THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. 2, 1897. 
tities of fat extracted, ot of sugar and starch added, 
and in the nature of this last ingredient. Flavour- 
ine material, such as vanilla and spices, U used ac- 
cordirg to the taste of each maker, thus giving rise 
trmihor distinctions. With regard to the ‘ essence 
the removal of the fat, besides giving facility of 
maninulation, has the further advantage of render- 
ing them somewhat more easily digestible, too much 
fat being prejudicial to proper assimilation. Blost 
^deal in soap, but it will probably surprise 
them to learn that they may bo selling a notab, e 
quantity of that detergent whenever they hand over 
the counter a pound of cocoa to a customei. Ye. 
it is a fact that some kinds of cocoa do contain 
quite appreciable amounts of soap. It is not added 
Tan ^dnilterant, but arises thus: The fat. which 
remains even in the cocoa essences is sufficient to 
ntve visibly oily drops on the surface of tne hquid 
when the beverage is prepared. To prevent this un- 
^tffiffig appel^rance the cocoa in some cases is 
ti^eated with*^ alkali, which combines with the fat- 
acids to form a soap. The latter dissolves in the 
S water, and. so does not show on the surface as 
the oily globules would. 
A COMPAMSION WITH Tea.— ‘'Cocoa is correctly re- 
counted ” aicording to the Grocer, “ as being more 
nXitious than tea, but no doubt the great difference in 
the ‘thickness’ of the two beverages tends to unduly 
Saogerate this idea. It should be remembered, how- 
Ive?,®that the greater density of cocoa-emulsion is 
mainly due to starch, sugar, and fat, which are all 
Heat nroducers. The percentage of albuminoids in 
cocoa powder is really but little higher than in tea. 
Of course for each cup of beverage drunk a laigei 
quantity of cocoa is taken into the system than is 
the casi with tea, and therefore a greater amount 
S albuminoids; but, on the other hand, something 
liVp HO or 40 per cent, of the total nitrogenous food 
present in cocoa is quite indigestible. The cacao-butter 
expressed from the mbs is a valuable bye-product 
much used for pharmaceutical preparations and the 
Sore expensive kinds of soap. In Germany the 
husk themselves are used to prepare a beverage, 
tea ’ which is an infusion of the husks made 
and drunk hke ordinary tea.-ZA .C F. J/m7, June 4 
A KEW PATENT TEA BCJLKING AND 
blending machine. 
We hear that a well-known Manager has just 
invented what is described as a splendid Bulk- 
ing and Blending Machine. The invention came 
On receYp\ ofa circular from home lately to the 
effect that all hulking was to be done under Euro- 
peL supervision, and not being provided with the 
bronchial tubes of the elepliant, and being of a de- 
cidedly asthmatical temiierament, I was aftei 
Sm ^nearly choked with tluli -compelled of ne- 
^^ssity to invent a machine ivhich you wil be 
Mad to bear is, so far, a decided success, thus 
addin- another proof in support o our creed of 
Cure" machine-made Ceylon Tea.’ When one 
Jes the tearaaker changing the bulking coolies 
Cin- to the perspiration breaking out even on 
them" and you begin to wheeite like the steam 
c Lt of an engine, it is time, I say, to think 
£t inventing a machine, and I think I have 
irHovci-v thiim we ivant now', and wlien com- 
£ed it w^ill be a bulking, blending, final tiring, 
LC nackin- machine. The ‘ Vortex ’, w'lth the 
, of alirtle elevator to raise the tea, will most 
SitllC bulk 7,0001b.. and 8,0001b. per hour 
I Cs s/ pleased with it the other day, I felt 
myself singing :-y 
No more inhaling of iliitt 
No bathing in perspiration. 
The Dorey is always up to snutt. 
Give him beer and good respiration. 
COST OF LIVING FOR A PLANTER 
ON A ‘oOCTH INDIA PLANTATION. 
I have been greatly interested in several letters in 
the laot few numbers of the P. O.” from planters, 
giving statements of their monthly expenses. “ Ex- 
Creeper” seems to have lived in an exceedingly cheap 
district, and I congratulate him on his economical 
living though I am afraid I cannot do the same to 
‘‘ Indigo Assistant.” The following is a statement 
of my actual necessary monthly expenditure, and I 
think it is a fair statement of the usual expenses of 
superintendents in my district : — 
Some may consider a chokra an unnecessary servant 
and under ordinary circumstances, I think, he is, but 
I happen to live in a district when there are a number 
of neighbours, and thereby having many visitors, I 
find a chokra iudispensable. Bazaar account includes 
fresh niuitou (twice a week), fow s, vegetables, sugar 
and salt for cooking purposes, bread and oil. My 
present income is, I may state, only just over RlOO 
per mensem. The balance goes to c'ub subscription, 
medicines, bungalow and toilet necessities, clothes, 
boots, stationary, &c. A young planter can live com- 
fortably on RlOO per mensem, but on less it is only 
existence. I quite agree with “ Indian Planter" that 
planters are very badly paid (as a rule). My life 
as a planter is a very pleasant one, and I should not 
like to change it ; at the same time, under present 
circumstances, I am really only vegetating. How is 
a man to save say even KlOO: or at least how long will 
it take him to save it, on RlOO or R83 a month ? 
"Home” seems a long way off, does it not ? And pros- 
pects look very black at present. However, let us 
hope that next year crops will improve, and that 
the prospects and pay of superintendents will likewise 
improve. — Yours faithfully. A Coffee Planter. 
— Plantinrj Oinnion, June 12. 
The Madras Agricul'I'Ural Chemist,— Says 
tl'.e Madras Mail, there is a concise and work- 
manlike ascept about the Report of the Agricul- 
tural Cliemist for the year 1896-97 which show's 
that Dr. Walter Leather has not during his 
few years of office been much affected by Indian 
Secretariat notions of what such documents 
should be like. It covers only eight pages of print, 
yet it contains an excellent summary of his 
year’s work and some very lucid comments on 
various points of importance. His five tours 
during the year were chiefly occupied in 
the in spection of Agricultural classes and 
the investigation of sugar-cane cultivation iu 
different parts of India. His time at head- 
quarters was chiefly spent in conducting analyses 
and answering references for advice from many 
iqaarters. The chemical examination of Indian 
soils was also pushed on during the year and is 
now approaching completion. The enquiry com- 
prises about 89 different varieties supplied by 
Loc'al Government and w'ill be of the highest 
importance when linislied. At the same time it 
cannot, as Dr. Leather remarks, be considered 
to deal exhaustively w'itli the soils of an Empire 
so large as India : indeed the object aimed at 
is merely to show the chemical composition of 
some of the main types of Indian soils. Dr. 
Leather quotes as an example illustrating the 
value of chemical analysis in relation to soils 
the details of an examination of three samples 
from one of the Debra Dun Forests which clearly 
proved why young growth flourished well in 
some places and not at all iu others. On the 
other hand, he quotes examples showing that 
the value of mere analysis limited and that the 
conditions of climate, the lie of the land, its 
water-supply and drainage form most important 
factors. 
