November 2, 1891.] 
THF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
363 
Eu'sian bayers object. Now, we all wish to see 
the added ujillicns of pounds of C.ylon lea go 
off each jcar withcut further fall iu tho London 
•weekly average price, and a more general application 
of the now mode of preparation will a.seist the 
end in view. May I suggest, sir, that owners of 
gardens be asked to publish through yonr ooliimns 
full details of manufacture ; details of wither, of 
rolling, fermentation firing and sifting with per- 
ountage_ of naoli grade and prices obtained and that 
discussion by letter be in\ileil; such comparison of 
results obtained over lire whole ten srea of tho island 
could nut fail to be of great value to each roanu- 
faoluror. 
No jealousies ought t ' arise— tho crack gardens 
will not lose their stnnd out position leeausa of 
a poBsiblo ten or fifteen per cent advauoo in 
other’s prioea due to improved make; indeed a 
ijeneral improv nient in Ceylon teas would enhance 
the reputation of tho best Ceylon gardens in iho 
markets of tbe world. — I am, sir, with much respect, 
yours faithfully, FUEL. WALKEN. 
[We commend this letter of an experienced 
broker and tea taster to tho best attention of 
planters ; and wo shall cordially welcome any com. 
municationa on new end iraprovedmtllujdsof'manu- 
aoture, such as Mr. Walker suggests. — E d. V’. .I.J 
The riiooKEss oi- NsrritP.iiLANns India. — According 
to the Colonial Report for 1891, the populaiiou of 
natives in Java am! Madura had at iho en,i of IStb 
iiicrca-od to 22.80G,-td3 seals, against 32,52G,S86 souls 
III 1888. The reciuoat mado by ptautera iu North Bor- 
noo tor tile immigration < f labour* rs from Java could 
not bo agreed to, owing (o the im-atisfactoty saniiary 
conditio I ot 11 111 , 0 anil ihu coubidcrabln nortal.ty 
among the foreign labourers on the posaotaigiis of tho 
xiritish Nf>r>h B 'Fueo Comp.iuy, Two depulies, cbargtU 
with a iniBsiou, one to Freiicli Iiido -China toaluiiylbo 
existing system of opium, and tho other lo Bcilisb 
India to inquire into llie nio.,t snita'.lo mode of tran.s- 
planling sarar-cane, exporiciiord tho most rea.’y sup- 
port froni the authorities. In West Java miicti iuoli- 
uation was shown to undertake npitgriuisyo to Mecca, 
nbiob, as far as itcoiccrLS tho I'nnngor districts, 
proves a better fieauoial pofitioii of tbo p'lpolati n, 
chiefly caused by ihe active Irade iu lioe. With regard 
to Acbeen the report observes that during tbo past 
yeur the resistance of tbe enemy has lo t much ot its 
power, which is merely to buasoribnl to tbe blooksde 
ot the greater part of tli- north an 1 west cocst. The 
sanitary condition during 1890 was goueraiiy pretty 
favourable. The number of bsrf-bcri patients among 
tbe troops, of which tho strength lia.s not cliangiid 
very much during last year, was in 1890 3,293, and 
thms larger than iu 1889, wli,,n it was 2,C37. However, 
the number is less than inthelhrte preceding yi arc. 
The States (jircr/fc contains a statement of tie principal 
articles of import and export to Java ami Msduri. 
during Ihe first six months oi thi.s year, coiunsrod with 
those of 1890, vlx. 
1890 
kilos. 
Indigo 
997.918 
Omchona Bark ... 
1,013,430 
Coffee 
,5,779 .303 
Pepper (black) ... 
1,308,802 
Sugar 
98,054,890 
Tobacco 
9,987,879 
Tea 
1,571,913 
Tin 
2,200,747 
Snndries 
1,663,027 
1891 
kilo-. 
1,221,293 
l,2«2,23l 
S, 875.292 
2,152,315 
143,342,389 
1(1,3111.489 
1,722 903 
2,015 IS!) 
