THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. I, 1897. 
404 
ing that I was myselt once a planter like them- 
selves out there, fancy that my place is likely a kind 
of amateur engiueerinj place, and not got up on the 
lines, or to anything like the size of ■ Id-established 
premises, whereas in reality I think they would be 
larger than the average of eniiineeriug concerns over 
the cou'itry, and their equipment is complete and 
up-to-date in every respect. I thought therefore that 
if I would let my constituents see that it is not 
altogether with me personally that they are dealing, 
but, that I have a large and intelligent-looking staff 
in charge of the offio'.al and management part of the 
business, as well as an intelligent lot of foremen in 
. the various departments of the works, it would 
likely produce in their minds a feeling of greater 
confidence as to the probability of my turning out 
good machines, than if they thought the whole 
thing was a kind of amateur place, without much 
in the way of a staff of foremen and officials, such 
88, I am glad to say, I am able to show; besides 
which, Ceylon and Indian planters will be interested 
in the photos ©f the men with whom they have to 
deal in connection with my depots in Colombo and 
Calcutta respectively. 
In the introductory remarks that I make, follow- 
ing the photographs, I have confined myself to a 
few important and particular statements, which I 
hope you will find time to look over ; and a pecu- 
liarity in the wording of the catalogue, to wliich I 
would like to call your attention, is ihat a portion 
of the matter is printed in heavy type, and if you 
simply glance down any of the pages, reading only 
the heavy type, you will find that it reads conse- 
cutively, and forms a condensed synopsis of the 
leading features of the body of the descriptive 
matter. 
The first machine shown in the catalogue, which 
refers to the “conveying” of leaf, has of course 
not been worked on any tea estates yet, as it has 
only been employed in Messrs. Gallaher's enormous 
factory in Belfast for conveying tobacco leaf, but, 
as yon will see mentioned in the descriptive matter, 
tobacco leaf being not only very much more delicate 
but a great deal larger and more difficult to deal, 
with than tea leaf, when the apparatus has been 
found very suitable for tobacco, it ought to be still 
more suitable tor tea. 
Then as regards the withering machine, which 
comes next, the difficulty of introducing such a new 
and “revolutionising” process is so great, that it 
has involved a large number of experiments, and I 
am not really pushing for orders for the machine 
yet, because the experiments have not been carried 
out so sufficiently far to satisfy me that the best 
possible results have yet been obtained with the 
machine, but notwitUstanding this, the results show 
already that I can get quite as good a quality of 
tea as that made in the ordinary way, but I am 
still in hopes of being able to produce a higher 
class quality with this machine, and until my 
experiments are absolutely completed in a 
practical way — and which are being carried out under 
the supervision of my own engineers, I am not 
looking for orders as yet, but think it well to include 
the machine in the catalogue now, as its being shown 
will gradually get planters familiarised with the idea 
of effecting the withering of the leaf -by machinery, 
which at present would be too much in the nature 
' of a revolution, for them to think seriously of adopt- 
ing, until their prejudice and conservatism is over- 
come as regards the old routine of manufacture, and 
they are forced in their own interests to adopt the 
latest and most up-to-date systems, when such are 
shewn to produce as good, if not a better quality of 
tea than ordinary manufacture. 
The other machinery illustrated and described in 
the catalogue is already well-knovu) ancl in general 
use on the lea esiates, but amongst the new improve- 
ments which are being applied to my Drying machines, 
you will see particular reference made to the new 
Multitubular Air-heater, of same type as applied in 
the large “Auto-Sirocco”, which has proved such a 
successful macluue, not only as regards the amount 
of work of which it is capable, but also as regards 
the quality of the tea which it turns out, the im- 
provement in which is attributable to the systeru 
of drying applied in the machine. This new Multi 
tubular Air-heater is applicable, in reduced sizesto 
large and small D wndrafts, also to 16 and 20-tray 
Updrafts, and its employment is strongly recom- 
mended as it is more economical in fuel, and its 
air heating capacity is about 30 per cent, greater 
than that of the corresponding size of the vertical- 
flue type, which important advantages more than 
counterbalance the relatively higher price of the 
Multitubular Heater. 
No doubt you will find other features of interest 
in the new catalogue, to which I needed not speciallly 
call your attention, and hoping that you can see 
your way to give a notice of same in your columns, 
and thanking you in anticipation, — I am, dear sirs, 
yours faithfully, S. C DAVIDSON. 
[The catalogue was noticed in our last issue. — E d. 
T.A.l 
LOCUST PESTS IN CEYLON. 
De.\r Silt, — In your notes on this subject, in your 
last issue, you remark that, so far as ex- 
isting records go, no extensive mischief has been 
done by locusts in Ceylon. With the columns of 
Tropical Agriculturist 0 ]}en to receive any information 
on planting subjects, this ought not to be the case. 
As a matter of fact, these insects have at various 
times developed in considerable numbers, and as they 
have apparently no known enemy exc pt, periiaps, 
sudden changes of weather, it is necessary for planters 
in every district to keep a sharp look-out for them. 
I remember finding a single specimen in the Kotmale 
patanas some seventeen years ago, and subsequently 
on several occasions have come across whole broods 
of them in the low-country. In one instance they 
were found in some chena on the borders of a young 
cacao estate ; the vegetation was stripped absolutely 
bare of foliage. I am not sure whether any lantana 
was attacked, but guava trees were stripped to the 
buds, and wild plantains had only their mid-ribs 
left. I killed nearly five hundred locusts : a few 
escaped. Insects that will devour either of these 
plants are not likely to have any objection to feed- 
ing on tea or cacao leaves whenever there is a 
scarcity of the food on which their parent brood 
subsisted. 
About two years ago, on an estate not far from 
the one just referred to, the dadap trees over several 
acres were almost denuded of foliage : the sound 
caused by the falling chips of leaves and the locusts’ 
droppings on the cacao trees beneath was like a 
heavy shower of rain. I was told that an adjoining 
estate Vfas affected in the same way. I have not 
heard it the subsequent brood was destroyed or not. 
So far as I have observed, the insects usually 
breed in illuk grass and the stunted vegetation of 
abandoned coffee fields. To search for their eggs in 
such places w'ould be practically impossible, but the 
destruction of the young locusts in the grass, before 
their wings develop, is an easy matter. If the grass 
is dry, one can set fire to it, but if this remedy 
cannot be applied, the insects can be caught in nets 
or Hessian bags amd crushed on the nearest open space. 
As the locusts when full-grown exude, wlien dis- 
turbed, an acrid yellow froth, birds and lizards will 
not eat them ; the crow perhaps might be an ex- 
ception. The burning off of chena and illook grass 
along estate boundaries would at first sight appear 
to be a good preventive measure : on the other hand 
these are the most convenient places in which to 
search for the insects when laying their eggs or for 
the newly hatched broods. 
As verbal descriptions of insects would convey 
little information to the average planter, and as I 
understand the Director of the Colombo Museum has 
never sufficie nt stocks of these or any o her insect 
pests to supply specimens for general distribution, 
the Government should circulate coloured lithographs 
of any insect pest which appears to be increasiim. — 
Yours faithfully, B.E. 
