Unfortunately  whilst  our  countrymen— and  may  I 
say  it.  Colonists  also — have  been  apathetic,  other 
nationalities  have  been  active  in  developing  their 
over-sea  resources  and  it  has  fallen  within  my  own 
observation,  that  during  the  past  year  or  two  very 
large  profits  have  been  made  in  similar  materials 
by  our  more  active  continental  competitors  who  for 
obvious  reasons  withhold  the  real  names  of  the  plants 
from  which  the  materials  are  obtained. 
Surely  we  are  not  prepared  to  admit  that  French 
Colonies  for  example  possess  a monopoly  of  the  valu- 
able products  which  their  greater  enterprise  have 
lately  brought  into  the  market  ? Rather  should  we 
endeavour  to  stir  up  all  whom  it  may  concern  to 
make  such  inquiries,  investigations  and  trials  as  may 
enable  them  to  develop  the  supply  of  suitable  novelties 
of  a'l  kinds. 
The  various  collections  of  products  in  the  Imperial 
Institute,  Kew,  and  elsewhere  are  highly  interesting, 
and  valuable  for  many  purposes,  but  those  who  would 
keep  abreast  or  ahead  of  their  competitors  must 
look  further  afield  and  endeavour  to  utilise  for 
themselves  more  of  the  natural  products  of  such 
countries  as  Ceylon. 
I may  add  for  the  information  of  “X”  that  “ Pia- 
mater"  is  the  name  of  the  “ innermost  of  the  three 
membranes  covering  the  brain.” — not  an  inapt 
name  for  a medical  botanist  to  give  to  the  inner  mem- 
brane (or  shaving)  of  a plant.  The  French  call  it 
“ choux  .chonx  ” (or  cabbage  stalk)  ; consequently  the 
cabbage  palm  has  been  suggested. 
I have  a beautiful  specimen  described  as  “ Arum 
Exculentrum  ’’  sent  by  an  American  Botanist  from 
the  tropics  (very  similar  in  structure  and  grain  to  the 
common  arum).  This  is  a valuable  product. 
Specimen  No.  .3  has  been  described  as  from  the 
“ Cryptomeria  Japonica."  I have  seen  similar  speci- 
mens from  the  narrow  leaf  of  a palm  of  which  the 
“ Raphia  Raphia  palm  ” yielding  the  ordinary  Raffia 
may  be  cited  as  a type, — Freycyuetia,  &c. 
At  present  the  demand  is  running  mostly  upon  the 
No.  3 class  of  fibrous  materials.  I would  suggest 
the  skins  of  the  long  leaves  of  the  “ Pandanus  ” 
or  screw  pine  as  specially  worth  attention,  and 
any  similar  or  other  plants  yielding  suitable  skjns 
should  be  sampled.— Yours  truly, 
C.  E.  COLLYER. 
Note  on  above : 
Piaia  said  to  be  a shaving  from  the  cabbage  palm. 
Areca  Oleracea  is  known  as  the  cabbage  palm  of 
the  West  Indies  : but  the  Sabal  Palmetto M the  South 
United  States  is  also  there  known  as  the  cabbage 
palm  or  cabbage  tree.  As  the  word  cabbage  refers 
to  the  edible  terminal  bud  of  palms,  it  is  probable 
that  the  term  cabbage  palm  is  given  to  different 
species  of  palms  in  different  countries : compare 
“ Coconut-Cabbage.”  A specimen  of  Palmetto  is  to 
be  seen  at  Peradeniya.  In  Mr.  Collyer’s  letter  the 
reference  to  Pia  and  its  derivation  and  the  account 
of  how  the  name  cabbage  palm  was  hit  upon,  leads 
one  to  suspect  that  the  shaving  is  probably  from 
the  cabbage  (or  terminal  bud)  of  palms.  I shall 
endeavour  to  test  this  theory. 
24 
I see  that  Mr.  Collyer  again  suggests  that  the 
leaves  of  the  screw-pine  (Pandanus)  should  be  looked 
to  for  “ Raffia.”  I think  there  must  be  a good  deal  ih 
the  wag  of  getting  out  the  skin  of  screw-pine  and 
palm  leaves.  It  is  not  so  easy  for  the  uninitiated 
to  do  it,  I am  making  further  trials. 
CEYLON  TEA  EXPORTED  TO  MOIST 
CLIMATES  : A PRACTICAL  SUGGESTION. 
