870 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June i, 1886, 



India and Ceyon are not only increasing their 

 procluclicn but arc turning out a better article ; 

 and if the Chinese do not take warning and im- 

 prove their tea also, they will find themselves 

 shortly in a very awkward ijredieament. How 

 serious the Indian competition is becoming even 

 Sir Kobert's letter fails adeijuately to show — 

 fails, that is, if the figures given in the transl.'i- 

 tion we lately iniblished can be relied on. It 

 would seem likely, however, that there must be, 

 here, a clerical error. So accomplished a statisti- 

 cian is hardly likely to have spoken of the Indian 

 export for LSSl and lns,5 as sixteen and nineteen 

 million catties respectively, when, as a matter of 

 fact, the import into London alone during the nine 

 moitlis ended March ;Ust last was nearly three 

 times that quantity; 08,02.^,000 lb. is the figure 

 attained by India and Ceylon teas durnig that 

 period, against I)0,0;t7,000 lb. in the corresponding 

 period of 1884-5. And when we read that over 

 100,000 acres have been planted this year in Ceylon, 

 calculated when in full bearing to yield 10,000,0001b. 

 for that island alone, it must be admitted to be 

 high time the Chinese producer was awakened to 

 the gravity of the prospect. India and Ceylon 

 together will very shortly, at this rate, rival China 

 in quantity as they already excel in quality ; and 

 a fresh illustration will then occur of the Darwmian 

 doctrine of " survival of the fittest." Teas which 

 have "spurious things added" to them, which are 

 "made heavy by keeping them wet," and in which 

 the " labour of manipulation has been economised," 

 will not be favourably circumstanced in the race; 

 and we repeat that the Chinese are indebted to 

 the Inspector-General of Customs for pointing out 

 the fact. It is a pity none of the many officials 

 through whose hands the document passed were 

 able to enlarge upon the text, so as to bring home 

 more precisely to tea producers the nature of the 

 competition which awaits them. All they do is to 

 hand down from one to another Sir Kobert Hart's 

 letter, with the sole and quite erroneous addition 

 that " since the establishment of commerce with 

 foreigners the amount of silver that has flowed 

 into foreign countries is very considerable." We 

 had occasion, only a few weeks ago, to quote 

 Sherard Osborn's plaint over the drain of silver 

 that was taking place from Europe to China; and, 

 as a matter of fact, the movement has always 

 been in that direction. The Tsungli-yamen are 

 however right in emphasising the value of tea and 

 silk in establishing a balance of trade ; and from 

 that point of view as well as for the sake of an 

 important national industry, it is to be hoped Sir 

 Bobert Hart's warning will bear fruit. — L. iC C. 

 A'.rjJ/'c'ss. 



♦ 



THE SEASON IN INDIA. 



(For .t/ic week ending the btli Ma;/.) 

 Genejial Eemaeks. — Slight rain has fallen thvcugh- 

 inq Suutheru India and most fiaiti of Bcngil and 

 British Burma In Assam the fall has heen lieavy. 

 With the exception of a few showers. Northern and 

 Central India have been rainless. In the Madras 

 Presidency, with the exception of the Gaujam District, 

 agricultural prospocfs coutiuuo fair. In Mysore the 

 standing crops promise well on the whole, though rain 

 is wanted in aome parts. In Coorg prospects are good. 

