THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
IJan. I, 1898 
48? 
shot promiscuously into a large revolving Grizzley 
■which arrests and throws out anything that will 
not pass between bars 1 inch apart. The clay is 
broken up and washed through the bars and this, 
with the gravel and fine sand, passes on to a pud- 
dling machine which reduces the clay and washes it 
and the sand out together. 
The washed gravel is then elevated by means of a 
bucket elevator to a classifier, which screens it into 
eight sizes, ranging from J-in. to|-in.; and each size 
is then fed by a band elevator into a special sepa- 
rator, which, by means of a current of water, auto- 
matically selects the gems and gold, their specific 
gravity being slightly higher than that of the worth- 
less gravel, and discharges the latter into the tailings 
shoot, which convoys it away to the dump. The 
Gems and Gold are deposited in locked receptacles, 
from which they may be removed from time to 
time by an authorized person holding the keys. The 
main object to be accomplished is to perform all the 
above operations automatically, and without possi- 
bility of theft during the passage of the gravel 
through the plant, the difficulty of preventing 
theft of so small and valuable a product hav- 
ing hitherto been an insurmountable obstacle to 
the successful washing of gem-bearing gravels on a 
commercial scale. It will be noticed that the gravel 
3annot be seen, nor a handful of it in any way ob- 
tained, throughout the entire series of operations 
until the Gems are safely deposited under lock and 
key and the gravel finally discharged. 
The weight of the plant is about 20 tons, and it is 
erected on a steel gantry, which requires only a few 
logs of rough timber as foundation. It is made in 
small parts for easy transport, and can be dismantled 
and re-erected when necessary, without skilled labour 
The cost without driving-powere is about HI, 500, and 
the plant shown is being driven by a small 6 H.P 
engine. Water-power is applicable, if available, for 
driving and, with this advantage, that the tail-water 
from the motor may be used again in the washing 
plant. The machinery at Westbourne Park is working 
with only about 1,000 gallons of water, pumped round 
and round by a small auxiliary engine. In most 
cases a supply of water will be available from a 
local source, so that the return of the water in this 
way will seldom be necessary. As the plant is auto- 
matic and one man can take charge of several plants, 
the working expenses are extremely low. 
The machinery shown is suitable for Diamonds, 
alluvial Gold and other minerals in coarse sizes. Plant 
to deal with crushings from rolls or stamp-batteries 
is built on the same principle with same necessary 
modificsHions, the Grizzley and puddling-machine 
being dispensed with. For the ores of lead, tin, zinc, 
copper, and the like, it has special advantages, and is 
particularly suitable for tender ores such as Cinnabar. 
— November 1897. 
CEYLON AND CHINA TEAS. 
Mr. Thos. Pairhurst, the well-known merchant of 
Foochow, and Ceylon estate proprietor, who left by 
the homeward bound mail steamer “Valetta” has 
stated to a representative of your cr n temporary that 
when China teas were made in the European fashion 
the leaf did not seem to answer. Jt was neither 
China tea, nor Ceylon, nor Assam ; and he drd not 
think it was going to be a success. Experiments had 
not been made on a large scale, howevn-, and Mr, 
Fairhurst said they were trying to enlarge ihe Foochow 
Tea Improvement Company, in order to see if they 
could not extend operations. He does not think 
that success is at all likely, because from his obser- 
vations the leaf does not seem to answer made up 
in the Ceylon way. It produced a very good looking 
tea, but there was no flavour in it. 
In his opinion it would be along t'me yet before 
a new style of China tea is ready to compete with 
Ceylon. 
He did not think China looked like resuscitating 
her tea trade to the danger of the Ceylon trade ? 
“ Is not a good deal of your China, made tea 
green ?’ He was asked and ho replied : — “Only 
about ten per cent, and they do not seem to care 
much for it in America, or anywhere else as far as 
I can see. I believe people here at one time feared 
competition with China, but now. my impression, 
after spending a fortnight in Ceylon, is that they 
do not think there is anything in it. The fact is 
that as the output of teas like those made in Ceyloa 
goes on increasing ours must proportionately de- 
crease.” With regard to the Straits he said that 
it struck him Liberian coffee was going to be a big 
success in spite of the white ants and other troubles. 
It was only a question of what price it would realise. 
It would grow well enough and it was only a ques- 
tion as to whether it would command a price to 
secure a big profit. 
THE “ANNATTO” INDUSTRY AND 
OTHER MINOR PRODUCTS IN CEYLON. 
The high ])rice.s paid for the seed of Bixa 
Orellana by one who is known to be tlie largest 
grower of the dye in the island, and the only 
exporter of the manufaclured article, has attracted 
attention. Planters will now think, that after 
all, annatto is a paying product and that it was 
a great mistake to destroy the trees in some 
instances to make room for tea. The same 
might be s.aid of croton oil seed which of late 
has been fetching high prices in the home 
market. Vanilla also comes under the same 
category ; so do cardamoms. But let the cause 
of this sudden rise be carefully considered, before 
any one embarks in the re cultivation of these 
prod^’ets on an extensive scale. Two ye.ars back 
annatto seed was locally obtained at 10 cents a 
lb., and croton R6 per cwt.— not because there 
was no demand for them at that time, but 
rather because the output from different ’parts 
of the island was then much greater than it is 
now. The present prices will keep up as long 
as the present output is not exceeded and it 
must he borne in mind that the world’s demand 
for these minor products is very limited. 
— . 
TEA IN FORMOSA. 
Tamsui, Nov. 20. 
The tea season in Formo.sa has closed. The 
total jirodaction runs about 4.30,000 half-chests 
which is about tiie same as last year. The duty 
question in America disturbed the market con- 
siderably and it is reported that there have been 
some heavy losses in consequence. Japanese as 
yet have made no serious attempt to enter the tea 
business either as planters, packers, or exporters, 
with the single exception of one company which 
packed some 12,000 half-chests and exported via 
Kelung and Japan some 800 half chests to America. 
The J apanese Government rendered great a.«sistance 
in officially endorsing a movement made by the mer- 
chants to prevent the export of impure teas. It has 
been the custom of an occa.sional unscrupulous 
Chinese dealer to impurl inferior Amoy teas, mix 
them with Formo,s.a’s, and then export the product 
as puie Formosa oolong, also to add extraneous 
matter to Formosa. But tire Government has now 
invested a committee consisting of three foreign 
merchants and four Cliinese merchants wdth the 
authority to confi.scate and bui n all such leas found 
on themarket, while the salesman of the same will 
be fined a sum double tlio .amount he has named as 
the value of the teas. Several seizures of spurious 
teas were made during the season and it is quite 
reasonable to believe that there will be but few at- 
tempts made to disposeoffal.se goods on this market 
during the coming season ,— Overland Trade 
Eeport, Dec. 2. 
