July  i,  1896.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
51 
THE  DTMBULA  VALLEY  COMPANY’S  ES- 
TATES PURCHASES. 
Higli  Wycombe,  May  8. 
Dkau  Sir, — I liavc  noticed  Unit  the  Ceylon 
papers^  have  expressed  somewliat  free  criticisms 
upon  the  “ Dimbula  Valley”  Company’s  es- 
tates purchases,  even  down  to  the  remarkable 
action  of  the  Chairman  of  S.  Sylhet  Company, 
in  retarding  the  completion  of  that  Company,  to 
sell  Elgin  and  Belgravia  on  the  terms  agreed 
upon.  Eor  the  information  of  the  public,  I may 
say  that  the  sale  is  now  completed  upon  the 
terms  originally  determined,  and  that  the  “ Dim- 
bula Valley”  Company  is  in  possession  of  all 
the  estates  contracted  for  when  the  Company 
was  brought  out.  These  are  all  exceptionally 
good  and  promising,  and  I believe  the  lirst  sale 
resulted  in  a Is  average  for  Lippakelly  tea. 
With  good  management  and  care,  and  with  the 
high  average  price  their  produce  obtains  in  the 
market,  they  possess  a margin  between  cost  of 
production  and  sale  price,  probably  higher  than 
any  other  large  Tea  Estates  Company  holding 
property  in  Ceylon. 
WM.  FORBES  LAURIE. 
THE  WILD  SILKS  OF  CEYLON. 
Kandy,  May  22. 
De.VU  Sir, — Considering  how  largely  the  uses 
of  Tusser  silk  has  extended  of  recent  years,  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  nothing  has  been  done 
to  develop  the  industry  in  this  article  in  Ceylon. 
It  is  probably  due  in  a great  measure  to  the 
ignorance  of  tlie  natives  generally  of  the  habits 
of  the  insects,  the  Sinhalese  in  this  respect 
presenting  a remarkable  contrast  to  the  natives 
in  many  parts  of  India. 
There,  in  some  districts  the  cocoons  are  regularly 
gathered  from  the  jungle  trees  each  .season  : in 
others  the  people  have  partially  domesticated  the 
worms,  and  their  method  of  cultivation  is  lirieHy 
this.  As  soon  as  the  eggs  are  hatched,  the 
j’oung  worms  are  placed  in  little  baskets  of 
leaves  and  carried  to  such  trees  as  they  naturally 
feed  on.  The  rearers  camj)  at  the  edge  of  the 
jungle,  and  boys  are  employed  to  scare  away 
birds.  Idle  rent  of  a silk ‘field’  in  some  districts 
is  R3  for  each  full-grown  man  employed, 
and  3 men,  on  an  average,  take  up  and  look 
after  10  acres.  There  are  2 broods,  or  more, 
in  a year,  according  to  the  climate  : the  worms 
spin  in  about  six  weeks  after  they  are  hatched. 
I am  not  sulficiently  acquainted  with  the  low- 
country  to  say  whether  we  have  in  Ceylon  any 
large  tracts  of  jungle  land  where  the  Tus.ser  is 
to  be  found  in  very  large  quantities  : many  of 
our  Foresters  should  be  able  to  afford  infor- 
mation on  this  point.  The  insect  is  widely  dis- 
tributed at  all  elevations  beloiv  3,500  feet,  but 
in  the  more  populous  districts  chena  and  patena 
(ires  destroy  targe  numbers  of  the  worms  and 
cocoons. 
In  the  dj^eing  of  Tusser  silk,  the  varying  .shades 
of  drab  and  brown  have  been  found  to  present 
serious  difficulties.  The  natives  in  India  collect 
the  cocoons  from,  or  grow  them  on  different 
species  of  trees,  and  by  this  systein  silk  of  uniform 
colour  and  quality  cannot  be  produced.  I believe 
it  is  possible,  by  feeding  the  worms  on  certain 
trees  with  which  I propose  to  experiment,  to  ob- 
tain a silk  not  only  of  improved  texture,  but  of 
a lighter  colour,  a point  of  special  importance, 
and  I shall  be  very  glad  to  receive  cocoons  from 
anyone  disposed  to  assist  me  in  this  way.  Co- 
coons should  be  sent  with  a small  branch  of  the 
tree  on  which  they  are  found,  and  whenever  pos- 
sible the  native  name  of  the  tree  should  be  given. 
