554 
THE  TEOPICAL  AGRICUI/PURIST. 
heavy  as  metal ; at  least  seventy  spet'ies  of  timbei' 
have  been  eolleeleil.  Ou  the  hilisides  arc  built  ilis- 
tillories  consisting  of  oblong-shaped  strncturcs  princi- 
Itally  of  mud  bricks,  and  about  ten  or  twelve  leot 
long,  ai>;  £eet  broad  and  four  high,  (hi  each  side 
are  live  to  ten  lire-holes  about  a fool  apart  and  the 
same  distance  above  the  ground.  Ou  each  lire-hole 
is  placed  au  eavthou  pot  full  of  water,  and  above 
it  a cylindrical  lube,  about  a foot  in  diameter  and 
t\vo  feet  high,  passes  up  through  the  structure  and 
appears  above  it.  'I’lio  tube  is  capped  by  a large 
inverted  jar,  with  a packing  of  damp  hemp  between 
the  jar  and  cylinder  to  jn'event  the  escape  of  steam. 
The  cylinder  is  lUled  with  chi2is  of  w'ood  about  the 
size  of  the  lictle  linger,  which  rest  on  a perforated 
lid  covering  the  jar  of  water,  so  that  when  the 
steam  rises  it  \iasses  np  to  the  inverted  jar.  or  con- 
(ieuser,  absorbing  certain  iv.siaous  matter  from  tlie 
wood  on  its  w'ay.  ^Yhilsl  distillation  is  going  on, 
an  essential  oil  is  ju-oduced,  and  is  found  mixed  with 
the  water  on  the  inside  of  the  jar.  ’\^  hen  the  jar 
is  removed  ihe  licady  drop-s  solidify,  crystallisation 
commences,  and  l•,■^•ml'h"l■  in  a crude  form,  looking 
like  iiew’iv-fovmcd  snow,  is  detached  by  the  liand, 
Vilaced  in"  buckets  lined  with  plaulaiii  leaves,  and 
hurried  ofl  li)  the  m.’arc-^l  border  Li.)wn  for  sale.^ 
Tea  is  now  hy  far  the  most  important  article 
of  e.v^iorl.  though  camj'hor  is  srill  in  demand. 
Oiher  articles,  such  as  coal,  pith  jiapcr,  skins,  rattans, 
hemi).  sugar,  am’  indigo  tind  their  way  to  the  main- 
la.nd,  and  a goc»d  deal  oi  timber — camphor  and  baid- 
wood  - i.s  also  exported. 
Coal  is  the  principal  export  of  Kelung.  ITie  trade 
has  had  many  np.s  and  downs,  caused  by  the  obstruc- 
tions placed  by  the  authorities  in  the  way  of  foreign 
trade.  The  coal  seams  in  the  ueighbonrhood  of 
KcluiP''  and  in  the  northern  hills  as  far  as  the  centre 
of  the°  island  arc  practically  inexhaustible.  There 
are  also  less  imjiortant  impoits.  such  as  kerosene  oil, 
wood  for  li  a cliest.s,  aud  pigs  of  lo.ad  to  line  them, 
and.  \vhoii  iho  .Inpancsc  iiavo  put  things  in  older 
and  lliecomr.iv  has  been  more  ihoroughly  oxidored, 
no  doubt  imuiv  other  articles  adapted  for  exiiort  will 
he  i'ouud.  A\  ith  regard  to  camiihor,  as  in  other  com- 
mercial matters,  the  (Miincsc  Government  has  acted 
very  toolishly.  For  over  thirty  years  to  my  know- 
ledge there  has  been  a constant  demand  for  camphor, 
and  vet  the  administration  has  done  nothing  to  pre- 
vent'tlie  reckless  waste  of  the  forests  aud  taken  no 
stops  to  provide  for  the  re  afforestation  of  uninha- 
bited tracts  useless  for  cultivation.  True,  as  far  as 
1 have  explored  the  momiiaiiis  of  the  interior,  cani- 
phor-trees  seem  to  he  exceedingly  numorous,  aud  there 
is  at  in-esent  no  fear  th.at  the  supply  will  run  short 
for  many  years  to  come.  But  the  increased  demand 
for  camphor  in  these  days  of  smokeless  powder  may 
hasten  the  destruction  of  the  trees,  and  therefore  it 
is  to  lie  hoped  that  the  Japanese  will  assure  the 
supply  in  the  future  hy  planting  saplings  on  waste 
lands!  I planted  a lot  in  my  garden  in  1S69,  and  wlien 
I left  in  1830  they  were  trees  thirty  to  forty  feet 
lii"h  and  upwards.  From  this  experiment  I conclude 
that  trees  fifty  years  old  would  iie  large  enough  for 
hH  ordinary  purposes  to  which  the  timber  i.s  applied. 
