Dec. I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
391 
H»lf a kola nut will, says Mr. O. F. Scott Elliott' 
IQ bis report on the botiDy of Sierra Leone, enable a 
man ts go without food an J support great fatigue for 
24 liours or more. It is an exceileat nerve tonic, and 
especially ROod for keeping ti e brain clear and active 
at ni"ht. It prevents sleep, however, almost too 
thoroughly, ani should not be tiken Itsa than fjur 
hoara before bed. It is said to remove immediately 
and thoroughly the unsteadiuass aLcl stupidity due to 
drunkenuesj. — Ihid. 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Taste in Tea.— Discussing the qiestion of taste in 
tea aud oofioe, t\\e American Grocer any a : "The rink 
and coarser sorts of ooflee and tea are in most favour 
in the newer portions of the country, while in the 
olJer fstablished sectioas, etp'cia'.ly those where 
wealth and culture are most marked, tea and coffee 
of the most de'ioate flavour are m highest favour. 
Boston, New York, and Philadelphia are the best 
markets for the finest Foruiosa and Foochow Oolongs, 
In the leading cities of the south great attention n 
eiven to flavour. In Ntw Orleans the be-t grocers 
use the very finest grades to be had m the American 
market taking the ticest Congou, English Breakfast, 
Fooohow, Formosa, Oolong, Moyuue, Gunpowder, and 
a little India and young Hyson and a viry little 
Japan In the country districts of the Eouth, price 
rather than quality is the first consideration. Country 
iobbera wil" buy bl»ck teas ranging from 12| to 30 cts. 
and are in-iifferent aa to whether Amoy, I ooohow or 
Formosa Oolcng. In purchasing lovv-giade grei^ns atten- 
tion is given to wel -made leaf, so that Pin^sueys 
are in favour. It U said that m and about New 
Orleans country deal<»r8 take about two packages 
of creen to one of bUck, while in the city de-ilers 
lake two of black to one of green. A correspon- 
dent in Philadelphia states that Formosa Oolorg 
has for many yeirs been the favourite with old 
Philadelphia families; the custom prevailing with 
them tends to efffCt the demand of tlie entire 
community. The newer element in Philadelphia 
are Quite partial to Formcsa Oolong, which at 
first was mixei With Fcochow Oolong until the 
demand gradually and steadily incliued toward 
Btrainht Formosa. m . ht 
Thf Magnitude of the Tea Trade.— Messrs, 
Brooke, Bond & Co., Limited, in a letter 10 a Man- 
chester piper, call attention to one or two pointa m 
couneotioa with tea which are worth noting Ihey 
Bay • " It i? gratifying to our national vauity that the 
tea 'produced in the British possessions in India and 
Oeylon are mo'e and more takiug the pUice of the 
China gronths. Indeed, the time seems to be fiist 
approaching when practically ell the tea consumed 
in Great Britain will be the produce of British soil. 
This change isstirtlicg when it is remembered tb a"; 
only ft "eneratioo ago all our teis were imported 
from the Celestial Empire. The causes are easy 
to discover and may be sumrEarised mainly aa the 
underhand practices of the Chinese, their primi- 
tive met h ids of manufacture, their ^hort-Slghted 
Bjstem of taxing and hampering trade, and the 
steadily iucreaiirg demand in England, and especially 
the North, for a fttronger tea than the somewhat 
weak and delicately-flavoured growths of tlieFlowery 
I,Mid. It may be mentioacd, as showing the fai- 
rtaching effects of economic oLantes, that the recent 
action of our own Govprnmeut in snstiining the ex- 
change value of, the Indian rupee has partially checked 
the long an-i continued decline m our imports of 
China tea. Porhapa the most interesting characteristic 
of the international trade in tea during the last twelve 
months has been the creation of a demand in North 
America (or Ceylon and Indian growths. Amtricans 
unlike thoEiiglisb, but liko the French, drink far 
more coffee than tea, and they have long pre- 
ferred the weak and compuatively colourless 
liquor prepared from tbo .lapaii or Formosau loaf. 