The  trees  on  which  the  cocoons  are  most  com- 
monly met  with  are  the  kahata  or  ‘ patana 
oak,’  the  weralu,  cashew',  and  cinnamon;  but  they 
may  be  found  occasionally  on  many  otliers. 
Pierced  cocoons,  from  which  the  moths  have 
emerged,  will  be  of  use  for  comparison,  if  sent 
w'ith  the  leaves.  The  moth  lays  its  eggs  on  the 
under  side  of  the  leaf.  The  worms  are  bright 
p;reen,  covered  wdtli  tubercles,  and  grow  to  a 
length  of  5 inches  or  more. 
To  show'  wliat  can  be  done  by  careful  manage- 
ment of  silkworms,  I am  sending  yon  specimens 
of  cocoons  of  the  castor-oil  worm  bred  in  Assam 
and  a cocoon  of  the  same  species  bred  here. — Yours 
truly,  D, 
COFFEE  IN  SUMATRA  : A CORRECTION.— 
BAMBOO  DOGCARTS. 
0.  K.  Sumatra,  May  23. 
Sir,— I was  in  error  in  my  last  when  I stated 
tliat  the  $61  p.  picul  coffee  was  sold  in  Havre. 
I have  just  been  told  by  the  vendor  that  it  was 
sold  privately  in  Switzerland. 
Can  any  of  your  correspondents  give  me  the 
name  of  the  firm  or  firms  in  India  who  make 
a remarkably  light  dogcart,  with  male-bamboo 
shafts,  and  a net  underneatli,  suitable  to  hold 
“samau”  of  any  description? 
I saw  such  a one  in  Singapore  some  years 
ago,  but  cannot  find  the  name  of  the  maker. 
I should  be  grateful  for  information  through 
your  column.  The  cart  I allude  to  is  an  ideal 
planter’s  buggy,  and  runs  light  as  the  wind. 
W.  TURING  MACKENZIE. 
TICKS  IN  CATTLE. 
, . . June  13. 
Dkar  iSik,  Ac  ticks  in  cattle. — I have  always 
found  a double  handful  of  common  salt  dissolved 
in  a bottle  of  coconut  oil-well  rublied  in— to 
fiee  cattle  fiom  ticks.  I have  not  tried  phenyle, 
but  feel  sure  it  would  answer  ivell,  as  it  doe.s  irt 
the  case  of  most  kinds  of  vermin.— Yours  truly 
F.  \V.  GRAY. 
A Coffee  Cleaning  Patent.— In  the  Ulus- 
trcitGcl  Oj^cictl  Journal  there  is  the  fol- 
lowing :— 24,079.  December  11,  1894.  Coffee. 
Lake,  H.  H.,  45,  Southampton  Buildings,  Mid- 
dlesex.^ (Fraser,  D.  B.  ; 234,  Central  Park  West, 
New  \ork.)  Cleaning  and  sorting  grain,  such  as 
coffee,  is  carried  out  by  feeding  the  coffee  from 
a^  hopper  on  to  ilie  top  sieve  of  a series  of 
sieves  mounted  in  a reciprocating  frame  actu- 
ated by  cams  on  tlie  shaft.  The  sieves  are 
arranged  across  the  frame  in  inclined  planes 
alternating  in  the  direction  of  their  inclination 
and  having  a guide  tray  under  each,  so  that 
whatever  passes  through  one  siev'e  is  delivered 
to  the  top  of  the  next.  The  shute  leads  away 
any  refuse  which  does  not  pass  through  the  first 
sieve,  and  shutes  carry  off  whatever  fails 
to  pass  through  each  particular  sieve.  The  sorted 
coffee  beans  are  received  from  these  shutes,  whilst 
any  husks  or  light  bodies  are  drawn  upwards 
through  the  channels  and  deposited  in  the 
bins  by  the  action  of  the  exhaust  fan.  There 
are  shutters  for  regulating  the  draught  pro- 
duced by  the  fan  in  each  channel.  The  frame 
carrying  the  sieves  is  supported  by  elastic  pieces 
and  also  is  provided  with  rubber  ^balls 
mounted  on  levers  which  .are  caused  to  strike 
the  sieves  whenever  the  rods  strike  the  stops. 
