302 
THP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November 2, iSgiJ 
otheri. If we may be permitted to pluco two at Ih® 
head of the list as most valuable, we wuu'd name red 
clover and the cow pea, the former tor general use 
and the latter asbostaaited to this locality. Among 
the numerous crops used for ibis purpose are, buck 
wheat, rye, oats, corn and millet. The Uou. George 
Qeddos, wellicnowu tbrooghont the United StaUs as a 
praotical and aoieutilio farmer, says of tbo clover : 
" If our soils require improving, wo tniu the clover 
crop under and repeat the operation until there is 
solEoient fertility to allow ns to carry the clover off. 
The oftener we can fill the soil with roots and then 
plough them under and thus allow them to rot, the 
sooner do we expect to get our land in condition to 
bear a crop of grain, A very oonaidcrnblo part of the 
cultivated land in Centra! and Weatern New York 
has never bad any other manuring than this clover 
sud gypaum, and its fertility is not diminishing.’^ 
Do states that ho had a field wbioh for 74 years had 
been manuring with nolhiugexceptolovergrowu upon 
it and ploughed in, and that this field had produced 
wheat, corn, oats, barley and grass. Tbo clover thus 
used had, for 50 yesrs, been regularly treated with 
gypsum, and that the laud was constantly increasing in 
fertility.— /adian Agriculturist. 
THK CEYLON TEA TRADE : 
now IT IS OUTSTEiri’INfi TUB COJf- 
MERCE OE CHINA. 
CURING THE LEAF I3V MACHINERY. 
How THE Failoke of tub Coffee Fields in the 
Island Led to the Entbancb of the English 
Plantehs into Competition with the Great 
Chinese Monopoly — The Monooluns Greatly 
Alahsied— Some Comments on Dr, 11*dl';e’8 Recent 
Letter. 
The reader of Dr. Bedloe’s interesting letter on 
tea, which appeared in the “Times” ol the 25th 
of July, will find certain statements which might 
be misleading, though much of the mformation voluu- 
teered is only too trno. The present writer, a tea 
and coffee planter of ton years’ experience, knows 
well tbsl it is a fact that tea unfit for use is shipped 
from China to America. But the fault lies with the 
Aiucrioau consumor for refusing to pay for a good 
tea, or, to go deeper in the matter, it lies with the 
government tor allowing inferior teas to be imported. 
The China tea trade among the lower and, 1 regret to 
say, eyen among the middle and iutelligeut classes, 
is demoralized by the “present” or “gift” sys- 
tem referred to by Dr. Bodloe, and this aho ought 
to be stopped by legislation. Ten as an artielo of diet, 
ought to bo prepared, bought and sold intelligently ; 
not adulterated to sell, sold as adulteratod, aud bought 
in tbo glare of electrio lights, fancy glassware, dinner 
sets or silver epoous. 
Green teas ought to bo avoided as impure. No 
tea can look green and bo pure. Place any green 
leaf on the stove in your kitchen. Does it remain 
green? Of course not; and to keep its clear artificial 
coloring matter must be rubbed into the leaf after 
tolling. Moral : Diiok black tea, or at least try and 
educate yourself to do so. 
It is useless to quote in full all the appeals made to 
the Government to stop the importation of teas “ too 
vile to drink.” Dr. Bedloe’s predeoeesur sent a dis- 
patch to tlie Seoretary of State in July, 1889, calling 
attention to the inferior quality of mucli of the Amoy 
Oolong tea exported to the United States and advo- 
cating protection for the Amotioan public. 
Allowing, however, that much, very much, of tho 
China tea imported is below the standard of good 
tea, Dr. Bedloe can scarcely speak with authority 
when ho says there is no fine tea in Amorica. There 
are not a fow gentlemen in this city in old established tea 
houses who maBi ooDsIder this statement jast a Jittle rash. 
Good houses import “ fine teas which are sold at such 
prices as Dr. Bedloe quotes, and 1 have no doubt they 
would bo all very well pleased to sell nothipfi^ else 
f the Am^rioau people would pay for queriity and 
drink “ fine” tea. So much for China tra. Now for 
“ the Briton.” ” The bold Briton permits patriotif^m 
and bis purse to guide his palate and uses tho 
vitriolic horrors of Ceylon and India.” Now is 
tbia 60 ? 