Owirg, however, to tho o it'jrprieiiig t Iforti of the 
Indian Uovcriimtnt andof tin Indian and Sinbaleae 
planleta, by lueaua of iiupoding and atlra-live diB- 
playa and free samples at the Chioago Exhitition, a 
taste seems already to have been created across the 
Atlantic for the aarker and ftroDger Biitish-grcf n 
teas. The misjhiovous M' Kiii'ey tariti', moreover, haj 
done much to divert the trade cf Caba la from the 
United Slates to British possessioaa, «ith the Bcono- 
iiiic result that our North American Dominion ia 
now developiag o taste for Ceylon tea, and is 
taking loss from Japm. The Canadians pay more 
attention to the liquor than to tlie appearance of 
tho dry leaf, and prefer C 'ylon, wirlst their 
neigiibours iu the States notice the leaf rather than 
the infution, and eeem to be more interested in 
Darjeelin? ajid other ludian teas. Coming back to our 
home trade, we may a id that the 1 rj ing season has 
uecesiitated the highest art and f-kill on 1I19 part 
of that ' borneenius the export tea blender' in main- 
taining the exceptionally high standard of quality 
s t by last year's growths. It; is a satisfactory fact 
from a nstioml point of view that the milliom in our 
raanufaituriug diatiicts show yetr by year a steadily 
increasing preference for tea and o-her temperate 
drinks. Indeed, the quantity of tea con uiitd by the 
masses iu the northern cities and tonus ia enormous 
and almost incredible. It is brought to ihnm literally 
in tons every hour by rail and sea from the London 
market, which absolntoly cotjtrols the tei t'ado of the 
British Empire- 
A LAiiGB Coffee Plantation. — A L"veipool eyndi- 
cato, it the head of which is Mr. Alfred L.Jones 
and Mr. John Holt, of Liverpool, has procured 
what will probably be one of ttio largest, it nnt 
eclually the largest coffee plantation in existe c. The 
phioe is situated about 75 miles from the town of 
Lago?, on the West Afrieaa Coast, and is about 50 
square miles in extent. In order to grasp the 
enormous size of this plantation it is necessary to 
real that it would cover quarter the distance 
from Liiverpcol to London oae mile in width. The 
land, which is under British protection, was acquired 
about two years ago for the cultivation chitfly of 
African coffee, and already there are about 10.000 
trees planted. It is intended lo put at least 120,000 
plants down within the next five years, and as the 
ground is said to be adapted for rubber growing, it 
is likely that this product may also be cultivated. A 
t .wn ia be-ng erected close by called Joues^owQ, and a 
Eocond one is to Le named Holttown, — 11. and C. 
Mail, Nov. 3. 
TECHNICAL EDUCATION : GAKDENING, &c. 
The following letter expresses the views of many 
of our readers, and deserves attentive consideration. 
It may be pointed out that the Royal Horticul- 
tural Society has recognised the requirements of 
the case, and by instituting scholarships, contin- 
gent not only on the results of didactic teaching 
and subsequent examination, bxit also on actual 
practice in the garden, has set an excellent ex- 
ample. At the Horticultural College at Swanley, 
the instruction is very largely practical ; whilst at 
Kew, a practical training in various departments 
is always given. The leotiu'es and examinations 
will serve as valuable preliminaries to such practical 
training. An adequate knowledge of the significance 
of •• principles " is the great want among young 
gardeners : — 
'• The technical education movement is gradually 
spreading to all parts of the country. Many able 
men are engaged in_ the work, and here and there 
much interest is being shown, not only on the part 
of the lecturers, but also on that of their audiences. 
On the other hand, there are many capable men 
who think very little practical good is likely to 
result from this new departure, It may be of some 
service to look carefully into the matter, and a.s- 
cerlain, if possible, 011 which side the truth lies; 
and in doing so, we shall deal only with the subject 
of horticulture, which, in passing, we may say, 
seems to be one of the most popular among rural 
audiences, even more so than agriculture, wliioli, 
tt jjriori, one would have thought, would Lave been 
