THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
341 
Nov  2,  1896.] 
Tree  Tomato  {Gyphomandra  bctacea). — This  con- 
tin;ie3  to  thrivo  and  bear  abundant  crops  of  fruit 
every  year,  but  as  plants  and  seeds  have  not  been 
in  much  request  lately,  I fear  this  fruit  is  not  so 
well-known  as  it  deserves  to  be. 
The  plant  is  utterly  useless  for  culture  on  the 
plains,  but  it  thrives  admirably  in  the  hills,  especially 
when  grown  in  low  well  sheltered  valleys.  It  is  a 
rapid  grower,  of  easy  culture,  and  as  the  fruit  travels 
in  good  condition  to  great  distance  with  a minimum 
of  care  in  packing,  it  deserves  more  attention  than 
it  has  hitherto  received.  It  is  in  season  from  Sep- 
tember to  end  of  November  and  even  later  when 
frosts  hold  off,  and  as  fruit  is  as  a ruler  scarce 
everywhere  during  that  period,  it  would,  I am  sure, 
be  in  good  demand  if  settlers  in  the  hills  would  take 
its  culture  up,  and  bring  it  prominently  to  the  notice 
of  dwellers  in  the  plains. 
The  garden  can  only  cultivate  it  on  a limited 
scale  owing  to  want  of  room,  but  as  a good 
supply  of  plants  and  seeds  is  always  on  hand,  it  is 
in  a position  to  give  growers  a fair  start  when  they 
apply  to  it  for  aid. 
Walnut  [Juglans  regia). — A variety  of  walnut  raised 
from  seed  procured  from  France  some  years  ago 
fruited  last  season  for  the  first  time. 
The  Overseer  of  the  garden  reports  the  nuts  to  be 
somewhat  hard-shelled,  but  very  much  larger  than 
the  best  of  the  nuts  produced  by^the  old  established 
locil  varieties. 
As  the  tree  is  carrying  several  dozens  of  nuts  this 
season,  I shall  soon  be  in  a position  to  raise  a stock 
of  plants  of  this  improved  form  of  the  walnut  for 
general  distribrrtion. 
The  single  specimen  of  Kayh^ie  or  thin-shelled 
variety  of  walnut,  noted  in  former  reports  as  having 
been  raised  from  seed  sent  by  a Forest  Officer  from 
Upper  Llurma,  is  making  excellent  progress,  but  it 
will  still  bo  some  years  hence  before  it  may  be  ex- 
pected to  bear. 
Jalap  [Ipomcea  imrqa). — There  is  nothing  of  any 
importance  to  record  regarding  the  condition  of  this 
medicinal  root. 
It  is  still  subject  to  the  fungoid  disease  that  ap- 
peared upon  it  some  years  ago,  and  owing  to  its 
attacks  the  rate  of  increase  still  continues  slow. 
A supply  of  tubers  will  always  be  avilable  for  trial 
in  other  hill  districts,  but  I fear  the  latter  cau  never 
be  produced  in  quantity  within  the  garden  itself. 
Saharanpur,  the  25th  May  1896.  W.  GOLLAN. 
Superintendent,  Government  Botanical  Gardens, 
N.  W.  Provinces. 
TEA-PLANTING  IN  CEYLON. 
That  delicious  cup  of  tea  my  friend  the  tea-planter 
gave  me  lent  me  a mental  fillip  that  was  evidently 
not  meant  to  be  wasted  on  small  talk,  so  I hinted 
I should  like  to  see  his  Ceylon  photographs.  While 
discussing  them,  with  the  pin  of  judicious  curiosity 
I lured  from  him  the  winkle  of  information  which 
was  my  aim — namely,  an  account  of  life  as  it  is 
lived  by  Europeans  in  this  interesting  island  of  the 
south.  So  warm  was  my  friend’s  enthusiasm,  that 
his  account  of  things  naturally  fellinto  a dithyrambic 
rhythm.  This  I have  reduced  to  its  lowest  terms 
for  readers  of  the  P.  J/.  G. 
In  Ceylon  the  development  from  night  to  day  is 
very  rapid;  at  second  cock-crow,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  or  in  the  life  of  a cigarette,  one  may 
appreciate  the  change,  and  the  appuyah  (head  ser- 
vant) is  at  the  manager’s  door,  summoning  him  to 
the  arena  of  work,  the  factory.  Around  this  is 
the  muster-ground  for  a strong  force  of  Tamils  and 
Cinghalese  artisans,  among  wdiom  his' colleague,  tho 
assistant  manager,  is  busy  distributing  the  labour  of 
the  day.  These  two  are  perhaps  the  only  Europeans 
on  the  estate,  the  next  in  the  hierarchy  being  a native 
the  tea-maker,  who  controls  the  factory.  Below  him 
comes  the  kangany,  who  is  a kind  of  headman  on  the 
estate  owning  coolies.  At  the  advent  of  the  manager 
the  sleepy  activity  of  the  factory  is  accelerated  into 
0,  semblance  of  bustle.  The  engine  is  a spluttering, 
withered  tea-leaf  of  yesterday’s  gathering  comes 
shooting  from  the  first  and  second  floors  into  boxes 
and,  when  tho  weights  have  been  duly  pencilled  on 
a slate,  it  is  trundled  away  to  the  rollers.  The 
engine  is  moving  a “ Rapid  Roller”  holding  270  lb.  of 
leaf,  while  the  16  foot  w'ater-wheel  is  driving  two 
smaller  rollers,  which  manage  90  lb.  between  them. 