•Vs  for  camplior,  it  may  be  extracted  from  leaves  and 
twigs,  so  that  comparatively  young  forests  will  yield 
material  for  the  industry. 
While  fxnlniiiig  the  camphor  distiicls  in  bsti.’i,  1 
came  -icioss  ciniiaiiion  and  wild  tea  jjlants.  the  latter 
being  ten  or  twelve  feel  high.  I got  downi  a fair 
•uiiouiit  of  ciiiiuinion  to  tlie  coast,  but  fouinl  tliat  the 
i-.xnens.'  of  sorting  the  outer  and  inner  harks  aud 
oVckiiig  them  for  shipment  to  England  was  coo  great. 
With  tea  1 was  more  successful.  On  making  in- 
uuirics  I found  that  between  Kelung  aud  Banka,  and 
to  the  south-west  of  the  latter  to\ni,  small  patches 
of  tea  were  cultivated  in  the  gardens  of  farmers, 
but  that  it  was  grown  principally  for  home  consiunp- 
tion.  All  the  tea  I could  get  I bought  up,  and  find- 
iiio-  that  it  fetched  a good  price  in  Macao,  1 at  once 
m.tde  loans  to  the  farmers,  through  my  co-a/imdorc, 
for  tlie  purpose  of  extending  the  cultivation,  and  also 
imported  iilips  oi  the  tea  plants  from  Amoy.  I then 
started  tiring  on  a small  scale  at  I>auka,  and  after 
wards  took  huger  premises  at  Twa-tii-tia.  In  the 
[FRf..  I,  1896. 
coiu  so  of  llirco  or  four  years.  l''ormosaii  teas  acquired 
a,  repiitaiioii  in  America,  and  before  the  end  of  the 
sixties  I bad  disijatched  in  one  year  two  sailing 
vessels  to  America,  ouo  witli  a full  cargo  and  the 
other  nearly  full.  Others  followed  my  example,  aud 
the  exports  increased  by  bounds  year  after  year. 
The  Amoy  and  Fuchow  merchants  were  not  at  first 
in  favour  of  Tamsui  becoming  a tea-port,  but  before 
long  they  began  to  join  in  tlie  Formosan  tea, -trade, 
and  now  nearly  all  the  tea  is  sent  to  Amoy  for  sale, 
and  the  merchants  there  have  done  much  to  enlarge 
the  yield  by  heavy  advances  to  the  planters.  I have 
no  statistics  showing  what  is  the  jiresent  quantity  of 
tea  exported  from  Tamsui,  but  I should  say  that  it 
is  certainly  not  less  than  50U,000  chests,  equal  to 
about  ‘iO.OOO.CKX)  i)Ouiid.s.  The  hills  and  soil  of  North 
Formosa  are  excellently  adapted  for  tea-growing,  and. 
indeed,  for  almost  any  crop. 
IXDlAiX  FATEXTS. 
