THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
and Lavender in growers' hands, and the price of tb e 
latter shows signs of giving way, as we hear of some 
oil just changing hands at 35s., after having been 
kept over for a much higher figure. Peppermint is 
quoted at 25s 6d. to 27s. per lb., and Lavender at 
35s to 40s. per lb., according to quality. 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
Telegram from our Correspondent. 
Amsterdam, December 13th. 
At the bark auctions held here today 1,890 packages 
Java bark, being the entire quantity offered for sale, 
were disposed of at a, slight reduction in price, the 
unit not averaging more than 10c per half-kilo, or 
14-5thd per lb. Druggist's barks in quills, fine long 
whole to broken, and chips, Bold at 9c to 79c per half- 
kilo (equal to lfd to Is 2d per lb); druggists' root bark 
at 19c to 25c (equal to 3Jd to 4$d per lb.) For ma- 
nufacturing barks of all varieties, good rich quill to 
broken ditto, and chips, th°. prices ranged from lie 
to 78c (equal to 2d to Is 2d per lb), and for root for ma- 
nufacturing purposes from 35c to 69c (equal to 6£d to 
Is Ofd per lb.) The principal buyers, in order of pre- 
cedence, were the Amsterdam Quinine Works, the 
Auerbach factory, and Brunswick factory. — Chemist and 
Druggist. 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE; TEA. 
The Financial News, which has said a good word 
for tea shares on more than one occasion, recently 
returned to the subject in the following paragraph : — 
Some of the tea companies will have good news 
for their shareholders at the end of the current 
season. The crop is turning out exceedingly well, 
and, as fair prices are being got for it, dividends 
should rise proportionately. The Jokai Uompauy of 
Assam makes a particularly flourishing exhibit. All 
its nine gardens show an increase, and in some of 
them the crop will be 50 per cent above last year's. 
Up to the end of October nearly 2,000,000 lb. of tea 
had been made, an increase of 377,000 lb. over the 
same period of 1887. Through the recent amalga- 
mation of several small companies with the Jokai. 
considerable economies in working have been effected. 
These, together with the large increase of production, 
cannot fail to have agreeable financial results for the 
shareholders. At the lowest estimate, the net profits 
of the year will exceed 20 per cent on the company's 
capital. 
The Jokai Company is certainly a striking instance 
of the results which attend clear-headed and capable 
management. 
The first annual dinner of the Ceylon Association 
in London, held at Willis's Rooms on Thursday week 
last, was an interesting gathering. Sir Roper Leth- 
bridge tmade a long speech on the occasion, and con- 
gratulated those present on the magnificent success 
which had attended their tea-planting operations. 
Mr, J. L. Shard rightly came in for a large measure 
of praise for his exertions on behalf of the industry 
and it was generally recognised that the Ceylon Asso- 
ciation in London bids fair to be a great success as 
an aid to the planting community in thp island. 
A new Indian tea company has just been regis- 
tered, entitled the Eraligool Tea Company, Limited. 
The capital is £18,000, in £10 shares, and the object 
is to carry into effect an agreement, dated Nov. 30, 
1888, and made between Robins Thomas Cooke of 
the one part, and Percy Mitchell of tbe other 
part, for the sale and purchase of the Eraligool 
tea estate situate in the district Sylhet, in the 
province of Assam, to carry on the business of 
cultivators and tea planters in all its branches. The 
first subscribers (one share each) are : — A. Bryans, 
The Cottage, Foot's Cray, Kent ; J. H. Wilson, 
Oriental Club, Hanover Square, W. ; S. A. Went, 
Newlands, Thames Ditton ; W. Drew, Oriental 
Club, W. ; P. R. Buchanan, Farm College, Epsom ; 
V. Mitchell, 21, Queen's Road.N.; S. R. Anderson, 37, 
High Street, Eccleston Square, S. W. The first 
directors of the company will be Robins Thomas, 
Touke, Patrick R. Buchanan, and Samuel A. Went, 
the qualification of a director is the holding of at least 
£500 in the capital of the company, and his remunera- 
tion will be £2 2s for each attendance at a board 
meeting. 
