March i> 1889- 1 THE TRQPlCAt AGRICULTURIST. 
597 
show the desired profit at the end of the year. 
The result of his labours in the office is hia orders 
for your work in the field. He uses his head that 
ho may direct your heels ; so uever dare to call your 
boss lazy again I The most successful planter I ever 
know used to work out his expenditure daily, and as a 
consequence always worked cheaply . 
Perhaps the intending investor in Ceylon is doubt- 
ful as to the chances of Ceylon tea in the face of 
competition from India and Ohioa. I think I can 
satisfy him on that score. The combinod competition 
of India and Ceylon last year caused the China import 
into England to decrease 25,000,000 lb., as compared 
with the pervious year; and this year a further de- 
crease of 20,000,000 lb. is anticipated. In course of 
time, at this rate, China tea will practically fall out 
of consumption, and the market will be held by 
India and Oeylon. Wo in Ceylon have always the 
advantage over Indin, that we can put our produce 
in the market cheaper than the Indian plauters can. 
But, for the comfort of the consumers, it should 
be mentioned that there is no prospect of prices rising 
— first, in consequence of the increased and increasing 
production, both in India and Ceylon, and secondly, 
because of the rivalry between tho two countries. 
Uoth, however, have a grand future before them, while 
the ladios at home will always be able to rely upon a 
good cup of Ceylon tea. Ceylon Tea Planteh. 
— Land and Water, Dec. 20th. 
DRUG TRADE REPORT. 
London, January 17th. 
Cinchona. — The first bark auctions of the new year 
were h Id on Tuesday, a very heavy quantity being cata- 
logued for the occasion, viz. : — 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon bark ... 2,805 of which 2,002 were sold 
Kast India bark ... 125 „ 59 ,, 
Java bark ... 246 „ 246 „ 
South A meriean bark 1,137 ,, 194 „ 
Fiji bark ... 3 „ 3 „ 
Total ... 1,616 „ 2,504 „. 
The assortment ottered consisted almost entirely of 
low nn 1 medium class barks, the South American vari- 
,!,,■, it-pi-cially b-iti;* a mo-.t exclusively made up oi 
old Cuprcas and Oarthegouas, which were nearly all 
bought in. The hulk of the Java bark also was of 
inferior quality. The large quantity of light South 
American packages accounts tor the fact that, though 
tho number offered was so large, tho aggregate 
weight of tho hark was lens than at the preceding 
sale*. 
The auctions opened very flatly, and with a mani- 
fest reluctance ou the part of buyers to operate ; 
gradully some improvement became noticeable, espe- 
einlly when sellers showed a good disposition to realise, 
hut towards ihu close the interest (lagged again. There 
is a general agreement that the auctions resulted in a 
heavy deolino, which is variously estimated «t from 
10 to Lfi por cent, but the smaller figure appears 
neuetl the mark. The unit is now placed at ljjd to 
I 11-ld. per lb. The following are the approximate 
quantities of l>«rk purchased by the pjiucipul buyers 
at tho auctions : — 
Lb. 
Agents for the Auerbach works ... 214,645 
,, tho Briinswiok works ... 115,170 
„ the Americau, French, kc works 8-1.271 
Messrs. Howards & Hon* ... ... 53,211 
Agents f„r the Fra-ikfort and Stuttgart work* 14,530 
Mr. Thomas Whiffen ... ... 19,071 
Agent* for tho Mannheim .V. Amsterdam works 5,236 
Sundry buyer* ... ... ... 32,390 
Total qtiau'ity sold ... 
Bought in or withdrawn 
.1'is,.'>:;:t 
841.968 
l'cilal quantity catalogued ... 910.501 
It I*, of course, understood that the proportion of 
bark puohaatd tl no criterion whatovi r to tho amouut 
of quiuino reprosvutcd by it. 
The following wore the prices paid : — 
Ceylon Babk : Original Officinalis, shavings, da- 
maged, down to ljd aud l£d ; sound 2gd to ojd ; for 
ordinary to good from 7M up to 9£d tor fine rich ; 
root 2d to 6d. Succirubra root 2d ; dnst ljd ; ordi- 
nary and dusty chips 2d to 3d ; fair 4d' HyOrid, &c, 
chips 2d to 5£d ; shavings 3d to 3.Jd ; root 5A-d per lb. 
