338 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1889. 
I find my Australian friends like to have the 
weights marked on the packages ; it is, however, not 
absolutely neoessary that they should be marked. — 
Yours faithfully, F. STREET. 
TEMPERATURE OF A TEA LOFT 
DURING WITHERING. 
Theberton, Ambagamuwa, Sept, 24th, 1889. 
Dear Sir, — In your issue of the 21st instant, 
yon have a leader on Mr. Hughes' remarks, as 
regards the effect of temperature during the wither- 
ing of the leaf on the tea made. 
I have kept the temperature of my withering 
loft for years and also for some time a hygrometer. 
As far as I have been able to observe, variation in 
temperature has little or nothing to do with the quality 
of the tea made, nor can I find much practical use 
in the hygrometer. The variation in the quality 
of the made tea, seems more to be connected with 
the weather the leaf flush has grown in and 
also the health of the tree and state of the sap. 
Strong healthy trees and a good climate are the 
chief requisites for first-class teas. In fact it is 
more in the field than the factory that high-class 
teas aremade:as I believe is generally allowed.- 
Yours very truly, T. J. GRIGG. 
THE EXPORT OF ANNATTO SEED FROM 
CEYLON. 
Dear Sir. — For some time back the export of an- 
natto seed even of the best quality has been a bad 
business. It seems a pity then that people should 
present in shipping poor qualities to their own loss 
and to the injury of Oeylon's good name. I en- 
close cutting of the last market report, and you 
will see that some Ceylon seed failed even to get 
offer. Muoh the same thing is going on with annatto 
as with tea— a falling market, oversupplies, and 
Ceylon displacing other countries. I hope this 
present year to harvest not far short of a million 
pounds of annatto seed besides what I buy from 
others, but then long care, labor and money has 
enabled me to surpass the West Indies in quality ; 
and the better price I thus got, and the large 
scale on which I now work enables me to carry on at 
a profit, and hope for better times — "survival of 
the fittest." A. G. K. BORRON. 
Annatto. — Seed: 9 packages, 5 of which not 
landed, and 4 cases, from Ceylon, not drawing any 
attention, were taken out, no price being mentioned. 
Roll : 15 baskets, imported via New York, of good 
colour, bought in at Is. — Chemist and Druggist, 
Sept. 7th. 
THE CINCHONA BARK PROSPECTS AND 
THE PROPOSED SYNDICATE. 
A CINCHONA SYNDICATE AN IMPOSSIBILITY— A NEW LINE 
OF THOUGHT AND A PLAN OP ACTION — A PROPOSAL 
FOR CINCHONA AGENCY HOUSES IN ENGLAND AND 
HOLLAND AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM — A GUARANTEE 
OF SUPPORT INVITED FROM BARK PRODUCERS AND 
WHAT THEY WOULD GET IN RETURN — OPINION OF AN 
AUSTRALIAN FIRM ON THE SCHEME SUGGESTED. 
Manale, Devicolum, Sept. 30th, 1889. 
Dear Sir, — From the various replies I have 
received from Ceylon and Java, I can very well 
see that suoh co-operation as I formerly proposed 
is impossible however much desired by planters. 
The various causes have already been put before 
your readers and I will not re-enter upon them. 
When Ceylon with the exception of a few estates 
is out of cinchona it might be different. 
The correspondence which has ensue has, how- 
ever, no doubt been of value, and by means of it 
I have been led into a new line of thoughtand 
a plan of aotion has suggested itself to me which 
seems more feasible and void of the objections to 
my first proposal; 
A suggestion in some sort of the plan of cam- 
paign I wish now to propose was made to me in 
a letter from Holland by a gentleman who has 
large and responsible interests in Java cinchona. 
His letter was privately addressed to me and I 
do not know that at present I am at liberty to 
disclose his name. 
The "gist" of his proposal, however, was to the 
effect that a so-called Cinchona Consignment Bank 
should be formed in England and Holland to re- 
ceive bark, pay an advance of, say, Id per unit 
against it and settle accounts on sale. As far as 
I can understand this was to go hand-in-hand 
with my original proposal. I do not, however, see 
the necessity of this. 
I will therefore try and give the idea I have 
now formed in my own words. Let a Consignment 
Bank, or rather call it a House of Agency, with 
ramifications in Holland and America, be formed. 
That House would offer the usual rate of advance 
to planters on produce and agree to settle accounts 
on sale of such. 
Let us suppose that a very large percentage of 
the bark which now filters into the market through 
the various houses found its way into the hands 
of this one large House. 
Let us further suppose that planters consigning 
to this large firm gave it reasonable powers of 
holding produce. There is no doubt that such a 
house would have a very large power in influen- 
cing the market and obliging middlemen to be 
contented with a fair profit instead of the exor- 
bitant one they are making at present. 
Such a firm wouid possess all the statistics of 
the market and would be able to work strictly on 
the supply and demand principle. Were it to go 
beyond this it would become a corner and as 
such be liable to disaster. 
But to enable such a firm to start at all a 
declaration is necessary on the part of the larger 
proportion of cinchona producers to the effect 
that they would help the scheme by consigning 
their produce to such firm or firms. 
Planters could lose nothing by doing this and 
they might gain a great deal. 
They might in the first place crop by uprooting 
or otherwise as much bark as they wished and 
they would get their usual advances on such crop 
(such advances could I have no doubt be fixed at 
75 per cent of value), 
Should it then be found that this " large firm" 
could not influence the market for a rise they would 
still get the same price for their produce which 
they would have got without it. 
But the chances are they would get a far higher 
price, for it is not only presumable, it is 
almost certain that a very great and very 
salutary influence would be exerted upon the market 
by such a firm, holding a large amount of bark 
for only a short period. 
Let us suppose that such "firm" were the ap- 
pointed receivers of 90 per cent of the bark pro- 
duced, let it only put a small quantity or even 
say none at all of its received produce into the 
sales for a few weeks and the purchasers would 
be brought to terms at once. The unit would 
double itself even though wholesale prices of qui- 
nine might be increased. 
But to give a firm this power of starting and 
working, we planters must be the first in the field. 
Let, as you propose, a Committee of two be formed 
in Ceylon, India and Java entering into communi- 
cation witi each other on this and various other 
questions. Let them canvass among the other 
planters through the various Associations for adher- 
enoe to some suoh proposal. Let them try to get 
he men with one aera with 20 trees as well as 
