May 2, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



725 



FLORIDA ORANGE CROP, 



From memorauda appended to the various reports 

 it appears that coaiparatively few hearing trees have 

 been killed. Xursery trees in many localities were 

 killed. The damage to older trees cannot be estimated 

 at present, but the general opinion inclines to the 

 belief that but few bearing trees were materially 

 injure 1. An unfavorable report (from Sumter county) 

 on this SHbject reads as follows : — '• About one bearing 

 tree in one hundred was killed to the ground, and 

 perhaps one-tenth of the bearing trees are slightly 

 killed back, some to the main trunk and some slightly 

 only. A great many will shed their leaves, but this 

 will do no harm. Some groves seem to be entirely 

 uninjured from the freeze and look nice and green." 

 To the Editor of '' J>radstre(t's." 



Sill— My estimate of this season's crop was about 

 1,000,000 boxes ; .50 per cent of this I think had been 

 marketed, leaving 50 per cent on trees and in packing- 

 houses. That in packing-houses, however, amounts to 

 very little, only a few thousand boxes. That on the 

 trees was more or less frosted, and but very small 

 proportion of it can be marketed, and I think I am 

 safe in saying fully 'JO per cent of the frosted fruit 

 ■will be a total loss. I hardly think the bearing trees 

 are hurt to any extent, and it is the belief of many 

 of the experienced growers that we can look for fair 

 crop next season. At present, however, it is hard to 

 tell just what the damage to trees is; in a month 

 or six weeks wa can answer that question better. The 

 nursery, or young trees, in many localities were kijled. 

 — Yours respectfully, A. M. IvES, General Manager, 

 l-'lorida Fruit E.TChange. 



The price of frozen oranges has been about glGG 

 per box in Kew York, but no more are coming here 

 at present. The result appears to be that about one- 

 half of the Florida orange crop has been lost. Several 

 cargoes of foreign oranges are alreadj' well on 

 their way to this port to supply the deficiency. — 

 J)'iaihtreet'.i. 



TEA IN GUATEMALA. 



The d'citoiuda Star is urging the Government of 

 the Republic of Guatemala to foster the cultivation of 

 tea. It says : — 



A wide field is offered to prospective tea-growers in 

 the large uncultivated tracts of land on the sides of 

 the hills and mountainous regions of the country which 

 are admirablj' adapted for the purpose of cultivating 

 the fragrant leaf. The soil is just the thing, and the 

 climate is all that can be desired. Herein Guatemala, 

 as is done in China, tea can be raised by the poorer 

 classes in small quantities, who can cultivate a few 

 hundreds of shrubs on their own lands, and either cure 

 the leaves themselves or sell them to their richer neigh- 

 bors after assorting them according to their quality. If 

 the large fniqueros were to assume the responsibility of 

 extensive tea plantations, it would give employment to 

 the very many destitute and labor seeking Indians who 

 are now very poor and desirous of having a wider field 

 for their labors than is afforded them in the present less 

 than semi-cultivated state of the country. Men, Avomen 

 and childeru could all alike be employed in cultivating 

 the plant and in picking and curing the leaf.. This 

 employment would not last, like in the cultivation of 

 the coffee tree, for two, three, four or five months, but 

 would extend throughout the entire year, and the benefits 

 arising from the constant employment of the working 

 classes would be incalculable towards the political, 

 moral and intellectual status of the country. 



An idea has been formed by many people who have 

 given this subject their attention, that it will be necessary 

 to import into the country a great number of Chinese 

 laborers in order to make the cultivation of tea a 

 profitable enterprise; but such is far from being the 

 case. It will only be necessary to make a contract for 

 five years with a dozen or twenty thoroughly csperiencKd 

 Chinese iu order to instruct the natives here in the 

 various processes of tea cultivation, and, at the expiration 

 of that period, a sufiieient knowledge will be gained 

 to enablt) the project to be carried on by the Guate- 

 RjsUepans themselves without further aid. 