London,  June  26th,  1895. 
Sir,— With  your  permission  1 would,  like  to  put 
before  some  df  your  advanced  tea  producers  the  ne- 
cessity of  adopting  some  plan  to  meet  a requirement 
which  has  come  specially  to  my  _ knowledge  by  those 
with  whom  I work  in  our  colonies  in  Africa)  espe^ 
cially  in  the  moist  climate  on  the  West  Cioast;  The 
men  in  the  Botanical  Garden  found  that  the  tea  be- 
ing supplied  to  them,  for  instance  at  .Old  .Cabaral 
was  quite  other  than  that  which  they  had  been  ac^ 
customed  to  get  in  England.  They  ordered  out  small 
canisters,  but  these  did  not  seem  to  answer  because 
they  could  not  be  packed  in  bond.  It  then  occurred 
to  me  to  send  out  to  Ceylon  what  are  known  in 
the  trade  in  England  as  Canisters  With  self-opening 
lids.  I therefore  had  some  cases  prejiated  to  hold 
4 tins,  each  tin,  as  far  as  we  could  get  at  the  weight 
here,  would  hold  about  25  lb.,  making  100  lb.  of  tea 
for  a chest.  These  are  now  on  their  road  to  Ceylori) 
and  the  object  is  that  they  will  arrive  In  the  docks 
with  the  gross  and  tare  marked  on  them,  afid 
these  chests  can  be  shipped  to  any  of  oUr  clients) 
so  that  when  a store-keeper  in  a town  receives 
one  of  these  chests,  he  can  sell  off  25  lb.  in  a tin. 
The  party  who  buys  this  will  be  able  to  take  out 
during  the  dry  part  of  the  day,  just  what  is  required 
for  a week’s  consumption,  put  this  air  tight  lid  down 
again,  and  there  is  a canister  perfectly  secure,  and 
the  Tea  will  keep  fresh  to  the  last.  As  it  is  now,  the 
chest  is  opened,  a good  deal  of  it  gets  spilt  and 
lost,  other  parts  get  mouldy  of  course  in  a few  hours 
with  the  damp,  and  the  result  is  that  a good  cup 
of  tea  can  hardly  ever  be  depended  upon. 
I want  to  carry  this  point  one  step  further.  As 
I use  these  tins  very  largely  and  they  are  very 
much  liked  by  colonists  and  people  abroad,  and 
they  are  very  simple,  I would  wish  to  inform 
tea  planters  that  they  can  order  out  the  self-open- 
ing lids  by  the  gross,  then  if  they  have  no  machine 
for  making  or  bending  the  top  plate  of  their  tin 
box  they  can  order  out  a top  sheet  with  the  lid 
fitted,  so  that  all  they  will  nave  to  do  will  be  to 
solder  on  the  sides  and  the  bottom  from  ordinary 
tin  plate. 
In  conclusion  I would  wish  to  remark  that,  not 
having  had  any  experience  in  this  department  in 
Ceylon,  I make  every  apology  for  perhaps  having 
brought  forward  a thoroughly  well-known  threshed 
out  subject.  On  the  other  hand  the  facts  that  I 
put  forward  may  point  to  the  necessity  of  some 
such  plan  as  I have  suggested  being  adopted,  as  the 
colonies  I have  referred  to  and  have  been  in  com- 
munication Jvith  know  nothing  about  this  subject, 
and  have  never  seen  tea  sent  out  in  self-opening 
tin  canisters  nested  in  a case. — Yours  truly, 
THOS.  CHRISTY. 
CEYLON  TEA  AND  TEA-SWEEPINGS: 
WHO  WERE  NOT  AND  WHO  WERE 
TO  BLAME: 
CEVLON  TEA  PACKAGE.S  PRAISED. 
London,  June  28th,  1895. 
Sir, — The  remarks  based  on  your  London  corres- 
pondent, on  page  576,  headed  “ Mr.  Christy  of  London 
on  tea-sweepings  and  tea  sales,”  has  naturally. 
I think,  irritated  the  gentlemen  who  own  the  Tea 
Warehouses  of  London,  and  some  of  them  I have 
seen,  feel  hurt  that  all  are  brought  under  the  lash 
when  they  have,  up  to  the  present  time,  endea- 
voured to  hold  the  scales  equally  between  the  various 
interests  affected. 