Not many days previous to Dr. Bedloe’s depar- 
tnro 1 had the pleasure of meeting him at the 
Philadelphia Sketch Club, and as he is one of my 
oldest customers I listened with pleasure to hia eulo- 
gies on tbht vitriolic horror, Ceylon tea. Now, alas! 
Purmosa Oolong at S50 per pound reigns supremo 
with hiru, while Ceylon '* vitriol,” lately sold at 
$125 per pound in the London market, is the memory 
of a depraved taste. Aud this brings me to tbo 
history of Ceylon os a tea-growing country. 
When 1 first wont to Ceylon in July, 187(>, a few 
acres of tea might have been fonud aud pointed out 
as a curiosity. It was then of no value. Looking 
from my verandah in Dimboola I could view a 
*' sea ” of cotfdp, green, healthylookiDg and bearing 
one of the heaviest crops koown. Today, from the 
eamo spot, not a coffee bush can be seen, 
but only tea! tea! tea! A deadly fungus, 
attacking the cofTco leaf and causing it to 
drop off, hna caused this ohaoge. Old King Oolleo has 
gone aud Tea reigna in his stead. The old coffee store 
has become the tea factory, the bagful of rijui rod 
*• cherry ” ooffoo is seen no longer ; the basketful of 
grrcQ tea leaf has taken its plaoe. 
No sooner was it known that coffee was doomed 
than the Ceylon planter put his shoulder to the wheel 
and began to change tho face of the country and to 
eltcr its staple from coffee to tea. This resulted in 
the mo^t astounding success iu tho anuala of ** ozton- 
sivo ” cultivation. 
Tea is a shrub indigenous to India — not imported 
from OLina* It is planted out on the estate generally 
as a small nuracry plant, in line aud at measured die* 
tance from its neighbors. It grows at any elevation, 
but quicker at a low elevation, I have known tea grow 
higher in one year than I could reach at a low olevation, 
while in the high didtricis it would take two or three 
years to attain tho height of say six feet. When fully 
maiured it is pruned down to twenty inches, the result 
beiiig a Hush of young wood. This is what is wanted lor 
“leaf,” but to allow the bush an opportunity to give us a 
surface lo pluck from it is left for a time. Tho leaf 
is then plucked, not from the sides, which increase 
the surface, but tbo top. Two leaves and a half are 
used for manufacture, those lower down being con- 
sidered too coarse. 
iu plucking, we have three grades of tea, viz., tho 
terminal leaf bud, and the very small leaf, called 
** Flowery'* or “ Orange” Pekoe. Then comes the 
medium leaf, called “Pekoes,” aud lastly the largest 
and coarsest, called “ Pekoe Souchong.” All arepluokod 
and put in the basket iudiscrimioAtely to be sifted out 
after manufacture. 
Twice a day the baskets of tea leaf are taken to 
tho factory aud spread out thinly on canvas to wither, 
that is, become solt and pliable. 
The leaf thus spread out iu the evening would be 
ready for rolliug next day. It will be observed from 
tho above illustration that the withering takes place 
in the interior of tho factory, not in the sun. 
When euffioieutly withered the leaf is let down 
through II funnel into the “roller,” wbioh has taken 
the place of the hands aud feet of tho groat unwashed. 
This machine oonsieis of a receptasle for the leaf, 
on which prevsanre is automatically applied. The rol- 
ling surfaces, which move at right angles to one 
another, but appear by a peculiar crank motion to 
bo, revolving, are mado of wood, so that the tee leaf 
docs not come in contact with any metal. 
Tbo tea when rolled is rocuivod in a trolley from 
the bottom of the muebino and appears like cooked 
spicaoh and green. If fired immediately it would be 
n pure green tea and would in process of firing turn 
black. It is, however, laid thickly on a tabic or iu 
drawers for a season to oxidize, and in an hour it 
will Jiavo commenced to turn from green to a bright 
brown color. This is a matter which requires careful 
attention, as over fermenting or under fermenting 
