282 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1882. 



wag continued. It is shown more and more clearly that 

 when the young trees possess the pure type of the mother 

 tree the alkaloid yield also agrees with this. As the average 

 of very typical four year old iilanls, deseead;int.". of the 

 mother trees 23 and 38, 9 p. c. quinine was yielded. A 

 picked tree, desceuilentof23, of that age, contained so much 

 as 11 75 p. c, quinine. A series of experiments was also 

 performed with barks of descendants of C. ledgeriana which 

 fi-om their habit appear to point to a hybridization by C. 

 aucciriihra. They are usually very rich in alkaloid, sometimes 

 also in quinine, while a yield of ciuclionidine often confirms 

 the opinion that they have been produced by a hybridization 

 with C succirubra. The determination of the alkaloids of 

 specimens of the crop was regularly carried on. 



J. C. Bebnelot Moens, 

 Dir. Govt. Cinchona Enterprise. 

 Bandong, 1st July 1882. 



Total trees at SOth June 1882, 3,091,500, viz. -.—in nurseries : 

 651,(100 ledgeriana (iucluding 6,553 cuttings and grafts), 

 220,500 sue, 171,800 off. ; in the o;ien : 650.200 ledger, (includ- 

 ing 70,000 cuttings and grafts and besides the more or less 

 6,300 original ledger.), 491,000 calls, and hass., 4i3,500 sue. 

 and calop., 457,500 off., and 9,000 lane. 



TEA. 



There has been a good demand for the larger supplies 

 of Indian Teas, and a better sale for the medium de- 

 scriptions, at rather firmer rates for the stronger sorts, 

 since the arriv,al of the new China crop. Until large 

 shipments of new Indian Teas arrive, a steady market 

 may be exiJected, especially for the good medium sorts. 

 The reports from most of the plantations of the progress 

 of the new crop continue favourable, and although the 

 season may be somewhat later than the last, the teas 

 will [probably be quite equal in quality. At, the public 

 sales 8,302 packages were offered, including 917 of Java 

 and 625 of Ceylon teas. The Indian growths were well 

 competed for, at generally firm prices. The quality of 

 the Ceylon teas was inferior to that of some of the pre- 

 vious shipments ; but the falling-off, it is to be hoped, 

 is only temporary, as there is no reason, with care, why 

 they should not become as popular as either Indian or 

 China teas, and the industry may in time prove highly 

 important. It is, indeed, reported that the Ceylon crop 

 may reach 1,500,000 1b this year, and the Indian yield, 

 should the weather be propitious, may not impossibly 

 reach 60,000,0001b. There is thus every prospect of 

 rapidly increasing supplies of tea', especially when it is 

 remembered that only a few years buck the Indian crop 

 was less than that of Ceylon now is. The Java teas 

 offered at this week's sales were better than the bulk of 

 the late imports, and consequently there is a good 

 demand for them at improved prices. 



The imports of tea into the Kingdom for the month 

 of June were 8,406,570 lb, or nearly double those of the 

 corresponding months in 1881, being an increase of no 

 less than 86-;'3 per cent., or 3,899,775 lb For the six 

 months the imports were 63,842,543 lb against 

 61,355,386 lb, an increase of 2,487,157 1b, or 4-05 per 

 cent. The delivorifs for home consumption for June 

 were 12,865,1.30 lb .against ll,6li7,.572 lb, an improve- 

 ment of 10'26 per cent., or 1, 197,558 lb, and for the six 

 months the consumption was 79,462,5-3 lb .igaiust 

 79 043,651 lb, a slight improvement of 0"52 per cent, or 

 418 872 1b. The total deliveries from thn 1st .January 

 were, however, materially smaller, .as the exports for 

 the six mouths have fallen off to the extent of 3,657,063 

 lb or 20'6fi percent., though those for June compare 

 very favourably with the corresponding month last 

 year, as they were 293,547 lb, or 11 '90 per cent, 

 in excess. The totals were 14,026,815 lb against 

 17,683,878 lb, .ind 2,777,882 lb against 2.482 335 lb 

 respectively. The stock on the 30th ultimo was 

 83,672,350 lb, against 69,564,154 lb on the same date in 

 1881, an incre,ase of no less than 20 28 per cent., or 

 14, 108,090 lb. --Pcoditcc Marhis' Eivinu. 



