Dec, I, 1886.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



397 



Dear Sir, — Your letters of the 14th and Cith have 

 come to hand this week upon following days. The 

 letter of the former date encloses addresses to which 

 eight p^imphlets have been sent and the latter a list 

 ol sixty-four. On receipt I have written to Messrs. P. 

 O. Don & Co. but have not yet received their reply as 

 to the 2,000 copies. I have not yet heard in reply to 

 my formal application as to the registration of a trade 

 mark, but as I was promised an answer within ten days, 

 I am daily expecting it. 



1 have packed for you a box containing the Official 

 publications connected with the Exhibition as per list 

 enclosed. The box will also contain samples of the very 

 best Trinidad cocoas which may be interesting for pur- 

 poses of comparison, and a sample of Jamaica carda- 

 moms. I conclude there is no use sending out samples 

 of teas, though I shall be glad to do so at any time if 

 it should be desired. We can draw no profitable com- 

 parison except from the finer Indian teas and I know 

 many planters get regular supplies of these from home. 



Referring to IVfr. A. M. "White's letter from which 

 you send me extract, it is impossible to follow the course 

 of markets by comparison drawn from specially pre- 

 pared Exhibition samples, but the connection i have 

 been able to form in the city among brokers in various 

 products will enable me when lam released from my 

 duties here to obtain information which may be of 

 value, and such information will always be at the dis- 

 posal of the Association. As regards improvement in 

 cuUivation or manufacture of our various products, we 

 are so constantly taunted on this side with extolliug 

 our own wares, that it is gratifying to find there is still 

 a school of disciples in (Jeylon, but with the exception 

 of cocoa about the mode of preparation of which there 

 is much uncertainty, I am afraid I can otfer no sug- 

 gestions. When I asked Mr. Pasteur who is reporting 

 upon the coffees in the Exhibition, if he could suggest 

 any improvement in the preparation of coffee, his 

 answer was that though much Oeylon coffee, now con- 

 tained many defective beans, he believed it to be im- 

 possible to improve upon the system of curing in 

 Colombo. I may mention that there is a strong and a 

 growing fseliug in favour of bringing coffee home in 

 parchment and it is said that Java coffee sold in 

 parchment in Amsterdam brings Gs per cwt, more 

 than when cared in Java. Mr. Pasteur does not expect 

 there would be anything like so much difference 

 between Colombo and Loudon cured coffee, but sj 

 many large dealers have spoken to me on the subject, 

 that I have arranged to give it a trial. A^hen I 

 asked Dr. Paul if he could suggest any improvement 

 in our systems of harvesting cinchona barks, he replied 

 in the negative, but, he added, if you cease tho 

 shipment of twig and inferior barks your mark-ts 

 will improve. He is, as I mentioned before, strojgly 

 iu favour of the cultivation of C. ?oi«.va in 1 Jeylon. 

 The same with tea, though Mr. Stanton tells us as 

 we all well know that much Ceylon t< a, leaves m/ich 

 to be desire'd in preparation. He will also tell you 

 that the better marks from Ceylon leave nothiu<j to be 

 desired. Brokers have so long been pointing out the 

 advantige of large breaks and of not sorting into too 

 many grades that I need not enlarge upon it. I liope 

 the few analyses Idr. Hughes is gomg to supply us 

 ■with, may throw some light on the questions'as to 

 how much inferiority is due to faulty m nufacture and 

 how much to defective soil. Ic is hard, but I am 

 convinced it often happens that Superiuteudents are 

 blamed for bad prices when the fault lies really in 

 the soil and this is a. matter easy of proof. I hope 

 the Association may see its way to a regular extended 

 series of analysed. While on the subject of tea. I am 

 sorry to heir tliat the result of Mr. Walker's en- 

 quiries as to (he pi ice at which crude petroleum 

 can be put down iu Colombo is by no means satis- 

 factory, but as has just been pointed o'ut to me 

 by Mr. Hervey, the gentleman who first drew uiy 

 attention to Tiubuttti Paicnt we do not want crude 

 petroleum, but the residue after the volatileilos have 

 DRen extracted and he is saugume that the result of 

 further enquiries which have been set on foot will 

 prove that the patent is practicable and will be 

 economical iu Ceylon. 



