October i, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
227 
exhibit notices to this effect in their sale rooms." The 
condition of sale by which brokers are allowed seven 
days to furnish weigh-notes has frequently been taken 
advantage of to the full extent, so that partial de- 
liveries in some instances cannot be obtained under the 
full limit of time ; this your committee feel is strain- 
ing the original intention of the condition of sale, and 
they consider a fair portion of the tea should be ready 
for delivery at the time of sale, and the balance of 
the weight-notes ready before or not later than seven 
days, A little firmness on the part of buyers would, 
it is confidently thought, remove the inconvenience and 
annoyance of any unreasonable delay. 
The chairman after speaking of other matters said: 
As to the weighing of Indian teas there had been 
grext loss sustained by the old system, and many 
complaints had been received from customers. He 
believed there had not been so many complaints lately. 
Whether that was owing to the more complete adoption 
of the net weight system he could not say. There were 
advantages in both systems, and the committee left it 
to the members of the meeting to express their opinions 
in the matter. The question of sampling was one of 
the greatest importance — thepresent system was radic- 
ally bad. He believed there was no trade in the country 
iu which buyers were allowed to draw samples and 
return inferior qualities to replace them. But this 
was what generally occurred in the tea trade.* This, 
therefore, needed to be remedied, and though the loss 
fell principally upon their customers, yet it was a 
most important matter for them to take up. The 
next quostion referred to iu the report was one of 
great importance to the wholesale trade, and which 
required to be dealt with immediately; it was the 
question of insurance, Ho did not know whether they 
all appreciated fully the extent to which thisquestiou 
affected them, and therefore, he would venture to 
pnt it somewhat fully. There wore certain ware- 
Louses where the insurance could be effected at com- 
paratively low rates. For oxample, at the -St. Kath- 
arine's Docks, they could insure teas at 3s Gd. per cent. 
Hut if they wont outside the docks to some of the 
inconvenient outlying warehouses it costs them 7s. per 
cent. But as teas iu these warehouses were often be- 
ing moved about, in order to have any security for 
them it was necessary to take out floating policies, 
which cost thorn lf>s. per cent., or 1 per cent, 
more than on teas lying in the docks. He felt they 
ought not to bear that per cent, because merchants 
or importers chose to store their teas iu outside ware- 
bouses where some small extra advantages were offered 
them. Their committee, therefore urged upon the 
warehouse proprietors that allowances in the rent 
should be made to cover the cost of such policies, and 
to this Butler's and Chamberlain's wharves bad agreed; 
Oliver's had arranged to cover it by insurance on the 
teas themselves, as had also St. Katharine's Docks. 
As au illustration of the importance of this matter to 
every dealer, he pointed out that if any one of them 
bought £100 worth of tea lying iu the St. Katharine's 
Docks warehouse, they would save fifteen shillings per 
cent as against teas in outside warehouses where the 
allowances he had mentioned were not made, and this 
amount represented a very appreciable ditference iu 
these hard times. The committee therefore, wished 
to pass the resolution mentioned in the report so that 
they might strengthen the hands of these warehouse 
proprietors who had promised to make the allowances 
the committee had urged. And he hoped that they 
would not only pass that resolution but that the 
true would bo united iu their action iu the 
matter, because if the trade took no notice of 
tl ■ resolution and bought teas lying in warehouses 
where the allowance was not granted it was very cer- 
tain that the docks would soon ct ase to insure. 
Mr. Lownock seconded this, and, there being no 
question raised, tnt! resolution was put and carried 
unanimously. 
Mr. Absolom next moved the following resolution :— 
'•That, as the London nnd St. Katharine'* Dock 
Company, Butler's Wh.rf, Chamberlain's Wharf, 
< > [ver i \\ barf, and the proprietors of the City Ware- 
" Here m u nice revelation !— To. 
house, either cover and insure the buyers of tea, or 
make an allowance in respect thereof, it is obviously 
to the interests of tho trade to give a preference to 
teas stored in these warehouses, and that notice be 
given to all importers and brokers, that this meeting 
pledges itself to give such a preference in purchasing 
teas, and to exhibit notices to this effect in their sale 
rooms." 
Mr. Game seconded this resolution, which was carried 
nem. con. 
Mr. Holborn moved that — " That this meeting deems 
the subject of improvement as to the mode of sampling 
tea, referred to in the fifth paragraph of the report, 
to be worthy of the continued consideration of the 
committee, and will hail with satisfaction any arrange- 
ments sanctioned by her Majesty's Customs by which 
the grievance complained of may be relieved without 
unreasonable loss to the wholesale dealers." 
This was seconded by Mr. Burbidge. 
Mr. Salmon pointed out that in considering the re- 
solution there were some difficult points, such as 
ullage packages and the samples taken for public sale 
purposes, and he wished to remind them that though 
the trade suffered by having inferior tea as returns, 
and by the undue disturbance of the tea in sampling, 
yet they had a set off iu the pound draft which they 
got, and which had only been obtained after a strong 
fight. 
There being no further discussion, the resolution as 
above was put and carried. 
Mr. Mennell referring to the weighing of Indian 
teas asked whether the lessening of the number of 
complaints on this matter was not due to the fact 
that the system of net weights, had been more com- 
pletely carried out than previously. The one great 
ground of complaint was tho sending in of irregular 
net weights. As far as he knew the trade was 
against the system of net weights. Had the system 
of sending iu irregular net weights been discontinued ? 
Tho Hon. Secretary explained that though there 
had been no written agreement on the subject, be 
had seen Mr. Tye, the secretary of the Indian Tea 
Growers' Association, who had given him to under- 
stand that no further parcels with irregular net 
weights would be sent in. The Committee had 
given the growers notice that they were not 
keeping their part of the agreement which had been 
made between them and the importers, and he 
thought the notice which had been sent out to India 
had had an inHuence upon planters since. 
HORTICULTURE ON THE SHEVAROY HILLS. 
The following occurs in the proceedings of the 
Madras Agri -Horticultural Society : — 
Read the follcjwiiig interesting Report for lS8l'>,from 
Deputy Surgeon-General JohnShortt, Yercaud, Sheva- 
roy Hills, received on the 7th July, 1887 : — 
" I have the pleasure to send you the following notes 
of these hills, and regret exceedingly the unavoidable 
delay that has occurred in submitting them. 
'• The rainfall at Yercaud during the year on the 
whole was favourable for conducting Agricultural 
operations, being 71 inches 4i cents, registered in 10 
months, distributed over 111 dajsof the year, showing 
an excess of 1 inch and 13} cents over that of 1885. 
We had no raiu iu the mouths of February and April, 
2ti cents fell in January, and the maximum being 18 
inches and 23 J cents in August. The greatest fall on 
any day of the year occurred on tho 3rd of August, 
when 3 inches and 70 cents were registered in the '24 
hours. Coffee has again proved disappointing. A few 
of the estates on the Western sido of these hills pro- 
duced what may he called fair crops, whilst on others 
thero were no crops at all owing to tho failure of rain 
at the proper time, but the rise iu the price of Coffee 
in the English nmrket has compensated a few Planters 
to some small extent. 
" Of the seeds received from tho Society of ' Cu- 
presMis si ni|iervireiis ' and ' Torulosa,' only 2 plant* 
of each variety, genniunted. Tho ' Thuja orient- 
als ' and the 'Herberts' species ecrminatod, but 
died otf, after attaining about '_' inches in height, r\. 
