152 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. i 1893. 
A Tka-Tabtino contest at Minneapolis has been 
conduoted aB follows. The committee were given 
BBveral boxes of teas of different marbs and prices 
the prices in sealed envelopes, corresponding to 
the marks on the tea. These envelopes remained 
unopened till the contest was over. From the 
several teas, the committee chose three changed 
the marks, and after infusion presented them to 
the competitors to taste. Five minutes weie allowed 
for valuations, which were recorded by eaoli taster 
and passed to the committee in sealed envelopes, 
opened and compared with the prices us registered 
and the competitor who made the nearest approach 
to the right figures got a handsome prize. Amf^riohn 
tea tasting is certainly in its infancy. — Indian 
Planters^ Gazette. 
" Coffee-Tka." — Some time ago we learned 
how a Treasury ofiBcial had tent in a greet hurry 
for a Ceylon planter (Mr. Huntly-Thring) to aek 
what our product, " Coffee-tea" was, and whether 
its export from Ceylon vraq likely to increase, 
as no provision h^d been made in the Customs 
Tariff for it ! " Tea we know and oofifee we 
know," the oflQoial seemed to say, " but 
what is Coffee-tea"? Mr. Huntly-Thring was 
able to allay any anxiety as to quantity then; but 
we suspect the Treasury will think seriously of 
amending the Tariff regulations when they 
find from Messrs. Gpo. White & Co.'s latest 
circular that some more of the duty-free product 
has been coming forward for sale. We quote as 
follows : — 
Two small lot*, printed ai Coffee Tea "Duty Free " 
Bold as fol'ows:— 2J cbeetii >t 9id per lb, aud 3i 
chests at 10^.1 per lb. 
Stbokg ^ ea,— Mr. 0, H. Donyer escribes the 
preference for India and Ceylon teas to their having 
a greater strength, in the proportion of 7i gallons 
of infusion per lb. against live from Chinese. He 
declares the Indian leaf is too strong for the 
nerves. He deplorrs the habit of factory girls 
flrinking tea five or six times daily. (The late 
Mr. Mioholson, and Eurgeon of local repute 30 or 
40 years ago, held the same opinion, and expressed 
it very strongly.) ' Professional tea-tasters suffer 
from weakness and nervous affection." Yet the 
love of " the liquor of the fragrant leaf " grows 
and on the other side of the argument is the 
experience of Australian bushmen and shepherds 
and African explorers, including Mr. Selous,who 
are associated with nerves of iron and sinews of 
steel, not with debility. — Sheffield Telegraph, June 29. 
A New Evil in Tea. — Dr J. Murray-Gibbes 
has discovered — aooordini? to the Daily Chronicle, — a 
new evil which attends too moch tea-drinking: — "In the 
current numLer of Hygiene be declereB that Mrs. 
John Bull Rnd her daughters are the l»rgest consnmers 
of thu contents of those crpg that cheer but do not 
inebriate, except indeed their colonial cousins in Aus- 
tralia, whence the dictor has tent his contribution 
< n the effects of stimulints gsrerally. Dr. Murray- 
Gibbes sees a distinct connection between the move- 
iueut to secure women's righ's and loo great a con- 
lumplion of congou. To tta-drinking the doctor 
appears to trace the growing I'esire felt on the part 
of t'le fair sex to enter the professions, and, in fact, 
to take the place of man as brea l-winnerf. He viewn 
with alurm what he regards es a s'ruggle for supre- 
macy between man and ^\oman, and believ s that 
woman's brain-power must devtl ip at the expense of 
her phyfiique. In short, ii' things f,o on as they are 
I oii g, the worthy doctor fear that a century hence 
man will have become a tto'hless animal, a' d womm 
i.1bo. Wha' a prospect is this for the dentists of 
coming ger.eritiot 8 I Perhaps people ni l give 
lip their tea rather than their teeth," adr'-s our London 
c ijtomprorarj ; hut the good sense of the English 
ps iple will sre that both tea and teeth can 
dify such iibsurd statements as those of Dr. J 
Mnrray-Gibbes. 
