May I, 1894.] 
THE TRQPIC^L AGRICULTURIST. 
725 
by Uti^titsi Geo. White & Co. for 189i-5, of the tea to 
.reaoh the Uni|iedKipg<3oiE, will attract utteniion : — 
' Indja... ' ' .. " ... 120 tcillion lb. 
C#rpn ... ... 80 do 
f?a... ... ... 4 lie 
in^ ., ... 41 do 
245 million lb. 
— against a consumption as we trust of not less 
than 210 million leaving 35 miliion lb, for export. 
Id such a prospect, there is a good deal of en- 
couragement, but we are all in the dark as to 
what China may do in the coming season. 
Meantime, there ig no qu<^Btion that It would be 
well it India and Ceylon could take away eome 
more of the re-export bufiinpss from China. At 
pyeriont the quantity of China tea exporlrd hem 
London to Iho Continent of Europe, -itc., is con- 
siderably in CXCP83 of that of Britis h-ptrown teas. 
Aa usual MesErs. Geo. White & Co., have 
ex'iellatit advice to give to planters in respect of 
" Manufacture,'' Size of Breaks and Assortment," 
"Style of Packages," " Bulking," " Warehouse 
Charges," " Weighing." &c. — all of which, we liave 
no doubt, will be duly taken into oonBi(^eratibn. 
COCONDT PALMS AND WEEVILS. 
Puttalam, April 24. — The weather h»s been unbearably 
hot for soma tiuje, with little or no rain. Ccc mnt plant- 
ations, new ones partioulftfly, are snfleriog badly. '1 he 
drought and the red weevil will conviuoe pl&nters 
before long that this District is not after all tbe beat 
for ooconata. It is time that tbose who take an 
interest in cooonut pl«Dting set themadves t-" ■levise 
» means of repelliog.the weevil. At a rough calculation 
forty out of a hundred tre^.s die between the agei 
of three and twelve. This means an average ios^ of 
R120 for eaoh acre before the trees planted cotne 
fairly into bearing.* 1 have heard of several remedies 
suggested for the beetle, but none appears to have 
proved effectual so far. I am informed that Mr. 
Wiieyeaingha bores into the tree where it is attacked, 
sooops out the pitb, beetles larvae anJ all, Janil 
then fills up the gup with mud mixed with 
coal tar and kercsine oil. This mode of treiit- 
ment must necessarily make a wreck of the tree, bu: 
it is followed by the Moorish planters. It remain-s to 
be seen what treatment Mr. Gane will adopt to save 
the trees he is pUnting at AmbaUm. 
It appears that tbere will be no salt manufaolure 
this year, as the quantity oolleoted during last year has 
filled up all tbe Governrnent stores and is not hkely to 
be disposed of ju)t yot. Mr. Haughtoo is out on 
circuit. 
A NEW FIBRE INDUSTRY. 
[By Teleqeam fbom Ot7b Cobkbspondent.] 
Mackay, ilaroh 30. — About eighty residents and 
others assembled in Morthan^en's aerated water 
factory today to witness the process of the ex'rao- 
tion of fibre from the leavea of the Fourcroja tiie- 
antea, the plant from which the Manritins hemp of 
commerce is produced. A small Death and Elwood 
maohiLe was sent for the purpose, and boing con- 
nected with steam power was set in motion and the 
large leaves of tbe Foarcroya fed to it, the result 
being the almost instantaneous removal of tbe veget- 
able matter, leaving beautiful briglit hanks of white 
fitire, thus clesrly demonstratii g the case with which 
this fibre can bo separatet! wuboat aiiy prooi K? of 
Htepping or \,ho nae of chemical aRontP. The exhibi- 
(iou wtis leijeirded aa highly eatii(.acto(y, etipticia:lj 
OS the haves treated were jast fresh cut from a 
plant growing wild in a pa.Iiiock btloni'iug to Mr. 
H. B. Black. 
It it btate^t that a con.p3-..y is in cooxso of forma- 
tion to wrrW the indnstry looallv, and that 1.50 shares 
hatre ' itltLndN bien 1 pyVu i ~ Qnetnshaidar, AyriX 7. 
* Sluely au exaggerated estimate. - Ki>. 7'.. I. 
TEA CULTIVATION IN aOUTH CAROLINA. 
