674 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 2, 1894: 
upon the £acilitie6 it ailorded for tropical agricaltare, 
Tlie sphere of country under British influence ex- 
tended from Wauga on the Umba Iliver aortliwards 
to the Juba Bivor, a total coast line of over 400 
raiies, witliin which were to be found safe and 
cointnodiouB harbours, large navigable rivers, flour- 
ishing towns, and a rich and fertile territory. The 
portion he visited included the tract between Monibasa 
and Port Durnford, and extending inland at one 
point to over 100 miles. The district was in the very 
centre of the tropical zone, and was subject to the 
influence of the S. W. and N.E. monsoons. The average 
rainfall along the coast vvas from i;5 inches to 40 inches, 
tbe gceftter part falliug durinjj the S.W. lainis, wliilu 
ihc temperature avera?(d about 80 d 'gs., and at 
Mombafa did not exceed 78 Jogs. The coast was flat 
and low, its leading characteristics being coral rocke, 
winfling inland creck«, aod dense thickets of miU- 
Kjo OS. A. I«rg6 portitu of the country a';ouu'ielin 
vegetation, among which would be found the baobib, 
tliH dome palm, aud fore-it trees, while beyiud in the 
waterless aud barren district wtre many varie ties aud 
aloe-8 and flbre-yielding piauts- There were three 
navigable rivera — tlie Tana, Ozi, and Juba. The 
grcutur portion of the coast land was cotnpused of 
lich iiud fertile soil, and the only available Ubuur was 
nlford»:d by elaves ; but the British Eas5 Africa 
Company had ioHUgurated the gradual emancipa- 
tion of the elaves by introducing tree labour. Mo 
doubt, owing to the extreme fertility of the eoil, 
ngcicalture had heretofore been carried ou 
by means of the rudest aLd mott primi- 
tiye implemerits. Slaves were purchased for uboat 
11 , ana beoame the property of their owueis lor 
life. Their Hie was not so iutolerable as was genetally 
imagiaed. They were not overworked ; they bad one 
or two bolidaye every week, and opportunities of earn- 
ing money for themselves. The varijus tribes in- 
liabitiug the district ware described aud illustrated by 
liijieii.{ht views. A good deal of the produce was 
cultit a/ted in open fields, tut pilms, fruits, bananas, 
sugarcane, and the more valuable producis were grown 
witbiu carefully fauced plantations. A large number 
of palrns were oultiv<ited from the cooouut downwards, 
and there were indications that in point of yield and 
time of bearing the coconut palm ot Eist Af.ica would 
soon compare favourably with those ot India aud 
Ceylon. AmoDg grain, rice, maize, and millet were 
largely grown, aud there were a number of inaigenoas 
0)1 yielding plants. Tobacco and cotton also promised 
well, and there were several varieties of rubber-bearing 
plams. There was a great demand for labour, aud 
Mr. Fizgetald suggested that India would provide au 
iuexhaUftible recruiting grouod. In conclusion the 
lecturer showed a uamber of views of the coast scencty 
aud the natives, with explanatory comments.— 0. Mail. 
JAPANESE TEA. 
There appears to be some reali y in the much- 
ta!lied-of movem< nt for the improvement of Japaoese 
tea, Mr. Otani Kehei, President of the Japan Tea 
Maoufactnring Company, has been giving tome io- 
lormaiiOQ on the subjecc to a representative of the 
Kokuiiiin newspaper. According to this information, 
J pauese tea merchants have at leogth awoke to the 
lacD that if their industry it to be developed, nay, 
ey^n preeerved, they must abandon the detective 
moihods which have hitherto impaired the reputaiion 
of tlie product. lu the Prefecture of Miye, tae chief 
lei prouucing district of Japan, the Local Assembly 
b>is voted a sum of 1,500 yen aonually f'jr three 
years commencing from thu curreut year to be 
applied to the improvement of tea culture anJ 
prepaiation. It is not a largtj sum, but the fact 
ttiat t e assembly has voted it is Bigoifioaut. The 
lormmion of the Kwanto tieicha-kai od beha'f of 
which Mr. Mayeda, ex-Vice-MiLister of Agriculture 
and Commerce has shown so much eolioitude, must 
be m iitioned in the same oonttxfc. This Asiooialion 
is 10 commfuoe operations on the 12th of next moi.th, 
and is expected to e:;eicise a very Leueficiai ii.fluence 
90 tUe iudustry tUiougbgnt the districts eastward 
of Hakone. Then we have tb«? Japan Tea Manofactnr- 
1 iog J'li'nt Block Cainpauy wli'ch a'ms at the direct 
' erpoit of tie fitapie- The Coiopaiiy has Dot yet 
j Actually commenced ouf-ratjonc, bnt it« byt-laws being 
I framed, and its prehminary arrauk cmeuts completed, 
it will doubtless get to work at »o early date. 
