Feb. I, 1886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



523 



dieats, in order that each -may contain exactly 50 lbs- 

 otherwise freight will be payable on eqnal to one 

 '* dummy " package in every U). There should then 

 not be a variation of a pound either way iu a break 

 of *20 or 'M) packat^es, and if the Teas were carefully 

 bnlked before packing, there should not be any ir- 

 regularity of quality, and the Teas should pass inspect- 

 ion without the necessity for a bulking order. We 

 have seen 20 chests recently of which the Tares ranged 

 all the way from 31 lbs. to 42 lbs. This difficulty can 

 be surmounted, and is avoided on some estates, and our 

 suggestions are made in the hope they may be practic- 

 able at any rate to some extent. 



Marking should be as simple as possible. One ob- 

 jection to stencilling the Tare on the package is that a 

 package may Tare 40 lbs. in Ceylon, and only HU lbs. 

 here. The Grocer who is allowed 3;l lbs. Customs 

 Tare immediately thinks he is being "done" out of a 

 pound. Mr. Armstrong's suggestions on this bead 

 are well worth attention. Get rid of and avoid com- 

 plicated marking. Print the name of the plantation, 

 the Invoice number, and the kind of Tea. Every 

 package will be weighed here, and if they run evenly, 

 an average Tare will be allowed by the Customs, if 

 not, they will be bulked and every package Tared. 

 Here are specimensof the Markings on two chests: — 



As they might be. 



Packages.— Some packers adopt the plan of insert- 

 ing and nailing a small batten in eacli corner of the 

 chest. This gives great additional strength and rigid- 

 ity. Packages which are not quite full are very easily 

 damaged and broken — " like so many band-boxes," 

 as an ancient dock labourer said to us. 



Small Breaks. — So much has been written on this 

 head we nniy seem wearisome it we repeat that the 

 Trade will not look at them, and Planters would do 

 well to bulk unassorted the produce of their estates 

 np to twenty or thirty packages. The price obtain- 

 able here, will, we venture to say, be fully equal to 

 the average price obtained for assorted parcels eon- 

 sisting of from two to six chests of each kind, and 

 much labour and anxiety be saved into the bargain. 

 We have before ua two Tea (Jatalogues printed for 

 Sale by Auction in Mincing Lane. The one con- 

 tains l.H.SO nackageg China Tea. represented by 11 

 samples. The other contains 1«0 packages Ceylon 

 Tea, requiring the drawing, tasting and valuing of 

 24 samples. A few days ago there were sales of 

 Indian Tea to the extent of 30,000 chests, and it 

 was physically impossible properly to taste and 

 value the 1..300 samples on which they were sold. 

 We repeat, justice cannot and will not be done to 

 Ceylon Teas printed in so many small lots. 



I. A. RucKEB * JBencbaft. 



COFFEE ESTIMATES. 

 (Hupptt iteiit to James Cook <1> Co.'s Wfekly Despatch, 

 Deccmht'r lllh, lS8i.) 

 Crop Kstiniates as fur hs tlit'y have t-ouie before us ; 



Estimate About lust 

 of present 

 .supply. 

 Hass. 

 Rio.— ISAi-i;— 4 to 4,.'iOO,000 ba^s, 

 giviuj; ;i probable export of fully 

 4,000,000 bags. Wry favoratale ac- 

 counts of llowvriti;^ for tlie lSi^(i-7 yield, 

 reacbiufc figures hithi'rto unkuown, un- 

 less some calamity oeeurs 



Santos. — The crop advices 18Sii.7 re- 

 garding Rio, apply also to Santos. 

 18S3-(icrop e.stimated !>t 2,200.000 bags, 

 including buliincB of old coffee, but ex- 

 clusive of l.'iO.OOO bans in stock 2,200,000 



years 



tig ores. 



Hags. 



4,000,000 4,Oil7,Sll 



Baliia. — No special information 



120.000 



Pieols. 



