64 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURfST. 
[JULV 1, 1891. 
leBBor Johuatono’e paper was to be found. “D.” domiira 
to what I aiitioipited fuw will domnr, that the I'anh 
was mainly created for the support of vfKetation. He 
does not tell 08 what his belief ia. 1 Ihonijht it a sup. r- 
flaity to “add, for the use of man and beast," aa that 
is within experience; will that olao bo de- 
murred too ? I’oopla are so hypetoritiosl ! My idea 
was not original but borrowed from Holy Writ. In 
the aooouut of the oreation wo resd that immediately 
after the earth was created it was ordered that it 
be clothed with vegetation (Gen. 1 ohap. 11 vorae.) 
and ill theS'dlh and UOlh vorees that after the oreation 
of man and beast, that God gave them tho produce 
of tho earth fir their sustciiauce. But " D.” maybe 
one of thoee learned soienliata who oauuot rcoonoiletho 
aooonnt of tho creation with the •■Olegioi" in which they 
are bo deeply versed. If " 1>. ” had aliown lets alacrity to 
iiimpat uiiwsrraulable oouolnaions and had lieeii leaa 
lavish in the nso of epithets, it would not have detracted 
from hit reputation nor have drawn on his own head 
the epithets levelled at mine. It ia both " abaurd ” 
and '• ridioulouB," but not “ novel ,” for " D.” to say 
that to prove the value of ailioa, I said I could not 
reconcile with my belief iu an all-wise Oreator the corn- 
position of the earth with a mineral '• decidedly 111 - 
jurious ” to vegetation. 1 aaid ao to lolule the theory 
of hia own Professor. I think that even " U.” and 
" Old Planter ” will admit that Mr. John Huglita, 
tho ohemiat, though not a aliiuing light perhaps, is 
not unknown to the aoienti6o world. Ho is likely to 
be abreast of soientiao exporimouta and would not 
have been ignorant of thoae oondnoted to t^st 
whether ailioa wore indiapeiisable for tho growth 
of graaa- yet this is what be wro'a in November 1887, 
on rice soila:— " The moal cssentisl thing iu the soil 
itself ia that it elionid bo in a etste of minute sub- 
diviaion ao ns to supply an abundant source of soluble 
silica which la ao necessary in the formatiou and sno- 
oeasful growth of the straw, and without which it would 
bo quite uselosa to expect to obtiuu a good crop. * » • 
The b. at crops of wheal are produced on aoila which 
contain plenty of available silica. ’ The foregoing to 
show that I have authority lor my beliof that ailioa is 
useful and not "decidedly lupinuua to vego'.ation, 
" O ioonut Flauter’a ’ letter is noteworthy for con- 
taiuiug miaiapreseulationa from beginning to cud, 
and for an amusing display of ignorance ol the aab]tot 
of his critioiam. Ho is too honorable a man for me 
to believe that hia miarepresentationa are willful. 1 be 
alternative is that they are due to a lameutablo o.ate- 
lessneas to inform bimaelt correctly of tbo views of 
hiui whom ho orii'cizos. • • . % . 
Not boinga chemist and not being ah 0 to conduct 
experiments pcraonally, in enumerating the virtues of 
aaTt I gave no?my own opinion bat ‘ 
Detent to express an opinion. If Coconut 1 lantcr 
Ld but taken the trouble to wade through vo'o®®' 
of the Trtpical Agriculturist and oousuU auy other 
book oil agrioultoro iu hia poaaesaion, bo "oidd n t 
have Bsid that I sing tho virtues of aalt on my so 0 
authority If he carefully reads bis ‘‘‘® 
AgrictUhtrist , he would have found in 
No. that mankind have not " through all the agi a 
been nagleoting the moit valuable and important of 
ell agricultural agouta.’’ , 
In ennmeratiDg the virtues of salt,— the first para 
of hia letter, he profeaaoa to quote me, but in reality 
misquotes me. Salt does not tender tillage auperfluons, 
it does nof destroy coarse vegetation while at the 
same time being bauefioial to delioalo and useful plants. 