Direct export iti an ol<l fBBcy of the Jcpanese. It 
has al ways proved disittrous to thti»-5 atteaipting it, 
and the tea business preieats pre>bably the ososl 
dilliault field of all for «uob ees^ys. Mr. Otaoi, how- 
ever, declares ihat tf e Direetor* of ib« new Gompanv 
are thoroughly alive to ttie difficulties of the ta»K 
they b;kve setthemselvrfi, and have made preparations 
of ft comii'ctfl oh»rncttr. It is to b* hope i th«t he 
has reas'.n for hia winls. The process's of re-firiag 
8>id re-packing to which Jupao' N4 tea ix cu' jeeted at 
theopon porta ccn titDte a tax with wbtch it ought to 
be poaxible to di'p<^nse. Jiat we have grave doubts 
whether the Jupanese can etft»et 'hie refiTni without 
foreign cooperation. — Jajmn Wetkli/ Mail. 
♦ 
FINE COFFEE: A TRADE WINNER IN 
AMEKK.A-WHY NOT TEA. 
Next to fine butter and the beat floor, no oae 
article exerts such au influence for good or bad 
upon coiisumers as coffee. It is the one thing which 
Americans are fond of and for wbicb they are 
willing to pay a good price. Tbere caoaot be loo 
high an estimate placed upon grade and havi'gtbe 
coff'se fresh roasted. Coflee rivals beer in beug a 
national beverage. If the quantity of coffee used is 
reduced to gallons of infusion the result shows a 
consumption of one to two gallons per capita greater 
than of beer. 
Consumers may find fault about price, but they 
will have that which pleases the palate. Good 
cofiee goes far to make the reputation of a store. 
It causes people to talk about and to advertise the 
place where it can be had. — Amti icau Grocer. 
[But why not, properly-made tea of fine quality ? 
—Ed. T. a ] 
DO COFFEE AND TEA FACILITATE 
DIGESTION ? 
This rjiiestioD is treated by C. Falkenhorst in a 
ehort paper in the GarUnlaube, Leipzig, December, 
wbioh be devotee to a review of the recent experi- 
ments of Sohulz-ijohulzensteiD, publiehet' in the 
Zcituchrift fiir Physiologische Cliemie, and designed 
to throw light on ibid rauoh-oispuled question. 
This paper is reproduced by the Literary JJiyest. 
This celebrated chemist prepared from the freth 
mucous membrane cf a p'^ an extract which ap- 
proached very nearly in obaractci to the gaetrio 
juice, and first tested it with the albumen of a 
boiliU egg. The operation was completed in eight 
hours, and 94 per cent, of the eubs aoce converted 
into digested albumen. He then submitted a de- 
coolion of tea and ooifee, severally, to the action 
of the same preparation. In the case of the coffee 
Gl per cent, and in the case of tea 06 per cent ot 
the albuminous contents was digested, thus ocn- 
firming the observation frequently made by pbyei. 
cians that boiling materially prejudices the diges- 
tibility of albumioous substances. 
Treating more particularly of coffee, he observes 
that it contains several active principles, each of 
which exercises an icfluence on the system. The 
most important of these are : First — Caffein, which 
raises the activity of the heart, operating, in small 
quantities as a wholeiome stimulus, but as a 
pDison when taken in excess. Second — an aro- 
matic substance, which operates principally on 
the nerves, acting in moderate quantity, as en 
agreeable stimulus; to this is attributable the 
phantasies so freqteatly experienced as a result of 
coffee drinking. Third— The coffee baan containa 
tanoio, to wbieb i( owes its bitter tftste, and tbie, 