For  a method  of  rendering  tea  leaf  jiliable  for 
purposes  of  rolling  or  twisting  without  resort  to  na- 
tural or  artificial  withering.— !No.  8 of  1891. — Horace 
Drummond  Dcaiic,  of  Kintyrc  estate,  Maskeliya, 
Ceylon,  })lantcr,  and  John  Thomson  Race,  of  Hattop, 
Ceylon  Engineer,  aud  thus  preventing  all  fermenta- 
tion aud  oxidization  by  the  application  of  steam  to 
freshly  plucked  tea  leaf,  aud  of  an  ajiparatus  for 
.applying  steam  to  freshly  pihicked  tea  leaf.  (From 
5th  January  1895  to  -Itli  January  1897.) — Indian  and 
Eastern  Engineer,  Jan.  18. 
^ ■ 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(T^rom  (lie  ('lieinisf  and  Divrfriisl.) 
bimdoii,  .lamiarv  2ik1. 
Nrx  Vo.MK  111  \v  i-iuii  Ilf  tliis  (Inig  is  fiow  aniv- 
iiig  ill  thii  liiiliaii  shippiii"  |iml,s.  |t  is  .sviil  tlial  it  is 
SI)  wei  iis  III  III-  imbt  fiir  sliiimu-nl  tit  luestiui. 
Kssk.vi'ui.  Oii,s.--U'ii!iiiul  iiiiiti-iiiil  iilteratioii.  For  Cii- 
roiielLi  oil  it,  is  rc-porti-il  lliat  Is  lOil  piiv  lb,  c i f 
terms,  is  asked  for  present  shipment  wliile  Is  8d  per 
lb,  c i f is  limited  for  shipment  end  of  May.  On  the 
spot  the  jn-ice  is  2s  per  lb.  l,eimiii  gra.ss  oil,'  2j;d  to  ‘Ijil 
per  lb  on  (be  spot. 
t^l  IMNK—Ilas  been  extremely  i|iiiel  tills  week,  and  no 
whdle.sale  traiisiietinns  liave  become  known.  .■Second-hand 
(iermiin  in  bulk  is  (pioteil  at  l:i}d  per  0/,.  iit  wliieli  figure 
here  would  be  sellers. 

THE  M WAR.V  Kl.n'A  I’K.V  E.s'l'A'I'ES 
COM  PA XV. 
Tlie  foniuition  ami  operations  ol  tlie  Xiiwara 
Eliya  Tea  Estates  Co.  mark  a new  deparl  im- 
in  the  liistory  of  Ceylon  IMantation  Companies 
ami  an  imiiortant  era  in  the  Tpa-|ilanting  Enter- 
prise of  the  Colony.  A good  many  years  ago, 
Mr.  Artlmr  Tliompson,  of  the  well  knowni  Mincing 
Lane  Firm,  while  tisitiiig  Ceylon,  made  it  clear 
(hat  the  tea  oslatcs  in  ami  around  Xuwara  Eliya, 
at  an  eleviition  of  feef  ami  npwaiils  abme 
sea-level,  stood  tin  a basis  of  their  own,  apart, 
it  iiiiglit  lie  said,  from  all  other  plantations  in  the 
island.  Their  teas  were  peciiliai  ly  i/cn/’r/.v  for 
delicacy  and  lla\iinr,  and  .Mr.  Tlioin)Kon  could 
only  compare  them  w itli  the  line  I >iu  jilings ’’ 
winch  always  top  the  Indian  tea  marki't  ami  of 
which  the  quantity  prodiicilile  is.  and  always 
must  he,  very  linnted.  The  .same  is  alisoliite'lv 
true  in  the  case  of  Ceylon  in  regard  to  tlieqiiaii- 
tity  tliat  can  ever  be  sent  into  the  market  of 
the  siiecially  delicate- flavoured  teas  of  tlieSanu- 
tarinm  and  Kamlaiiola.  For,  oven  if  the  ('eyion 
(Jovernmont  were  permitted  to  niilizo  .some  of 
t'le  (,'rown  land  over  o.iHin  foot  lor  tea  gardens, 
tlie  area  over  (),00U  feet  that  could  possibly  l»e 
alienated  for  cultivation  would  he  e.xtre'mely 
limited  ; and  it  may  lie  said  there  iieier  can  be 
sncli  aiiotber  stridcliof  tea  in  ('eyloii  at  a similai- 
