Decmber i , 1888.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
373 
Now Tea Tip," " The Patent Packing ProoeBS," and 
Buch like, [t is clear that there is more money 
in tea than we dreamt of, and a decline 
in priceB may be met by a sale of "wrinkles." 
There ia a talk of a number of ealatet in the 
Kelani Valley Conning themselves into a company, 
so as to have all their teas cured in a central 
factory, and thus reducing the cost of manufacture 
to a minimum. 
The N.-E. monsoon is no Bham this year, and 
for a planting season nothing could be better bo 
far. Indeed it is suiting planters generally all round, 
whatever their operations be, whether putting out 
or taking in. Peppeiicorn. 
DESTRUCTION OF FISH. 
Mr. H. S. Symons, of Ootacamund, das brought t° 
tlio notice of Mr. H. S. Thomas, the member of the 
Board oi Revenue in charge of Pisciculture, the whole- 
sale destruction of lish uud fry in the Bhavaui river, 
one of the most important lish producing rivers of ihe 
Presidency. Mr. S^jmoos and some friends were lately 
ou a week's fishing ou the river, and is of opinion that 
the district is absolutely poached out and denuded of 
lish anil game by the Moplas. Tho river which for- 
merly abounded iu Mahseer weighing from 50 to 100 lb. 
each, i-. now nearly denuded of them, as only four were 
caught by these ge itletnen in a week's fishing of the 
Heights of lit, 10, i) and 6 lb. Tho matter is to be 
laid before Government i 1 order that this wastage of 
food-supply may !><• put a stop to. The Fish Preserva- 
tion Act of 1879 d >cs not affect the Mahseer ns it is 
limited only lo uon-iudig -110:1 lish, and the Mahseer 
and its fry is consequently left to the mercy of the des- 
tructive Moplahs w.io frequent the Bhavani river and 
ereel basket weirs at every fish-pass. — M. Standard. 
i Kt. B4th. 
DRUG TRADE REPORT. 
London, October 11th. 
Cinchona. —Tuesday's bark auctions were consider- 
ably smaller iu ex'ent than the preceding sales, the 
deep Ue being accounted for by the smaller supplies 
ol South American and Erst Indian barks. Tho sales 
included : — 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon bark ... 9,037 of which 1,482 were sold 
Baa) Indian bark ... 288 „ 239 „ 
Java bark ... lot! „ 156 „ 
South Anioricau lurk 1,123 „ 013 „ 
Total ... 3,604 ,, 2,400 „ 
Tho sales c iiien I with a dceid. illy weaker tone, 
mid lower prices all round, and although gradually 
they improved somewhat ami competition became more 
lively, it was evidut t that holders were geuertlly much 
more anxious to re iliso thin buyers were to purchase 
and somo of tho brokers simply withdrew large parcels 
when they saw that it would not be possible to ob- 
tain the figures at which they were limited. Taking 
an average of the auctions wu should put the decline 
at fully .> per co t as compared with the preceding 
■ales, and 011 'In Oasis the unit would he now between 
Ijland 2d. Th- lull. iwiug are the approximate cpiau- 
tities purchased by each of the principal buyers: — 
Lb. 
Agents for the Auorbach works ... 117,S.>8 
„ Messrs. Bbhringor & Sons 107,01)1 
11 American and Trench works 8ti,!i">0 
11 the Brunswick works ... i> r . . > > j 
HeaarS, Howards .V Sons ... 56(003 
> ;. ills for Jobst It dimmer ... 2o, , .i7; 
Sundry buyers ... ... 16,766 
Quantity sold 
It night in ind withdrawn 
4»a,ao8 
243.6G0 
Total offered ... 735.708 
South AwKHli'tN IUkk.— Oaliaayn from the Bolivian 
planlnl loni w«s w. II represented al the auctions, ind 
a large proportion sold at Is to Is Id per lb. for rich 
heavy silvery quill, and from Hid down to 6d for 
poorer, more broken and thinner parcels ; dmnaged 
bark realising from 5d to 9Jd per lb. For hard Pitayo 
4i-d for lb. is asked. Soft Columbian, lion's ho id brand 
IS held at 5Ad per lb., while for an ordinary lot 2Jd 
was refused. Cuprea, nearly all of old import, sold 
well at 4d to ojd for good souud, and 3d to4£d for 
damages. 