If annlied in large qnsntitios it destroys vegetation 
whether coarse or delicate. Coarse vegetation gencr- 
ri?y m icate. a sour soil; salt is said to sweeten it 
Tnd help towards the growth of good, sweet her- 
‘’*fo say that because salt can bo purified though 
mixed with any substance, therefore it can exert no 
Themioal influence on the “‘I 
opinion of tliose who are higher " 
of agrioultnral Oliemistry than " mof; 
There is nothing singnlar in the ‘J*® 
lure aalt absorbs is surrouderod to • 
No one to my knowledge credited ^eget^. 
of dUoritninatiou between noxious and usetut ve^eia 
lion. Coo .nut trees on tho sea-sboro wore not instanord 
as being very fruitful owing to receiving an unfailing 
supply of salt. The fruitlulurss of tho coconut trees 
ill the ciuiiamon gardens was not attributed solely 
to suit breezes. They wore nof instanced as cham- 
pion trees. I too am acquainted with spots inland 
where for fruitfulness coconut trees will compare 
favorably with thoae iu the Cinnamon Gardens; hnt 
I will hardly ouU tbo spot “ Cooount Planter ’’ resides 
oil “ inland.’' It was not asserted that the only way 
to improvo ooconut properties iulsnd wis by the 
application of salt, nor that it can supply moisture to 
them during a ‘ three months’ drought, n >r finally 
that it IS a substitute for uitiutos, pbosphatea and 
organic mutter. My fricoil — I call him also frii nd in 
spile of “ 1).” — could not have been iu his usual mood 
when ho ponnod the letter, which docs so little credit 
to his character for prcciseiisss. Can it be that he 
was temporarily under the inlluiiico of tho “ divine 
alflatus ’’ and beoame cousequeutly highly imagina- 
tive ? B. 
DRIERS AS W1THEREB3. 
Central Provinoo, June 8th. 
Dejb Slit, — Aa regards tho use ol a airoooo as a 
wilborer, I see not tho slightest objeotion to 
using any of the drying or firing maebinea as 
witborers, if it can be satisfuetorily proved that 
the made tea loses nothing in value. I long ago 
suggested in the Obsirver the use of the desiccator 
or any other drying machine ns withcrers. At 
that time, I had not an opportunity of carrying 
out my own suggestion. Since then, and more 
than two years ago, I proved to my own satisfac- 
tion that the leaf passed quickly through the de. 
siocator came out to all appearance well withered, 
but I was unwilling to risk any quantity as I 
am not much of an expert in tea tasting and I 
was afraid I might spoil a break. Were 1 pressed 
for space I would have no hesitation now iu pass- 
ing half withered leaf through tho deeicoator. — 
Yours truly, P. P. 
A Tra Roi.i.En Cask. — Yesterday (1st) Messrs. Julius 
and Creasy on behalf of Mr. Win. Jackson of Aberdeen, 
who is at present in Ceylon, tundorod a’, libel in tho 
District Court of Colombo against Mr. Alfred Brown 
and tho Colombo Commercial Company, praying for an 
inqiiesiration to restrain tbo defendants from importing 
roaoiifaolunug or selling Tea Rollers which .the plain- 
tiff claims infringe bis patent. — Local " ludepoiident.” 
Golden Tips — Wo stated reoeiilly that the prices 
obtained for special parcels of Ceylon tea iu London 
had led to a sort of " golden tips" competition up- 
coiintry, and we are assured that some parcels of tea 
are going home now that will make the Oartmore 
prices sink into insignificance. Tlie now Ceylon product 
threatens to bo turned out in such quantities that 
every grocer in the United Kingdom will be aide to 
have a sample of Csy on gulden tips in his window, 
purohaaed for a fabulous price, for advertising pur- 
poses. Our ludiaii friends meanwhile are getting 
rattier restive at this method of booming Ceylon tea. 
Wo quoted recently tho ill-coudilioued snarl ct a 
correspondent to tiui Madras TimeSf and now we see 
that tho CntcuUa lingliahnusn pooh poohs the whole 
thing in the following disparaging terms : — “ The 
nominal or friendly sale of a single pound of tea at 
1117 or £25, or oven £200, is not a matter of any 
praoiicsl imporlanoe. Wo doubt very much whether in 
B ill do any good even ns an advertisement. But Indian 
growers may content themselves with ihe reflection 
ihiit they also will share whatever advantage may 
come of thiBO so-called sales, for Ceylon is thus 
adverli'iiig her own and Indian tea at tho same time. 
India has decidedly the best of it, being under no 
iieoeaaity of saoi ifioing a crop for the sake of a f»ucy 
qnotation.’’ This ia certainly oouioliiig for Indian 
plantsre. — Local "Times," 
