jut* £f i8S;.J f m TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
it 
It is called China Limboo at Bombay. The fruit is 
pleasant when ripe or preserved, but is often covered 
with white scale in Colombo. — Ed.] 
WHAT IS A " BREAK OP TEA "?— AND 
AUTHORITATIVE ANSWER. 
• Sib, — So much misconception seems to prevail 
in Ceylon as to the meaning of the term " Break 
of Tea " that I send you a few lines which I trust 
may throw a little light upon the subject. 
The following example will best serve the purpose 
of demonstration: — 
Per S. S. " Clan Scot," Jubilee estate : — 
1-18 . . 18 Boxes of orange pekoe 
19-25 . . 7* Chests broken pekoe 
26-37 .. 12 Chests pekoe 
38-67 . . 30 ; 'jr Chests pekoe souchong 
68-72 . . 5 Chests dust - 
73-97 .. 25 Boxes broken mixed 
97 packages tea. 
Many men in Ceylon having sent off this 
quantity would state that they had just shipped 
off a " break " of 97 packages, a complete misnomer 
and one likely to confuse the home consignee very 
greatly. 
These 97 packages can be referred to as " an 
invoice," a " shipment," a " consignment," but 
never correctly as a " break" except in the single 
instance of the whole having been packed as " un- 
assorted " or all of one kind. The invoice will be 
seen to comprise six " breaks." These I have 
designedly arranged so as to exemplify the differ- 
ence between sampling and non-sampling breaks 
26-37, 38-67 and 73-97 are sampling breaks, 
because they exceed the limit fixed by the trade 
for such, namely 8 chests, 8J chests and 20 boxes. 
1-18, 19-25 and 68-72 are non-sampling breaks 
for the reason that all are below the limit fixed. 
Non-sampling breaks are never put on show at the 
docks or warehouses, aud suffer as well from being 
in all cases sold at the termination of the regular 
auctions. — I am "sir, yours, &c. A. H. 
What is a Break op Tea ?— Our correspond- 
ent "A. H." whose signature above, will be widely 
recognised, has conferred an obligation on many 
Ceylon tea planters, by his clear exposition and 
illustration in our correspondence column, of what 
constitutes a "break of tea" and the difference 
between sampling and non-sampling breaks. There 
will be no excuse henceforward for falling into any 
mistake on these points. 
A New Tea Roller is likely very soon to 
attract a good deal of attention, we hear. It is 
the invention of an old Uva planter on quite a 
novel principle ; but in the opinion of an ex- 
perienced tea-maker, it will not only do good 
work but with very moderate power, and the price 
will also probably be moderate. As "protection" 
has been socured, it may be mentioned that the 
principle is of one cylinder working inside another 
with the leaf between. 
Linnean.— April 21st.— Mr. W. Carruthers, Pre- 
sident, in the chair. — Mr. W. I. Spencer was elected 
a Fellow.— -Mr. E. M. Holmes exhibited specimens 
of various species of Shorea from Borneo and Suma- 
tra. ^evel•al species of Dichopds, affording gutta- 
percha from the bark and fat 1 rom the seeds, were 
a'so shown. Mr. Holmes pointed out the import- 
ance of the cultivation of the more valuable of theso 
trees, among others D. oblongijolia and Ctratopliorus 
Ucrii, sinco they aro being ' rapidly dostroyed by 
the natives. Their cultivation has already been 
commenced by the Dutch. — Athenccum. 
Coffee. — No one can fail to be struck with the 
very material rise which has recently taken place 
in Java coffee. Since the close of last summer the 
quotations have very steadily advanced, and are now 
higher than they have touched for a very long time. 
The real reason is the scarcity of South American 
yield, though, of course, the decreased quantity of 
Java has likewise helped. It is cause for much 
regret that with all the signs of a good market to 
arrive at the quantity of Java seems to get reported 
shorter and shorter by each succeeding telegram. — 
L. # C. Express, April 29 th. 
China Tea Exports, — The following table, which 
has been kindly furnished to the N.-G. D. News, will 
be of interest to tea-shippers : — 
Export of Tea from Hankow and Shanghai to 
England. — Season 1886-67. 
Black— lb. Green— lb. Total— lb. 
Glens ... 13,088,581 1,055,872 14,144,453 
Holts .. 11,137,654 2,340,356 13,478,010 
P. &0. S. ... 10,600,405 2,632,264 13,232,669 
Mutuals ... 7,892,477 604,101 8,496,578 
Bens ... 7,627,642 298,715 7,926,357 
Shires ... 7,107,940 231,963 7,339,903 
Castles ... 3,888,885 38,123 3,927,008 
'Aberdeen' ... 3,160,342 10,687 3,171,029 
Messageries ... 1,049,586 198,022 1,247,608 
65,553,512 
-China Hail, May 27th. 
7,410,103 72,963,615 
Vanilla. — The large crop of 1885 — when about 
135,0001b. were gathered in Bourbon, and about 
58, 0001b. in Mauritius — caused the price to rule 
low until August last, when large American orders 
suddenly caused an advance in the price of 29 
per cent. It was said that the 1886 crop had 
been greatly damaged, and the decreased shipments 
from Bourbon (which thus far show a falling-off 
of 27,0001b.) have further influenced the market. 
But the increased value seems to be maintainable 
with difficulty, and it seems also scarcely probable 
that the whole of the old stock should have been 
disposed of before the arrival of the new crop. 
It must, however, be kept in view that very 
small quantities only will be received from Mexico 
this year, the Mexican crop having been cleared 
by firms in the United States, at an advance of 
75 per cent, over last year's prices. The Seychelles 
islands now also produce vanilla, and last year 
small consignments from Tahiti were received at 
Hamburg ; but the latter variety is probably of 
little importance. — Chemist and Druggist, May 7th, 
A Puff for China Tea.- -The opinion seems t° 
gain ground amongst medical men that China tei 
is less injurious to the system than the more pun- 
gent Indian, which, though apparently given more 
value to the consumer, as it brews stronger, and a 
smaller quantity is required, is attained at the ex- 
pense of the partial destruction of the gastrono- 
mical organs. There is no doubt that many minor 
diseases are now met with — especially amongst 
women — which the doctors attribute to the fact 
that so much more tea is drunk than formerly, and 
the results of inquiries show that the Indian classes 
are more injurious than the China ones. Whether 
this is due to climatic causes in the countries where 
they are respectively grown, or to methods of pre- 
paration, we are not prepared to state. If this fact 
becomes generally disseminated, and gets a hold on 
the ordinary consumer — who as a rule only looks 
to see how strong the liquor will turn out— the 
boom that is so much desired in the China trado 
will soon be brought about, and we shall hear no 
more of the gloomy prognostications which hftVfl 
eou so ijfQ ol late.— I. <& V, bxprus, April 29tbi 
