270 
THE  TROPICAI. 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  I,  1895. 
To  piu'chaae,  ou  lease,  or  otherwise  acquire  any 
• state  or  estates,  land  or  lands,  machinery,  imple- 
ments, etc.,  of  any  kind  whatsoever  in  the  Island  of 
Ceylon  ; to  purchase  tea  leaf  and  or  other  raw  pro- 
ducts for  mannficture,  manipulation,  and  or  sale; 
to  manufacture  tea  leaf  and  or  other  products  ; to 
carry  on  the  business  of  planters  of  tea  and  other 
products  in  all  its  branches.  The  nosniiial  capital  of 
the  Company  is  one  million  rupee’.  (lU, Odd, 000),  divided 
into  two  thousand  shares  of  Bj'dd  each. 
The  following  have  already  purchased  a share  each  : 
— Messrs.  G.  \V.  Carlyon,  W.  Henry  I’igg,  C.  J. 
Donald,  C.  E II.  Sy  noin,  A.  •) . S iwer,  G.  fl.  Alston, 
and  J.  Armitage  Ogden. 
SALE  OF  A KALLTAKA  ESTA'l’E. 
The  mail  lias  brought  iiew.s  of  the  sale  of  I'ol- 
gahakaiide  e.state,  situ.ite  in  the  Kalutara  District, 
1)V  Mr.  .J.  Wight  to  The  English  Ceybm  I’ro- 
duee  Comii.iuy,  Limited,  for  11.5, 7od.  'J’here  arc 
2dl  acres  of  tea  ami  (51)  acre.s  of  reserve.  Wo 
never  heanl  of  this  (domiiaiiy— it  must  be  another 
new  one’ 
THE  CANTON  TEA  TRADE. 
The  Canton  tea  trade,  season  18‘J4-'d5,  has  proved 
fairly  remunerative.  Declining  exchange  has  enabled 
shippers  to  lay  down  their  purchases  on  the  London 
market  at  a low  and  continually  lower  cost.  This, 
combined  with  a considerable  falling-off  in  production 
(the  natives  liaving  lost  money  steadily  of  late  years), 
has  helped  importers  in  feeding  the  greatly  reduced 
demand  at  prices  that  have  paid  them  as  a rule,  if  only 
in  a small  way.  Ten  years  ago  the  season’s  exports  from 
these  waters  amounted  to  nearly  20,050,000  lb.;  it  is  now 
less  than  10,000,000  lb.  The  bulk  of  this  is  scented  tea 
used  for  mixing  purposes  ; but  the  natural  pungency 
of  Indian  and  Ceylon  products  is  the  cause  of  its  going 
out  of  fashion.  Little  is  now  required,  and  that  only  if 
very  cheap.  The  trade  is  dying  out.  Taxation  is  not 
likely  to  be  less;  exchange  has  risen;  and  the  rate  of 
freight  this  season  is  to  be  higher  ; so  tliat  prospect.s 
are  altogethergloomy.”— L.  mid  C.  tJxpress,  Aug.  2:i. 
♦ - . 
THE  TEA  TRADE. 
An  important  point  has  been  brougirt  to  notice  by 
Messes.  McLeod  & C in  which  the  Ceylon  tea 
shipper  has  hitherto  had  the  advantage  over  his 
Indian  competitor  in  the  American  and  Canadian 
markets.  We  refer  to  the  factory  bulking  and  mai’k- 
ing  of  teas  on  the  chests.  Tills,  it  seems  ilie  Ceylon 
planters  have  already  attended  to;  bao  Indian  gar- 
dens have  often  neglected  it,  though  some  large 
lirnis  ill  America  already  m ike  the  bulking  and 
tarrini^  a sihc  and  otheis  gi\e  the  piefeience 
to  che'sts  so  dealt  with.  The  matter  is  oemg  taken 
up  by  the  Iiidiau  Tea  Association,  who  are  circulat- 
imr  a minute  011  the  subjecr,  and  now  that  attention 
has  been  called,  it  should  not  be  difficult  to  remedy. 
— rndian  Daily  News. 
ACACIA  C.ATEClir 
Preparation  of  dark  Catechu,  or,  as  in  trade,  it  is 
more  correctly  designated  L.utch. 
The  trees  that  yield  ihi.s  substance  are  regarded 
as  matui'e  when  about  a foot  in  diameter.  Tney  are 
then  felled  and  cut  up  into  blocks  two  or  three  feet 
lou".  Ill  some  parts  of  the  country  the  natives 
ascertain  whether  it  will  pay  to  cut  the  trees,  by 
making  a small  notch  into  the  hsait-wood.  Trees 
between  twenty-five  and  thirty  years  old  are  regarded 
as  best  suited  aud  are  said  to  yield  more  or  loss 
according  to  the  mimbar  of  wuite  hues  perceived  in 
the  heart-wood  Toe  bark  and  the  outer  sap  wood 
are  generally  removed  and  rejected.  The  red  heart- 
wood  is  then  cut  up  inti  sm  ill  chips.  In  certain 
districts  the  branches  arc  not  utilized  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  extract,  in  others  they  are  so  used. 
