February i, 1888 ] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
573 
with COIigee unci rolled into pillules to Hell as Gun- 
powder. In many oilier cases all sorts of foreign sub- 
stauces aro introduced, and many instances of seizure, 
by the United States Customs have taken place ol 
late years. This is a distinct case where Government 
interference would he valuable to the trade 
Duty. — It is an unchallengeable axiom that a trade 
gravitates to the country that can produce the cheapest 
article, and in the instance of tea we find it going to 
countries which are most lightly taxed. The black 
tea trade is going to India, Oeylon and Java; the 
green tea to Japan. \\ r o will ask attention to the 
black tea business in Shanghai thin season, to show 
how onerous those duties are. The average price of 
Shanghai Uongou this season, has been about TIs. 14j, 
duty paid, and the present stock of 70,000 A- chests 
is worth roughly TIs. 9, duty paid. Duty and Lekin 
amount to TK 4.10 to TIs. 5.10 according to districts, 
or quite SO per cent of the value of this stock. How 
can Uhiua compete with I''ree Trade countries as long as 
those killing duties am imposed? The present prices of 
Congou in Shanghai are 25 to 30 per cont below cost 
of production, although the export to Great Britain 
from all 1 bina is 30,000,000 lb. short, of last season, and 
rates of freight and exchange are exceptionally low. 
The duty in England is enormous, but as it falls on 
all alike it does not act to the detriment of any one 
producing country in particular, and that it does not 
affeot the value of China tea adversely is proved by 
the fact of equal price being obtainable in heavily-taxed 
London aud duty-free New York. It may affect con- 
sumption, but not prices. 
If the Chinese Government are really desirous of 
improving the production of tea, the best of all plans 
would be for them to throw the country open to 
foreigners, so that they may establish tea-curing hongs 
with modem machinery in the tea districts, and, if 
necossary, may acquire laud for the better cultivation 
of the plant, and last but not least, abolish all duties 
on the article, so that it may compete on fairly equal 
terms with India aud Oeylon. The capital requisite 
for the purchase of machinery and plant would then 
easily be found, and cultivation on scientific principles 
would inako the most of the industry. Tea would 
then be treated in its preparation as an article of 
human food, every process would bo as clean as 
human care and invention could make it, and we 
should avoid what Mr. Alabaster calls the 'perspira- 
tion saturated' stuff which is now brought to market. 
One point more calls for serious attention, and 
that is the almost universal custom of Tea Honga 
knowingly issuing false musters of teas in Hankow. 
It is an abuso easily remedied, and if once remedied 
it would do away with one half of the troubles to 
whioh foreign buyers aro now subject. A fine of 
0600 or so on any Hong guilty of this malpractice 
would have a most salutary effect. 
Wo have omitted to say that wo hear, ou very 
reliable authority, that Ceylon is producing tea at 
a coat of about 5d, per lb. f. o- b. TIs. 8.50 to TIs. 9. 
— We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servants, 
(Signed) Joseph Welch, J. Findlay, A.J. H. 
C'arlill, Charles Cole, E. H. Konncy, F. J. Green. 
Tuic Assam Trade. —The river trade of Assam is 
important and miscellaneous. Mora than forty 
millions ol oranges, valued at nearly two lakhs of 
rupees, wero last year sent down tho Surma river, 
and 527,000 bamboos followed the samo route. 
Potatoes, which are grown almost entirely in the 
Khasi Hills, wore sent out of tho provinco to tho 
value of nearly three lakhs of rupees. Tho export 
of coal from Assam continues to ineroaso, and 
more than doubled on the amount of the previous 
year. This is entirely due to the increased output 
of tho Makum mines, near Dibrugarh, which, be 
sides furnishing a large export, supply nearly all 
the coal used iu the Valley. Nevertheless there 
continues to be a large import of coal into Assam 
from Calcutta.— Pionur, Jan. 23rd. 
SUB-TROPICAL NEW ZEALAND. 
Writtou for tho Otayo Witness by G. E. Aldertou 
(lato N. Government Commissioner re fruit 
culture). 