The Output of Tfa in Natal for the season 
just (ilociog is set down at 680,000 IbE., being 
{ 20,000 lbs. more than was estimated. This it 
! SKtisfaotory, and shows that the tea indastry is 
{ goi ig along BBtisfactorily in the ( olony. Natal 
bas some fine tea eountry, and a good detil ought 
to bo made of this p:o loot before lung. — Colonies. 
p£/iBL FiBBEBiES. — The Mexican Governnieut has 
leased to a company the pearl fisheries ot the 
Island of Ban Jog6, in th? Gulf of CaliforDia, (or 
a term of eix'een years. During th first three 
years the lessees are to pay in cash to the Govern- 
ment the sum of 910 per ton of pearl oyster 
obtained, and 912 per ton during the remaining 
thirteen years. — Financial Neui, Aug. 1. 
: Fkuitb ABE THE LEADING Pboddcts of Eouthern 
Califuinia. and hitherto have been almost entirely 
{ conjumeo in the United States, being despatched, 
as a lule, overltnd. Aucording lo British Consul 
j Donchoe at S.in Franoiso, there is apparently a 
Eurpius frr export, which in the near future must 
I Le largely increased ; but the question whether 
the«e fruits, or any of them, can be profitably 
disposed of in the English markets, cannot, ou 
account of the great distance and the cost of 
transportation, be said to be definitely settled- 
Oranges are the leading fruit, and it is believed 
that in the course of a few years, instead of the 
crop amount'Ug to 60,000, tons, it will come up 
to about 200,000 though there is do present 
visible d3meEtio market for suob a qaantity.— 
London Cliambtr of Commerce Journal. 
Wh.^t Amebican Experts tuikk of Teas 
AKD CoMSDMEBB. — tiays the American Orocer aftii 
reproducing Messrs. Oow, Wilson & Stanton'e 
diagrams under the beading *' the eclipse of 
Chic a tea : — 
We think that the advooates of these teas fail to 
take into coLtideiation the effect of climate on 
taste, which it also inflaenced by fecial oaaaei. 
The rank aud coarser sorti of ooSee aud tea are in 
most favour in ibe newer portions of the coaotry, 
wh'le in the o'der esttbhsbed iectioui, eipeiciily 
thofe where wealth aud culture are iii06t m«rkeJ, 
tea and ccffee of the most delicute flavour are in 
highest favoor. Btston, New York a'^d Philadel- 
phia are the beat luarkets for the fi .est Formoiia 
aud Foochc'W Ooloug't In the leaiiing ci'ies of the 
South, great attettion ii giv. u to flavour. In New 
Orlejns the best grocers use the very fiu et grades 
10 t e had iu the Amerirau market, tnkiug the f oeit 
Coni^ou, Eaglish Breakltat, Fuocbow, Formoia 
Oolong, Moyune, Gunpowder ard a little India 
and Young Hytoo and a very little Japan. In be 
country districts of the South, price ralber thau 
quality is the first consideration. Country jobbers 
will buy black teas raiigiig froai 12^ to 30 ceiit«, 
and are indifferent as to whether Amoy, Foochow 
or Formosa OoIodk. In purchantg low grade 
gre.ns attention is given to well made leaf so that 
Pingnueys are in tavuur. It is said that in and 
aocut N w Orlears country dealers tak« ftbout two 
packages of grren to one of b ack, while in the 
city, dea'eri take two of Hack to one of green, A 
CO respondent in Philadelphia states that Formosa 
O.Tkng li(;s for many jears been the favooriie with 
old Fciladtrlphi^ lamiliea ; the cutiom prevailing 
with thcna tends t affecJ the demand of the entire 
coramunitv. The newer element in Philadelphia 
: af qiiiie partial to Formosa Oohn.', which at first 
vai-. oiixeo with Foochow Oulong uutil the demand 
I gradually and stea<iily inclined towards straight 
Formosa. The popular tea wi*h the masses of the 
pfople is one that retails for fifty cents. Japan and 
Green f*re user! duly to a limited extent. It is 
' Raid al80 that the medium and common grades of 
English Breakfast have been more freely U'ed 
curing rtcmt yiara owing to their cheapness. 
Blended teas have made little hes'way in Phila- 
delphia, although Eomeofthe prouiimut retidhrsbave 
been very Buocessfal n pushing a mixture of Ceylon tea. 