The  chips  are  then  boiled  in  water  in  earthen 
pota  for  twelve  hours.  When  the  water  is  reduced 
by  one-half,  the  chips  are  taken  out  and  the  liquid 
placed  in  large  iron  pans  or  cauldrons  and  again 
boiled  and  stirred  till  it  attains  the  consistency  of 
syrup.  The  cauldrons  are  then  taken  off  the  fire  and 
the  stirring  of  the  liquid  continued  till  the  mass  is 
cool  enough  to  be  handled,  when  it  is  taken  out  aud 
spre  id  .m  leaves  arranged  within  a wooden  frame 
or  111  mid  aud  left  for  the  night.  In  the  morning 
the  Cutch  is  dry  and  then  e.xists  as  hrick-liko  masses 
that  each  weigh  :ii3  to  41  lb.  These  are  broken  up  into 
pie ;es  ready  for  the  market. 
The  process  of  boiling  and  preparation  of  the  dry 
extract  varies  considerably  all  over  the  region  w'lere 
the  article  is  made,  but  the  principle  is  the  same 
as  that  given  above,  which  may  bo  said  to  bo  the 
Pegu  system.  Occasion  illy  the  chips  are  boiled  a 
second  time  with  the  production  of  a small  amount 
of  inferior  stuff.  In  other  cases  the  red  liquid  is 
poured  over  fresh  chips  and  again  boiled. 
F’roiii  the  widespread  conviction  of  the  necessity 
for  stirring  or  beating  the  concentrated  solution  (on 
its  being  re  iiovod  from  the  fire),  it  might  almost 
be  inferred  tliat  some  chemical  change  was  thereby 
efl’ected  similar  to  the  oxidation  produced  by  beating 
the  indigo-vat  solution.  Thus,  for  example,  in  Baroda 
the  decoction  is  strained  through  a blanket.  For 
this  iiurpose  the  blanket  is  dipped  into  the  fluid, 
stirred  about  and  then  wrung  out,  while  the  blanket 
is  being  held  at  as  great  a height  as  possible.  By 
this  process  the  liquid  falls  through  the  air  in  a 
greatly  divided  stream  or  shower.  And  this  is  continued 
for  an  h mr  or  so,  the  liquid  being  repeatedly  wrung 
through  the  blanket,  the  trough  is  then  covered  over 
with  a lid  of  split  bamboos  and  the  sediment  allowed 
to  snb.side.  The  water  is  then  poured  oft  and  the 
extract  cut  into  small  cakes  and  allowed  to  dry. 
In  Biriya  (Gujarat)  the  thick  decoction  is  poured 
into  pits,  rive  or  six  feet  deep,  in  the  bottom  of 
which  baskets  are  placed.  The  liquid  drains  off,  the 
chips  are  retained  in  the  baskets,  anl  tlie  solid 
extiact  formed  on  the  floor  of  tlie  pits.  This  is 
removed  and  dried  on  leaves  while  exposed  to  the  sun. 
Speaking  of  tlic  Pegu  system,  it  is  admitted  that 
much  difference  of  opinion  prevails  as  to  the  value 
and  extent  neoessary  of  the  beating  process.  One 
writer  says  it  is  more  of  a ‘‘  beating  up  ” than  stir- 
ring, “but  I have  never  been  able  to  a certain 
wliat  the  object  or  effect  of  the  process  is.  Cooks 
differ,  too,  in  the  amount  of  beating  up  tliat  is 
desirable,  some  being  satisfied  with  half  an  hour’s 
application.’’  It  will  lie  seen  lielow  in  connection 
witli  the  subject  of  Ka.fh  that  a peculiar  system  of 
encouraging  crystalliz.ition  (wliich  m ly  lie  analogous 
to  tlie  beating)  is  consid-red  essential. 
As  to  the  a iioimt  of  Cutch  yielded  l>y  lie  art-wood, 
it  li  id  lieen  stated  that  from  3 to  10  p-sr  cent,  in 
weight  would  lie  a good  average.  In  other  words, 
one  toil  of  timber,  in  tlie  roiinu,  might  be  taken  as 
yielding  2.')0  to  300  li).  of  Cutch. 
’L'iie  Cutch  of  trade  appears  in  several  forms.  The 
Pegu  variety  occurs  in  masses  witii  layers  of  leaves 
between  tlic  successive  preparations.  But  Ciitcli  is 
also  met  with  in  cubes  of  various  sizes  which  of.en 
sliow  the  111  arkiiigs  of  leaves  used  in  the  moulds,  or 
it  occurs  in  sliarply  defined  cubes  or  blocks  from 
having  been  cut  up  by  a string  or  wire  run  tlirougli 
the  still  plastic  mass.  In  other  cases  it  is  sold  in 
rounded  balls  or  flattened  cakes  made  in  tiie  hand. 
In  colour  it  is  externally  of  a rusty  brown,  internally 
a dirty  orange  to  dark  liver-colour,  and  in  some  cases 
almost  black  or  port-wine  coloured.  It  is  inodorous, 
but  has  an  astringent  bitter  taste,  followed  by  a sense 
of  sweotness.  It  is  brittle  and  breaks  witli  a more  or 
less  resinous,  shining  fracture. 
Hiving  regard  to  the  results  of  tlie  several  oxperi- 
ni  lilts  wiiicli  I have  made,  I draw  the  folio  .vitig 
conclusions  : — 
1.  That  wiiethcr  t'leCutcli  extraction  be  performed 
by  the  native  or  in  a factory,  tlie  wood  should  bo 
preferably  reduced  to  tliiii  shavings. 
2.  That  as  little  water  bo  used  as  may  be.  ten 
parts  or  peril  ips  less  would  suffice. 
3.  That  the  boiling  be  continued  for  half  an  hour 
only. — AgricullunU  Ledger, 
