§i8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. U UNE *. 1889. 
BARK AND DRUG TfiA.DE fiEPORT. 
London, 11th April 1889. 
Cinchona at the weekly auctions sold at some slight 
advance, and quinine is also dearer. As regards other 
chemicals, we hud higher prices asked for cocaine, quick- 
silver and mercurials, sulphate of copper, and cream of 
tartar. In the drug department proper we note some 
improvement in castor oil, orris root, rhubarb, and cala- 
bar beans ; and some falling off in insect flowers, ipeca- 
cuanha, and caraway seed. 
Cinchona. -The auctions on Tuesday were of fair aver- 
age extent as regards the quantity of bark offer, while 
the quality of the assortment was rather better on the 
whole than we have beau accustomed to see at recent 
auctions, there being a fairly large number of lots aver- 
aging from 4 to 6 per cent equivalent of quinine sulphate. 
The catalogues comprised : — 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon bark ... 1,895 of which 1,496 were sold 
East Indian bark ... 497 „ 412 „ 
Java bark ... 28 „ 28 ,, 
South American bark 276 ,, 187 ,, 
Total ... 2,696 „ 2,123 
A better spirit pervaded the auctions, partly perhaps 
on account of the stronger tone of the quinine mirket, 
and partly also because no auctions will be held again 
until May 7th. Nearly all the manufacturers present 
bought freely, and occasionally there was a fair amount 
of competition for a desirable parcel. The consensus of 
opinion at the close of the sales pointed to a slight im- 
provement in the unit price, which may we think, now 
be placed at fully l|d per lb. 
The following are the approximate quantities pur- 
chased by the principal buyers :— 
Lb. 
Agents for the American, French, &c, works 104,861 
Agents for the Mannheim & Amsterdam works 96,456 
Agents for the Auerbach works ... 93,079 
Agents for the Brunswick works ... 80,997 
Agents for the Frankfort o/M and Stuttgart works 70,151 
Messrs. Howards & Sons ... ... 34,190 
Mr. Thomas AVhiffen ... ... 9,660 
Sundry druggists... ... ••• 14,741 
Total sold 
Bought in or withdrawn 
510,133 
117,012 
Total quantity catalogued ... 628,145 
It may or may not be a mater of any importance 
in connection with American rumours of a quinine 
combination, but it is a fact that the agents for the 
American quinine factories bought a larger quantity 
of bark at tbis auction than they have done for several 
months past. 
It should be well understood that the mere weight 
of bark purchased affords no guide whatever to the 
quinine yield represented by it, firms who buy a small 
quantity of bark by weight frequently taking the richest 
lots, and vice versa. 
South American Bakk.— Of 34,700 lb. Bolivian 
Oalisaya 24.320 1b. were sold ; good stout broken, but 
silvery, from Yungas plantations, 9^d to 10J d per lb. 
(against 9d to 9|d per lb. at the previous auction) ; 
air to dull broken quill 7d to 5|d. Two serons or- 
dinary Lima quill sold cheaply at ljd per lb. 
There was a rather large quantity of Ceylon and 
Indian root bark offiered for sale, and disposed of at 
good prices. An offer of 9d per lb. was refused for 
a parcel of renewed crown chips, said to bo equal 
to 6-40 per cent quinine sulphate, and lid was de- 
clined for another parcel said to analyse 740 
per cent. 
Cocaine.— Higher prices are quoted for balk, say, 
14s 6d to 14s 9d per oz., and there are rumours that 
a portion of the recent coca crop has been packed in a 
damp state, and arrived at the ports of shipment almost 
Vuluelcss. . "~ 
Qoinine has been very firm this week, and prices 
on the spot have further hardened somewhat. Between 
50,000 and 60,000 oz. German bulk are said to have 
been Bold, mostly by the makers themselves, at Is l^d 
to Is ljd on the spot; while some now require Is 
2d in that position. Early delivery sold at Is 2d per 
oz. (Is 2 J 1 is now asked), and for di*t;mt delivery 
lj ijtd per oz. is reported t j have been paid TheFa- 
brica Lombarda still quotes Is l^d per oz. on the spot. 
— Chemist and Lrujrjist. 
TEA DRINKING. 
"We have received several letters on the subject of 
the remarks on Tea Drinking, given in our last issue. 
We observe, likewise, that one or two of our contem- 
poraries have made a note on the subject. The matter 
is one that should not be allowed to drop, for it is 
high time that those interested in China tea should 
make some vigorous and far-reaching effort to main- 
tain the splendid trade they have had in their hand -. 
One correspondent who backs up onr remarks writes : 
— " We (Ubina) quietly sit down and let these Indian 
and Ceylon people push and puff their teas to 
the gullible public, and I consider we have ourselves 
to thank for losing our business through apathy when 
we really have a strong case." The strong case 
bein^ the greater absence of tannin in China teas of 
good ordinary qualitiy, as against the best Indian 
and Ceylon growths, which was shown by the figures 
published in our last issue. These strong Indian 
growths have undoubtedly a deleterious effect on the 
nervous system and digestive organs. The evil that 
is being wrought is not confined to one class or section 
of the community, fur in drawing-room, factory, work- 
shop and cottage, excessive te,i drinking, particularly 
of Indian kinds, which brew out stroDg in the cup, 
and apparently give better valuo for money, as they 
stand more watering, is commencing to work consi- 
derable evil. There is, perhaps, some excuse for the 
poor classes in selecting Indian qualities for the reason 
stated in the preceding sentence, but there seems no 
reason why those in better circumstances should not 
indulge in something less deleterious to their consti- 
tution. In a discussion which took pi ice a few months 
ago in the columns of a London daily newspaper on 
the tea we drink, it was pointed out and truly, we 
believe, that the richer classes paid le3S as a rule 
for their tea per lb. than the poorer people. A man 
who would be ashamed to set an inferior bottle of 
wine on his table would have tea at a ridiculously low 
price and of very inferior quality m his drawing-room. 
Whenever this subject is being discussed, one fre- 
quently hears the remark, " But where can good pure 
lea be procured ? " or to the effect that it was very 
difficult to find a retailer who kept a stock of pure 
China. Why should not shops exist which would 
make a speciality of selling pure Ohina tea of a good 
quality ? Such establishments exist for the Ceylon 
commodity. Surely those interested in the ChiDa 
trade might exhibit some of the push and go which 
distinguish their Ceylon confreres who circularise, 
open special depots, and otherwise force the 
article into consumption and make a valuable trade. 
One is bound to admire the energy that Ceylon planters 
and others interested have thrown into that product. 
Surely Ohina might emulate its rivals, instead of 
sitting down and letting their trade be taken from 
them. They have a strong weapon in the matter of 
medical opinion, and they might use it effectively. — 
L. and C. Express, 12th April. 
MAURITIUS. 
Port Louis, 10th April 1889. 
THE WEATHEE AND THE CHOP. 
A few complaints reach us from certain quarters of 
the island with respect to the continued heavy rains 
that have fallen without scarcely any intermissions 
since December last. That the season has been a 
very wet one is universally admitted but on the other 
hand the majority of our plantations have profited, the 
plantations are very advanced, and next crop will 
exceed the present one considerably. For the last 
few days the weather has been warm and dry and the 
mills are running off all the syrups which could not be 
turbined ou account of the persisted wet. It is es- 
