254 
older trees especially in close plantations were again 
nttaekpd by canker. Where the disease confined itself 
to branches, tbpse were sawn off, and where the 
stem was attacked the whole tree was dug ont and 
stripped As usual the disease was most noticed in 
the graft plantations at Tirtasari. On 21st February, 
21st March and 22nd May sales of cinchona bark of 
the crop of 1888 were held at, Amsterdam. The 
average prices at these sales were 2R 4fi , 26" and 32 R ' 
cents per ha'f-kilogram of bark. The unit prices- 
reckoned per half-kilogram bark and per cent quinine 
sulphate— were, according to the reports, at the sale? 
of 2nd May and 13th June respectively 7j and 7 
eentg. 
The number of plants and trees of all varieties 
in the Government cinchona plantations at the enrl 
of June was as follows : — In the nurseries : 1.205,000 
ledgeriana (including 21,000 grafts); 140,000 succi- 
rubra. In the open : 1,195,000 ledgeriana (includ- 
ing 225.000 grafts and cuttings, and exclusive of 
the more or less 3 000 original ledgerianasV, 3.400 
calisava and hasskarliana ; 637 000 suecirubra and 
caloptera : 73.900 officinalis ; 750 lancifolia (inclu- 
ding 250 O. pitayensis). Grand total 3,255,050. 
TEA AND THE TRADE OF~ SHANGHAI. 
There is not very much of striking interest in Mr. 
Hughes's report on the trade of Shanghai. Of tea Mr. 
Hughes has not very much that is new to tell us, except 
the curious fact that there is a growing increase in the 
export to Bombay, for use in Afghanistan and Persia! 
Surelv the Kangra Valley planters will not submit 
quietly to this successful competition against their 
local produce. It is, no doubt, a question mainly of 
preparation — of higher firing and fermentation, to 
enable the leaf to support the longer journey. The sta- 
tistics, price, and quality of the general crop have been 
discussed so often in the course of the season that it is 
hardlv worth while going again over the ground. The 
question of chief interest is whether the growers are 
awaking to the necessity of more careful preparation. 
Mr. Hughes's information is that, so far, they were 
not : and that the profitable results of the last crop 
tended to confirm them in their error. 
Tea. — On this subject reliable information will be 
found in the following memorandum which has been 
kindlv supplied hy a merchant of great knowledge and 
experience : — "The tea trade from the North of China 
for the season 1888-9 is more than usually interesting 
from the exceptional occurrences which have hap. 
pened. In the first plaoe, the customary facilities 
given by native bankers to curers of the leaf were 
verv much restricted during the spring of 1888, and 
none but well known men could obtain even mode- 
rate advances ; consequently there was much less money 
than is ordinarily the case in the producing districts to 
bny leaf. The first few days of the picking-time were 
gloriously fine, and a fair quantity of leaf was gathered 
in prime condition, but on about the fourth day un- 
usually bad stormy weather set in, aud the greater 
portion of the first crop was damaged or left on the trees 
unpriced: The result of these adverse circumstances 
was tbat the total field of 'first ' crop teas amounted to 
only about 31,000,000 lb. against nearly 50,000,000 1b. 
the previous vear. The profits made by curers were 
very good, and made np for their losses of three or 
four previous seasons. Owing co a peculiar taint 
eallpd by the trade 'tarry' or 'smoky' flavour, due 
to the, primitive methods of preparing the tea for 
export, and wbiVh break down under any but the most 
favourable weather influences, most of the 'first' crop 
tea« were unsuitable for the Russian markets, and the 
bulk of this crop found its way to England. The 
-ffnfhor for picking and curing the second and third 
props, was verv favourable, and it is many years since 
such good teas of this class were brought to market. 