In  the  tea-roorn,  meanwhile,  you  may  see  coolies 
busy  at  emptying  bins  and  bulking  the  tea,  I.e.,  heap- 
ing ii  into  a mass  and  continually  throwing  the 
bottom  to  the  top,  so  that  tho  sample  may  be  as 
uniform  as  a slice  of  well-stirred  Christmas  pudding. 
After  bulking,  the.  tea  is  put  through  a process  of 
extra  firing  in  a desiccator,  so  that  the  villain 
moisture  may  not  lay  his  spoiling  hand  on  the  pro- 
duce, and  is  finally  stowed  in  lead-lined  chests. 
By  &30  the  assistant  manager  has  set  all  the 
wheels  in  motion,  and  alter  his  superior  has 
smiled  approval,  returned  to  his  light  morning 
meal,  the  pie  e de  resist  mce  of  which  is  a 
cup  of  tea.  The  manager  hai'ks  back  to  the 
bungalow,  and  gets  through  some  general  business 
and  consultations.  At  7.30  the  ponies  are  brought 
round,  and  a tour  of  inspection  of  works  in  hand 
is  begun.  Here  are  men  pruning,  or  draining,  or 
road-making,  and  there  the  leaf  is  being  plucked  by 
some  eighty  women  under  the  superintendence  of 
kanganies,  who  will  have  somewhat  to  say  to  them 
if  the  greatest  care  is  not  exercised  in  the  operation. 
And  so  by  10.30  our  manager  has  earned  his  break- 
fast. While  he  is  making  the  hearty  meal  which 
belongs  to  honest  morning  endeavour  let  us  watch 
more  closely  the  women  and  boys  at  Avork.  As  they 
move  quickly  from  plant  to  plant — the  average  stature 
of  each  being  half  their  own  height— they  take 
only  the  two  top  leaves  and  the  bud,  leaving  on  the 
tree  one  leaf  from  which  the  new  flush  is  to  be 
thrown.  At  a good  flush  each  woman  will  bring  in 
some  30  lb.  of  leaf  in  a day  of  ten  hours.  In  Ceylon 
gathering  goes  on  all  the  year  round,  and  every  bush 
is  thus  handled  every  ten  days.  The  leaf  that  has 
been  gathered  is  laid  to  wither  on  horizontal  blinds 
of  jute  hessian,  and  on  the  folloAving  morning  it  has  an 
appley  scent  and  is  ready  for  the  next  process  of  roll- 
ing, which  is  to  give  it  the  necessary  twist.  It  is  rolled 
for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  then  fermented 
for  half  an  hour,  before  undergoing  another  turn  of 
foiling.  But  the  times  for  withering,  rolling,  and 
fermenting  vary  according  to  the  weather  and  the 
quality  of  the  tea.  Strong  teas  must  be  withered 
long  and  rolled  hard. 
After  breakfast  arrives  the  postman  with  the 
managerial  letters,  to  which  replies  are  sent  at 
leisure  and  entrusted  to  the  tapal-runner,  or  fast- 
running  coolie,  carrying  a padlocked  tin  box  on  his 
back.  A midday  siesta  follows,  and  about  half-past 
two  the  principal  works  are  again  visited.  Then  at 
four  o’clock  a horn,  called  the  kavalkarren,  is  bloAvn 
by  the  watchman  as  the  signal  for  a general  con- 
centration on  the  factory  of  all  hands  on  the  estate. 
This  business  is  one  of  the  pretty  sights  of  the  day. 
My  friend’s  estate  at  Matale,  north  of  Kandy,  the 
mountain  capital,  is  situated  in  an  amphitheatre  of 
the  big  volcanic  hills  typical  of  the  country.  DoAvn 
the  slopes  come  Avinding  the  coolies  and  the  Avomen, 
picturesque  with  their  baskets  anl  scarlet  cloths 
thrown  loosely  over  one  shoulder,  engirthing  the 
waist,  and  bunched  up  behind  in  the  universal 
mode  of  the  dross-improver.  Now  follows  the 
last  weighing  of  leaf;  the  Avorkers  stands  in  blocks, 
primers  here,  roaders  there,  manurers  yonder, 
while  names  are  entered  for  the  day’s  work  in  the 
register.  The  manager  next  goes  his  final  round  of 
the  factory,  returns  to  the  bungaloAV,  and  then  pays 
visits  to  his  friends  in  the  neighbourhood.  Bridle-paths 
are  fairly  numerous  on  the  estate,  and  cart  roads 
connect  one  property  Avith  another.  In  his  leisure 
time  for  sport  ho  may  get  some  snipe-shooting  in 
December  and  January  over  the  paddy  fields  or  flat  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills,  in  which  is  grown  inferior  rice 
called  paddy.  The  coolies,  too,  are  now  free  to  go  off 
to  the  coolie  lines,  where  they  live  in  their  exiguous 
mansions,  Avhich  they  use  merely  as  sleeping-places 
and  as  i-epositories  for  their  scanty  belongings.  An 
