278 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



grown at Tahiti is not open to very great im- 

 provement. With special care the article pro- 

 duced in reasonable proportion to the require- 

 ments of the trade, could no doubt show better 

 results in price, but it is doubtful whether the 

 difference so obtained would compensate one of 

 the extra care, expense and loss of quick turn- 

 over that a departure from present ways and 

 methods would entail.— CKeniisl and Druggist, 

 Aug. 6. 



THE TEA TRADE OF JAPAN. 



Seems in rather a decadent state, for the culti- 

 vation is decreasing and so is the export. Statis- 

 tics show that in January, 1910, the export of 

 tea from Japan fell off considerably, especially 

 of green tea. Triis decrease of green tea, which 

 is the most valuable, caused a fall in value from 

 *95,000 to $57,000, and this was due to reduced 

 exports to the United States, the value of the 

 tea sent to the United States falling from 

 .^80,000 in 1909 to $34,000 in 1910. As regards 

 Formosa tea, Mr Acting-Consul Firth reports 

 from North Formosa that 18,000,000 lb, of 

 Oolong and 5,00,000 lb. of Pouchong were ship- 

 ped during the season, the former being valued 

 at £466,997 and the latter at £153,830. With 

 the exception of 650,000 lb. shipped to the 

 United Kingdom and 56,000 lb, to Australia, the 

 whole of the Oolong tea wasexported to America. 

 The whole of tho shipments to the Unitod 

 States via the Suez Canal (6,250,000 lb.) were in 

 Britieh bottoms. The Oolong tea export trade 

 is entirely in the hands of three British and 

 live American firms. The crop should have 

 proved a remunerative one to the growers. 

 This was tho lirst season that vessels loaded at 

 Keelung for London direct. Black tea is being 

 manufactured at the 



GOVERNMENT TEA EXPERIMENTAL FACTORY 



at Anpingchin, the output for the first ten 

 months of 1909 being given as 40,000lb. En- 

 deavours are being made to compete with Han- 

 kow teas in liussia, to which country about 

 ] 'JO, 000 lb. were exported. The same factory pro- 

 duced 120,000 lb. of Oolongs during the above 

 period. A proposal has been brought forward 

 to turn the factory over to a Japanese company, 

 with a capital of £100,000. 



We are sometimes asked by readers who are 

 shareholders in tea companies but are not other- 

 wise connected with the tea industry, question?! 

 affecting the taste for tea in other countries;, 

 and kindred questions, including the query 



WHY THEKE IS NO TRADE HERE IN JAVANESE TEA? 



While Minciug Lane is acquainted with these 

 things, they are not generally understood. For 

 istance, the consumer of Indian and Oeylon 

 tea in these islands cannot understand why 

 those who drink tea in the United States do 

 not drink British -grown teas with zest, as does 

 the public here, ignoring the fact that the 

 American palate has for years been accus- 

 tomed to teas from Japan, and is not easily 

 pleased with quite a different description of 

 tea which is dubbed "English breakfast tea." 

 Then the important part played in the brew- 

 ing and the water used for that operation is 



left out of account. Consumers of Indian and 

 Coylon teas in these islands would find tea 

 from Japan a very poor substitute for the teas 

 they usually drink ; and we doubt if Americans 

 in this country would appreciate the latter as 

 they do when at home. Even were theJapanese 

 desirous of cultivating tho taste for their tea 

 here, it would be a very heavy task indeed to 

 make he'adway with the work of making the 

 Japanese leaf with its distinct and, to us, pecu- 

 liar flavour popular. Although the effect on the 

 leaf of the water with which tea is brewed is 

 understood and appreciated by the tea trade, it 

 may be doubted if the importance of the water 

 question is yet fully taken into account when tho 

 attempt is made to capture foreign markets for 

 tea. Blends of excellent tea— very popular, say 

 in London, orDublin — maynotsell well in other 

 countries where some subtle flavour in the water 

 produces quite a different effect on the palate. 

 The capture of new markets for tea, therefore^ 

 is anything but an easy task. For whether the 

 consumers are drinkers of Far Eastern teas or 

 lovers of coffee the work of inducing them to give 

 their palate a change is an operation requiring 

 both consideration and perseverance. — a. & C, 

 Mail, Aug. 5. 



AN AUSTRALIAN INSECTICIDE. 



Whkjh Should be Useful in India. 



The Agricultural Departments of India and 

 Burma issue leaflets at frequent intervals to in- 

 struct the people in the latest crop methods aud 

 they and the Pusa officials have done a great 

 deal by means oi illustrated literature to put the 

 agriculturist in the strongest position possible to 

 combat the insect pests that work such havoc in 

 this country every year. The damage done to 

 the wheat crop alone by weevils runs into many 

 fortunes annually. For almost every kind of 

 pest there is now a known remedy of sorts, but 

 in some cases it is admittedly worse than the 

 disease. What is wanted is an efficient insecti- 

 cide which is cheap and easy to use and which 

 will not interfere with the growth of the plant. 

 From particulars to hand by the last mail wo 

 see that the Australians claim to have discovered 

 such a remedy ; and, as it is absurdly simple to 

 prepare, it may be worth while to try it in India. 

 It is nothing more wonderful than the juice of 

 the potato plant and the only preparation re- 

 quired is to boil the stems and leaves, and, when 

 the liquid is cold, it is sprinkled over plants 

 attacked by insects and "at once destroys cater- 

 pillars, black aud green Hies and other enemies." 

 The plants do not, it is said, suffer in any way by 

 this treatment. On the contrary, it is asserted 

 that a peculiar odour remains and prevents 

 insects from coming again " for a long time." 

 Thisinsecticide has the merit of costing prac- 

 tically nothiug to prepare; while, if it does all 

 that is claimed for it, it should prove a real 

 boon in an agricultural country such as India, 

 where the damage done to the various crops by 

 hordes of insects yearly would very much sur- 

 prise most people it translated into rupees. 

 —Pioneer, Aug. 29. 



