78 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July 2, 1883. 



the returns are made. The following table will show the 

 difference between the operations of the beasou 82-fe3, and 

 the previous one; — 



Year Cane crushed Sugar Molasses, 



to March 31. st 



acres tons gallons 



• 1882 7,167 10,712 407,020 



1883 7,948 7,841 284,090 



From this it will be seen that the return for the past sea- 

 son has been a particularly low one, not quite reaching one 

 ton to the acre, — a figure which will go far to reducing the 

 average croj) extending over a long series of years. This low 

 return was anticipated by ourselves, although many sanguine 

 people took exception to the low estimate given by us last 

 year, yet, much as we shoidd like to have been a few thous- 

 and tons below the mark, our figure of 8,0(0 tons has proved 

 not far -ivide of the mark. The return of molasses to the 

 ton of sugar, has, this year, been less than usual, but is still 

 as high as we ever hope to see it. Looking back over the 

 last year we cannot feel that there is any reason for great 

 regrets, because the wretchedly bad season which resulted in 

 the small return was a matter which nobody could have 

 altered ; and the f act of the probable small output was, by 

 mo.st people, so long anticipated that its actual coming was 

 the less severely felt. But we will now turn to the more 

 pleasing prospect which is before us. and we find that the 

 area under cane at the beginning of this month was 14 575 

 acres. Of this it is estimated that 13,152 acres will be 

 brought to the factories dm-ing the coming crushing, and tVe 

 most sanguine anticipations of a fine crop are expressed by 

 the majority of people here, and there is every reaf^on to 

 believe that, assuming that nothing of an extraordinary nat- 

 irre intervenes, we shall have a crop of above average 

 quality. At the present moment, when there is yet a winter 

 to be gone through, we should hesitate to give reins to our 

 imagination to too great an extent, and we would rather err 

 upon the right side than the other. We give, therefore, as 

 our estimate for the coming crop, the figure of 18.000 tons, 

 and, at the same time, hope that the quantity may be con- 

 siderably exceeded. AVith the present supply of colored 

 labor, it will be positively impossible to take off this 18,000 

 tons of sugar, except by neglecting the proper cultivation of 

 the fields for the following season's crop. AVhat this means 

 to a district like M.ickay all men of thought will clearly 

 recognise, and for our part we would much jirefer to see tlie 

 annual output steadily increase bj^ gradual degrees, than have 

 alteruately large and small returns such as must inevitably 

 follow unless we can secure a steady intlnx of reliable labor, 

 in suitable quautities. "We do not propof^e to enter again 

 into the colored labor question on this occasion, but merely 

 point out. now that a continuance of good returns from the 

 sugar industry depends uow almost entirely upon the intro- 

 duction of a sufficient supply of labor of all kinds.— J/Be/w/ 

 (Quteti^Umd) StaiiduriL 



JAPAN TEA AND THE AMERICAN. 

 MARKET. 



The Japanese are growing alainied at tbe antianul- 

 teration crusade against tea m America. A Japanese 

 paper publishes a m te of warning, from which we 

 take the followinj; extract : — 



In our opinion, though Japanese green tea may 

 still find many gc od custimurs in America, yet if the 

 Bill proposed by Mr. Hardeubeigh be ]iractically en- 

 forced, then that will put a stop to further exjiortation 

 of our green tea, that is coloured tea Our tea mer- 

 chants, therefore, cannot content themselves with theold 

 style of tea exportation, but must make prep.-irations 

 for a different style of procieding Su]iposing no tea 

 is coloured, then shall we endeavour to get protite 

 from the sale of this tea, which we miglit call " original 

 Japanese uncoloured tea." Considered from the pre- 

 siut condition of affairs, we are not in a position to 

 see whether this tea would suit the customers taste 

 or not, or whether there would be any demand for 

 it. Even supposing we could admit that this tea 

 would tiud many good customers in America, it is 

 not to be supposed for one moment that it would 

 command such a ready sal,e, as the present green tea. 



It is bejond tbe power of any one to change the 

 customeis taste fiom the old quality of tea to the 

 new one »e have just mentioned. This is a point 

 ihat we are very anxious about. Our merchants may 

 easily perceive tkat the sale of the green tea which 

 has found such great favour in America, will not 

 decrease, but increase, if our merchants will only keep 

 from the bad practice of mixing and colouring. Our 

 merchants know perfectly well that even the shrewd 

 Chinese merchants cannot coujpete with us in the 

 America markets. Now, however, this bill we have 

 spoken about is tbe "awful object that has crossed 

 the path vl our green tea." theiefore our merchants 

 must prepare themselves for any emergency that may 

 arise, and tind some means to aboviate the di£Bculties 

 tbai will be presented. 



Look, for ex:imple, at the Chinese meicliant, who 

 is so sharp regarding his profits ! There is no doubt 

 that there are some who even now are carefully con- 

 sidering how they lan get the upper hand, and so 

 rule the American tea markets. If this should come 

 to pass, how can we be sure that our merthnnts 

 could afterwaids enter the lists against them and 

 come off victorious, that is, hold the same position as 

 they do now. Indeed this is a point that requires a 

 great deal of thought. 



Now tbe most important duty left for our mer- 

 chants is, to pioduce a thoroughly good tea, fit for 

 tiie cusionier, in lieu of green tea, wiihout regard to 

 the prohibitive regulations, and by doing this get 

 into the same favour with their customers as hereto- 

 fore. We ourselves do not know wliat tea would be 

 most likely to suit them ; probably our merchants 

 will give this matter their consideration. There are 

 only two ways n"W left lor us. The proposed bill 

 contains a clause that " if teas are found to be adul- 

 terated with either colouiing or other materi.il in- 

 .iurious to health, then their import shall be prohibited." 

 Well, uow if the ingredients used for colouring our 

 tea at present are really mjurioux to health, why not 

 etdt-iivourto find out some colouiing subsiance which 

 is not injuiious. If this is tounel to be impossible, 

 then ibeie is only one resource, \iz. , to introduce 

 a genuine good tea of first-class manufacture, and 

 stamp it as such, to distinjiuith it from any tea that 

 may be mixed with any leaves or otherwise coloured. 

 Wl ichever plan is adopted, extreme energy and watch- 

 fulness aie reqnued to keep up ( ur flourishing tea 

 tiiide. Our iiH rcbants must use every endeavour to 

 roi.'C the tea mBuufactuie to as high a standard as 

 possible.— i/o?ne and C olonial Mail. 



TIN TEA BOXE,S. 



Sir. — Could any of your correspondents tell me 

 of any cheap method of leading (covering with lead) 

 the inner surface of the Patent japanned tin tea 

 boxes sold by Messrs. Begg Dunlop & Co., as the 

 tin of itself is saitl to be injurious to tea, and the 

 shape of the boxes precludes the idea of lining them 

 after they are made up ? Could not Messrs. B. D. 

 & Co. by some chemical process perform the opera- 

 tion of lead lining for ns ? — Yours, &c., Bogi Tinq. 



[Wti published a letter, some time ago, from Messrs. 

 Harvey Bros., and T''yler, in which" they conclusively 

 proved that their tin tea boxes are absolutely in- 

 nocuous to tea. '1 he following extract from another 

 letter from the same linn goes to support the eflSci- 

 ency of Harvey Bros, tea boxes. — Ed. / T. G] 



'■ With reference to your remarks, which we have 

 read with the greatest attention, both with regard 

 to the tea from being packed in tin. and also as to 

 the loss in weight owing to the way in which pack- 

 ages are tared at the Custom House here, we have 

 much pleasure in informing you that in no one in- 

 stance has any, or indeed can any deterioration take 



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