498 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jan. t, 1894. 
suitability— let tbem try their effect upon that 
immeoBe and etill inoreaeing nation. 
Simply Bpealiing, my plan would be for the 
Planters' Asaooiation of Ceylon to offer 4 per cent 
ad valorem 'premium for all hona fide ehipmcnls 
of Ceylon tea to America from eitlur London or 
Ceylon ; or what would be about the Eame thirg 
and more eimple, pay the shippers at the rate of 
£1 sterling per 1,000 lb. of tea on all manifests 
of tea £0 shipped. This would provide for in- 
troducing 5,000,000 lb. into America yearly, and 
when that quantity was exceeded the eliippers 
would be satisfied with a lower rate upon larger 
transaotions. 
1 only bring this forward in its crude form, anrl 
I do not think there would be any great difUcultv 
in putting it into practice. Its great feature i.s 
that the demand for our support can only be 
made when the tea is shipped and afloat, and at so 
Bmall a premium as 4 per cent, it would not pay 
to re-ship it again from an American port elsewhere. 
The cautious and over-oaretul, as they always do, 
will see many difficulties, but all I can eay is that, 
even if we are " got at " by somaone it will not bo 
worae than we have already experienced with 
praotioally little or no result ; and I am convinced 
that some measure of this sort through the legiti- 
mate channels of trade will be belter than large 
Bums spent in schemes without very distinct and 
responsible heads. 
We have at great expense sent our best man to 
Chicago to publish the merits of our teas. We must 
not stop now, but go on, and all I desire to urge is 
that we should throw up cur failures and extend 
only upon some business principles. If 4 per cent 
does nothing ehe it can be beneficially used for 
Bdvertieing by those into whose hands we place it ; 
far better than we could do so ourselves, and, as 
far as we are concerned no shipments no payments 
by us. The introduction of 6,000,000 lb. of Oeylon 
tea to begin with annually into America will be 
cheaply purchased by so small a sacrifice, it we 
can only arrange with men like Lipton to open 
the campaign ; and what is i cent per lb. on 
80,000 lb. of ea (the average yield of an ordinary 
estate) but EtOO, about £6-10 sterling antiually. 
It is quitel true and natural that Lipton 
and his kind will seek their own interests , yet 
if they put in 96 per cent, of the risks we can 
surely add the 4 per cent., and although not 
much of itself, it may be just what is wanted, 
and will always be 4 per cent more than unhelped 
dealing will produce, so will always be some in- 
ducement. There would have to be certain facile 
guarantees ; such, for instance, iu London, as 
bonded warehouse and dock warrants ; also any 
quantity under 1,000 lb. could hardly be recog- 
nized, at least unless it was so evident that no 
little concurrent proof was needed — but these are 
matters of detail. In further explanatioa I cer- 
tainly do not mean Lipton to the exclusion of 
others, but anyone or any number who will under- 
take to put our teas on the American market. 
From all I can learn America is not as other 
countries; it requires greater push and commotion 
to bring a new article into use there than else- 
ivhere ; and we must not forget that our teas 
are practically unknown among the masses 
Again, two other points must be gained, a general 
acceptance of our teas to some large extent, and 
the result must be a permanent and abiding hold 
npon the country. 
In conclusion, I make no pretentions that my 
Boheme is fully worked out ; merely that it is 
practicable and meets the position in what I con- 
sider to be a universally applicable spirit. If there 
pbonld be no Bhipments there would do expense, 
and it is quite on the fystem of modern buBi- 
ncES which, from a political point of view, should 
te free-trade; and from a busineBs point of view 
should be published and euppoited by every legiti- 
mate means.— I am, &a., 
WM. F0B££8 LAUBIE. 
BEST TEA SEED. 
Dec. 10. 
DiAB Sib, — With reference to the diKu^^icn cow 
being carried on re jat, yiiM and pricei of ten, do 
any of tbe purohaiers iu C'ejlon of " Maiii(iari " 
or " Singlo " lodigeuous Seed imsgine tb«y gf:% tbe 
gecuioe article delivt-red in Colombo (or frcm B60 
to iilOO for maucd f If tbe; do, they ere very 
mueh mistaken. Aa to Assam Indigenous, (vide M. 
11. T.'« letter Ko. VI in your i^toe of tbe 5lh inat.) 
tb«ra on be no such ^e^^\, *■ Tea if rot indigeuoua 
" Jisani " — Years faithfully, AiSSAM. 
[Ii this not a little hypercritical : tha habitat 
of tea being between Aeaam and China 7— 
Ed. t A.] 
THE ' JUNGLE EXTERMINATOB.' 
Dec. 16. 
Dbab Bra, — There wae a Mr. Shcrwell here aomeiime 
ago, agent for the " Jungle Exterminator ,'' but lie 
left IhR lelsnd ebortly after bis arrit a', aod Ideetra 
Cargill & Oo. took up tbe ageDcy, I tbiok. I (fiered 
Mr. Sberwell 20 acre^ ccconnte to czper ment on aud 
to pay him the same rate as it coet to uproot th* 
wetds and defray bis peri-onal ezpensea dtirioK 
tbe experiment, but he refused t)ie offer vchicb 
Beamed to mo a very good one and sa^sd R50 a day 
at) payment daring tbe work without any goaraolee 
as to results and all the cost was to be t>onje by me 
(except tbe ponder itself) lo I natorally declined. If 
the "juDRle eztermlDator " ia aiiytbiDg like what we 
are told it is in cfiSciancy there would be a large 
field for its sale in Ceylon *Dd it would be an im- 
meuce boon to the public. — Yours faithfully, L. D. 
A "WOBD FOR THE DESPISED CEEEPEK. 
Dec. 17. 
Deae Sin,— So much has been said of late, 
in no very complimentary terms about the much 
despised " Creeper," that it is time some of 
them said a little in their own behalf. I am 
icclmed to imagine that the planter who refers to 
tbe "trading" in tbat commodity and tbe paying 
of " butcher's bills " thereby, would net only be 
content with that disbureement, but in addition 
weald make the "creeper" pay the dresses of his 
"Udye faire." All pily extends to the "creeper" 
who goes into his " parliar." " Honi toit qui 
malypense!" I fear he must have advertised for 
a " creeper " offering " home comforts and a 
father's care" and been unsuccessful and so 
the hen that was to lay the golden eggs, became 
a thing maligned. I wonder if he ever heard of the 
" fox and the sour giapes " or of its unfortunate 
brother without a tail. If not, perhaps, Mr. 
Editor, you will kindly tell him these stories. 
According to him Ceylon is played out, forgetting 
th« fact that she makes a good nursery of sup- 
ply for Africa in the future, for inttance. That 
sb« is not quite done up, however, the following 
faete will help to prove : — 
Ten months ago I came to Colombo and arranged 
to " creep " with a " gentleman." After 6 weeks, I 
wai offered a crib as an S. D. and not only was al- 
lowed to take it, but after I was settled down to 
work I was the recipient of a cheque for the 
balance of a quarter's board of which I had 
not partaken. When I had been an S. D. for 
abiMit 4 months I was recommended by the 
geqlUman who pajg bis " batobei's t)il)B" 