It is n neticonhlo fact, as pbowing the extraordinary 
plasticity of tbo trade, that, notwithstanding the small 
production of ' first' crop teas, and the low prices rul- 
ing for low class teas : the yield of ' second ' and 
'third' orops was so augmented that the total export 
from the North of Ohina to all consuming countries 
falls very little short of the previous year, 
" Green Teas.— The whole of this business is done 
from Shanghai. There are two distinct classes of green 
tea. ^ One class, palled Pingsuey, is made in Nir?po 
and its neighbourhood, and comprises nearly half of the 
total yield. These teas are always inferior to the other 
class known to the trade as country teas. Pingsneys 
this year were poor in make, and rathpr below aver- 
age quality They have proved a bad investment for 
natives and foreignprs alike. Most of them went to the 
United States and Oanada. Country teas, on the of her 
hand, were above the average quality of the past few 
seasons, and although prices opened higher than most 
buyers expected they have given fair results througl out 
the senson, and native dealers have participated in 
the profits. The crop of these fell some 30,000 half- 
chests, sav 2,000,000 lb. short of the previous year, 
and shipments were well distributed between New 
York and London. 
" The onlv new feature, in the green tea trade is the 
ran'd increase in the export to Bombay for use in 
Afghanistan and Per=ia. The descriptions sent are bold 
leaf tens known as Hysons, and sbipmpnts amount to 
nearly 3,000,0001b., against about 2 ; 000,000 the previous 
year. 
" There is no sign of any attempt being likely to be 
made to improve tbe method ot preparing teas for 
export, and thp profitable results of the past season 
have tended to confirm the natives in their opinion 
that, there is no need for change. Thev will not see 
that the consumption of China tea in Great Britian 
continups to decreasp, and the only hope for it to 
regain its position is to improve its manufacture. 
" Dutips and inland taxation remain unchanged, with 
no prospect of any reduction. 
" Preparations for the next black tea crop, the pick- 
ing of which commenced in April, 1889, are on a 
scale fnlly pqual to those for 1886. Many facilities 
are being offered by native middlemen to the curers 
recklesslv. The number of curing bongs in the pro- 
ducing districts are already nearly 50 per cent, over last 
year's figures, and everything points to the prepara tion 
of one of the largest crops on record." — //. & C. Express 
CONSULAR EEPOETS: AMSTERDAM. 
Trade with Java. 
The following paragraphs are taken from Consul 
Robinson's report on the trade and navigation at 
Amsterdam in the year 1888 :— 
Trade with the Dutch East Indies was remarkably 
brisk, the exports from Holland, especially, being so 
greatly increased that the regular lines of steamers 
found it difficult to keep pace with the demand for 
room. 
Coffee. — As anticipated, there was a considerable 
falling off in the general importation of coffee in 1888. 
the total summing up 773,100 bags, as against 1,098,000 
in 1887. The reduction is almost altogether in the 
importation from the Government Java plantations. 
The Netherlands Trading Company, as agents for the 
Government, imported 306.000 bags of Java coffee in 
1888, as compared with 622.000 bags in 1387. The 
visible stock on Pec. 31st, 1888. was 367,800 bags as 
compared with 622,000 bags at the end of 1887. Prices 
fell from 9d to 6Jd per pound for good ordinary Java 
in March and April, 1888, thus discounting the anti- 
cipated large Brazil crop 1888-9, but the demand for 
consumption being large, on account of the great 
reduction in stocks, a reaction took place, bringing 
the prices to 9Jd per pound in November, and closing 
the yenr at about 9d per pound. 
Though the production on the Government planta- 
tions in Java appears to be stationary, a large extent 
of waste land is being taken into cultivation by private 
enterprise, and the accounts of the health of the plant 
in Java are more encouraging. 
Sugar.— Of J«va sugar less than 100 tons came to 
Amsterdam in 1888. 
Tea. — The import of Java Tea reached 28,619 quarter 
chests, p. gainst only 3,423 quarter chests of Ohina tea. 
Prices were low, the quality of Java tea steadily im- 
proving, and consumption increasing, while that of 
China tea loses ground. 
