Nov.  2,  1896. J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
34.3 
$orr6sponcl(3noe. 
To  the  Edilor. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
Nijni  Novgorod,  Moscow,  Aug.  29. 
Dear  SiK,— I went  to  see  tlie  big  Fair  yester- 
day— a truly  wonderful  sight,  and  the  place 
crowded  with  people  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Mr.  Rogivue  is  advertising  Ceylon  tea  most  suc- 
cessfully, and  had  had  many  oiders  from  people — 
some  for  Siberia.  He  has  well-advertised  the 
teas  of  Ceylon,  and  the  tea  is  selling  well  in 
Moscow.  His  tea  pl.ace  at  the  Fair  is  very  at- 
tractive, and  a s]dendid  m.an  in  charge.  \V^e 
enjoyed  Ceyloii  tea  there  made  in  Russian  fashion 
very  much  and  drank  success  to  Ceylon. — Yours 
in  haste,  W.  JORDAN. 
THE  BANDARAPOLA  CEYLON  COMPANY 
LIMITED. 
16,  Philpot  Lane,  London,  E.C.  1st  Sept.  1896. 
Sir, — We  beg  to  inform  you  that  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  this  Company  have  declared  an 
Interim  Dividend  at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent  per 
annum  (free  of  Income  Tax)  for  the  half-year  end- 
ing 30th  June  last. — Your  obedient  servants, 
LYALL,  ANDERSON  A CO., 
Agents  and  Secretaries  for  Bandarapola  Ceylon 
Company,  Ltd., 
RHEA. 
2,  Victoria  Mansions,  Westminster,  S.W., 
Sept.  11th  1896. 
Df.au  Sir,— I see  that  a great  deal  is  being  made 
of  a report  by  a Mr.  B.  Ribbentrop  Inspector- 
General  of  Forests  for  India,  who  states  that  “ the 
difficulty  of  treating  this  fibre  has  at  last  been  over- 
come by  a Mr.  Gomess." 
Mr.  Ribbentrop  may  be  a very  good  Inspector  of 
Forests,  but  as  an  authority  on  . the  treatment  of 
Rhea  Fibre,  I do  not  think  his  opinion  is  worth 
much.  He  Seems  to  be  under  the  delusion  that  Mr. 
Gomess  is  the  only  person  who  can  degum  Rhea  ; 
as  a matter  of  fact  the  Midlands  Spinning  Com- 
f)any  have  been  employed  degumming  Rhea  for  the 
ast  two  years  at  their  factory  at  Long-Eaton  in  Derby- 
shire and  spinning  the  product  into  yarns,-  which  find 
a ready  market  ; the  process  they  are  using  is  that 
of  Mr.  H.  H.  Boyle,  W'hose  Patents  are  our  pro- 
perty. 
It  is  one  thing  to  treat  Ramie  as  a Laboratory 
experiment,  but  quite  another  to  do  so  on  a com- 
mercial scale. 
But  before  you  can  degum  Ramie  you  have 
to  decorticate  the  stems  so  as  to  remove 
the  fibre — what  then  is  the  use  of  a 
degumming  process  unless  you  can  decorticate  ? Mr. 
Ribbentrop  appears  to  be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Gomess  has  no  decorticator,  how  then  he  suc- 
cessfully treat  the  plant  ? 
The  T5,000  offered  as  a premium  some  time  ago 
by  the  Government  of  India  was  for  a decorticator 
and  not  for  a degumming  process  ; this  premium  was 
withdrawn  because  no  machine  entered  for  competi- 
tion was  equal  to  the  Government's  requirements. 
Several  decorticators  have  since  been  invented  but 
BO  far  as  I know  none  have  been  successful ; to  be 
successful  the  machine  must  not  only  remove  the 
wood  but  also  the  bark  by  the  operation,  this  my 
machine  does,  aud  with  labour  at  6d  per  day  I can 
produce  a ton  fibre  equal  to  China  grass  at  a cost  of 
about  30$  per  ton,  this  machine  has  been  seen  at  work 
by  Mr.  J.  0.  B.  Saunders  of  the  Calcutta  Englisman, 
and  he  was  so  impressed  by  its  va,lue  that  he  coui- 
43 
muuicated  with  the  Indian  Government  with  a view 
to  having  the  offer  of  the  £5,009  premium  revived, 
but  in  the  present  state  of  finances  they  do  not  esc 
their  way  to  do  so. 
