372 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1882. 



grace the course of au agent's dealings with his con- 

 stituent. I would fearlessly commit myself to a moder- 

 ate bet, that not even a single load of coffee, after 

 having been shaken over sixty miles of rough road, 

 in a spriugless cart, would turn out in quantity at its 

 terminus exactly what it was at the start. How mani- 

 fold would my oonfideuce be iuoreased if I came to 

 bet on 4,800 bushels, instead of sixty ! The s(dution 

 of exaclitude is very transparent. My despatch note 

 was no doubt received as really representing the quant- 

 ity delivered. Upon the basis of such accepted de- 

 livery, all the agent's returns of out-turns, &c , were 

 thenceforward based, but it must be apparent th.it 

 inferentially these returns are false iu fact as they 

 are uuiutentionally dishonest in creation aud care- 

 lessness. I have mentioned that I took particular 

 care in drying my coffee, and that the he.st samples 

 in my possession are bulk for bulk lighter than 

 the mass they represent, as that left the agent's 

 bands. My fellow victims may then fairly conceive 

 the tonic gurgulations that I became the subject of, 

 when looking over the outturn statements ; i found 

 4J per cent, had been deducted as ' driage' from the 

 quantity I sent down. Surely this word is a misnomer. 

 Influenced, no doubt, by the climatic operation here, 

 T find that the coffee when it gets to England, under- 

 goes still further 'diiage' to the extent of I J per 

 cent. Thus in all the reduction in weight amounts to 

 6 per cent., and I would ask any planter who has 

 studied the matter, if such diminution could possibly 

 have occurred under ordinary treatment. 



My coffee on the average was sold for R750 the 

 ton ; against this I have to put the following 

 charges : — 



1. Discount — for what purpose charged heaven R. 

 only knows, 1 per cent ... .. 7 '50 



2. Guar'd, commission — an upward appeal 



can alone explain this, ^ per cent ... 3'75 



3. Freight, brokerage, etc., 13 per cent ... 97 50 



4. Driage 6 per cent 45 '00 



6. Cleaning charges ... ... ... ... 5000 



6. Transport ... 75-00 



7. Interest to Agent 67'50 



K346-25 



Taking the average Wynaad yield at 3 cwts. to the 

 acre, to produce one ton I have to maintain fij acres. 

 Deducting 346 25 from 750, I have thus K403-7o left 

 to do this, or say, R60 per ncre. In my opinion, 

 an estate to be properly maintained ought to have 

 spent on it per annum RSO an acre at least, so that 

 receiving H60 for what costs me RSO to produce, I, 

 as a planter, contribute generally to the public benefit, 

 and particularly handsomely to the income of my 

 agents. What a cheering prospect before me ! I 

 come now to the main object of my letter. My case 

 1 know is not singular, and that my position is 

 better than most of my neighbours ! I ask myself, 

 and I want my brother planters to ask themselves, 

 why we should go on submitting to the present state 

 of things? Let us have a 'Planters' Union.' The 

 agents have established a union amongst themselves ; 

 they charter vessels to carry our coffee, share the 

 profit of the transaction between themselves, and 

 dictate the rate of freight to us ; they act similarly 

 as to the curing, shipping, interest, and home charges. 

 In all parts of the world, the binding of a common 

 interest by the tie of a healthy co-operation has 

 been most beneficial in its results ; why cannot we 

 planters learn a lesson from others ? I may be 

 answered, that the agents have us in their clutches ; 

 that we are all, generally speaking in their debt, 

 and cannot escape from them ; but what often is 

 impracticable and impossible to individual intention 

 jaay be accomplished by united action. Let us combine 



and start a company, such as the Neilgherry Lands 

 Investment Company, content with a moderate rate of 

 interest ; let us incorporate ourselves legally as a body, 

 and we can then borrow money from the banks at a far 

 lees rate of interest than the agents charge us ; let 

 us start an Insurance Fuiid, wherefrom the planter who 

 has fairly worked his estate and under the control of 

 the Committee of the Union may be strengthened in a 

 bad season for efforts in the future ; let us start an 

 Agency in England, and protect ourselves from the 

 cost of paying for the maintenance of a credit there, 

 which our necessities here create for our so called 

 agents. Let us do some or all of these things, and the 

 ci'ffee industry may yet look up and hold its own. 

 Lotus forbear and inscribe Ichabod on our gate-posts. 

 To shew that I am serious, I am quite willing to put 

 R20,0U0 down to promote such an undertaking as I 

 propose. For lack of leisure I enunciate my views in 

 a very crude form, but will be most happy to inter- 

 change ideas with any or all of my fellow-planters. If ■ 

 auy notice is taken of my suggestion, I would propose 

 that our old friend J. B. Burnett be hunted out of an' 

 obscurity which his wide experience does not entitle 

 him to occupy, and entrusted with the digestion of' 

 my scheme." 



♦ 



Ledgers (Cinchona) in Lindula. — Mr. Parsons 

 sends the following encouraging report : — " Perhaps 

 you will be interested to learn that Mr. Cameron's 

 18 months' old Legeriana trees on S. Regulus show 

 an analysis of 2'93 per cent crystallized sulphate of 

 Quinine. The sample was taken from ten trees, and 

 the result must, I think, be considered somewhat 

 encouraging." 



The Naga Hilis. — Mr. McCabe's administration re- 

 port of the Naga Hills for 1881-82, although considered 

 "rather sketchy and vague " by the Chief Commissioner 

 of Assam, affords " an extremely interesting" summary 

 of the events of the year, which Mr. Elliott has 

 digested with " great satisfaction." Mr. MoCabe sug- 

 gests in his report that the great Nambar forests be 

 partially reserved, aud a portion thrown open for tea 

 cultivation. In this the Chief Commissioner has con- 

 curred, so that the planters are now to be invited to 

 take lots of land for cultivating, — Statesman. 



Tea in Australia and America. — 'We have already 

 ventured to predict that, at least three million pounds 

 of tea will this year be necessary to meet the require- 

 ments of the Australian mai-ket. Various other 

 estimates have beon made, ranging from two to two 

 aud-ahalt million pounds, but we still Sdhere to our 

 own estimate of three as a minimum. The latest news 

 from Australia tends to confirm the correctness of this 

 forecast, and a considerable quantity at a recent 

 Calcutta sale, ivas purchased for that market. Mr. 

 Sibthorp has recently brought an encouraging report 

 from America. There the preference for the finer 

 scented quality of China, and more particularly of 

 Japan, has obtained such a hold on the public taste, 

 that he does not expect much will be done in those 

 classes. There is, however, an immense field for tea to 

 sell at about one shilling and sixpence. This is very 

 encouraging, and by and by the better classes will c(une 

 to learn, that Indian Pekoes will bear comparison with 

 certain classes of very expensive China teas, and thus 

 a footing will soon be attained in that great country, 

 with its teeming and ever-increasing population. Mr. 

 Sibthorp soM a quarter of a million pounds, during his 

 short stay in America. Taking these two markets 

 together, we should not be surprized if five million 

 pounds were this year retained for transmiss'on to 

 them. This will be a very sensible relief to the London 

 market, and this sh.ould always be kept in view, as it, 

 more than anything- else, affects prices. — Indigo Planters' 

 Gazette. 