Economic Plants. — Mr. Roberts of Galle, "eylon, 

 is in receipt of seeds of the following plants, viz.. Cin- 

 chona Cnlasai;a Mnrada, the choicest description of 

 cinchona cultivated in Bolivia, Soma Cotton a very 

 valuable variety. Coca, Quinoas, Panto and Ynijas ( ofee, 

 considered to be the finest flavoured coffee in the 

 world. Maize Blanc, the best variety of the wonder, 

 ful Cusco or Yncos Maize, and has offered them to 

 Government for sale at E500 per ounce, R150 per lb. 

 K200 per lb., and R200 per lb. respectively. Govern- 

 ment have referred the matter to the Board of Re- 

 venue, the Conservator of Forests, the Honorary 

 Secretary of the Agri-Horticultural Socii'ty, and to 

 the Superintendent of the Government Central Museum. 

 — Madras Times, 



The Potato Crop on the Nilgiris. — The continuous 

 rain and damp that has prevailed since the beginn- 

 ing of June without intermission for nearly two months 

 has caused serious injury to the prospects of a fine 

 potato crop. The young tubers have rotted wholesale 

 in the soil, and the growers are taking up as rapidly 

 as they can what is left of the crop, and throwing 

 them into the market in an immature state. This 

 immaturity can easily be detected. The skin is very 

 light colored and thin, while the potato when boiled 

 does not crumble, but is sodden and w;inting in flavor. 

 A great scarcity of potatoes will arise, if the crops 

 elsewhere are dtstroyed in the same way as in the 

 neighbourhood of Ootacamund. Seed potatoes will also 

 be scarce, as little that is now being rooted up can 

 possibly keep till next sowing time comes round. — 

 Madras Times. 



Ceylon Tea. — We observe, our townsman, Mr. Mac- 

 laren, of Messrs, William Moran &Co. , has been laid 

 hold of on his way through Colombo, and induced 

 to look at a large number of Ceylon tea samples. 

 This is one of the penalties of greatness, and, as Mr. 

 Maclaren has made a name for himself in connection 

 with tea, he must not be surprized if he be interviewed 

 in this manner. He was able to give an encouraging 

 opinion of their pi'odnce, which must have been very 

 satisfactory to the island planters. We are told he 

 valued none of the samples under Is 2d, and some 

 as high as 23 4d. If none were under Is 2d, we 

 imagine they could not have been a fair average assort- 

 menl of samples. They must have been only high- 

 class teas ; at any rate, as the nsult of this examin- 

 ation, we shall expect Ceylon to take a higher rank 

 in Mincing L.ane this year than she has hitherto done. 

 We are afraid that the mistake made by Ceylon is in 

 planting out tea as an appanage to a coffee plant- 

 ation leaving its cultivation and manufacture to the 

 coffee, manager and his establishment. This will not 

 dorh treatment of the two plants being so diverse, 

 in der to give the tea anything like fair play, it 

 must have its own trained establishment. The former 

 mode may be excusable, when only a few acres are 

 planted for experimental purposes, but, if Ceylon wishes 

 to take her place among tea producing districts, she 

 must grow and manufacture her crop on more in- 

 telligent principles. Mr. Maclaren complained of over 

 and under fermentation, and of over-firing. Ferment- 

 ation being one of the most important processes in 

 manufacturing would seem not to have received that 

 attention it deserves. These facts all go to prove 

 what we have said ; that the growing and manufactur- 

 ing of tea must be superintended by gentlemen who 

 have given attention to the subjects, and not by coft'ee 

 planters whose experience has been in another direc- 

 tion.— /(if^i.vo Planters' Oazette. [But there is nothing 

 in the world to prevent an intelligent coffee-planter 

 mastering the mysteries of tea manufacture. Many 

 have qualilied themselves and others are learning. 

 Unhappily, on a large number of coffee estates, thequan- 

 tity of coffee recently produced has not been such as to 

 demand the excluai ie atteutiouof superiuteudente, — Ed, 



