ThE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1888. 
the land, and those who professed to know, their 
knowledge is worse than ignorance. It's an amu- 
sing thing this tobacco. 
What is to be done abbut the weather ? Still 
dry, and no sign of a change. This certa inly is a 
season. Peppercorn. 
OUE CINCHONA BARK INDUSTRY. 
The result of a careful inquiry into all the 
information at our command in connection with 
the periodical Review which we give as a preface 
to our Handbook will be found tabulated below. 
We look to Messrs. Rivers Hicks, Hamilton and 
other friendly critics in Europe, to say where our 
forecast is likely to be erroneous. There must, 
of course, be great uncertainty as to future ex- 
ports from Java, and, indeed, from Ceylon ; for 
no one can say how far a slight rise in the 
price of bark would tempt Ceylon planters 
to harvest in any one year, though, of course, 
the exports in later years would suffer in a cor- 
responding degree. The following, however, is our 
present forecast of the World's Requirements 
in Quinine and of the Eastern Supply or Cin- 
chona Bark in the coming Four Years : — 
Quinine re- 
Years, quired: total Java exports. 
in ounces. lb. 
1889 . . 74 mils. 5 mils. (3J p. c.) 
1890 .. 8i „ 6 „ 4 „ 
1891 ..9 „ 7 „ U „ 
1892 .. 10 „ 8 „ 4J „ 
Total 
Quinine 
out of bark 
from Java, 
Ceylon exports. India exports. Ceylon, 
and India, 
lb. lb. oz. 
1889 .. 9 mils. 2 p. c. 2 mile. 2 p. c. 6i mils. 
1890 ..7 „ 2J „ 2i „ 2 „ 72 „ 
1891 ..6 „ n „ 3 „ 2J „ 8S „ 
1892 .. 6 „ n „ 3 „ 24 „ 94 „ 
The margin left here for South American Bark to 
supply is certainly not large, but there is against 
this the probability of new uses being found for 
quinine: its gradual supersession of opium and its 
more general use against colds as well as fevers, among 
the masses in England and America. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
Planters' Association of Ceylon, 
Kandy, 25 th July 1888. 
The Editor, Ceylon Observer. 
Dear Sir, — I beg to transmit copy of a letter re- 
ceived from Mr. R. E. Pineo with enclosures from Mr. 
T. Ellwood May regarding his scheme for making 
known Ceylon tea throughout America.— Yours faith- 
fully, A. PHILIP, Secretary. 
Haldummnlla, 23rd July 1888. 
A. Philip, Esq., Secretary, Planters' Association of 
Ceylon, Kandy. 
Dear Sir, — I have the honor to enclose copies of Mr. 
T. Elwood May's letters to me dated 11th and 18th 
June respectively, and to beg you will have the good- 
ness to lay them before the " Ceylon Tea Fund Com- 
mittee" at its next meeting, and to make them public if 
you think it desirable to do so. I take this opportun- 
ity to state that my investigation of Mr. May's record 
led me to conclude that it was honorable and reliable. 
My informants were the eminent banking house of 
Messrs. Brown Brothers & Co., the American branch 
of the well-known firm of Messrs. Brown, Shipley & 
Co., Liverpool, the Dun Agency, the Bradstreet 
Agency, the State Examiner of the Banks of the 
State of New York, and many others, all of whom 
spoke in the highest terms of Mr. May, both in re- 
spect of his private and business character. The 
writer of a letter above the initials A. M. W. and 
dated Madulkele the 28th June desires to know what 
my connection with Mr. May is. It is quickly told : 
I am Mr. May's agent and nothing more. When I 
purchase tea on Mr. May's accouut I get a commission 
for doing so. My remuneration comes when and only 
when I make a purchase; Neither Mr. May nor any- 
one else has ever contributed a cent toward my ex- 
penses, and my three years' crusade in America and 
Canada in trying to introduce Ceylon tea has left me a 
poorer if not a wiser man. — I have, &c, 
(Signed) R. E. Pineo. 
New York, June lllb. 
" As written you before, I am reidy to start the 
tea as soon I receive it. I have read very carefully 
all of the printed matter sent, and I see that the 
press takes in the situation. If the tea planters do 
not take interest enough in this matter and in your 
and my plans to contribute the smill amount of 
0,000 lb. asked for, it would certainly show they 
could not be counted upon to aid in this enormous 
work, and it would pay a capitalist better to spend 
his time and money in any one of the many other 
good projects constautly being offered in America, 
and where the producers often join in sharing all 
the expenses. 
" I have known of English manufacturers to spend 
as high as £20,001) per annum for newspaper and 
magazine advertising. However, it is too small a 
thing to dwell long upon, and after you have obtained 
their decision you will at once kindly inform me. 
" My plan is, as soon as I get the samples of ten 
asked for, to push its sale into this market, trying 
my various methods until I find the right one. I 
think I demonstrated to you very clearly that if it 
was necessary and would pay, I could readily obtain 
a million dollars with which to push the business. 
Before I can do anything I must show that I have 
the tea planters with me and they desire to aid in 
working up the American market. I would be entirely 
in your hands as to the quality. It would be ruinous and 
undermine all my projects and against all my ideas 
of a continued success if I at any time put upon 
this market anything but a pure, reliable and uniform 
article. The history of all American trade has clearly- 
proved that there is no continued success where there 
is anything unreliable or falling off from the standard. 
People eventually find it out. Besides, I would not 
enter into the sale of or put upon this market any- 
thing', but was as represented and thoroughly reliable. 
" 1 am confident, if the planters will aid and work 
with me, of a very large annual sale of Ceylon tea. 
And I will take great pleasure from time to time 
as matters come up to keep them advised of what 
can be done to add to their and my success." 
(Signed) T. Elwood May. 
{Copy ami Extract.) 
New York, June 18th, 1883. 
" We are in receipt of your cable." 
" All we need eitflrxt here is the samples, as it will take 
some time to pack them and distribute them intelligently 
as we don't propose to be reckless in their distribution. 
" However, the main reason that I refuse to purchase 
the small amount of 12,000 pounds is that it clearly 
shows a lack of confidence in me on the part of the 
Tea Planters' Association. I do not want to go into 
this thing unless I have their fu'l and en'ire confidence. 
"I spent a great deal of time and gave you every 
opportunity for a full investigation of my standing aud 
record. Stiould they wish to ascertain for themselves 
you can readily put them in the way of doing so. It 
would not be policy for me to go into this unless I 
have a letter from the planters making me their 
accredited agent and stating the superiority of their 
tea, and that they will send nothing to me but what 
is absolutely pure. This I would require for advertis- 
ing purposes and to win the confience of the public. 
There are a great many teas constantly advertised here 
all claiming to be pure and superior to all others, and 
as they are thoroughly impure and unreliable some- 
thing like. an assurance of quality from the planters is 
positively necessary, My plau for ordering should be 