Ceylon Bakk. — The assortment was a very moderate 
one as regards quality, and the following prices were 
realised : Officinalis, chips, thin and mixed 3d to 4£d; 
good stem chips 5d to 0 1 ; spoke shavings, fair to fine 
strong 4d to 7$d ; root, dull dusty 4d ; renewed, fair 
to fine rich GJd to Is 2d. Succirubra, dust ljd ; 
branch ljd to 2d ; chips, quilly and mixed ljd to 
3d ; stem chips 2Jd to 6d ; spoke shaviu; s, weal: and 
dusty, mixed to fine 2^d to 5£d ; root, 2d to CM 
quill, irregular and weak 4d to 5d ; renewed ordinary 
to woody fine rich 3d to 10£d. Hybrid, &c , chips 3d 
to lid; spoke shavings 3d to 6Jd ; renewed Old to 9d. 
East Indian Bark. — Succirubra, or Unary dusty root, 
1 Jd to 3£d ; fair to good spoke shavings 3d to 4£d ; stem 
chips, fairly good bright 2Jd. Ledgeriana, fine original 
shavings lOJd. 
Java Bauk. — Ledgeriana, good to fine rich root 7d to 
9 I ; quilly to good rich chips 5d to 7Jd. Succirubra, fair 
chips 5£d per lb. 
Quinine has had a very uneventful week, and there 
does not seem to be any life whatever in the article 
at present Sales of German bulk quinine, B. & S. tor 
forward delivery (first hand), are reported at Is I'd 
and of Brunswick at Is 4£d to Is -JJd per oz. : other 
Gorman manufacturers are practically out ot the mar- 
ket at present. One Of the German makers, however, 
states that most of tho weak holdors have cleared 
out, and nearly all the stock is in the hands Of peo- 
ple more or less connected with the bark trade, who 
can well alford, and apparently also mean, to keep it 
until higher prices will rule. It is also pointed out 
that yellow fever iu America is increasing, ana" that 
in consequence the demand for ciuiniue in the United 
States has become very active. Two Other facts are 
also noted in connection with quinine, viz., that one 
of the principal planters in Bolivia, who used to 
send over very fine bark, fared ushoit timo a.o, and 
that the quinine works at Bromley (England) have 
been closed and are offered for sale. 
THE DUTCH MARKET. . 
Amstkudam, Oct. Kith. 
Coca Lkavks. — With reference to recent reports 
about the appearance of Java coca leaves on our 
market, we must say that what we saw of Java pro- 
duce was of poor quality, so far as tho appearance 
was concerned, but tho sainpleB were too small for an 
analysis. Tho sample alluded to in a recent German 
oironlat did not appear in our open, market. Perhaps 
the leaves were not properly dried before they were 
packed iu tin-lined cases. There i s no regular culti- 
vation of coca leaves for commercial purposes in Java 
yet. Trinls have been made, but to no extent worth 
mentioning. 
Quinine,— At last week's cinchona auctions the qui- 
nine contained iu the bark for manufacturers was sold 
in the following proportions: — About 1,300 killos. 
sulpb. of quinine to tho Amsterdam works ; 1,250 to 
Messrs. C. L. Schepp k Son, of Rotterdam ; 1,000 to 
the Bruuswick works; UOO to the Frankfort works; 
and tbe rest to seven other buyers. — Chemist and J)r»n- 
gist, Oct. 13th. 
THE TEA MAKER'S SONG. 
B • • • ", 27th Oct. 1888.— The factory manager 
of the above est it.- begs to forward n ■■eib .l packet 
to the address ol th>- Editors of the Observer. Somo 
time back a in m wrinkled] haggard, and beiil, weather- 
fa it en a- l infirm, dragged himself slowly and with 
difficulty up to this factory, and making various in- 
quiries about the planters' ward and Ihe Ueilitns t.ir 11 
Christian burial iu Colombo, left this packet with 