The Star claims that one great advantage which 

 Guatemala will have over the rest ot the tea-produciag 

 world is that the teas produced in this country will be 

 upon the Markets of London and New York some 

 five or six weeks prior to any other kinds, and thus its 

 value will be greatly enh.anced. 



If the climatu and soil of G uatemala is as favorable 

 to the proJuction of tea as it is to coffee we can see 

 no rea-on why tea cultivation should not become a 

 profitable industry, and we receive from the Jiew field 

 tea of as rare and exquisite flavor and quite as marked 

 in its characteristics as the cofl'ee there grown, and 

 which has for years been a favorite with epicures. We 

 certainly hope the Government ivill lend its aid to give 

 the industry a start and a foothold.— Xwmc^rw Grocer. 

 [Here, as elsewhere iu America, the enterprise cannot 

 succeed for want of abundant and cheap labor. — Ed,| 



THE BHUTAN AND THIBETAN MARKETS. 



About the middle of last month I visited the Hhutia 

 encampment of Uewangiri, and amongst other matter.s 

 I enquired into the subject of Tea. I found that 

 the Bhutias had as usual brought with them a few 

 bricks of the commodity they designate Tea. I ob- 

 tained a small quantity and noted a few i)articulars, 

 which may p )ssibly prove of interest. 



L'. The Bhutias stated that the Tea was brought 

 by traders from a place called .Tanarjippoo, situated 

 a year's journey to the north east. To indicate the 

 direction, they pointed at first due North and then 

 due EiSt, intimating that a traveller to .Tanarjippoo 

 from Bhutan would have first to go North and then 

 East. They stated that they had given in exchange 

 for a brick two cloths of Eri Silk, each cloth contain- 

 ing as much thread as they had bought for the equiva- 

 lent of Rl-l in the Assam Valley. Estimating 

 roughly the labour of weaving at 12 annas per cloth 

 the cost of the Tea would appear to have been R4 

 per block. That this could not be its real price 

 in Bhutan was proved by the fact that I bought 

 it at R3-8 in Dewangiri. The price last year was, 

 as far as I can ascertain, R2-4 in the same place. 

 The Bhutias stated that: it had become dearer in the 

 interior. I enquired why they drank Tea which had 

 come such a distance when a much cheaper kind 

 was to be obtained in Assam. They stated that Assam 

 Tea was bitter, but that the Tea they had with 

 them was sweet. 



3. I watched in one instance the process of making 

 the infusion: Two pots, one of brass and filled with 

 water, the other an earthen one and empt3\ were 

 put over a fire ; a piece was broken off a brick of 

 tea and crumpled up in the hand to separate the 

 adhering leaves and twigs. The handful so obtained 

 was put into the dry earthen pot and stirred up for 

 a few seconds till hot. Then, about a couple of 

 wine-glasses full of potash water (made by straining 

 water through ashes) was poured on the drj- tea, and 

 when the heat had almost evaporated the moisture, 

 .another spoonful of water (now hot) was added from 

 the brass pot. The tea meanwhile was kept stirred 

 to prevent its burning, and when nearly dry, a second, 

 and then after an interval a third spoonful of water 

 was added ; when this, too, was almost dry, all the 

 water from the brass pot was poured in, a?id a 

 teaspoonful of salt having been put in, the mixture 

 was boiled. As soon as the bubbles showed that the 

 liquid was boiling, it was ladled out with a .spoou 

 formed from a gourd into a sort of churn, made from 

 a thick piece of bamboo about two feet long. The 

 churn was provided with a wooden cover, through 

 a hole iu which a piston rod worked, the piston being 

 simply a round piece of wood roughly fitting the in- 

 terior of the churn. The boiling liquid having been 

 poured in, the churn was worked for a few seconds, 

 and then about a tablespoonful of ghee was added 

 to the mixture. The churn upon this worked vigour- 

 ously for a few minutes, considerable pressure being 

 evidently required to force the piston up and down. 

 The Bhutia next poured back the liquid into the 

 earthen pot (which meanwhile had remained on the 

 fire) and testec] tho te^. He statert that more salt 