 In Bombay tlio nihi harvest is approaching completion, 

 and prepirations for iho ilinrif are in progress in ihat 

 Presidency and in Berar. In Hyderabad, Central India, 

 and, witli the exception of Ajmere. Knjputaua agri- 

 cultural prospf*i'ts oimtiuun generally goo'l. The rafn 

 harvest is still in progress in the Central Trovinces 

 and has been netrly ronipI<'ttul in the Xnrth Western 

 Provinces and Omlh. Ploughing for /7//o'7'cultivMtion 

 lias commenced in some districts in the ContiiU Pro- 

 vinces, lu the I'uujab the talii harvest is iu progress 



and promises well. The recent rain in Bengal has 



been very beneficial to the crops, iiud the I'i's rico and 

 jute where sown are coming up well. Sugarcane, indigo 

 and cheena are thriving. The hon rice harvest 

 is proceeding, with a good outturn. Seasonable wc:i Iher 

 prevails in Assam, where ploughing and sowing are 

 still in progress. Seasonable weather prevails iu British 

 Burma. The public health is generally fair. Prices 

 are fiuctua'iug iu the Punjab, rising in Mysore and 

 falling iu Coorg. Elsewliere they are for the most part 

 stationary. — Mudrcis Mail. 



TEA IN INDIA. 



The following Circular from the Indian Tea 

 Association of 8th May, will be of interest : - 



" The General Committee arc now enabled to baud 

 you the following figures, giving an estimate of the 

 outturn of the Indian Tea Croj) of ISSl.i as couipirod 

 with the original estimate of the crop of 18«.5 : — 



Estimated Out- Estimated Out- 

 turn nf Crop ti ru of Crop 

 of 1886. of ISS.i. 

 lbs. lbs. 



Assam SOjlo.S.ini ;3:i,IU,s,ii!)l 



Cachar and Sylhet ... 2'J,908,IS0 19,620,11:1 



Darjeeling, Terai, and 



Dooars ... 13,302,800 U,l-.'2,Si)l 



Chittagong and Chola 



Nagpore ... 1,34(!.800 1,274,000 



Dehra Dun, Kumaoii 

 and Kangra ... 3,250,000 o,2.J0,000 



Total 



75,941,274 



i;8,735,458 



'■ With the exception of the North- West Gardens, 

 and a few others whose outturn has had to be estimated, 

 the returns are those actually received from agents of 

 Gardens. 



" In their circular of the 2Gth M irdi last the General 

 Committee published a statement showing that the 

 actual crop of 1885 amouuted to 1)8,730, 2191b., so tint 

 the above figures point to an increased production of 

 more than 7 millions lb. over that of last season. 



'• The consumption in India itself and the exports to 

 the Australian Colonies and other places may take off 

 about l-i^ million lb ; thus leaving 72^ million lb for 

 shipment to the United Kingdom." — rioticer. 



Pi.ANTEKs and others in Perak, Selangor. Sunge, 

 Ujong, and .Johore will be glad to learn that 

 emigration from India to those States has been 

 formally authorised by the Governor-General of 

 India in Council from the 1st instant. Henceforth 

 there should be no more con>plaints of want of 

 labourers. — Himjaporc Free Prexs. 



The t^u.i-NTiTY OF Tonnv Srinrr issued for sale in 

 the City of Bombay fell from 281,.HIi5 gallons in 

 188;-i.84 to 1(1,857 gallons in 18S1-85, while the 

 quantity of mowra spirit imported from Uran rose 

 from 415,0711 to 531,125 gallons, and there was an 

 increase from K]3,70,45(l to 15, Oil, 030 in the amount 

 of duty derived from both classes of spirit. The 

 consumption of mowra spirit would no' doubt ham 

 been checked by the enhancjmcnt of the duty, but 

 for the fact that there was very little toddy spirit 

 procurable. The only trees tapped for the pro- 

 duction of toddy spirit within the town of liomb.i) 

 were 200 brab trees, ami the average out-turn of 

 spirit 25 U. P. was only lO.J gallons per tree,— n 

 result which the Commissioner attributes to presf-ure 

 brought to bear on the distiller by Bhandaris and 

 other interested persons. The rate of production 

 of the 3,000 brab trees tapped at (Hranj, for the 

 supply of toddy spirit to Bombay, was also, however, 

 considerably below Mr. Pritchard's estimate of llic 

 average yield of coconut and brab palms. They 

 were tapped for six months, and the average out- 

 turn for that period was 5''J gallons per tree. — 

 Slttihv Moil. 



