August i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
91 
COFFEE, GEEEN BUG AND KEEOSENE 
EMULSION. 
Mr. Jackson of Agrapatana favours us with the 
following further statement on this important 
topio , — 
" Just a line as regards the cost which I gave 
you for the kerosene emulsion. I see you have 
reduced my figures to so much per acre, and this, 
without some explanation, might be misleading. 
I started with the object that it should be a case 
of ' hands off ' with the bug all through the good 
ooffee, and I simply give, in response to your call, 
just what it cost us to do this sufficiently to help 
the ooffee to bear the crop then upon the trees, 
which was a good one, and to keep up as much 
as possible its condition and prevent the bug spread- 
ing. I should say that, perhaps, two-thirds of the 
total acreage more or less was affected by the bug 
in all stages, and the balance had little or none 
at all, and that only the affected trees 
were operated upon, the others were passed over 
and small gangs of coolies kept to watch for any 
after attack. If all the coffee had been badly 
attacked with bug it would have cost much more 
than it did, and again the work done easily in 
the season when the young bug is more easily 
removed will cost less than when done later on, &c. 
Of course, those who like ourselves have carried 
on this treatment — and there are of course a num- 
ber who have done so (and no doubt with equal 
results under similar circumstances) — would un- 
derstand why total cost, was given over all coffee 
fixed upon to be kept clean, &c." 
♦ -' 
SIE ROBEET HAET ON TEA. 
It did not need tbe honours which the Empress 
Dowager, before she gave up the reins of power, confer- 
red on the ancestors of Sir .Robert Hart, to prove to us 
how highly that gentleman's services are valued by the 
rulers of China. He has been Inspector-General of 
Customs for more than a quarter of a century, and in 
that time he has made as great improvements in the 
service of which he is the head as have been made in 
the revenue which that service collects. In the course 
of his work he has had occasion to call for special reports 
on a variety of subjects connected with the trade of the 
country, and none of them have been more complete, 
if some of them have had perhaps more practical value, 
than the thick yellow book on Tea which has just been 
issued by the Statistical Department. It would be im- 
possible to give even tbe most meagre summary of this 
interesting compilation in the limits of an article ; no 
paper in it, however, is better worth readiog than Sir 
.Robert's report of last August to the Tsungli Yatnen, 
with which it opens. Enclosed with the report are a 
note and a despatch on the same subject written in 
1885 and 1887 respectively. In the note the expected 
decliue iu the demand for China Tea is attributed alto- 
gether to the deterioration in the quality caused by the 
belief of the Chinese merchants " that Tea is such a 
necessary with foreigners that a smaller expenditure 
of care iu its preparation will not lessen the quantity 
Chinese sell, but will increase Chinese profit," and the 
Yamen is recommended, in the most straightforward 
langrtagOj to instruct the Southern Imperial Commis- 
sioner to call attention to the matter. Two years later 
the question was becoming more pressing, and Sir 
Robert goes into it at considerable greater length. In 
this despatch deterioration in quality and over-taxation 
are given as the reasons why China tea is being driven 
out (if the English market by Indian. At this time Sir 
Robert seems to have been of tho opinion that it would 
bo a useful stop to reduce the taxation on tea. He says 
— " To a Government, its people's industries must be 
of a higher importance than revenue; and I would 
therefore advise that taxes be remitted in order that 
industries may be preserved ; think for the people and 
forego revenue ! " 
13 
The Report of August last is the result of more 
mature and careful consideration, based on the replies 
received from the Commissioners of Customs at the 
various tea-ports, the conclusions of their investigations 
being that there are faults of preparation to be reme- 
died, and that taxation ought to be reconsidered. One 
disadvantage under which Sir Robert laboured in pre- 
paring his report was, that at the time he wrote there 
was no such falliug-orf in the export of tea from all 
China, as would be likely to alarm the Yamen. Between 
1865 and 1886 the export actually doubled, and the 
increase was continuous, except iu one year, 1883, the 
drop then being more than recovered in 1885 ; bo that 
the Yamen might easily think that the drop in 1887 was 
also only temporary, though, as we know, it has been 
accentuated this last season ; and this has proved that 
the Inspector-General was not premature in his warning. 
He tells the Yamen that Chinese tea is superior in 
flavour to all other teas — at which possibly the Ceylon 
planters might demur— and that the decline in its ap- 
preciation at home is due to the carelessness of the pro- 
ducers, wedded to their ancient ways and disheartened 
by falling prices, and to the more economical and pains- 
taking modes of preparation in India. At the same 
time he does not accept deterioration in quality as a 
full explantation of the reduction of the demand for 
China tea in London. " Changes," he says, " have 
taken place in the trade ; for instance the JRussians 
used to buy in London and now buy in Hankow, and 
the result of the opening up of a sea route is not only 
that tea goes to Russia direct, instead of through Lon- 
don, but Russian buyers competing for teas have raised 
prices at Honkow, and, disappearing from competition, 
have brought down prices in London." He concludes 
that neither deterioration nor taxation has caused the 
decline in London, but that it is almost entirely due to 
changes iu the trade. 
At the same time he acknowledges that there has 
been deterioration in quality, and he summarises fully 
and lucidly the causes of this and the suggested remedies, 
which we have gone into fully before in considering the 
reports from the Foochow and Shanghai Chambers of 
Commerce. That the suggestions will be practically 
adopted in our time we can hardly hope. The small 
growers will not be persuaded to consolidate their little 
patches into large plantations, which might be managed 
as an Indian plantation is. Mr. Hanneu at Foochow 
and Mr. Chalmers at Tamsui recommend the govern- 
ment to establish model plantations on the Indian plan ; 
but we do not expect to see them started in our time, 
though the suggestion that the government should send 
a Commission to study the system adopted in India may 
possibly be carried out. As to taxation Sir Robert has 
considerably modified the views he took in 1887. We 
have more than once remarked that we did not believe 
that the Yamen would consent to any remission of tax- 
ation, and they will fully agree with the Inspector- 
General on this point. He says : " While to lighten 
taxation would be of certain and immediate disadvantage 
to revenue, to do so would be, at least of but uncertain 
advantage to trade," uncertain because even if the 
whole 2d. a pound which the taxation now amounts to 
were taken off, India could still under-sell China. It 
is not a very powerful argument, but it is probably good 
enough for the Yamen. The best hope for the trade 
is that the producers will take more care in pre- 
paration, and that the opinion will grow at home 
that " Indian tea is in some way harmful " to the 
consumer, " while Chinese tea is not harmful." — 2K« 
C. Herald. 
+ 
How to Toughen Paper. — A plan for rendering 
paper as tough as wood or leather, it is said, has 
been recently introduced on the Continent. It 
consists in mixing chloride of zinc with the pulp 
in the course of manufacture. It has been found 
that the greater the degree of concentration of the 
zino solution the greater will be the toughness of the 
paper. It can be used for making boxes, oornbs, 
for roofing, and even for making boats.— Frank 
Leslie's Paper- 
