778 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIS  P.  [May  i,  1897. 
In  the  reply,  marked  60,  Jigures  are  given 
showing  tlie  eliect  of  manure  upon  dill'erent 
plots  of  old  cotJee  land  65  years  old  now  in  tea. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
per  aero 
lb. 
Before  Manuring 
201 
304 
143 
188 
305 
After  Manuring 
-125 
720 
310 
317 
037 
The  writer  states  that  “ tlie  experimental  liand- 
ling  of  artilicial  manures  has  given  castorcake  and 
crushed  bone  the  laurels  and  realized  nearly  lUU 
per  cent  increase.”  Tliis,  liowever,  is  only  the 
gross  increase  and  we  should  like  to  have  the 
nett  value  of  the  increased  yield  of  tea,  also  the 
cost  of  the  application  of  the  manure  before  de- 
ciding whether  to  repeat  the  dressing  the  next 
season.  These  experiments  are  very  useful,  so  far 
as  they  go ; but  for  general  guidance  and  to 
afford  practical  information,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  furnish  further  details.  The  composition  of 
made  tea  naturally  varies  considerably:  in  the 
iirst  Hush  and  young  leaf  there  is  more  potash 
and  phrosphoric  acid  with  but  little  lime : but 
as  the  leaf  becomes  older  and  larger  as  well  as 
coarser,  the  ligures  for  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid  decline,  while  those  fi>r  lime  increase.  Ac- 
cording to  the  writer’s  analyses  500  lb.  Ceylon 
pekoe  souchong  removes  : — 
Organic  Matters  . . 441  lb. 
Mineral  Matters  . . 29  ,, 
The  organic  matter  includes  19i  lb.  of  nitrogen, 
while  the  mineral  matters  include  1 1 lb.  potash, 
4 lb.  i)hosphoric  acid  and  3 11).  lime. 
These  ligures  indicate  the  importance  of  bulky 
organic  matter  containing  about  4 per  cent  of 
nitrogen  and  5 per  cent  mineral  matter.  Hence 
the  various  kinds  of  crushed  cakes  naturally 
suiiply  a manure  specially  adapted  to  the  require- 
ments of  tea.  If  the  freight  would  permit,  it 
would  be  possible  to  send  an  excellent  specially 
com])ounded  manure  direct  from  this  country, 
and  thus  do  away  with  the  chance  of  local  adul- 
teration. To  some  extent  this  has  already  been 
clone  by  planters  who  reside  at  home,  and  as 
several  subsequent  .shipments  have  been  made,  the 
crop  results  extending  over  three  years  may  fairly 
be  assume<l  to  be  satisfac  ory,  15ut  in  pieparing 
any  such  special  manures,  it  is  essential,  lirst  of  all 
to  ascertain  what  the  soil  already  can  supply  itself, 
and  in  what  respect  it  requires  assistance;  other- 
wise the  manures  cannot  be  expected  to  be  econo- 
mical. 
If  the  Hail  way  authorities  would  enlarge  the 
statement  of  their  trallic  returns  and  arrange  that 
the  quantities  of  bone  meal,  crushed  cake,  dried 
fish  guano,  superphosphate,  chemical  manures  and 
nitrates  were  separately  tabulated,  very  valuable 
information  would  be  afforded  to  owners  and 
managers  of  estates,  as  well  as  to  those  interested 
in  the  sale  oi  such  materials. — John  Hughes,  &c.. 
District  Agricultural  Analyst  for  Herefordshire  An- 
alytical Laboratory,  79,  Mark  Lane,  London.  E.  C. 

The  Indian  Tea  Industry  : Proposed  Cen- 
tral Heoruitino  Agency.— A meeting  of  re- 
presentatives of  the  Tea  Agency  Houses  was 
lield  at  the  Hengal  Chamber  ot  Commerce 
Hooms,  Iloyal  Exchange,  to  consider  a scheme 
for  the  formation  of  a Central  Hocruiting 
Agency.  There  was  a good  atlcmlance,  and 
the  Hon’ble  Mr.  Playfair  ocri;,.iod  the  chair. 
The  Chairman  stated,  among  other  things,  that 
the  “annual  outlay  for  importing  labour  the 
Cliamber  of  Commerce  estimate  at  H45  lakhs.” 
— Prodigious  114,500,000  !- and  this  amount,  we 
take  it,  not  in  “ advance.s”  to  be  recovered, 
but  all  irrecoverable. 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
The  Proceedings  oe  the  Agri- Horticul- 
tural Society  oe  M.vdras  for  the  last  quarter 
1890.  This  isno  temporary  body,  but  an  established 
institution  of  02  year-s’  standing.  We  note  that 
H.E.  Sir  Arthur  Havelock  is  its  present  Pre- 
sident. As  might  be  expected,  the.se  proceedings 
show  that  a good  deal  ofimjior  taut  work  of  a special 
character  is  lieing  done  and  we  can  only  regret 
that  we  have  no  similar  institution  in  Ceylon 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  Agri- Horticulture 
in  the  Colony  in  a thoroughly  busine.s.s-like  way. 
