THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fAuousr i, 1895. 
death. Bemove the nbole, wash the roota clesD if 
needful, as it often is, and re- pot in very light, porous, 
sandy soil, or fine sand, placing the routs in the 
smallest porsible pot, and give such extra nursiog as 
advii'ed after pottiog off, and the roots may be re- 
established in health and quadrupled in cumbers in a 
f*w weeks, and the plant f^aved. So goon as this 
renovation is effected, the plant may be re -shifted into 
A larger pot, sn 1 treated an adTiscd fi r others. The 
time for shiftitg plan's must be detcrmiced by con- 
dition, and with but little reference to the caletdor. 
Atone time, however, the spring and early summer 
months vpere mainly devoted to the potting of plants. 
This vfaa carried so f«r that plants were shifted in 
April or May, whether they wanted it or not. No 
doubt these general pottinga at such Feaeons suited the 
majority of plaDts ; hence the practice survives to 'his 
day. Accepting as an aii.m, that no plant should be 
pruned and potted at the same time, whatever its 
cohdition, as such a dt uble check hinders alike the 
formation of roots and the growth of top, there nre 
three general conditions of plants favourable to tl eir 
re-potting or shifticg. The first is soon after starting ; 
the second, in the middle of their growth ; and ibe 
last, just before their growth is ripened. And these 
seasons, determined by condition, apply to all plants 
Tvitfaoat eiotptioD, whether hard or loft-wooded, 
berbaceons or bulbous, ezogens or endogens. — From 
" Cassell'a Popular Qurdcning" for April. 
♦ 
THE FUTURE OF TEA. 
Under this head we have reoeiTed a commtini- 
oation from a correBpoDdent eigDiog himself 
"Hard Timee," who iB iotereeted in Indian and 
Ceylon tea, and thinks it time that planters should 
be warned not to take too oock-sure a view of the 
tea market. Our correBpondent thinks if planters 
are not more careful about quality there will be 
a reaction against Indian and Ceylon tea. The 
tone of our contemporary's letter is very pessimistio 
and we cannot endoise all that be eays, but bis 
remarks are entitled to coneideration. Be thiuks 
that the reason medical men have made such a 
dead set against these teas is that the consumer 
aa a rule brews them too long and too strong, and 
that stumaohio trouble arises in consequence which 
medical men cannot fail to detect, hence the tone 
tbey adopt in regard to Indian and Ceylon teas, 
and hence also the necessity for imparting more 
knowledge on the subject of brewing tea to the 
ignorant consumer. As regards the edict in China 
against adulterated tfls, he says: — 
" It is well known that, for many years past. 
Sir Bobert Hart, the head of the Chinese CustcmB, 
has not ceased to urge the Chinese Goveinment 
not only to abolish the liken-tax and export duty 
amouuting altogether to about 2d. per lb., but to 
issue edicts punishing severely the adulteration of 
tea. At the same time, in order to enable the 
Chinese tea growers to compete with their Indian 
and Oeylon oppouentp, he recommended that 
BOhooh should be opened in the tea districts, where 
the Indian mode of preparing tea for the London 
markets could be taught to the students, who would 
likewise be accorded the advantages of Indian 
experts and English tea machinery. Perhaps this 
advice is at last going to bear fruit. 
" The Chinese Government could not have a 
better time in which to set about the task of at- 
tempting to regain a once thriving trade with 
England. From some cause or another it is a 
notorious fact that both Indian and Ceylon teas 
have fallen off in quality very lamentably of late. 
This is notably the case with regard to Ceylon. 
" The Indian and Ceylon tea planters will have 
to bear heavy export duty on their product, if it 
is titie that an Import dutv on eilyer ia to be 
r1 - ' , ..... . 
levied by the Indian Government, and alec • mint 
tax. With the taxea on tea abolished in China 
and impoEed in India, the Chinese tea growera 
would probably be enabled to compete euoeesafullj 
with their opponents. It is, therefore, quite on 
the cards that in a few years to come we maj 
■ 3e in the grocers' windows invitatioDS to 'Drink 
Pure China Tea.' 
" How can the Indian and Ceylon tea planters 
now hope BucceeEfnily to exploit euch desirable 
markets as the United States cflers. already en- 
amoured as they are by the delicately-flavoured, 
palp straw coloured infusioos obtained frcm the 
exquisitely prepared Jspaneee tear, which ty the 
way, are just as little known in England aa 
Indian and Ceylon tea is in America at the 
present day, after yeare of vain attempts to in- 
troduce thtm. In the United States Japanese 
tea has wrenched the bulk of the tea trade from 
the Chinese, so no wonder that the Government 
of the latter country arc at last showing signs o( 
waking up. Since the Whitsuntide holidays Indian 
and Ceylon teas have lest about 12^ per cent, in 
value, and unless the quantity sent to London in 
future is lessened and the quality oorreapondinglj 
improved hard times would appear to be in store for 
the British tea planters."— if. dt C. Mail, Jane28rd. 
THE DUTCH MABKET. 
Amsiebdam, Jane 28. 
CiKCHONA. — All the analytes for our sales on Jaljr 
6th next have been published now. The manufaotaring 
bark contains 25 tons tulphate of quinine, or 4 61 
per cent on the average. Abont 6 tons contain 1-3 
per cent, 49 (one 2-3 per cent, 141 Ions 3-4 per cent, 
162 tons 4-5 per cent, 93 tons 5 6 per cent, 54 tons 
6 7 per cent, 39 tons 7-8 per cent, atd 1 toe 9-10 
per cent tulpbate of quinine. The auctions contain 
656 tons, instead of 657 tool as formerly stated. — 
Chemist and Druggist. 
« 
A CEYLOX PLANTER IN BRAZIL. 
{For the"Ceylon Observer" and " Tropical Agriculturift.'') 
corFKE 
is the only thing that bolds its own : the Fazendeiroa 
or Cofifte Planters continne to increase their tottuoa 
with low exchange, for the gold value of coffee slill 
keeps Dp. The coffee crop for Hio is estimated at 
2,70O,tCHJ bags of 60 kilos. Santos nearly as much. 
In S. Paulo old coffee will ^ve little owing to a 
long drought Inst year, but there is a large extent of 
young cottee coming into bearing, which dry weathez 
did not much damage, which will make up the de- 
ficiency on tbe old. In that State labour forces are 
being kept np by European immigration. 
A law was passed last year for allowing Chicajt 
Immigration, and a Miteion consisiing of an Am- 
barsador and staff went from here a month ago to 
China, to make a treaty with the Celestial Empire. 
Tbey will have past by your port before you receive 
this. A war ship is to join them in eastern waters 
and it will call at Colombo. She arrived at Port 
Said fifteen days ago. 
By the way the ex-Minister of Marine Cnetndio 
de Mello was in Command of the Brazilian man-of- 
war the "Almarant Barrcsa " the eame vessel now 
going to China and which was in yoar port when 
news of the Brazalian Revolution in Nov. 1889 was 
telegraphed. He, I noticed, wrote a letter to your 
p»per in reply to some reports of Brazilian saibrs 
having been flogged. He was the leader of the Revo- 
lution which made Theodore resign. He has sinoa 
been rather satirically "badgereJ " abont his ship 
when at the head of the fleet on that occasion stick* 
iog in the mud of the Bio hsrbonr jnst as the in> 
habitants of peaceful Rio de Janeiro expected h« ws( 
to blow their great city to "smithereens." 
A. SCOTI BLAOKLAW, 
