July x, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



61 



to the point. Planters would be only too glad it Govern- 

 ment would direct a little of that paternal attention now 

 given to the compiling of countless forms and restric- 

 tions ad nauseam to this real grievance. One that de, 

 mauds redress, if not for the sake of the planter for 

 the sake of the unfortunate coolie whose welfare 

 Government assures us it has at heart. Most of the 

 rows and disputes that occur on a tea garden may be put 

 down to the presence of those nefarious grogshops. Many 

 a c.ise of assault, arising from drink, is settled by the 

 planter himself, (not without bother,) to save the trouble 

 find expense of going into court, but more serious "cases where 

 lethal weapons are used, have to be tried before the 

 Magistrate, and entail the loss to the estate of perhaps 

 several coolies' labour for some days, if the court is situated 

 any distance. It seems strange that a Government pro- 

 fessing such a paternal regard for our coolies' welfare and 

 hedging them t round with every mirmtia of red 

 t ilpeism, should at the same time place at their doorsteps 

 shops, where poison adulterated with water can be had 

 for a mere song. 



We are having rain here pretty well every day. Leaf is 

 coming out at last, though not so fast as to keep pace with 

 our wishes. Most concerns are now behind and falling behind 

 last season. The tea made this May will be little if any more 

 t ban was made in April. Blister blight, red spider and cater- 

 pillars have been having more than a day of it. How many 

 blights besides Government has tea to contend against. 



LEAF-DISEAsE 



AND ITS 

 JAVA. 



EFFECTS IN 



Naturally enough, onr neighbours in the " Nether- 

 lands India " colony were very unwilling to admit that 

 the coffee fungus threatened to become as serious an 

 evil in their laud of rich lava soil surrounded by an atmo- 

 sphere of volcanic gases, as it has proved to be in Ceylon 

 and British India. But the fatal truth cannot any longer 

 be blinked. We recently copied an alarming paragraph 

 from a Java paper, and this mail brings statements of 

 reductions in estimates of crops, owing to the ravages of 

 the fungus, in the east as well as the west of the colony, 

 such reductions being regarded as merely preliminary. 

 From the moment we saw the fearful condition of the 

 Liberian coffee nurseries at Buitenzorg, added to fatal 

 spots on leaves of Coffea Arabics, we never doubted 

 what the end would be, and we suspect that for the 

 present at least and until the evil disappears or is modified, 

 Java has seen the culmination of her coffee crops, and 

 will follow Ceylon in the process of decadence. The 

 game would, therefore, seem to be in the hand of Brazil, 

 but although the South American Empire is, an yet, 

 free from Hemileia vastatrix, she has an equivalent in 

 the commencement of the slavery crisis. Nor is the 

 coffee free from serious disease, on roots and leaves. 

 The most recent development has been the scale insect, 

 our "black bug," from which serious mischief was an- 

 ticipated It would ill-become us to rejoice in the 

 misfortunes of our neighbours, but it is right, we, 

 should appreciate facts and their importance. We can- 

 not forget that Brazil has swamped competitors by 

 means of a wicked aud unfair system of compulsory 

 labour and part of the inevitable retribution is that 

 Brazil has largely swamped herself in the process of 

 ruining others. 



KEW GARDENS TO COLONIAL OFFICE ON 

 TIMBER FOR TEA BOXES IN CHINA. 



Royal Gardens, Kew, 30th April, 1884. 

 Sir, — With reference to my letters of March 29th and 

 April 14th, on the subject of the wood used in China 

 for tea chests, I am desired by Sir Joseph Hooker to 

 inform you that he has received from the Foreign Office 

 further reports furnished by Her Majesty's Consular 

 Officers in China upon this subject 



Without further troubling you with copies of these 

 documents in detail, I may now sum up the conclusions 

 which have been arrived at from their study in this 

 establishment. 



The wood most esteemed for the purpose is evidently 

 that of one or more species of Liquidambar. Probably 

 that most used is the wood of L. formosana, (Hance), a 

 species apparently common in South China. The inquiry 

 has however disclosed the existence of two other species 

 in China, and of one of these — L. acerifolia, Maxim — the 

 wood is used for tea chests in China. 



With regard to the information contained in Mr. Cur- 

 rie's letter of March 28th, of which a copy was com- 

 municated to you on March 29th, I am to say that the 

 specimen sent by Mr. Sinclair as an example of the 

 wood used for tea chests at Foo-chow-foo is almost cer- 

 tainly the wood of a Liquidambar, and not, as stated by 

 him, of Pimcs sinensis. The wood referred to by Mr. 

 Consul Oxenham as used at Chinkiang under the name 

 of chestnut is probably also Liquidambar, as the Chinese, 

 owing to the resemblance of the fruit, seem to regard 

 them as related. The wood of Liquidambar is undoubtedly 

 used for the purpose at Kuikiaug and Shanghai, while 

 at Hankow the wood of the species, which has been 

 identified as Liquidambar acerifolia (Maxim), is largely 

 employed. At the latter place deal (probably the wood 

 of Pinna sinensis) is used, and also at Tamsuy. At Swatow 

 and Niugpo boxes are made from the wood of species 

 of Cunningliamia. Elsewhere, the woods of willow and 

 of Sophora japonica are employed. — I am, &c, 



W. T. Thiselton Dveh. 



The Hon. R. H. Meade, Colonial Office. 



AVERAGE PRICES OF TEA AND LOCAL SALES. 



There is all the difference in the world between 

 fine plucking and coarse, just the difference between 

 quality and quantity. The low prices realized by an 

 invoice of tea prepared by a Ceylon tea-rr.aker of 

 no mean reputation having attracted attention and 

 discussion, we were assured that the result was en. 

 tirely due to the determination of the gentlemau in 

 question, from which no remonstrances could move 

 him, to pluck copiously or, as his critics insisted, 

 coarsely. In contrast to this case we have heard of 

 two young estates which are plucked so finely that 

 the averages opposite those estates in th« London 

 market are fully twice and more the price realized 

 by the teas of the free plueker. It is quite possible, 

 however, — very probable indeed— that the money re- 

 sults are in favour of the latter. But his competitors 

 may be willing to sacrifice present profit in order to 

 " gain a good name for their estates." Such name 

 may possibly help to sell the estates if sale is de- 

 sired, but the estimate of the London brokers will 

 certainly be formed on all-round breaks of teas. 

 Some make a large proportion of pekoe and 

 a small quantity of pekoe souchong, but it 

 is curious to notice how matters are equalized 

 by the lower prices given for what is called pekoe. 

 The averages given by Messrs. Thompson and others 

 will only be accurate when all estates forward the 

 whole of their teas and of all qualities from picked 

 orange pekoe to broken tea and dust for sale. That 

 tea can be made without dust resulting has been 

 asserted, but we do not believe the assertion. 

 While some send all their teas from finest 

 pekoe to dust to market and others with- 

 hold broken tea and dust, we submit that aver- 

 ages should be calculated on pekoe, broken pekoe 

 and pekoe souchong, to the exclusion of fancy pekoes 

 at the one end and dust at trie other. What is 

 done with the inferior leaf and du-t on some estates 

 is shown by the entry in last reported sales: "Ceylon 

 tea. which realized only an average of 4}d ." Whether 



