334 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. I, 1897. 
$Oi]fi3spond^nc0 
To Ihp, Ed a nr. 
TEA CULTIVATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA, 
U.S., AND THE PROSPECT OF A 
PROTECTION TEA DUTY. 
Summerville, S.C., 13tli August 1897. 
Dear Sir, — I have not received the July num- 
ber of your excellent Tropical Agrindturi.st. I 
fear that it has quite gone to pieces in the mail. 
I recently sent yon the Report on my Tea Farm 
by the Agent of the U.S. Department of Agri- 
culture. The tea-duty must ultimately come and 
then the success of my work will be acknowledged. 
— Yours very truly, 
CHARLES U. SHEPARD 
[The Ceylon tea planters -would not at ail 
object to a moderate import duty by the United 
States Government on tea, as it would far more 
tend to discourage cheap and impure “ Chinas ” and 
“Japans,” than the superior “Indias” and 
“ Ceylons.” There is no need, too, for 
Eastern planters to fear Mr. Shepard’s 
little enterprise ; for all he can do with 
his estate of 700 acres — of which, however, 
only a small area is under tea— with the avail- 
able labour, will be to encourage tea-drinking 
habits among his neighbours and an appreciation 
e.speeially, of really good pure tea, rather than 
to injure the import trade from Ceylon. The 
Report sent us is a very interesting one, and 
will be dealt with later : it is signed by Mr 
‘ Wm. Saunders” — the same worthy officer of 
the Agricultural Department at Washington wdio 
showed us over the offices and gardens during our 
visit in 1884, and who was specially proud of his 
solitary tea bush nourishing in the open air (at 
Washington.) We need scarcely say Mr. Shep- 
ard had not then begun tea planting or we 
should certainly have visited his garden at Pine- 
hurst when we passed through South Carolina. — 
Ed. T.A.] 
“ GAPES ” IN CHICKENS : A REMEDY 
WANTED. 
Sept. 8. 
Dear Sir,— I shall feel greatly obliged if either 
you or one of your many readers could give me 
a cure for “ gapes ” in young chickens I have 
lost a number of quite young chickens, about a 
month old from this. I should be most glad to 
know the cause and cure. — Yours faithfully, 
“AMATEUR.” 
[An experienced Head Servant advises : — “Mix 
saffron and sulphur well together and rub 
thoroughly about the heacl,” &c. — Ed. T.A.'\ 
COCONUTS AND COPRA. 
Dear Sir, — The question whether it is wiser 
to sell coconuts or to convert them into copra- 
does not offer the same difficulties as beset con, 
sideration of the advantages and disadvantages 
of the sale of tea locally and of shipment to 
England. For one thing, the fluctuations in ex- 
change do not enter into the calculation, and 
then the rise or fall in the price of the article be- 
tween the shipment and the date of the London 
sale, is excluded. Whatever millowners may have 
done when the Desiccating industry was in its 
infancy, they now recognise the fact that the 
price of oil is the chief factor in determining the 
price of copra, and through it of nuts ; and they 
regulate their oflers for nuts accordingly. Not 
only so, but they discount the advantage they 
dofl'er of quicker returns to the extent of fixing 
prices which have induced proprietors who are 
in no urgent need of cash to convert their nuts 
into copra, though the Desiccating mills are 
nearer to them than the oil mills ; while needy 
holders have preferred to give the nuts they had 
unwisely carted to the mills without prior arrange- 
ment, at a loss, rather than cany them back for 
conversion into copra. 
It is for these reasons I said in a few lines I 
sent you last week that estates at a distance 
from Colombo should certainly send down copra 
to Colombo rather than nuts. Of course, I mean, 
as a rule, and under present circumstances when 
the supply of nuts is ample for all needs — for 
the slack demand for oil and also for Desiccating 
mills working full time. If the supply fall ra- 
ther short of the demand, or is only just equal 
to it, competition may disturb the tine calcula- 
tion in prices which is now' pr.actised and which 
may yet induce me to convert my crops into copra 
though I am not far from Colombo, though I 
have generally preferred to sell nuts, and though I 
have benefited more from the sale of nuts tlian 
of copra, and though, like a burnt child, I dread 
fire. When distant estates are requisitioned foe 
nuts, I rejoice, as I know they are getting to 
be scarce in, and 
NEAR COLOMBO. 
CASTOR OIL AND SUNFLOWER OIL. 
Sherwood, Haputale, Sept. 13, 1897. 
Dear Sir, — I see there is an article in your 
T. A. magazine for August on the cultivation of 
castor oil and sunllow-er seed for their oils. 
Could not both these be grown to advantage 
in this island where they abound in the wild state ? 
Is there any difficulty in extracting the oils for 
commerce ? — I am, sir, yours sincerely, 
PLANTER. 
[We do nob know that any systematic attempt 
has ever been made to extract the above oils in 
Ceylon ; but the natives in the case of castor oil 
prepare a good deal for their own use after a primi- 
tive fashion, and we do not see why there should 
not be success in a big experiment ; the native 
checku could, we think, be utilized for the expres- 
sing of castor oil. — Cultivation of both is a simple 
matter, though good or manured soil would be 
required. — Ed. T.A.] 
TEA PREPARATION AND MACHINERY. 
Central Province, Sept. 18. 
Dear Sir, — You ask the opinion of experienced 
Factory Managers in Ceylon on “ Engineer’s ” letter 
of 4th Sept, in IncHan Planters’ Gazette on his 
remark : “ a properly equipped withering-house 
should turn out the leaf at a given hour, let it be 
web or dry.” No doubt, that is the point to aim at ; 
but there are precious few factories in Ceylon any 
more than in India that can meet this requirement. 
There is precious little control over the withering 
and that is why there is so much Sunday work. 
With reference to this same letter I should like 
to know' “how many Ceylon planters have got 
Jackson’s Rapids or Brow'n’s Triple-action Rollers 
with their tops ofl and 2 feet .added to depth 
of box and fitted up with circular battens? ” 
Davidson’s Roller meets this requirement to have 
leaf beautifully rolled and still keep leaf quite 
cool. — Yours truly, ESTATE TROTTER. 
