December i, iSm.l 
OPiO/^L AQRICULTUniST. 
435 
OUR BUILDING MATEKIALH AND 
THE GOVERNMENT. 
Not long back we devoted coueidernble apaoe to 
a eeries ol arlioles dealing with tho dillereut 
forma ol material used in this oolony for building 
operations. We therein pointed out how much 
might bo done to improve their natural qualities, 
or the manufao'ure of such items a-i have to bo 
prepared for use. We are glad to realiite that our 
Government has seen tho desirability of affording 
help towards carrying out tho second of those 
BUggestions, ant that an experienced man from 
home is to be put in charge of an endeavour in 
that direction. I'hia is not the ffrat time that 
our rulers have recognised the deeirahility of afford- 
ing some aid towards tho improvement of our 
building materials. It is now fully thirty five years 
back that brickmaking machines were obtained 
from England and distribu'ed throughout our 
several provinces. We never heard, however, that 
any sueoess was aohioved by those. Perhaps they 
were in advance of tho nooeBBiiies of the lime 
and that their possible output was too largely 
in excess of requirements to enable them to bo 
profitably worked. But it is further possible 
—as wo know that at that time large makers 
of bricks in England preferred hand labour 
to the use of these machines — that they were 
nothing like so well adapted to their purpose as 
those made in the present day. At all events, what- 
ever the oanse may have been, no appreciable rosults 
appear to have followed from tho attempt we have 
alluded to. Tho second endeavour made to intro- 
duce improved building material was we believe 
somewhere about 18G1, when Mr. Giles was sent 
out from homo to join the Public W'orks 
Department, he having previously undergone a 
training at home in the mnnuf-aolure of artificial 
Btons from silioious materials easily ohfainablo in 
the oolony. We think this nrtifioinl etono was 
named after its inventor, Mr. Ransome. Although 
a very oonsidorabie expenao was gone to with tho 
object of producing a material tho uso of whioh 
might relieve tho then monotonous appearance 
of our public bnil-iinga, Mr. Giles’s attempts appear 
to have failed of success, from what cause we do 
not now remember. Tho only etono of a permanent 
nature to^ bs obtained in Ceylon is granitic 
gneiss, with oooasionally pure granite ; and the 
cost of working these rooks for ornamental 
purposes is almost prohibitory. If Mr. Giles had been 
sueceseful, undoubtedly we should have seen pleasing 
results; but, as we presume, disgusted with tho failure 
of the first two efforts made, our Government 
appears never again to have departed from its 
beaton track, although it obtained from England 
anarohitoet to whom improved material easily worked 
would have been an invaluable aid. We think it very 
likely that a mistake was made in tho endeavour 
to introduce a now material instead of devoting 
the money that endoavour oost to an attempt to 
improve existing local methods of raanufaeturiug 
building material. It was with such a view in 
our mind that wo wrote tho series of articles 
doaliug with such matters as the making of bricks, 
tiles, &o,, and recommending that endeavour 
should be made at improvemtut. It is iu this 
latter direction that our Government is now mov- 
ing, and wo may hope ore very long to see some 
benehoial result from its action in this dirt Jlion. The 
services of an expert in any special branch of mate- 
rial need not bo very long retained, and when he has 
train^Ed native pupils suUioient to disseminate his 
teaohing, an expert in some other branch might 
profitably be engaged. By such a method we are 
sure sooner or later to obtain improvements whioh 
■k. 
as wo pointed out in our previous artioles referred 
to, are so desirable if our buildings are to be works 
of peimanenoe and not to bo poBsessed but of a 
brief life only. Matters Buch as wo have indicated 
will oome well within the legitimate scope of tho 
Technical Institute about to be established. 
THE EEEJOCT GE .MANURING ON TEA. 
The following letter was, as will bo seen, oir- 
oulated for the opinions of exporienoed planters, 
but BO few have responded that wo suppoae most 
are iu tho position in whioh Mr. W. P. Laurie 
aoknowlodges himself to bo, unable to spoak from 
experience on the point at issue. Here is the letter 
and our foot note: — 
(Glrciilar from "Observer,") 
A planter has addressed the following letter to 
the Editor, whose own opinion is adverse to the 
idea that the applioation of fertilizing matter 
could deteriorate the quality of tea. But he 
naturally desires the opinions ol tho leaders of the 
planting community on tho subject, and will feel 
much obliged if favoured with the result of your 
experience and observation at your oarliest con- 
venionce. Oct. 15lh, 1891, 
{Letter referred to.) 
October 12th. 
Dbab Bsb, — 1 would feel obliged if you or some 
01 your numerous oorrespondenta would give mo 
their opinion on the effects that Poonao and Bonos 
have on the quality of tea. I am a noviee myself 
and 1 would not bother you, but still I have had a 
little experience, and my opinion is that artificial 
manure does not improve the quality. I know an 
estate that has been all manured within the last 3 
years with caator oako and bones, 0. C. f. B. J, 
about half a ton to the acre, and the said estate 
previous to manuring always topped the market. Now 
for the last eighteen months the prioes have 
tumbled down at least 3d pet lb ; what is tho 
reason? I know for a fact that the tea has always 
been treated iu tho Fame way for tlio last five years, 
so there is a soiuctbing ; is the manure drawing 
some dormant chemical matter out of the aoil whioh 
IS affeoting the tea ? Now, Mr. Editor, you as a 
party directly intereeted in our woRaro should do 
your best to find this out. I could give you a list 
of estates that have been manuring heavily the last 
2 years, and now instead of their prioes being 
above the Ceylon average, as they used to be, they 
can’t now get within a penny of tho average. My 
own experience is that tho yield is enormous but 
thoro is in ra.v opinion a taste in the tea that 
should not bu there. I could enlarge on the subject 
if I were not a NOVICE. 
[iho lesults of an extensive experiment on a 
Ohiitagopg ostate, a few years ago, were not only 
inoreascd quantity, but improved quality, prioe 
being the oriterion of the latter Ed. T. A.) 
Mr. W. E. Laurie’s response runs thus: — 
, . . . . October 22ud. 
Sir,— 1 am Dot m a position to aay whether the 
manuriug of tea rebuRs iu the tea produced lacking 
flavour or not, although I should thiuk it possible. 
It would uot, I presume, be owing to the manare 
drawing somu chemical property from the soil, as 
“ Novio’) ” inipdes ; atlnsstjif the result be delotarions 
to tho produoo, it would in all probability arise from 
tho habit plants have of ab.sorbing a sraall proportion 
of highly solvnnt material from the ingredients of tho 
aoil, nnnecossiiry for their boalUiy existence or general 
t'caiiomios, such ns has been indisputably proved by 
water culture »nd do not wholly change in tho olaboN 
ntion of the sap. 
In the analysis of healthy plants, many of the 
pecnliar properties of the laud upon which they ar« 
grown have been diBooverod in them, 