Tea  Culture  in  MAurm'iu.s.— We  are  pleased 
to  receive  a letter  from  an  old  Ceylon  planter 
with  varied  travelling  experience  like  Mr.  h H. 
Edwards.  A rumour,  indeed,  had  reached  Cey- 
lon of  his  death  and  talking  of  coincidences, 
only  yesterday  did  a Colombo  merchant  remark 
to  us  on  his  final  disappearance,  and  liehold, 
this  morning’s  post  shows  that  he  (Mr.  Edwards) 
is  still  in  the  land  of  the  living,  while  he  reports 
anotlier  ex-Ceylon  planter,  Mr.  Cor  on,  as  very 
sanguine  of  the  siicce.ss  of  tea  culture  in  the  sugar 
island.  We  should  have  suppo.sed  that  “ sugar  ” 
would  ))ay  too  well  in  a silver-using  Colony  to  make 
it  worth  while  to  go  after  tea  ; but  tlie  growth 
of  a certain  (luaniity  ot  leaf  [for  local  sale  and 
consumption  ought  to  be  prolitable. — As  for  Mau- 
ritius rivalling  Ceylon, — pooh  ! 
The  U.alukoi.a  Tea  Co.vipany,  Li.mited,  may 
be  congratulated  upon  their  happy  idea  repre- 
sented by  the  very  l.andsome  anil  taking  Tin 
which  they  are  issuing  in  commemoration  of  Her 
Majesty  the  (Queen’s  record  reign.  It  represents 
a golden  .sovereign,  is  about  ten  inches  across 
and  U inches  deep.  The  die  is  most  excellently 
well  cut,  and  faithfully  reproduce, s the  co  in.  The 
metal  is  the  very  finest  steel  plate  ; this  wa.s 
found  necessary  to  stand  the  tremendous  jires- 
sure  of  20  tons  in  the  hydraulic  pre.ss  in  which 
the  ligure  of  the  (Queen’s  head  is  embossed.  The 
work  is  executed  by  the  foremost  English  firm 
in  this  class  of  work,  and  the  result  does  them 
the  greatest  credit.  The  tin,  (illetl  wdth  tea, 
retails  at  2s,  and  will  make  an  attractive  win. 
dow  show.  Over  30,000  of  these  tins  have  already 
been  sold. — Grocers'  Journal,  .March  20. 
Mkthyl.u’Ei)  Spirit  in  India.— The  quantity  of 
spirit  methylated  in  Bengal  last  year  shows  a con- 
siderable increase  In  J 894-5  it  was  51,282  gallons  • 
in  1895-C  59,854  gallons.  Methylated  spirits  are,  of 
course  professedly  imported  or  prepared  for  use  in 
arts  and  manufactures  and  in  chemistry,  and  in  this 
idea  the  duty  thereon  is  fixed  at  a low  rate  of  5 
ger  cent.,  ad  valorem.  It  has  lately  been  shown, 
owever,  that  spirit  metliylated  with  wood-naphtha 
can  be  manipulated  into  .a  diinkable  spirit,  and  the 
Bengal  administration  have  therefore  taken  under 
consideration  a scheme  for  denaturing  the  spirit  in 
a more  effective  way.  The  medium  with  which  the 
spirit  is  to  be  rendered  “ completely  and  permanently 
unfit  for  human  consumption  ” is  “ caoulchoucine  ” 
with  which  it  is  to  be  mixed.  A horrible  sort  of 
eau-de-Cologne  used  once  upon  a time  to  be  made  in 
Calcutta.  It  was  done  npia  bottles  imitative  of  the 
well-known  bottles  of  the  celebrated  *•  Farina,’’  and 
the  l.idy  new-comer  to  India',  inexperienced  in  the 
boxwallah’s  wares,  was  liable  to  think  that  she  had 
picked  up  a bargain  indeed— until  she  tried  the  “ per- 
fume " upon  her  pocket-handkerchief.  This  conntrv- 
made  eau-de-Cologne,  the  luanufacturo  of  which  was 
formerly  carried  on  to  a large  extent  in  Backorgunge, 
was  prepared  w’ith  spirit  made  from  wood-naphtha  ; 
but,  luckily,  the  manufacture  of  the  indigenous  eau* 
tle-Cologne  has  almost  ceased,  and  it  is  not  thought 
worth  while  to  make  it  a special  malter.— CAe/aLl  a/i.f 
Dmggist,  March  20. 
