6i4 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURiaT 
[March i, 1892. 
on mnkiDg a trial of a manuro of this nature. The 
results to that trial do not seem to have had 
public aunounceiueut as yet, so that we are igno- 
rant how far Mr. Hughes’ reconimendation has been 
justified by results. The letter by that gentleman 
tells us that " the value of shoddy, or woollen waste, 
as a manure for hops, has long been recognized 
in this country ; aud in Italy, in the crude form 
of old rags, it is at preeeat largely applied as an 
economical dressing tor olive Iroes." Keferonoe is 
also made to the single trial as yet made in Ceylon, 
and Mr. Hughes writes that the manure promises 
to be an excellent fertilizei for tea. 
Owing, however, largely to the bad quality of 
much of it that is manufactured, Mr. Hughes says 
that the use of the manure has largely decreased 
in Kent, and ho warns intending users that much 
must depend on the quality of the supplies they 
obtain. Prices quoted in the letter show that these 
vary in an upward ratio with the higher quantity of 
ammonia present, the increased amount of organic 
matter, and the decrease of mineral matter and 
water. These prices range over twelve samplings 
from £1 33 Sd to £3 (Is 4d per ton. The nitro- 
genous organic matter, upon which the agricultnral 
value as a manure chiefly depends, varies from (i2 to 
20 per cent. A variety of other constituents go to 
make up “ shoddy. ” Of mineral mutters alone 
tbera are no loss than twelve, them being iime, 
raagnetia, potash, eoda, oxide of iron, alumina, 
phosphoiio acid, sulphnrio acid, carbonic acid, 
chlorine, soluble silica and insoluble siliceous 
matters. Who would have thought that our cast- 
oil coats and trousers could contain such a variety 
even as that above quoted, and of course th. re 
ate many more of a diflerent nature which might 
be added to that list 1 It appears that two tons 
of "shoddy” manure ate required for each acre ol 
hops, and this quantity yields gradually 358 lb. 
ammonia, 113 lb. of soluble silica, 90 lb. oxide of 
iron, Cjlb. of lime, .52 lb. sulphuiio acid, 12 lb. 
of potash, and fi lb. ol phosphoric acid. Space 
does not permit me to quote further from Mr. 
Hughes’ letter, but in view of the favourable opinion 
expressed by him as to the appilicability of this 
manure to tea, it seemoJ to me drsiteblo to cal! 
special attention to it. 
Another long letter, which appeared in the Morn- 
iny Pont of Dec. 25'-h, deals with the subject of 
Indian tea. and quoies largely and nijprcoiaiivelj 
from an article that appeared in the Ceylon 
Observer just received, in which you most justly 
oondemned the character of many ndvertiBPironta 
of China teas as calculated to, and as intended 
to have the effect of injuring the reputation 
of Ceylon tear. We do net know who the writer 
of the letter is, as he conceals his identity under 
the nom deplume of "Mincing Lane.” He writes, 
among other mucli sensible matter, that “Indian 
teas cannot be placed (us the writer of the article 
in the Ceylon Observer wou'd have) in the same 
compariscu with tue good old China Ningohows 
as Ceylon teas can. At the present time Ceylon 
Pekoe selling ut from UJi to is 2d per pound in 
the market are generally equal to the finest old 
China tea which, 15 or 20 years ago, realized 
2s 6d to .3s per pound, and by far superior to the 
best of the fame class that ariive now and com- 
mand at the opening 0 / the season on the average 
about Is Gd to Is 8d, and a fow chops of exception- 
ally fine Is lOd to 2c per pound.’ It is to this 
fact that the writer attnkutfs the rapid ousting 
of China by Cey'on teas. Ho closes his letter 
with a vigorous calling over the ooala of &ir Andrew 
Clark for his late uncalled -tor assertion, though 
he admits that in oue sense that distinguished 
tueUlcQ bit the right uail on the bead when he 
qua'ified his dictum with the remark " it the right 
quantity be put in the pot.” 
You will be glad tn heir that the matter relative 
to the holding of Ci yloii tea sales in Mincing 
Lane has now teen definitely and satiefactorily 
settled. The proprietors cl the s.ule room have 
aci'ded to llio request of the wholeea'.e dealeiK 
that a setoiiJ room ehofiM be gruiitod for ihs sale 
( xcluaivfcly of your produotion, the ooncosoion being 
made from the 15th December. We learn that for 
the present the brokers propose to limit the 
use of this room to the entire of Tuesdays and 
Thur days, believing this will ailord all facilities 
riqiiired; but as trade extends, and if it maybe 
found noooseary to do so, there will now exist 
no obstacle to sales being fixed for every day in 
the week. The arrangemt-iU now made will not 
bo wi.liout its iiicoiiveiiicnce to some of the 
whilcfalo buyers, because it will be necessary tor 
these to incriase their stiff of buyi-rs, as the sales 
of Indian and Coj Ion teas will now proceed 
simultanecualy, and a single agent cannot possibly 
attend both. The larger men in the trade, we are 
tcM, assert that they will not oonsidor this to be 
a burden on them, as the decreased sales of China 
teas will enable them to utilize the services of the 
men employed by them in that branoli of their 
bu'inoBB. 'There is now every prospect that we shall 
have no more complaints of difiiouUioa in the way 
of properly t ximining and lasting the large number 
of samples exhihited by ihe brokers, though the 
circumstances attending the sales render it desirable 
that your planters should Bind homo as large breaks 
as they poaeibly can. 
h'otioing in the last reoeived OverhiinUObserver 
the letter addteesr-d to you by Mr. Trice of the 
liroUers’ Ae.soolation t n the subjf-ol of the alteration 
of estate marks on many of the tea chests received 
here, I this week sought and obtained an interview 
with that genlleinan. We discussed the subjeot of 
his ot mplaint in all its bearings, and, as the rt.salt, 
wo could come to no other conclusion but that 
the alterations must bo made in Colombo. Mr. 
Tiico assured me that theycould not have been made 
on this side, as it would be in direct oontravention 
of all the Customs rules to do so, and these are 
Biriolly, aud with the greatest care, enforced by 
the officials. Manifestly, Mr. Price thinks it cannot 
I osfibly be to the interest of any Ceylon planter 
to commit an act which would efface the identity 
ol his estate, and the only iiossible solution of 
the matter to his mind is that in order to form 
bre.aks of a large size, the purchasers of tea in 
Colombo endeavour to assimilate the marks through- 
1 ut their shipment Mr. Price tells mo that he 
hears of lepeated complaints, and of return of 
teas sent out, to the grocers to whom the members 
of the wholesale trade have sold them, on the 
grotinj that the estiile marks do not properly 
correspond wi h the description. Wc must all see 
that this is likely to cause much injury to the 
trade, and Mr. Price is most anxious that jour 
Planters’ Association should take active slips to 
chick the practice. 
« 
TEA IN WYNAAD. 
Mr. ,T. AV. Minchin, of Oc tacamund, sends us a most 
interesting coinmumbjve nuent the pedigree of tbetea 
seed now being pUmed in AVj'in.ad, which, oa he elates, 
is probably niriine. AVo believe that there are eome 
very old tea trees on the Ashen. boo Hills in South 
Ttuvanoore, and it would be interesting to learn 
whether their pedigree is similar to those in Wynsad 
which we Burmiso is more than likely. Mr. Minohin 
writes : — 
With regard to the high quality of the tea trues iu 
