I 



THE TROFXCAL AGRICULTURES f < 



THE BRAZIL COFFEE CROP. 

 'I hat there has been an eiror in tbe estimate of 

 the present coffee crop can now hardly be doubted. 

 The receipts from July 1st to 2Sth February were 

 3,015,01)0 bags and the present scale of receipts 

 shows plainly that the interior is far from bare of 

 coffee. The want of attention to this matter of crop 

 estimates becomes every year of greater importance ; 

 not only from the point of view taken by the merch- 

 ants iutensted in the trade, but also because as 

 the article furnishes the basis for the greater part of 

 our exchange operations, the more or less^ accurate 

 crop estimate becomes a feature in the finances of 

 the empire. We had occasion to treat of this matter, 

 and fnom the best information we could gather the 

 crop was estimated at not over 3,500,0110 bags, but 

 if 3,000,000 bags be received in eight months and 

 receipts are averaging over 10,000 bags per day, of 

 which the railway is contributing a very large pro- 

 portion, it seems proved that the exporters have again 

 been misled by the planters. That the result will 

 be, if it is not already, a further loss of confidenco 

 in all Brazilian coffee crop estimates ; we do not 

 pretend to deny tbe great extent of the territory 

 planted with the beau further complicates the busi- 

 ness ; but it would almost Beem that <t systematic 

 course of misrepresentation is pursued by planters and 

 t .eir agents, to the end of availing of some mo- 

 meutary advantages, assurely followed by distrust 

 and loss. The true interest of the planter leads to 

 the furnishing of the very best information as to 

 the coff e crop, for upon it depends to a most im 

 portant degree his own credit ; yet it is not infre- 

 quent to hear that they individually ha*e good to 

 fair crops, but that their neighbours will gather 

 little or nothing ! What reliance can possibly be 

 pi iced in the reports of such doubtful witnesses ? 

 .No export houee in Bio should pay the least at- 

 tention to the reports as to crops, but should mistrust 

 every estimate that comes from parties who seem to 

 take the greatest interest in misinforming their 

 customers. It is true that farmers, as a rule, under- 

 estimate their crops, without reflecting that they 

 may thereby seriously injure their own credit : but 

 in the case of the Bio coffee crop both public and 

 commercial credit are involved, and the sooner some 

 reliable system of reports as to the crop is organized, 

 the better it will be for all concerned. — Rio Nevjs. 



ERYTIIltOXYLON OOOA LEAVES. 



Information regarding the preparation for commercial 

 purposes, communicated to the Madras Board of Revenue, by 

 M. A. Lawson, Esq., Director of Government Cinchona 

 Plantations, Parks aad Gardens, Nilgiris, consists of the 

 extract on the subject taken from Bentley and Trimen's 

 medicinal plants, which we have already given in the 

 Tropical Agriculturist. Mr. Lawsouadds: — Prom the above 

 extract it will be seen that the chief points to he 

 attended to are — 



1st. — The rapid drying in thin layers of such leave as are 

 fully developed and are yet not too old. 



2udly, — The immediate packing of the dried leaves in 

 air-tight boxes. 



Srdly. Those who possess and desire to harvest leaves 

 for sale in England should experiment on small quanties iu 

 different ways until they arrive at a satisfactory result, 

 and to this end I would recommend them to proceed as 

 follows : — 



(1) Pick the leaves early in the morning. 



(2) Spread the leaves out on some smooth surface, 

 such as boards, so that there should be — fa) One layer 

 ot leaves. (I') Two layers of leaves, (e) Three laj'erR or 

 thereabouts of leaves. 



(3) .select a place for drying the leaves which is ex- 

 posed to the suu, audit' the leaves curl up or turn brown, 

 try different degrees of shading. 



(4) Pack the leaves tightly as 60on as dried iu layer3 

 in tin or other air-tight boxes. 