I aui sorry to be able to write in a different strain 

 about the Japan tea chests to what I expressed for- 

 merly. My firm bought a shipment of Ceylon tea 

 packed in half-chests of the moniewood I think and 

 several of them arrived with their sides stove in. The 

 wood of which they are made is extremely brittle 

 and shows that care must be exercised iu purchas- 

 ing these chests. I notice that some of the Indian 

 chests have y small upright stick in each of the four 

 corners of the chest fiom top to bottom which must 

 tend materially to strengthen the chest. These Japan 

 chests are so very neat and especially for sending to 

 the country so much more attractive, that it will be 

 a pity if the standard should be lowered. 



The only Cardamoms in the Exhibition besides those 

 from Ceylon, are a bottle from Jamaica a few from 

 which I enclose as a curiosity : a sample of racemes 

 ('? ) and fruit preserved in spirit from Grenada 

 and two small boxes from India one from Merkara 

 and one from Bangalore so there is but little opportunity 

 of drawing comparisons, but ours are suown much 

 better and look much better than any others. There 

 is mention of cardamoms inthi .Straits Settlements' 

 catalogue, but 1 have uoc yet bjen able to find them. 



The Reports now being lirawu up, ou all those sub- 

 jects will be interesting and though they are I believe 

 in no way to draw attention to competitive merit, Ihey 

 will contain much valuable informaiioa, Mr. Stanton 

 has, lam glad to say, had instructions to include Indian 

 teas in Lis report. I will of course send you copies of 

 these reports as soon as they are published. 1 have 

 this moment had a letter from Mr. Pasteur asking me 

 to go and see the samples of cocoa arranged in order of 

 merit and 1 hope to do so. He showed me the other daj- 

 a sample of cccoa which, guided by outward appearance 

 only, would have been pronounced of great Viihie, but 

 which was almost wortnless because it was mildewed 

 inside. 



Mr. Wnite asks if I can not suggest any new pro- 

 ducts for Ceylon. I believe fibres oa our wastelamls 

 and sericulture among natives will yet become Inrge 

 enterprises. Fibre mactiinery is rapidly being improved 

 ui)Ou and it the proper machine for alje manipalation 

 can be found, it will yet be a large industry. It a chance 

 of sending a few dried aloe leaves should arise, I 

 think we might work out some practical good with 

 them, but the market for the dispo>il ot all the minor 

 proiucts which have been brought to my notice is so 

 fickle and f.iucifnl, that I hesitate to suggest.much less to 

 recommend. 



I enclose you rough copy of figures connected 

 with the Tea Trade of the Colonies ; there is nothing 

 new ill it, but it shews the extent of the various 

 local market.s. 



There are few articles of food supply being pushed 

 as Ceylon tea is; it is advertized everywhere, even 

 on the programmes of theaiit^ and new Com)ianie8 

 are springing up all round us to push it-^ sale. W'e 

 have opened several foreign couneccions, which may I 

 trust develope. 



The fate and the future of the Exhibition is to be 

 d2cided the day-after-tomorrow and you will probably 

 know of it by telegr.im before you geD this. 



We had a Ceylon Dinner on Wednesday which the 

 newspipers will ])robdbly have an account of. I need 

 oidy mention that Sir Arthur Birch, Dr. Trimen and 

 iNlr. Saunders all referred to the excellence of the 

 P. A. Arrangement and Show, and to how much this 

 was attributable to Mr. Christie's persoua.1 exertion. 



I lecture on Ceylon Tea hereon Wednesday. I will 

 send \ ou by next mail an account of my receii)t3 

 and disbursements. Meanwhile, to soothe the feelings 

 of the anxious, I maj'' remark that I hope to get a 

 grant towards my incidental expenses fro-n Sir A- 

 Birch, which will leave the ±50 you sent me untouched 

 You will have heard of Mr. de Soyza's generosity. 



Faithfully yours, Signed, J.L. SHAJSiD. 



List of Books REFEnREo to. 



India.— Hand-book collection wild siiks, Imlian silk 

 culture, Empire of India Catalogue, Hand-book of 

 Jeypore Court 4. 



Canada. — Canada Guide-hook, Report on Agriculture, 