This Far North : Its Topography and Climate, 
Fiiurr Ghowinq v. Farming. A Peki> at Kawao 
AND SlK f'F.OHGE Guey. 
It is a j.opular belief in California that the climate 
changes every six miles. Up horo in tbe far North 
it is very similar. In Auckland a fortnight ago, 
everything whs burnt up for want of laiu, while at 
Whangarei, 80 miles to tho north, the gra^s aud 
all vegetation were as green and as fresh as in 
spring time. Down iu Oiago you only gut 32 in. of 
rain in the year; at Auckland, 46 iu. fall, and far- 
ther north as much an 53 in. These figures ot thum- 
selves indicate three distinct, climates. Auckland is 
as far north as it is safe to grow wheat and pota- 
toes, and even there heavy rains in December and 
January sometimes destroy wholly or partially these 
crops. Farther Dorth, cropping with wheat or pota- 
toes is very risky, and never attempted on a large 
scale, as too ofteu the rain destroys the wheat orop 
and rots tbe potatoes in the ground. Farmers, 
as a rulo, content themselves with growing just 
enough of these for home consumptiou, and the 
public have to roly on the South for supplies. What 
then do they grow in the Far North ? Well, they 
can grow grass all the year round, and support oattle 
and sheep without root food, while fruit and vege- 
tables grow with a luxuriance not surpassed by any 
country iu the world- It is not, however, so suit- 
able for grazing as your Southern lands, as the best 
land is usually heavily timbered and costs money to 
get into grass. After the timber has been burnt 
off, it takes years before the stumps rot and the 
laud becomes ploughable. During all this time, tke 
farmer can do nothing but graze his farm, but as 
soon as the land will permit, he lays down a small 
orchard as an aid to farming. By-aud-by they will 
do hore as the farmers in California have done ba- 
fore them, namely, throw up farming altogether aud 
go in for fruit. Auy kind of fruit culture is more 
profitable than any kind of farming. Suoh is the 
accepted rule in California, and I am firmly of opi- 
nion that it applies to this pu t ol tho colony with 
equal truth. Take wheat, for instance. A fair aver- 
age crop would bo 30 bushels to the acre, but 
assuming 50 bushels, aud selling at 5s, the gross 
roturn would be £12 10s. Take an acre of spples, 
at 10 years of age, you will get not less than five 
tons of fruit, which at only £d a lb, or say £4 
10* a ton, would gross to £22 10s. Place the cost 
of gathering the crop againBt the cost of seed, 
wheat, ha'veoting, kc and the balance will still be 
in tbe favour of the apples. But the retort it 
made, " You have to wait ten years for the result I " 
Nothing of the kind. Tho land in between the trees 
should be cultivated all along, and the better the 
soil is worked (as long as it is compensated for 
what is taken ouf) the sooner the trees will 
bear, and the larger will be the crop. Some apples, 
such as the Irish peach, begin to bear when three 
years old. Another objection is urged, " that there 
may bo no markot for fruit. " Thit also is a fallacy, 
for fruit if it canuot be sold fresh, may be made 
imperishable by drying or evaporating. Five tons of 
apples evaporated would yield about 1200 1b. of fruit, 
which at 7d a lb would be worth £35: the cost of 
evaporating being about £1 a ton. Apple«, however, 
aro the least profitable of all fruits to grow, and I 
merely named theiu as being the "poorest" to com- 
pue with wheat. I visited some Farmers the other 
day, the Messrs. Hutchinson Bros, (who, by-the-bye, 
h ive for a neighbour. Lady Douglas, reliot of the 
late popular Sir Robert Douglas, at one time a 
member of tho hou-r), who poiuted to one Earl 
Rivers plum tree, from which they had this sea- 
»ou taken 2 cwt. of fruit, and cold it at 6d a lb, 
-•<y £5 for tbe roe; 75 such troea go to the acre. 
The Mews. Hu'obiosou Bros, have uot an acre of 
such troe«, but they intend puttiug dowu tru acres 
uext planting season. Tboy bare lemon trees from 