Renewed Officinalis, ordiuary to good chips and shav- 
ings 4d to 7d ; a few rich lota 8d to 9!d. Succirubra, 
ordinary to good rich shavings and chips 2d to 7d ; fine 
up to 9d. Hybrid, &e. 6i<l to 8d per lb. 
East Indian Bark : Crown, small good fair bright 
shavings aud quilly chips 2d to 4£d ; renewed dusty.shav- 
inga lid to 7jd. Ledger, good but dusty shavings 74d ; 
chips 7£d to 8d per lb. 
Java Bark. —Officinalis, bright chips mixed with quill 
5d ; bold mixed root G.'-d. Ledgeriana, good rich root 
lid ; common dust aud ground branch to -Id ; root 
1 to2£d ; good quilly mixed branch chips o.jd. Succi- 
rubra, week to fairly good druggists' quill, all more or 
less damaged 3d to 7-i per lb. 
South American Baiik. — Of 172 packages cultivated 
Bolivian Calisaya, 10 serons sold at 8d to 10d for 
small split to good boldish bilvery druggists' quill, 
and at Is 2d per lb for an exceptionally flue silvery 
parcel. Cathagena (imported via Guayaquil), rather 
bold but partly damaged 3d to 4.VJ ; for a lot of vory 
bold pieces lOd per lb is asked. Forty -six packages 
Soft Columbia anu 34 Hard Pitayo of old import 
were bought in, while for old Ouprea from 2d to 5d 
is asked. 
Fiji Babk. — The first bark imported from thisisland 
was sold yesterday. The consignment consisted of 164 lb 
only, in three bags. The bark was of a Calisaya charac- 
ter, and brought the following prices :— Good but thin 
silvery yellow quill Baid to analyse the equivalent of 
1-73 to 175 per cent q. s. at 4£d ; weak twigs and 
chips (TOO per cent q. s.) 3d per lb. A German firm 
bought the bark. 
Via Lisbon we received this week 76 packages, 
presumably from San Thome in Western Africa. 
Coca Leaves. — Reported cheaper from New York 
with a rather heavy stock of light green Truxillo at 
9d "c.i.f." for quantities, and lsper lb for Huaeoco. The 
Hamburg market for coca leaves, which was a very 
considerable one two or three yeras ago, has lost much 
of its importance in 1889, as the German cocaine makers 
now all prefer to buy the South Americau cocaine 
direct from the makers there, who have now brought 
up the standard of their make to 99-25 percent. 
CunEBS. — During the year 1888 1,095 bales cubebs 
were imported into Holland, whilo 200 bales were left 
in stock from 1887. During the year the deliveries 
amounted to 1,105, leaving an unsold stock of 190 
bales. The reports of shortage of the coming crop 
are again confirmed. The cultivation does not appear 
to be prosecuted on any largo scale in Java, and the 
wild berries, owing to the high prices obtainable at 
present, are gathered before they have sufficiently ma- 
tured. The small shrivelled berries are generally pre- 
ferred on the Dutch market, though some buyers 
will only take the bold fruit, which is entirely rejected 
by others. 
Ksskn'ti a r. Oils. — Citronella remains very quiet at 
Jd to 15th-ltiths d. per oz. for native brands. 
Quinine. — There has been a good deal of speculative 
business this week at low prices, some -10,000 oz. being 
sold on the spot at Is 3d for Zimmer, Jobst, and Fab- 
brica Lombarda, and la 3}d to Is 3id for B k S bulk 
But this was all done by second-band holders, the 
Agents for the manufacturers refusing to quote a price 
at present. We huve seen a statement this week in 
which the present London stock of quinine is estimated 
at about 2,000,000 oz., most of which is known to be 
held by speculators. 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA AUCTION.- 
Telegram from our Corrtspondtnt. 
Amsterdam, J.-tnuary 17th 
At today's auctions, out of 2,97 1 paekaRe* of Java 
bark otf.-re-l. 2,.'>1!> wi-re -old at fairly Iv price*, 
considering tho fall at the London sales this week, tbn 
unit beiug on the average lUe per hall -kilo., or 1 l-5ib» J. 
