May i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
955 
exportation of potatoes to America this year is some- 
thing extraordinary. The State Line alone during one 
week shipped from Glasgow and Larne 3,000 tons of 
potatoes for the American market and have been obliged 
to refuse cargo. The steamship 'State of Florida,' 
which sailed from Larne, took with her the largest 
cargo ever shipped from In land to America." 
The local presbyteries of the Established, Free and 
United Presbyterian churches recently appointed 
committees to consider the proposal to abolish 
fast-days. These committees held a conference and 
compared notes. The United Presbyterians were 
unanimous for abolition, the Frees by 21 to 4 were 
also in favour of doing away with the fasts, but Old 
Zion by a large majority objected to any change being 
made. Considerable discussion took place and adjourn- 
ment, without any resolution being come at. 
A Company has been formed here that ia about to 
commence steam trawling. A tidy little steamer of 
75 tons register and 100 horse-power has been pur- 
chased for the undertaking. 
A COFFEE EXCHANGE- 
A coffee exchange is in the process of organization. 
It will be the lirst of its kind in the world, and bids 
fair to be nn important addition to the trade of this 
city. Articles of incorporation have been drawn up 
and signed by a majority of the brokers and some 
of the jobbers and importers. As soon as the signat- 
ures of the others are secured the organization will 
be proceeded with. There is no opposition to the 
enterprise, and ihe idea appears to be well received 
throughout the trade. 
The intention is to organize an Exchange on the 
model of the Produce and Cotton exchanges, and to 
enact uniform rates of commissions and rules pres- 
cribing grades for coffee imported. Samples of coffee 
will be exhibited by all the jobbers ; "calls" will 
be instituted, and coffee sold for future delivery, the 
same as cotton and grain. 
The object sought is not so much to facilitate specu- 
lation, though this is a feature of the enterprise, 
as to revive and restore the trade of New York. 
Western cities arc now importing direct and often 
undersell New York. Rio de Janeiro, by its cable 
communication, thoroughly understands our market; 
and her merchants, instead of selling to our importers, 
are consigning goods to this market and disposing of 
them through agents Then, auction sales have been 
instituted, which the brokers claim will drive them 
out of the business. Altog-ther, the trade is said to 
bu in an extremely unsatisfactory condition, and is 
rtlpidly decreasing. The exchange will, it is believed, 
harmonize all interests and furnish a powerful induce- 
ment to outride buyers to purchase in New York. 
There has always been inoru or less speculative 
trading in New York, and cargoes are now sold to 
arrive months ahead. This has, also, to a certain ex- 
tent, boon douo abroad. The Exchange will facilitate 
future trading as well as increase cash transactions. 
The coffee trado is vory large. About SSO.000,000 
worth of coffee is imported annually. — New York 
Commercial BulUtin, November 30th 1881. 
COFFEE AND ADULTKHA HON. 
A slight improvement in the Havre market at the 
commencement of the week imparted some thinness 
hero, and prices lightly recovered for all descriptions. 
Toward* tho close, however, I he public Sties ibOWed 
much irregularity, for, while tho tineat parcels of 
Plantation Ceylon have advanced from lis. to 4s., low 
to middling grades have slightly gi\en way , and good 
medium qualities have sold without much change. 
Other kinds have been uioio inquired tor uud ha\o sold 
readily, the demand from the Continent having been 
much better than for some time past. The weak points 
of the market are still the excessive stocks held upon 
I the Continent, and the continued enormous production 
! in Central and South America. Until, therefore, thi 
production is reduced, or the consumption very mater- 
ially increased, there is little probability ol prices 
being much higher than they are at present. It i-> true 
that the consumption on the Continent increased during 
last year about b" per cent., but the imports also in- 
creased at the rate of 7 pre cent. 
The ferment amoug the importers on the subject of 
the adulteration of coffee has gathered strength through 
a recent Treasury minute permitting the importation 
of roasted coliee mixed with other commoditie . on paj 
ment of coffee duty. The exact object of this per- 
mission is unknown, but those who have asked for it 
have, of course, their own interests in view. Th im- 
porters of coffee think that these interests 1 
, inimical to their business, and they ask whj I 
vcrnment should treat their commodity so differ 
to what they do tea. If tea, mixed with other sub- 
stances, is imported, it is seized and destroyed by the 
Customs' authorities, whom the Treasury now allow to 
sanction the importation of coffee mixed with any ex- 
traneous matter whatever, so long as the importers pay 
the duty. The revenue officers, apparently, will not 
I even require the most general declaration that the collee 
is admixed with anything else, but will content them- 
j selves with receiving the money. Yet, if a retail grocer 
1 received money for a commodity marked collee, and 
made no declaration of any existing admixture, he could 
be sent to prison for the offence, even with an article 
with which such extraordinary "substitutes" are 
apparently legal. The action of the Treasury has naturally 
intensified the feeling of the coffee trade as to the way 
their commodity is allowed to be treated. They tear that 
; the result of the recent order will be that tne market 
will be Hooded with cneap foreign imitations of coffee, 
and that the public taste will be still further depraved. 
In any action lhat may be taken, it is seriously ques- 
tioned whether the growers of chicory should not be 
asked to join, for even chicory appears too dear for 
modern "coffee," and it is quite possible that the 
recent Treasury order may prove even more injurious 
to chicory than to coffee. 
No doubt, vested interests have been created by 
, the admixtures which have been allowed with coffee, 
' accompanied by only the vaguest declaration to the pur- 
! chaser of the kind of goods he was buying, and people 
( kuow more or less that they do not get pure coffee, 
and both the seller and tho buyer ha\e got used to 
I the idea. But the coffee importers argue that it 
would be no more jus-t to allow a baker when asked 
J for bread to supply beans, or for a draper asked 
: for silk to supply llanncl, than for a shopkeeper asked 
for coffee to supply something entirely different — how- 
1 ever nutritious, or medicinal, or valuable in other ways 
I tho other commodity may be. If other roots, or fruits 
' or seeds, or woody libres, improve coffee, the im- 
porters of tho latter commodity argue that the full 
declaration of the improvers used, could only do good 
to the vendors. If admixtures, on the other hand, 
spoil coffee, instead of improving it, it is argued that 
the public ought to bo put 011 its guard. These aro 
some of the arguments freely used in the ooflfe market; 
but tho practices complained of have reached such a 
' height, and so many similar things are done under 
the cover of a simple declaration of admixture, tn.it 
very great difficulty would bo encountered in any 
attempt to apply to coffeo something 1 ko tho Preaafl 
law, i.y which the pro, ortiou of admixture bu ohe 
declared. Ou tho oth. r hand, the r.iui.-n law appears 
to go a loug way in tho otner dinoUoi . [or it seems 
, to cover ninety percent, of so-called " admixture ' 
so long ob, ou some poiiiou oi tho Ubel, the liof ia 