5211,870 



12l,.'iOU 



22.^,000 



100,000 



2,l(i4,470 



ll.^,4S.i 

 Pieols. 

 1,0111,000 

 141.000 

 2.111,000 

 110,700 



Cwt. 



2:!0,000» 



Tons. 



18,000 



Bags. 

 2110,0110 



Cwt. 

 .114,811 



Tous. 

 IB, 000 



Bags. 

 I-W.UOO 



Kilos. 



Kilo.s. 



_ral2,S2«,0.iO 

 «10\«l:i,7,i2,818 



Java. — ttovernment crop ISjSo-6 



Padung.— do do 



Java.— Private 



Macassar. 'IVimor, JScc 



Ceylon. — Some estimates are as low 

 as l.iO.OoO cwt. Plantation, and it looks 

 as if tlu- yield would barely exceed 

 10 to II. lino tous, say, with the 

 *' Ouvah " iTop remaining over from 



last yeiir. Die exjiort will be 



BritisI, Kust India.— Alleppy, Cochin, 

 Beypore, Ca.liciit, Badaghara. Telli- 

 eherry and Cauuanore. Kxport let 

 July, 1,8S4, to .iillh June. 188.i, 10,:t74 

 tons. Willi > adrasand Dombav probably 



in all .. , .*. 



Costa Rica.— The 1886 crop was ex- 

 pected lit one time to be 300.000 

 bags, bnt eslVnates lire now being 



loweretl, and at pie^eul slaud at 



Vene/.nela, La Uiiayra (a) and Puerto 

 Cabello (6). — t^oniii.g crops do not pro- 

 raise well. In the low hands de- 

 cidedly smaller than the last, probably 

 .io per cent is nnder the mark. In 

 tlie hifch lands it is no worse than 

 ISSl-."). but fears are entertained that 

 the drought may diminish production; 

 quality has not improved, in fart, 



learesmuL-h to be desired 21,000,0tti 



Maracaibo.— Political troubles ... 

 Colombia have prevented the coffee 

 from being marketted in time to take 

 advantage of tlie swollen rivers : 

 exports, owing to drouglit, have been 

 small during the past eight months, 

 and the new crop, with about .10 per- 

 cent of the old, will be arriving to- 

 gether. Next crop say 240 to 250,000 



'J-'KS 18,000,«,% 12,912,034 



Porto Rico.— As with Domingo, a 

 short crop is looked for; some ac- 

 counts reduce to one half 



Hayli.— It is generally expected 

 that the crop will be about ooO.OOG 

 bags. The quality will be above the 

 axerage, as the weather dnriag the 

 spring has been dry, and the new 

 coffees seem to be turning out of a very 



good description 



African.— A smaller crop is reck- 

 oned upon this season than last, 

 probably not more than two.third.s of 



1884-5 



New Granada, Guatemala, — The ex- 

 ports have been hindered by revol- 

 utions, aud a ooiisider.ible guanlily, 

 it is thought, remains iu tlieeounlry 

 to rnme forward with tliis years 



coffee 



liuatenuila likely to be' gm'aller • 

 picking, according lo October advices 

 on the Coast, just beginning, while Ihe 

 crop in the higher districts had not 



reached maturity 



.lamaicn.— Leas expected than last seiuion 

 Manilla.— Kxports January and Dec- 

 ember, 1SS4, ii.',,iisi pieols. Exports 

 January and tictober, iHti:t, 7t},.Sii7 

 pieoLs, with probabh' shipments Nov- Piculs, 



etuber and December, say 80,nOO 



The cotuiiig crop of Balangns is reported on favorau'v. and 

 the yield will probably be large. 



18.000 



Tons. 

 .■12,000 



.,600 



25,000 



Tons. 

 .17,000 



8,500 



1.1,000 



18,00.) 



uls. 

 ,081 



• T o higt, wofear: we gave 20n,oo.) ,wt. as onr outside 

 expectation,— Kn. ^ 



