and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, 



Ceylon. 



Ceylon — has given a crop of good averagequa- 

 ]ity. The teas arrived in excellent condition and 

 well-made, giving evidence of care and attention 

 in the factories to the various processes therein 

 carried on. Rebulking especially seems to be- 

 come less necessary year by year. W hile the 

 quality has, as usual, varied more or less from 

 climatic conditions, we are glad to note the con- 

 tinued absence of very common tea, of which too 

 much vsed to be sent. Fine gardens, as last 

 year, have not shown the autumn improvement 

 to the extent to which we have been accus- 

 tomed to look forward, but on the whole we 

 think the industry in a thoroughly sound con- 

 dition. Probably the grade that has disap- 

 pointed managers more than any other is the 

 Orange Pekoe made with a wiry attractive leaf. 

 At one time it was freely taken by shippers both 

 for Russia and America, but of late this demand 

 has slackened and as the liquor is frequently no 

 better than the Pekoe line in the same invoice, 

 the prices realised for both grades have often 

 been the same. 



Java. 



Java — teas have met with a steady demand 

 — their improved character derived from use of 

 Assam and Ceylon seed proving acceptable to 

 the Buyers. So far the imports are about the 

 same as for some years past, although we hear 

 of large extensions suggesting more tea in the 

 near future from that island, where heavy yields 

 can be secured at a low cost. 



China. 



China. — Although the percentage of China tea 

 sent into this market is still only a very small 

 one, considerably more was imported during the 

 last season — doubtless on account of the high 

 the North was not very attractive, and great 

 difficulty was experienced in dealing with it- 

 many parcels being held over for months, and 

 then only realising very much lower prices than 

 were offered on arrival. A quantity of very low 

 Dusts came here — too low we think for con- 

 sumption — thus swelling the stocks of unde- 

 sirable tea. The increased delivery of China 

 teaforhome use, of which much has naturally 

 been made by those interested in its sale, is 

 mainly due to the fact that. those who 

 sell tea at Is. Od. and Is. 2d. duty paid 

 have been compelled to pass through 

 their blending machines something cheaper 

 than could be bought from India or Ceylon. 

 The difficulty in selling even the small 

 quantity of tine China tea available for home 

 consumption, except by continually reducing 

 its price, seems to negative the idea that more 

 of it is being used. Results to importers have, 

 indeed, been so discouraging, especially during 

 the later months, that a more cautious policy 

 should prevail this season : but it is probable 

 that the low price of silver will stimulate China's 

 export of tea and all her other commodities. 



Now while it is, of course, impossible to look 

 far into the future, it would seem to be quite 

 legitimate to endeavour to forecast the possible 

 course of the trade for a few months at all events. 

 There are certain pointe to be noted— and one, 

 perhaps, of more importance than some may 

 think, is the fact that the sales of Northern 



Indian crop here are virtually closed. This to 

 all the trade, both in London and in the country, 

 is of great value. The stocks held, whatever, they 

 may be, can be worked off quietly in confidence, 

 as the Buyers know that no large supply can be 

 placed on the market until after the August 

 Bank Holiday — when the usual resumption of 

 business may be counted on. In the meantime 

 Ceylon and Southern Indian tea and the spares 

 offering of the new Indians are quite sufficient 

 for the daily summer requirements. Importers 

 also have a stronger position, knowing that their 

 consignments will come to a bare market — 

 and at a busy time of year. 



At the risk of repetition we would again re- 

 mark what in past years has often been said 

 — we feel somewhat concerned lest the re- 

 sult of the working of last season may 

 tend to make some managers of fine tea gardens 

 seriously consider whether to pluck freely, 

 instead of in the usual way. It is quite conceiv- 

 able that this may be done in view of the price 

 of common tea and its prospects — but once it is 

 realised how delicate the balance point of supply 

 and demand has alvvays shown itself, we hope 

 such a step will not be taken,— as it might be 

 fraught with no small danger to the entire in- 

 dustry. 



Wm. Jas. &Hy. THOMPSON. 



A NEW IMPORTANT DWARF RUBBER. 



YIELDING GOOD LATEX PROM THE 

 ROOT. 

 ECANDA RUBBER. 



(Baphionacme ulilis, Brown & Stapf). 

 [By Otto Stapf.1 

 In 1906, Mr. C. E. de Mello Geraldes, Profes- 

 sor in the Instdtuto de Agronomia e Veterinaria 

 at Lisbon, published in his "Estudo sobreos latex 

 borrachiferos," pp. 143-172, an article dealing with 

 a new rubber plant known in Benguela as 

 ' Ecanda ' or ' Marianga.' But it was only in 

 the summer of the following year that the dis- 

 covery became more generally known through a 

 short abstract from Prof. Geraldes' paper pub- 

 lished in The India Rubber World (vol. xxxvi., 

 p. 300). About the same time, in July of last 

 year, a portion of a tuber was 



SUBMITTED TO KEW FOR IDENTIFICATION, BY 

 ME. SPENCER BRETT 



for Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton, Ltd. It was 

 stated to yield good rubber, and to have been 

 sent "from the neighbourhood of LakeNyasa." 

 The tuber was made out to belong most likely 

 to the Asclepiadaceous genus Baphionacme 

 Later on in the year Kew receivod from the 

 Companhia de Mocambique a number of hoalthy 

 specimens of ' Bitinga Tubers ' or " Tubers of 

 the plant from which the ' Bitinga ' Rubber is 

 extracted." They were evidently identical with 

 the tuber communicated by Mr Brett and stated 

 to have come from West Africa. The tubers 

 have been grown in the Royal Gardens and one 

 of them flowered early in March of the present 

 year. Although it is proposed to figure and 

 describe the plant in the Botanical Magazine, 

 it seems desirable in this place to give a preli- 

 minary description and a general account of 



