734 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [May r, 1888. 
more rapid proportionately than that of rice ; but, on 
the othtr hand, if we compare the areas of land devoted 
to the two industries, it will be apparent that the in- 
crease of sericulture cannot have caused any ap- 
preciable diminution in the extent of land devoted to 
rice growing. 
Ali this is extremely gratifying from one point of 
view. But in examining such figures the question is 
forced upon us whether Japan may not be producing 
more than she can consume at prices remunerative to 
her agriculturists. Out of every huudred units of her 
populati >u, sixty are engaged in farming, and of the 
latter 49 support themselves by agriculture alone, 
while 11 pursue other occupations simultaneously. 
It follows, therefore, that out of her total population of 
38 millions, she has nearly 23 millions more or less de- 
pendant on agriculture, and that fully one-half of her 
people live by farming alone. Thus the price of agri- 
cultural products is a vital question for her. Before 
the country was opened to foreign commerce, any 
failure of the rice crop made itself immediately felt in 
the market, as supplies from abroad were not procur- 
able. Much suffering was often inflicted in this way 
on the lower orders, but the farmers, on the contrary, 
often fared best when crops were short. Now-a-days. 
nothing of the kind can occur. The price of rice can- 
not rise above the point of profitable import from 
Saigon, Formosa, and elsewhere. Neither, however, 
can it fall much below the point of profitable export to 
Europe. Lookiug at the returns for the six years ended 
1880, we find that the export of rice was carried on 
thus :— 
Expoet op Bice. 
Yen. Yen. 
1880 210,862 ......... 1884 2,170,678 
1881 261,757 1885 766,759 
1882 1,052,040 1886 3,300,598 
1883 1,000,910 — — 
This table does not indicate any particularly steady 
increase. It merely shows that, under certain circum- 
stances, there is a market abroad. England is Japan's 
best customer. She took 625,577 tons in 1886, against 
167,579 tons by Germany, 55,874 tons by France, 
218,572 tons by Korea, 55,874 tons by China, and 30,666 
tons by Bussia in Asia. Australasia took 129,302 tons, 
so that altogether Great Britain and her dependencies 
figure for 754,879 tons. Japanese rice has to compete 
with Indian in the London market, the demand of 
■which is moreover limited. Asiatic Bussia and Austra- 
lasia probably offer steadily increasing sources of de- 
mand : Korea is a tolerable customer, and China may 
at any moment become temporarily a large buyer. 
Her famine, in 1877, had the effect of increasing the 
Japanese export to four million yen, and the Yellow 
Biver's ravages may exercise a similar, though smaller, 
influence this year. But on the whole it is plain that 
the growth of Japan's outward trade in rice must be 
slow, and that it ought not to be relied on so far as 
to encourage any rapid development of production. 
The home market is evidently well supplied : prices 
prove this. A continuation of the present downward 
tendency could not fail to cause considerable distress 
among the agricultural classes; The wisest course 
seems to be that recommended by the Fiji Shimpu — 
development of sericulture. For Japanese silk the 
markot abroad is practically unlimited. — Japan Weekly 
Mail. 
« 
THE TEA INDU,STB,Y: 
Interesting Letter from Mit. Hulf.tt— Natal's 
Tka I'uosvicct.s— Scheme- foe Small Settlers — A 
Goon Offer : European or Coolie ? 
"We havo received the following interesting and 
instructive letter from Mr. J. Loigo Hulett, m. l. c, 
of Kearsuey : — 
Permit a few remarks upon your sub-loader in last 
Friday's issue regarding tea culture, &c. You say it 
'' has been proved to be an industry capable of large 
development in this colony; so far tea has been pro 
duced of most excellent quality; but not in sue 
quantities as to havo much eifect iu keeping dow 
the importation of the same." It is self-evident 
that every pound of tea of home growth consumed 
must displace a like amount of the imported article. 
Upon the surface of things, in view of Gu-toms re- 
turns, it would appear that we are making no impres- 
sion upon the importation whatever; but the fact is 
the other way. The importation during the past 
two years has been abnormally large in consequence 
of increased demand for the Gold Fields, &c. Had 
there been no special demand, the present season's 
output would have materially affected the import- 
ation, and as far as the colony itself is concerned, 
I reckon that now out of every three pounds used 
at least two pounds are of colonial growth. The 
normal importation of tsa was between 250,000.1b. 
and 300,000 lb., of which perhaps 100,000 )b. went 
across the borders ; that would leave about 150,000 1b. 
to 200,000 lb. for Natal. The actual amount of Natal 
tea used during the past year 1687 would be from 
80,000 1b. to 85,000 lb., so a considerable reduction 
in amount of imported tea consumed must have taken 
place. The quantity of Natal tea which may be 
estimated for the year 1838, wid amount to probably 
17,000 (this, is judged by the year, and not the 
season ; the latter may be considered as from 
October to following June). The year 18S9 will pro- 
bably give a return of 250,0001b., or amount equal 
to what was generally used before the Gold Fields 
trade set in. Unquestionably the need for care on 
the part of merchants will be necessary in regard 
to future importations of tea. The flooding of the 
colony and interior states with low qualities of China 
growth will not advantage the merchant or giower. 
The grower will be obliged to sell, and the merchant 
also. If the importations are regulated with care, so 
as to gradually give way before the home-grown 
article, no loss to either interest need accrue. It is 
worth nothing that on 1st January, 1887, only about 
9000 1b. weight of tea was in bond, and on January 
1st, 1888, the large amount of about 165,000 lb. 
Natal has a future before it in the tea enterprise 
that the public generally little dream of, especially 
if we are able to secure the whole of South Africa 's 
trade by free entry of all colonial produce into the 
neighbouring colony and states. Both sugar and 
tea, together with various other products, will be 
stimulated and largely increased in supply. The 
advantage to the mercantile community must be 
very great. The saving effected by keeping large 
sums of money at home instead of in advance 
sending the same to a distant foreign country will 
be' considerable, and the becoming exporters in the 
place of importers will bring a torrespouding 
advantage. 
To' return to your article. You compare Natal 
with Ceylon. I fear Natal will not be able to take 
its . position side by side with Ceylon, not 
for want of capability, but for want of push on the 
part of its people. Our back country drains away 
so many of our young men, the Zulu war demora- 
lised them, and the excitement of gold keeps them 
unsettled. The Ceylon planters had to face ruin in 
connection with coffee failure, and were forced into 
tea growing, and all at once, so that the country 
became a tea-producing one almost by magic. They 
had the land ready to haud, under the best system 
of culture to be found anywhere, the buildings and 
bungalows all to hand, no preparatory work ; out 
with one crop and in with another; their knowledge 
of planting and the characteristics of climate they 
were accustomed to. The consequence was that 
with a bound they sprang forward and took the first 
place as a tea-growing community, and they will 
hold and keep it too. The class of cultivation pur- 
sued in Ceylon is scientific, and the result is that 
their yield per acre surpasses that of North India 
and Assam to an enormous extent. As far as culti- 
vation and yield is concerned we in Natal may hold 
our own. The result of the past two dry springs 
proves that we have nothing to fear ; but it wdl 
depend upon care in the cultivation of the soil. I 
am certain that with proper management and ordi- 
nary seasons, after the plant has arrived at five 