The Eritii-b Consul st Ohsrieston, m a rtc-nt re- 
port to the Foreign OGScs, describes an ibter^filing 
eiperimcBt in the cultivation of tea at a plantati"n 
near the town. 
It seems that many attempts have been made to 
create a tea industry in tbe United States, and that 
repeated failure has not checkefl the ardour of th' 
engaged in these experiments. The little patches, ar d 
in some instances, large gardens, which have resulte d, 
have produced tea of fine flavour, altboogh very 
generally devoid of that strength of infusion wbicii 
appears to constitute a most desirable quality for many 
tea-drinkerp. This failure in pungency is prolaMy 
largely due to defective outing, and especially to ii - 
adequate rolling of the leaf, in con'iequenoe of which 
the qualities are not fully developed. Th« National 
Dipartment of Agriculture began, abr.ut ttin years 
ii'^o, the first serious attempt to produce American 
tea on a scale sufficiently large to arrive at a decisive 
result ; but a number of causes combined to lead to 
the total abani'enment of the gardens, which bad been 
established at great expense. Tbe pr- sent experiment 
owes its existence to the belief that more careful cul- 
tivation and preparation, which might be the result 
of lengthened local obsetvatic.n, and tbe subsequent 
production of a higher class of teas might revei.se 
the general opinion that, as an industry, tl e 
cultivation of tea in America must always prove 
a failure. During the summer of 189.3 some 
of the plants were sufficiently ailvancd to warrant 
picking the leif. Tbe great majority had been 
raised from seed in 1889 and pli<nted cut that 
autumn; a limited number wf re a few uioiiths older. 
They belong to the Assam hyhrid variety — /,c.,the crcsi 
between the Asiamese and Chinese sorts, and eome 
from stock that had been thoroughly acclimatised by 
probably thirty yerrs growth in America. Thereports 
from experts aa to the quidity of the lesf huve Ceeu 
of a very favourable ohar<icter. The average proJu: - 
tion for the season was about STJ lb. of cured tea 
per acre of the earlier " flushes," as the succeseiva 
crops of young and tender leaves are called. " The 
resnlto at Pinehurat are all the more gratifying eg 
they were obtained on p'ants exhibiting great differ- 
ence in form and luxuriance of growth an'i tiushinc ; 
the seed from which they sprang had bef n broufjbt 
from India long before the inaugnrati a of tbe recent 
Buccesalnl attempt to raise tbe grades ef tbose te..s 
bj a jnd cious selection of seed and most careful cul- 
tivation. F, om be gur.'eUB now being eistablisbe'l at 
Pinehnist, anJ in ooutjtqueuce of the grtat care bed- 
towed 0:1 their composition, it is hoped to obtain 
much finer teas in the future," — 0. Mail, 
■ ♦ 
INDIAN TEA COMPANIES. 
Eastern Cachae Tea Company.— Outtumwag 5,363 
maunds, and average reaUsed 6-10 per lb. Total 
area uuder plant is 1,253 acres. The estimate for this 
year is 5,600 mannds for a total outlay of K1,69,148. 
Khobony Tea Company. — Outturn was 4,763 maund-i, 
the bulk of which wa« shipped to London for saV. 
Estimat-e for this year is 5,000 maunds for an outlay 
of Rl, 76,000. 
Shakomato Tea Company. — The crop of 2,873 was 
shipped t:i London and sales to date give an equiva- 
lent of IO-75 net in Calcutta. The profit of the teison 
is R56,841, and in adjustment in profit and loss ao- 
ronnt and dodoclirg commissioup, S:e., a net R49,4-7 
ia seen. Two interims each of 5 have been pai.i, 
and a final of 5, in all 15 percent, is to be ^iv u. To 
recerve RIO.OOO U to be trcrsferrod, making that 
account 1130,000. It i^ intended this year to speijd 
1{94,344 and obtain -,7(0 mannds. 
Leish River Tea Company.— Outturn was 4,190 
n aunds aod average realised 5-7 per lb. Aftor pro- 
viding for dividend on season 1892 and the trarsfer 
of £2,000 to revenue fund, revenue acco-art et-.ons a 
credit ba'aoce of £1,366. A dividend of 7 per cent 
ia proposed which will leave £:!ili; to carry f.irwar''. 
Jetinua Va(.lky Tka CoMi'iNv —Outturn w»M 2,ittl 
mauuds of Tea and 609 mauuds of tictd. The (uiuier 