5,024,909 
Tho iibovo shows generally a oonsidetalle increase, but 
a decrea.so is exhibited in tbo following tabie ; 
1890 1891 
, Idlo.s. kilos. 
Hides 1,202,708 ... 1 209,573 
1,122,745 ... l!o7oi667 
Hattans 579,700 ... 351,297 
— L. and a, Eapmsi 
Messiis. Davidson & Co.’s Chntbal Factohy, 
ConoMno.— The local “ Times” says that Messrs. 
Davidson ok Company Belfast have at length decided 
to start a workshop in Colombo with the view ot 
providing skilled superintendence for tbe erection 
of any of their machines upootinlry and to provide 
a proper end dliciont means of repairing, altering, 
and oorreoting any mistakes complained of in regard 
to their several inventions. Messrs. Davidson & Com- 
pany have obtained a portion of Messrs. Mackwood 
& Oo.'s Mills at Suduwolle for the purpose, and 
Mr. Maguiro, who will now reside hero permanently, 
will bo put in charge of tbo ueeossary machinery, 
plant, stock, ikc. : and all castings of the maohiuos 
and plates and so on will bo sent out from homo, 
while, whenever a new machine has been ereoted 
up country, Mr. Maguiro himself will proceed to 
the estate and see it put together. This will be a 
great advantage to planters who intend going in 
for the down draft .Sirocco, and may be taken as 
ovidoroo of the largo demand which Messrs. 
Davidson & Go., foresee for their new maohines. 
A cobbkhpondent sends the following interesting 
note A few months ago a new theory was put 
forward respecting the origin and nature of tho 
moisture found in the morning on leaves and grass. 
It has hitherto been held by all naturalists, ap- 
parently without exception, that this moisture was 
dew. But a gentleman in Scotland, not known to 
fame, was not content to accept the current and 
traditional opinion ; and assuming nothing, be 
investigated the subject de novo, with tbo result 
that he was able to prove to demonstration that 
between tho dew and the moisture found after a 
rainless night on vegetation there was an essential 
difference. He discovered that while dew ie but tbe 
mere exhalation of the soil, this moisture was an 
exhudation from tbe vegetation itself. The theory 
came as a surprise to tho soiiiitifie world : but the 
steps of the demonstration were so clearly worked 
out that tho author of the discovery, though not 
noted as a man of soienoo, was at once brought into 
public notice. He was held by tho highest aoientifia 
authorities to have made a distinct discovery in 
nature. Now, tliero are some phenomena not 
mentioned by him which appear nndoubtedly to 
boar out his theory on the subject, and they may 
be noted at the present time, bocaufo they are 
patent to the observation ot us all at this time of 
the yiar. Let a tree overhang a white washed wall 
or gateway, and in course of time wo shall see tho 
white-wash is covered willi green film. On the 
time hononred theory that the moisture on leaves 
was but the exl.sl.ation which had risen from tho 
soil during the previous night, it was impoasiblo to 
account for the colour of this deposit. More water 
would not have produced the phenomeoon. The 
only adequate theory is that tho moisture which 
tell upon the whitewash was chemically a green 
oomposition.^ Tho theory is further corroborated 
from the-ourious fact, equally near at hand to us all, 
that after a rainless night mendhi that was out on 
tho previous day and is now entirely without green 
h aves, isdry, whTo the mendhi which is buddingsnd 
that whi^h has loaves is saturated with mois- 
ture. A Birviint alter suoh a night will without 
hesitation put an arliolo of clothing to air in the 
sun on mendhi so reopiilly out, though ho would 
deem it the height of folly lo place it on green 
mendhi for that purpose. There were two points 
which first awakened the attontiem of tho discoverer 
to the subject; tbo fiist was, that moisture was 
found on the under surface of the leaves as well as 
on the upper ; and tbo second, that moisture was 
found on the leaves after nights in which no dew 
had fallen, phenomena for the presence of which 
the old world theory provided no satisfactory ex- 
planation."— /Hdi'an AgtiaiUurist, Sept. 2Cth. 
