1'We ^l^bPidAL AGRICULTURIST* 



[AOG. 2, 1886/ 



to come to some agreement with the members 

 of the Syndicate, or their representatives before 

 that date. I am in correspondence with American 

 connections, late of Ceylon, with regard to co-oper- 

 ation in driving the Ceylon tea trade in the iStates. I 

 consider co-operation neccs-^ar!/ to success when 

 the immense lield represented by the United States 

 of America, is taken into account, and, should my 

 correspondent fall in with my views, I think good 

 business may be anticipated so long as the pro- 

 prietors of Ceylon unite in tlie one connnon cause 

 and endeavour to enlarge the market for their 

 produce. 



It is better for the owner of an engine-boiler 

 to provide the boiler with a safety value previonn 

 to explosion. The unanimity of the Ceylon planters 

 with regard to the Hyndicate scheme seems to me 

 to be a proiif that they are luianivioits in the 

 opinion that their present field is too limited, and 

 that to save themselves, they must bestir them- 

 selves ; in short find a safety value in the markets 

 of other countries. 1 note in Mr. Shelton Agar's 

 letter dated 8th inst., that he considers "the 

 mixing of two, three or four different ' brands ' 

 is admitted to be the best plan for getting at a 

 really ijood beverage." From this I understand 

 that Ceylon Teas do mix, that is, one with another. 

 I have never ventured an opinion of my own as 

 yet ; but from what I hear from authorities on 

 ithe subject I gather that a mixture of low-grown 

 with high-grown teas turns out a perfect liquor, 

 inasmuch as the low-grown teas give pungency, and 

 the hi(ih-(jroicn flavour. 



Should' the foregoing statement be correct, there 

 can be little doubt as to the advisability of bulk- 

 ing Ceylon teas sent by the Syndicate to the world. 

 That di^ifirnlties with regard to bulking the several 

 teas sent by different estates through the Syndi- 

 cate, will liace to be met and dealt with, is a 

 matter of certainty; and to be overcome, a correspond- 

 ing ability on the part to the expert employed 

 must be looked for in order to meet these diffic- 

 ulties. Given then that the idea of general bulk- 

 ing is good, where should the expert be located ? 

 Surely, where he has the easiest means of com- 

 munication with those with whom he has to deal, 

 that is in the venj neighbourhood of the planters 

 (certainly not in America or Australia or any other 

 country where it is not at all improbable agents 

 would take the matter into their own hands and 

 bulk for themselves). One advantage of general 

 bulking would be the interest of noting the differ- 

 ence in prices obtained in the several countries 

 I'or the same tea. 



Naturally the more extensive the field the greater 

 the expenses incurred at ^tir^t, but nothing could 

 point out the path of profit to the proprietor better 

 than the Syndicate bulked tea, exposed to public 

 ii'ial in the several countries suggested in draft 

 jn-oposai now being circulated — I am, your very 

 sincere^, J- McCOMBIE MUKKAY. 



MK PRESENT POSITION OF THE CINCHONA 



MARKET ; A CEYLON CINCHONA 



PLANTERS' SYNDICATE WANTED. 



14th July 188(3, 

 8jK( - The pi'esent position of the cinchona 

 market k worth the attention of all interested in 

 its cultivation. The large quantity of bark which 

 lias been sent into Europe during the last three 

 years has brought the price down to a level which 

 has virtually destroyed the Columbian trade. Many 

 nf those connected with it have been ruined, and 

 thousand;^ of men employed in it left the country. 

 U is generally admitted that a rise in the value 

 of baric to 'M a unit would be leqqired to admit 



Ceylon is now supplying nearly J of the bark 

 manufactured in the world. The increase in the 

 consumption and manufacture of quinine has been 

 so considerable that the latter has fully kept pac« 

 with the production, and the stocks of bark in 

 Europe are by no means large: indeed, at the end 

 of 188?5 Mr. Moens gives them as 19,000 packages 

 less than they were two years ago. 



It is only the immense supplies which Ceylon con- 

 tinues to send into the market which keeps the 

 value at its present low point. Any important de- 

 crease in the shipments from this, would imme- 

 diately produce a rise in the price. It is thus 

 no exaggeration to say that the market is at the 

 present moment entirely under the command of 

 Ceylon cinchona growers. 



If all who possess cinchona will cease harvest- 

 ing /;;•« «(•//, bark, and agree to send away in all 

 cases just h(dfthc u-eiyht of good bark which they 

 have dispatched during this season, they are likely 

 to obtain as much money for the reduced quantity 

 as they have this year for the larger amount. 

 The operation is surely simple enough ; the result 

 can hardly be doubtful. If Colombo merchants 

 will only combine with growers to restrict the 

 supply for the next year or two, the value of our 

 export would probably be increased by several 

 hundred thousand pounds whilst the present whole- 

 sale and in many instances premature destruction 

 of a produce which is of immense value to the 

 world would be prevented. — I am, sir, your obedient 

 servant, A PLANTER. 



XlBERIAN COFFEE' FROM JAVA. 



Sir, — I received from Sourabaya this week a 

 sample of Liberian coffee with a request that I 

 would get it valued and tried. It had been grown 

 on land in the middle of Java. The fermeatation 

 and treatment it had received had entirely cleared 

 off all the skin and it left a beautifully bright 

 berry. The valuation ranges from 553 to 68s and 

 perhaps more as it was the finest sample that had ever 

 been seen here. Some was roasted and tasted by 

 experienced coffee buyers without knowing anything 

 about it and they pronounced it very good and 

 equal to tine old East India or Java coffee : it had, 

 they say, the clean yellow look about it. There is 

 a great difference over the price of ordinary Liberian 

 coffee coming from Ceylon which I maintain re- 

 (|uires more careful fermentation and cleaning.— 

 Yours truly, THOB. CHRISTY. 



London, June 21th. 



CEYLON TEAT^VND^COCOAr AT ' THE EXHIB. 

 ITION : A RELIABLE OPINION. 



Kandy, 15th July 1886. 

 The Editors, the Ceijlon Observer, Colombo. 



SiBH,— Kcterence having been made to the quality 

 of the Ceylon Tea sold in the cup at the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition, it may not be ou>t of 

 place if I (juote the following extract from the 

 letter of a correspondent received yesterday. He 

 has, I need hardly say, no interest whatever 

 one way or other, and the remarks are 

 quite spontaneously made in a private letter. 

 He writes ; — •' It (the Colonial and Indian Ex- 

 hibition) seems to me simply admirable at every 

 point, and is being enormously successful. We 

 had pure and most delicious Ceylon Tea in the 

 verandah, and bought some at 2s (>d per lb. ; also 

 some chocolate (purity guaranteed by your Associ- 

 ation). It was of tine flavour, but a little sticky 

 and not quite equal in manufactnre to French, I 

 thought. I assure you, we scrutinised everything 

 most closely and wore thoroughly delighted. The 

 photos illustrating your Tea industry were un« 

 commonly good."— I am, siri;, yours faithfully, 



A. vnvuis, 