I wish  Mr.  Gomess  and  every  other  inventor  of  a 
process  to  degum  the  fibre  every  success;  there  is 
ample  field  for  all  but  I do  most  certainly  object 
to  it  being  given  to  the  world  that  Mr.  Gomess  is 
the  first  to  solve  this  difficult  problem. 
I enclose  you  a report  by  textile  experts  as  to 
my  decorticator  and  Jlr.  Boyle's  degumming  process, 
these  gentlemen  are  not  inspectors  of  forests  but 
they  at  least  carry  as  much  authority  as  experts  on 
Rhea  as  Mr.  Ribbentrop.  These  reports  you  are  at 
liberty  to  print  if  you  wish  to  do  so. 
It  is  self  evident  that  a decorticator  joined  to  an 
efficient  degumming  process  renders  the  process  com- 
plete, but  one  without  the  other  is  useless,  if  Ramio 
fibre  is  to  bo  produced  on  a commercial  scale  and 
at  such  a price  as  to  enable  it  to  compete  with  ex- 
isting fibres. — I am,  dear  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 
J.  M.  MACDONAJ  D,  Managing  Director, 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
Sir, — Will  you  allow  me  once  more  to  ask 
for  your  good  offices  in  the  interests  of  the 
tea  trade  with  America. 
Mr.  Mackenzie  writes  the  results  of  his  in- 
terviews with  the  principal  tea  houses  during 
his  late  trip  to  the  States. 
He  says  that  the  dealer.-i  “ deprecate  our  pack 
ing  more  than  four  kinds  of  tea  for  America, 
and  they  mentioned  the  following  prices:— 15 
cents  (7id),  20  cents  (lOd),  30  cents  (Is  3d),  40 
cents  (ls8d).  They  would  not  taste  or  handle 
teas  running  up  % single  cents  per  Ih.  ; but 
thought  these  prices  most  suitable  for  long  lines 
of  tea.  Life  is  too  short,  is  the  general  com- 
ment on  the  English  market,  with  a thousand 
samples  to  be  tasted  weekly.” 
One  firm  had  “ taken  uj)  those  teas  with 
misgivings  and  hesitation,  but  had  now  great 
faith.” 
From  London  I also  hear  complaints  of  the 
“ small  breaks,  and  innumerable  samples  for 
London  trade  as  well  as  for  America.  It  is 
thought  that  Ceylon  will  have  to  suit  its  teas 
to  what  is  the  universal  demand,  or  lose 
ground.” 
The  same  linn  adds  “ the  number  of  small 
lots  now  off'ering  is  very  confusing  to  buyers, 
and  tends  to  lower  the  average,  and  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  get  a continuous  supply  of  teas  of 
average  quality.  With  these  expressions  of  opi- 
nion from  our  best  friends,  it  is  surely  im- 
politic on  our  part  not  to  try  and  meet  the 
views  of  the  market. — I am,  &c. , 
Sept.  16th.  A.  W.  S.  SACKVILLE. 
INSECT  ENEMIES  OF  TEA. 
Dartry,  Gampola,  Sept.  17. 
Dear  Sir, — I send  you  in  a match-box  some 
poochies  I found  tliis  morning  on  a patch  of  tea, 
the  leaves  of  which  had  been  completely  eaten 
up  by  this  insect. 
If  you  can  tell  me  the  name  of  the  insect  and 
if  it  is  likely  to  become  a scourge,  it  -would 
be  interesting. — Yours  faithfully, 
J.  A.  ROBERTS. 
[Mr.  Staniforth  Green,  to  whom  we  referieil 
the  insects  and  leaves,  writes  : — 
“ The  tea  leaves  sent  to  me  by  Mr.  Roberts  of 
Dartry  estate  have  been  attacked  by  the  same  case- 
bearing caterpillar  as  the  one  described  in  last  night’s 
‘ Times  of  Ceylon,’  under  the  head  of  ‘ Tea  Bushes 
and  Caterpillars.”  With  his  tea  leaves  Mr.  Roberts 
has  sent  seme  finall  dipteious  flies,  bearing  eome 