The following figures indicate the consumption of 
tea per head of the population of the United King- 
dom during the last forty-eight years. Iu 1853 the 
consumption per head of tea first reached over 2 
lb, and to 3 lb in 1864, thus taking eleven years to 
add the extra pouud. From 1864, however, it only 
took eight years to add a further pound per head, 
as it will be seen that in 1872 the figures reached 
401. Thirteen years elapsed before a further 
pound was again added, viz., in 1885, when the 
figure stood at 5'02. The year 1885, however, as 
regards tea was an unusual one, inasmuch as, during, 
several months of that year, duty payments were on 
an enormous scale, owing to a scare about a possi- 
ble war with Russia ; but it will be observed that 
6ince that year a rel ipse iu consumption, carrying 
the figures to less thau 5 lb per head, has taken place 
during the last two years of 1886 and 1887. This is 
somewhat remarkable when it is remembered that 
during the last sixteen years the bonded price of tea 
has fallen to such an ext'-nt as to be now just half 
what it was in 1872. The duty on tea wa6 reduced 
in 1866 from Is to 6d. The consumption of tea per head 
of the population iu the year 
lb. lb. lb. 
1840 
was 1-22 . 
. 1856 
was 2 26 . 
. 1872 
was 4-01 
41 
1-37 . 
57 
2-45 . 
73 
411 
42 
1-38 . 
58 
2-58 .. 
74 
4-23 
43 
1-48 . 
59 
2-67 .. 
75 
4-44 
44 
1-50 . 
60 
2-67 . 
. 7U 
4-50 
45 
1-59 . 
61 
269 . 
77 
452 
46 
1-67 . 
62 
2-70 . 
78 
466 
47 
1-66 . 
63 
2-90 . 
79 
4-70 
48 
1-75 . 
64 
3-00 .. 
80 
4-59 
49 
1-81 . 
65 
329 .. 
81 
4-58 
50 
1-86 . 
66 
3 42 .. 
82 
4-67 
51 
1-97 . 
67 
3 68 . 
83 
4-80 
52 
199 .. 
68 
3-52 .. 
84 
487 
53 
2-14 .. 
69 
3-63 .. 
85 
502 
54 
2-24 .. 
70 
3-81 .. 
86 
4-87 
55 
2-28 .. 
71 
3-92 .. 
87 
495 
The Committee for the Ceylon Tea Room at tbe 
Paris Exhibition consists of Sir W. Gregorv, Mr. 
Whittall, Sir R. Lethbridge, Mr. A. G. Smither, 
Mr. J. L. Shand, and Mr. W. Martin Leake.— H. and 
C. Mail. 

CEYLON PRODUCE IN LONDON. 
Messrs, Gow, Wilson & Stanton — console Ceylon 
tea planters for low prices, by remarking that they 
are certain to oause increased consumption of their 
product ! The best averages given are Charley Valley 
Is 9£d (well done Mr. de Soysa's Sinhalese mana- 
ger) ; Glenugie Is 4d ; Hope Is 2Jd ; Ooduwelle Is 
ljd; Agar's land Is 0|d, while several Dikoya 
and Bogawantalawa marks are well spoken of. 
In coffee, Coslanda (Haputale) tops the Ceylon 
market with Ills and 107-6; Meeriabedde in the 
same district rising up to 103s and 109s. These 
prices and the long lists of "nineties" and up- 
wards are certainly enough to make every man 
in the island with a coffee bush, do his very utmost 
to preserve and strengthen it. — Ceylon cocoa keeps 
well up : pity there is not more of it, — Cardamoms 
pay well at present prices and with a limited 
production here the prospects are very good.— 
Cinchona Bark is weak, but there must be a good 
time coming, when — when — our exports go down 
to 250,0001b. a month! 
Messrs. I. A. Rucker & Bencraft say on December 
13th :— 
The movements on the terminal markets are now 
very rapid up and down, a jump of 10s being aocom 
