July i, i8c)v .] 
iHF TROPICAL AQRICULTUmST, 
51 
$oiitiesponij^no0, 
- ■ ♦ 
To iht Editor, 
FOR CEYLON TEA PLANTERS. 
London, E.O., May ist. 
£)BiB Sib, — The enolo ed figures have only just 
been issued — too late lot our oiroular. We therefore 
send them to you that you may publieh them if 
you think fit, 
M*rkei drooped on Thursday. What a pily it 
Is that planters cannot bo induced to make larger 
breaks? This is a most important matter, and 
afiects the market far more than can bo understood. 
Many a buyer will purchase .500 chests of tea if in 
•even or eig/tt lota and think nothing of it. Put 
the same quantity into twenty lota and ho fancies 
he has bought an aicfiil lot of tea ; be baa a long 
list instead of a short one and a crowd of samples 
instead of only a few — in addition to which the 
work entailed in selling the twenty lots is three 
or four times as great as in selling only six or 
seven. Cannot you use your powerful influence to 
help the Ceylon tea trade in this important matter? 
Quality. — We are very sorry to note, in valuing 
teas lor next Thursday's sale, a further falling ofl. — 
We are, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
GOW, WILSON & STANTON. 
Mokthly StatisIMcs, Atkil 1891. 
let May 191. 
Movemrutttin lb.) of Indian and Ceylon Tea during 
April 1891. April 1890. 
Indian Ceylon Indian Ceylon 
“porta 9,S8l,2f,S 5,941,264 4 214,772 3, 40.9, 932 
Delivery 8,0«1.042 3,949 242 5,1.5.5,941 1,334,678 
Stock 33,181,317 13,778,742 41,527,938 10,643,190 
Movementa (in lb.) of Indian and Ceylon Tea from 
lat June to SOth April latJune 1889 to 30tli 
1891. April 1890. 
Indian Ceylon Indian Ceylon 
Importa 99,6 6,189 42,92,5,900 100,598,280 30,179,162 
Dalivetlea 93,924,6.54 38,037,432 86,676,840 26,927,060 
kola and its PREPARATIONS, 
London F. C. May let. 
Sib, — I f the reports of the experiments made at 
Aldershot by Horace Manders, r n. o. s., have not 
already been published I think many of your readers 
would find them interesting. 
gentleman initiated the experiments for the 
,^ 1 ? j?!?®iiiiii®ut and after carefully examining 
all the diuerent forme of kola m my warehouse 
selected a certain quantity of each form for trial, 
amongst others a certain quantity of the pure 
kola powder. Aa we cannot at present give you 
fi. . experiments, Bufiice it to say 
that the kola powder surpassed all other forms 
ID sustaining properties. 
On Wednesday morning the experiment oommen- 
oed and continued till the following Saturday night. 
Each morning a teaspoonful of kola powder was 
taken in hot water and IJ ounce dry rusk during 
the day. Mr. Manders found that he suffered no 
inoonvenienoe whatever from hunger or thirst and 
he strongly recommends the use of kola on all 
expeditioQey etc* 
to this series of experiments we have been 
enabled to decide that a teaspoonful of dry kola 
equal to J oz. is quite sufiioient to take during 
8 
- ■ ■ - 5=gS=gBSBa8K. 
12 or even 24 hours. At the advice of Mr. 
Manders we prepared a kola wine and bitters ; 
these he pronounced entirely satisfactory. We were 
fortunate enough to obtain the heany co-operation 
of one of the largest wine merchants in London 
for the wine, and one of the largest distillers for 
the bitters ; and further it was dooidud that it was 
best to supply the bitters so that they are ready 
for consumption without any mixing whatever. 
Having in this country every appliance for obtain- 
ing the fluid and solid extracts of kola we were 
enabled to make the very best preparation of biscuits 
in different form, but none of these gave very 
good lesults- 
What is considered of very great importance is 
that it anyone is on an expedition they could put 
a pinch of this kola powder into the rice from a 
tin box, and as it has no appreciable flavor it 
would not be notie id, but would nevertheless im- 
part its enormous sus'aining power even perhaps 
10 a greater extent than if partaken of aa a watery 
infusion. X think this will show you that I have 
been on the right track in recommending the 
planting and iutroduetion of kola wherever it is 
possible in our colonies. 
Already we have had reports from Burma from 
some of the merchants and others who have been 
using it and who are more than satisfied with the 
results. Especially has this beeu the case in the 
hot weather as they have been enabled with kola 
to support the great heat in a way which has 
perleotly astonisbed llioiu. No foreign Government 
or representative has ever had in Europe the suocesi 
which has attended the experiments made by Mr. 
Manders. Aa we know that tlure have been ex- 
periments carried on in India we hope that yon 
will be enabled to obtain possession of the parti- 
culars so as to put them side by side with the 
abbreviated report sent you. — Yours truly, 
THOS. CHRISTY, f.l.b. 
[We have to call attention to Mr. Christy’s 
advertisement of kola preparations in another 
column. — Ei). T. A,] 
“SOAPSTONE" OR RATHER “RENSSE- 
LAERITE ” IN CEYLON. 
May 9th. 
Dear Sir, — I send you a small piece of " soap, 
stone ’’ found by a native correspondent in the 
lowoountry. It is the first time I have found any. 
Kindly let mo have your opinion of iti value (if 
any) and relative merits. — Yours truly, 
EXPLORER. 
Dear Sir, — Herewith I send you a piece of metal- 
wrhicb is named by ibe ualivis of this place “nil 
garunda ” and used for medicinal purposes as belly- 
ache, snake biles, Ac. ; but I considered it to be a 
metal which belongH to ihe marble kind found in Ceylon. 
If you think that you could possibly make any bensflt 
out of it I shall thank you to let mo know. It 
is found only in one place of this district in one of 
the Crown lauds. — 1 aui, sir, your obedient servant, 
E. H. 
[We referred the lump of yellow-looking stone to 
Mr. Geo. Aimitage, who has just completed bis 
examination and pronounces it to be a variety of 
talo called “ Ronsselaerite," much harder than 
the soapstone of commerce. The latter is used 
for a variety of purposes including gas-burners, 
the lining of stoves, Ac. The specimen s nt to us 
has a specifio gravity of 2’63 and Mr. Armitaga 
does not think it will be of oommeroialalu). — 
Ed. 2'. A.) 
