11\ 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [May i 1888. 
detatch some portion of the precious nest and secrete 
it about his person. The operation is full of danger, 
and annually costs several lives. The monopoly is at 
this moment in danger of pissing into other hands. 
A rich Chinese company of Hongkong, which is buil- 
ding a handsome European hotel at Tourane, and which 
has branch houses in the principal cities of Annam 
and Tonquin, is offering the Hue .Government a hand- 
some bonus for the privilege of gathering the nests. 
The monopolists are greatly excited at the prospect 
of losing it, and in support of their claim are offering 
in evidence the very document given to their an- 
cestors by the Emperor Gia Long. Money is needed 
at the court of Hue, and the ancient manuscript will 
be critically scrutinized by Annamese officials to dis- 
cover if it is indeed a grant in perpetuity or whether 
there is not a chance to make a good round sum by 
the transfer. In the meantime the swallows, instead 
of seeking haunts free from invasion, come back punc- 
tually with every recurring season, regardless of tbeir 
health and this increasing spoliation. Other swallows 
in other countries can return peacefully to their last 
year's nests in the ensuing spring. These swallows 
of Annam must keep on pandering to an aristocratic 
desire, building and rebuilding their homes and giv- 
ing their life's blood forever to satisfy a diseased 
appetite. — Shanghai Courier. 
Tea Estimates. — The Produce Market Revleic 
has the following : — "Indian and Ceylon, &c. — It is 
expected that England will receive during the present 
season from India alone about 93 million lb of 
Tea, and as the estimated supply from Ceylon and 
Java together amounts to another 33 million lb, it 
is clear that unless an enormous increase takes 
place in the general Tea trade, both for export and 
home consumption, the quantity required from China 
will be smaller and smaller. It may be noted that 
the 126 million lb of Tea expected from India, 
Ceylon, and Java this year exceeds the entire deli- 
veries for home consumption in the United Kingdom 
during so recent a year as 1871." 
Export Duty on South American Cinchona. — 
In our issue of March 15th we mentioned a report 
current here that au export duty would shortly be 
imposed upon all cinchona exported from Bolivia, and 
expressed a doubt whether this rumour could be 
correct. This doubt was well justified, for it now 
transpires that, so far from an export duty being 
placed on bark, the now existing duty will he re- 
moved at the end of June. This will probably have 
the effect of increasing the shipments of bark from 
Bolivia,, as we understand that all dealers there, ex- 
cept one, are holding back their shipments in anti- 
cipation of the removal of the duty. The one firm 
who still export cinehone do not suffer from the 
duty, as they are themselves the contractors from 
the Bolivian Government, and therefore in paying 
duty merely pay from one pocket into the other. 
— Chemist and Druggist. 
Cinchona.— The supply of bark, offered at Tuesday's 
auctions was rather in excess of that offered at 1»he 
preceding sales. It included 1,401 packages from 
South America (of which two-thirds were Cuprea), 
1583, from Ceylon, 783 from British India, the largest 
quantity offered for many months, aud only 22 
packets from Java. It was generally anticipated that 
prices would show some improvement upon the last 
auctions, but this hope was destined to be disap- 
pointed, for notwithstanding the diminished exports 
from Ceylon and the more favourable statistical po- 
sition of cinchona in London, buyers held off and 
the bulk of the Ceylon bark was bought in by the 
owners, who, if they had pressed it upon the market 
would have had to submit to a decided reduction 
Indian barks were not so firmly held, and the bulk 
of these, including a large proportion of good par- 
cels, sold with rather better spirit than was maui-, 
fested for Ceylon bark. Altogether about 200 packages 
.South American, 700 Ooylon, 000 East Indian, and 
22 Java bark sold at a unit which certainly did no 
average over 2gd., the principal buyers being the 
agents for the Mannheim quinine works and English 
manufacturers. — Ibid, March 30th. 
Indian Products.— The late Colonial and Indian 
Exhibition appears to have led to some interest 
being taken in the exportation of Indian drugs of 
various kinds on trial. One of these articles received 
during the past month was a sample of white musli, 
the root of Asparagus ascendent. It has an ivory- 
white colour and is hard and twisted, the pieces 
being about an inch long and two lines in thickness. 
It has a sweetish taste, and forms, according to Dr. 
Dymock, an excellent substitute for salep, than 
which it is nicer and is more relished by Europeans. 
At the present time, when galep is dear, it would 
form an excellent substitute for it as food for in- 
valids. Large quantities of different varieties of gum 
arabic are also now being sent from India. Some of 
these, however, are imperfect'y soluble in water and 
very dirty, being evidently collected without much 
care. Nevertheless, those that have been examined 
possess a considerable amount of adhesiveness, and 
appeared to contain mere traces of tanning matter. 
A valerian root, apparently that of V. Wollicliii, 
and costus root (Aplotaxis auriculata), are also among 
Indian drugs that have been sent to this country 
on speculation recently from India. — Pharmaceutical 
Journal. 
The Coming Tea Season, says the L. and C. 
Express of March 25th : — The time is now rapidly ap- 
proaching when operations will commence for the Tea 
season 1888-9, many buyers having already left, and 
others being about to start for China. It does not, 
therefore, seem out of place to offer a few remarks 
which, we hope, may prove of service to those about to 
embark on the campaign. The enormous import of 
Indian and Ceylon teas duriug the season, now drawing 
towards its end, estimated at over one hundred million 
pounds, together with their comparative cheapness, 
has had a marked influence on the sale of China tea, 
the transactions throughout being of a most retail 
character except when forced at auction. It seems 
probable also that this state of thii.gs will continue 
unless shipments from China are materially differ- 
ent to what they have been this season. The 
best authorities anticipate au import from India 
and Ceylon during 1888-9 at over one hundred 
and twenty mil'ion pounds — possibly nearer one 
hundred and twenty-five millions. With such sup- 
plies from these countries, and several millions 
from Java, &c, and placing our requirements for 
twelve months roughly at two hundred and twenty 
millions total, it is evident that if China sends us 
more than a total of all kinds of ninety-five millions, 
it must result in dull markets, with an absence of 
healthy competition. The question for consideration 
appears to be how the necessary reduction from the 
present season's total is to be brought about. We 
think this can only be done by buyers in toto refusing to 
ship the low grades, such as the market has recently 
been inundated with — rubbish that does the China 
trade an immense deal of harm, and from the low range 
of prices at which it is realised, can scarcely be bene- 
ficial to anyone concerned. There is another matter that 
should not be lost sight of — viz., the decrease in the 
export demand here ; this has for some years past kept 
prices fairly steady for good teas, but from several 
causes it would appear that in future we must expect 
a continual falling off in this respect. If the Chinese 
wish to retain even a moderate portion of this gigantic 
trade they must cultivate their trees so as to produce 
leaf with something of the fragrance for which their 
growths were noted some thirty years since, and at 
prices sufficiently reasonable to compete with those 
from India and elsewhere ; that they can do this the 
experience of the last proves. With a little attention 
to the firing, we do not see why China should not con- 
tinue to command a fair share of the trade, for we 
can scarcely believe that the Chinese have anything to 
learn from India as to the preparation of the leaf, if 
they only pay the attention they formerly bestowed on 
it. The trade have naturally been looked also to the 
Chinese Government as to what their action will be in 
the matter of duties. 
