79° 
THE TROPICAL AtJRlCULTURlST. [May i, 1890. 
Our own Imports are nearly | million pounds more 
than last year, the increase being almost entirely in 
Indians and Ceylons. Our bonded stock is also 
half a million pounds more than it was at this 
time last year, and then, although the Arrival of 
the first steamer was delayed until the 11th August, 
we still had " more than enough." 
The Melbourne bonded stook is said to be nearly 
a million pounds less than last year, but even this 
reduction is not snffioient to plaoe that market in a 
healthy position — for, notwithstanding the late arri- 
val of the New Teas in 1889, the stooks were even 
then far in excess of any previous year. It must 
also be borne in miEd that, owing to the extra 
stock held here, we shall not draw on Melbourne to 
the same extent that we did last year between 
March and August. 
We do not expect, therefore to find Melbourne with 
a stookd much under 3,000,000 lb. (which is a million too 
much) by the 1st August next, and Sydney will have 
about 1,250,000 lb., which is half a million too muoh. 
With these figures before them it is most earnestly to 
be hoped that intending Importers will, in their own 
interests, be moderate in their orders for the coming 
season, and that they will also be unanimous in their 
instructions to al low no shipments to take place from 
Foochow, on their own accounts, until at least as late as 
was the case last year. If the Foochow Houses object 
to this, and some of them decide to load the steamers 
on their own account and get them away early, the result 
(if the Teas are no better value than they were last 
season) will be the most disastrous to the shippers ever 
yet experienced. The consequence will be a fall in 
Fooohow when operations may be undertaken with 
advantage. 
Abbivals. — S. S • " Sikh," from Foochow, 552 pack- 
ages ; Coasters from Melbourne, 7,963 packages. Total, 
8,515 pickages. 
INDIA AND CEYLON. 
Abbivals. — S. S. " Nerbudda," from Calcutta, 289 
packages ; S. S. " Oceana," from Colombo 314 packages; 
S. S. " Dorunda," from Calcutta, 169 packages; S. S. 
" Clitus," from Calcutta, 324 packages. Total, 1,096 
package', 
There have been no public sales of these Teas, but 
privately they have lately had more attention than 
Chinas. The demand is increasing extensively, and the 
small shipments that come to hand are readily placed. 
The "Clitus" shipment was sold to arrive a satis- 
factory prices. 
The season in Calcutta is practically closed, and 
no further shipments of any consequence can be 
looked for until July. 
Vessels Advised.— S. S. " Taiyuan," from Hongkong 
sailed March 3rd. 
Imports, Customs Returns from 1st July 1889, to 11th March 
1890 7,003,439 lb, 
Imports, Customs Returns from 1st Julv 1888 to 15th March 
1889 6,304,180 lb. 
Exports, Customs Returns from 1st July 1889 to 14th March 
1890 379,800 lb. 
Home Consumption, Customs Returns 1st July 1889 to 14th 
March 1890 4,403,5301b. 
Stocks in Bond, Customs ReturDs 14th March 1890 
3,167,420 lb. 
Stocks in Bond, Customs Returns 15th March 1890 
2,623,690 lb. 
Arrival!) from Melbourne, from 1st J uly 1889 to 14th March 
1890 922,670 lb. 
Arrivals from Melbourne, from 1st July 1888 to loth March 
1889 1,133,920 lb. 
Shipments from China to Colonies, season 1889-90 to date 
21,500,0001b, 
Shipments from China to Colonies, season 1888-9 to date 
24,125,000 lb. 
Shipments from China to Colonies, season 1887-8 to date 
21,370.000 lb. 
Exchange — Foochow on London, 6 months sight, 3/2. 
Freights— Foochow to Sydney, £1 10a. 
, 
COCONUT TREES AND CATERPILLAR 
BLIGHT. 
(From a Coconut Planter.) 
Havo you noticed the condition of the coconut 
trees fringing the shore of the lako noar the Slave 
Inland Railway Station and the Icy Manufactory? 
They are suffering from a bad attack of the cater- 
pillar blight, and look as if they had been badly 
scorched. In fact when I saw them last evening my 
first idea was that some of the native huts in this 
neighbourhood had been reoeutly burnt down 1 The 
caterpillar plague is one of the greatest pests on 
coconut plantations in the Battiealoa district, but 
I have never heard of it attacking trees in any 
other parts of the island, and this is the first time 
I have noticed it outside the Eastern Province. 
Though not as a rule proving fatal to the tree it 
retards and sometimes altogether stops itB bearing 
powers for a year or two after its first appearance. 
Coconut planters in the Western Province and 
especially in the neighbourhood of Colombo will 
have to beware. 
[How to check it, can our correspondent say ? 
—Ed. T. A.] 
TEA SEED AT WEYMOUTH IN DORSET. 
About 18 months ago I sent a box of Ceylon tea seed 
to Mr. Wm. J. Skene of Weymouth who now writes 
to me: — " It may interest you to know that some of the 
seed you sent me home I planted in our garden in the 
open, just about 12 months ago and although we have 
had pretty severe pests and any amouut of very cold 
east winds, the plants seem strong and healthy, but of 
course have not grown much sioce the wioter began and 
have had no flush to speak of. I have some also in 
pots in the greenhouse (a cold one), but those outside 
look quite as well if not better. I gave away a lot of the 
seed, and everyone tells me it is growing well, but I 
fear labour is too expensive for us to compete with 
Ceylon, so you need not be afraid of our doing you any 
harm." Tea is undoubtedly a very ubiquitous plant. 
— Planter. 
♦ 
THE CURRENT CROP OP CINCHONA BARK. 
Our local contemporary published the following 
paragraph the other day : — 
" In computing our annual estimates of produce we 
put down Uva as likely to despatch 2,200,000 lb. of 
cinchona bark this year. We divided this quantity 
as follows : — 
Badul'a 1,000,000 lb. 
Haputale 820,000 lb. 
Madulsima 400,000 lb. 
Total.. .2,200,000 lb. 
" A gentleman well conversant with all the Uva dis- 
tricts, but more particularly with Badulla and Madul- 
sima, informs us that his estimate for the output of these 
two districts this year is 2,150,000 lb., compiled from es- 
tate returns in most cases. This amount is more than we 
anticipated, being almost as much as we had put down 
for the whole of Uva, but, as our informant has only just 
completed his estimates and ours were made out in Jan. 
last, it is quite possible he may be more right than we. 
This would add some 700,000 odd lb. to our total estimate 
for the year, and briDg it up to 7,250,000 lb. ; and as we 
have already put 2,187,242 lb. on board ship to end of 
March, it is quite likely that that quantity will even- 
tually be shipped." 
We need only remind our home readers that out 
estimate for the year has been 7 million lb. 
Up to the 17th April, the total exports of barfc 
are 2,288,1841b. 
Against for same period 1889 . . 2,993,960 „ 
Short 705,776 „ 
The total export for last year was 9,283;729 lb.— 
so that the prdsent defioiency would point to an 
cyan lower export in 1890 than 7 million lb. 