Mr. Hooper experimented upon a sample of leaves from 

 plants growD at Burliyiir; from these he extracted a 2 

 per cent crude alkaloid. Some of this was given to Dr. 

 Bidie who handed it over to Dr. Brockman for trial, and 

 Dr. Brockman has pronounced the compound to be worth- 

 less. From this, however, nothing nn in necessarily follows 

 thau that the leaves were improperly selected or improperly 

 dried, or that the necessary chemical processes in extracting 

 the alkaloid were not observed. 



Mr. Hooper will be shortly engaged upon fresh experi- 

 ments, and when these are completed, they shall be com- 

 municated to you. 



COL. MONEY'S LETTERS ON TEA : NO. II. 

 East India Club, St. James' Square, Loudou, S. W., 

 27th March 1835. 



I have just sent the following to the London Times 

 on the proposed enhancement of 3d per pound to the 

 Duty on Tea, which, sad to state, The Times advocates : — 



"Sir, — It is proposed I hear to increase the Duty on Tea 

 from (id to 9d per pouud. Why tea, a necessity for the 

 poor, and a harmless drink, should he taxed at such an 

 absurdly high rate, it is difficult to perceive. If this in- 

 crease is carried out it meaus 100 per cent on Chinese, 

 and 75 per cent on Indian teas, i.e., on the prices they 

 now fetch in Mincing Lane. 



" The iucreased tax, like the 6d hitherto, will all be paid by 

 the consumer, not the retailer, who, considering the enorm- 

 ous profits he makes, could well afford it. Is it fair, 

 with the distress prevailiug today, thus to tax the very 

 poor by simply doubling the cost of what is almost necessary 

 to their existence ? The 6d duty is already out of all 

 proportion to the value of the article. Some Chinese tea 

 sells Od per lb and paysGd duty!" 



Whether they will insert it is a question, but, if they 

 do not, I shall get it into some other papers. It is perhaps 

 not likely the letter will do much good ; still I shall feel 

 more satisfied having done my little all to stop it. Is 

 there any article on which such a heavy duty is levied 

 as tea ? I know of none except cigars, and, they being 

 a luxury, the tax is legitimate. What would be thought 

 on a proposed tax on bread today ? But is not tea, after 

 bread, one of the necessaries of life, and perhaps the 

 only solace with his tobacco the poor man has. What 

 a crying shame to place an ad valorem duty of near 100 

 per cent on such au article ! 



How, if done, will it affect the producer ? Supply re- 

 maining equal, and demand diminished owing to the oxtra 

 cost, lower prices in the market, are (at least so it seems 

 to me) sure to follow. Yet there are some here who 

 der.y that increased duty will necessitate lower prices. 

 I presume they do so on the supposition that supplies 

 will in a measure fall off, as the cheapest Chinese teas 

 cannot bear a 9-penny duty, and that increase of popul- 

 ation will to some extent create the same demand. 



But the study of Tea Statistics shows there are many, 

 elements to consider if one tries in any way to look ahead. 

 As far as I can judge, the increased duty of 3d, if it is 

 carried out, will necessitate lower prices, which yet may 

 not be lower than those quoted today, only lower than 

 what would have held in the future had it not been done. 

 The fact is, that, looking at the tea figures of the last few 

 months, and the future as far as one dare to cast it, it 

 appears that what we have all longed-for so long has at 

 last taken place. Demand has overtaken supply. The 

 aggregate stocks at the beginning of this month stood 

 in round numbers at 101 million pounds, as against 110 

 million and 111 million in same month of 1884 and 

 1883. This is, of course, due _ to the large monthly de- 

 liveries which have ruled lately, and, supposing them to 

 continue (that is not checked by this woeful contemplated 

 increase of duty), the probability is, that, on July 1st 

 next, the stock iu hand will not much exceed 40 millions, 

 or about 2h months' supply. Were England not engaged 

 in foolish wars, so that a revival of trade and prosperity 

 might be looked for, this would indeed bo food news 



