J'EB. I, 1898.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
57 ‘ 
IMPROVED TEA MACHINERY. 
In oar issue of December 3rJ we referred to Mr. 
S. C. Davidson’s exhibit of a working model of his 
new patent “ Sirocco ” Tea Roller at 12 J, Bishops- 
gate Street, G.O., and since then he his sent us 
copies of three additional testimonials as to the 
practical working of those machines which he has 
received — two from Ceylon and one from India. 
Although the machines to which these testimonials 
refer have only been at work during the past season 
the testimony in their favor which we quoie will be 
of interest to our readers, as in each instance the 
machines have been in use a suificient time to tho- 
roughly test their working capabilities. The testi- 
monials are as follows : — '• From J. Armitage Ogden, 
Esq. Eirklees Estate, Udapussellawa, Ceylon, Nov- 
ember 1897. I have used the Sirocco Roller for the 
last two months, and am much pleased with it. It 
takes very little power to drive, keeps the leaf cool, 
and rolls more evenly than any Roller I have seen, 
A very strong point, I consider, is the small quan- 
tity of broken- tea, and even with dry, over-withered 
leaf the proportion of broken tea is very small, and 
I have no hesitation in recommending any one to 
use it, particularly where short of power. The fac- 
tory coolies like it because it requires no attention 
whilst working, and is easy to fill, and no trouble 
to clean after work.” 
“ From W. R, Waller, Esq., Poyston Estate, 
Dikoya, Ceylon, November 19th, 1897. I am very well 
pleased with the work the Sirocco Roller does. It works 
easily with little or no attention, and certainly does 
not take more than 2 H.P. to drive it. It makes a 
good wiry tea, well twisted, tippy, and I find less 
choppy than other rollers, I think the pressure frois 
the ploughs inside, combined with weight of tea, 
quite sufficient. My teas have been valued and sold 
for more since I used this roller.” 
“Fron Henry Weir, Esq., Kallme Estate, Cachar 
India, November 22nd, 1897. Davidsjn’s Sirocco 
Roller is doing very good work indeed ”, we may 
also mention that Mr. M. Kelway Bamber who is 
already well-known to tea planters as an authority 
upon all matters touching the manufacture of tea, 
was amongst Mr. Davidson’s visitors when he was 
showing the model of his roller in London at the 
above address, and Mr. Bamber has since then ex- 
pressed it as his opinion that the rolling motion given 
to the leaf in this machine, and the coolness which 
is at the same time maintained in the leaf uring the 
rolling process, could scarcely be surpassed, while 
the machine itself is a combination of strength and 
cleanliness, with evidently a great economy of power. 
Mr. Bamber further stated that, after having carefully 
perused Mr. Davidson’s new catalogue, he considers 
that in the machines now illustrated and described for 
the first time, and also in the older machines, with 
the improvements which Mr. Davidson has lately 
made on some of them, the several, chemical and 
other requirements for the manufacture of good tea 
rea eminently combined. — H. <£• 0. Mail Dec. 31st. 
RAMIE FIBRE MACHINERY AND 
PROSPECTS. 
London, Jan. 7. 
Yesterday I was fortunate enough to catch 
MR. J, M. MACDONALD, 
of Ramie fame, at his office in Victoria Street, 
Westminster — one of a suite of comfortable offices 
tenanted by Messrs. MacDonald, Boyle & Co., 
engineers, and Boyle Fibre Syndicate. Mr. Mac- 
Donald was in excellent spirits, and spoke most 
hopefully of the prospects of liis decorticating 
experiments, and of ..their probable outcome. 
He will remain in London until late in April, 
when he intends to start for Jbhore to super- 
intend the operations in ramie preparation for 
which, as . you are aware, arraugements have 
already been entered into. “ A number of 
enquiries,” said Mr, MacDonald, “ have been 
made here since I arrived in England with re- 
ference to the machinery for decorticating, and 
several Ceylon planters have called on me. One 
machine has already been got ready for almost 
immediate dispatch to Ceylon, to the order of 
Mr. J. Manley Power, who intends to use it for 
experimental purposes on. 
BON ACCORD ESTATE, BO GAWANTALAWA. 
I believe Mr. Manley Power purposes 
to try ramie at first over an aiea of 
about seven acres. The machine is to be sent 
through our agents, Me.ssrs. Lee, Hedges & Co., 
and while 1 am on my Johore trip I shall pay a 
visit to Ceylon in order to superintend affairs 
oonnected with the decorticating experiment. I 
am due to arrive in Johore about the middle of 
Slay, and 1 propose to stay a week in Ceylon.” 
Conversing on the subject of ramie cultivation 
generally, Mr. MacDonald spoke of what is 
being done in Jamaica, and referred me to 
the last-arrived issue of the Jamaica Daily News 
Letter, in which has given an interesting account 
of the steps that are being taken to begin the 
cultivation and preparation of ramie on a large 
scala. 
“ JAMAICA ISN'T IN IT WITH CEYLON, 
to my mind,” said Mr. MacDonald ; “ Ceylon 
could, I think, do very much better than the 
Jamaicans.” It seems that H.E. the Governor 
of Jamaica has given the Jamaica Fibre Com- 
pany, which has been recently formed, his blessing, 
a,t the same time pointing out “the danger of the 
policy of letting any particular industry absorb 
or monopolise to too great an extent the effort 
and energy of the enterprising agriculturist.” 
According 10 the editor of the Jamaica Newe Letter, 
who has a leading article on the subject, the result 
ot enquiries made of a large number of people 
whose names were obtained fi-om the Botanical 
Department is that in most of the parishes of 
the island ramie will thrive. Nine-tenuhs of the 
replies sliowed that very little care was taken 
in the cultivation, yet four crops were obtained 
in the year. Then we come to the Jamaica 
figures. It is estimated that an acre of ramie 
will give four cuttings per annum, 40 tons of 
green stems. “ which green stems would be worth 
to a Central Factory 10/ a ton. An acre would, 
therefore, yield £20, less the expenses for cutting, 
which are estimated to be £9.” In order that 
the planters may figure out the correctness of 
this it is stated that “ one man, working 300 
days a year, can cut the produce of two acres, 
and the cost of Iibour has been estimated at 
Is 3d per day.” It is mentioned that an offer 
has been received from the Midlands Spinning 
Company (England) of £42 a ton for all filasse 
that the Company produce in the next five 
years. 
THE RAGALLA TEA ESTATES, LTD. 
The Third Annual General Meeting of Share, 
holders was held at the Offices of the Company, 39 
Lime Street, London, B, C., on 'Tuesday, 4th Jan., Mr. 
C. E. Strachan, presiding 
After the notice convening the Meeting had been 
read, the Chairman, in moving the adoption of the 
Report and Accounts, said.— The Report and Accounts 
have been in your hands for some days, and I pre- 
sume you will take them as read, but you will, no 
doubt, expect to hear something from me about the 
past season’s working and our prospects. You will 
see that we are un^ie to pay a further dividend 
on the Ordinary Shares, and I am sure you all feel 
disappoiuted, but certainly not more so than your 
Directors, who own a very large number of Shares 
in the Company, Circumstances have, unfortunately. 
