July 2, 1894.! THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
by the Fibre Investigation Department of Agriculture 
at Washington and specimens were accordingly pre- 
sented to them. Ool. Ward truly observes th»t the 
great problem is the manufacture of a good decorti- 
cating machine. So far as the Fair wa9 concerned 
there was nothing new in ibis line of machinery on 
exhibit. The free •' aftercoon-coffees " prove a great 
attraction as has already been gpnerally admitted. 
Appended to the report is a statement showing the 
expenditure of tbe £5,000 voted by the Lcgi'la'ur?. 
There is a balance at the credit of the account 
amounting to £423, which may be slightly increased 
by the further ea'e of articles not yet deposed of. 
Tho compilation and distribution of the Handbook 
C03t £964, the erection of the Oourb £1,182. It 
should be added that the Atlas Company conveyed 
the exhibits free of cost to and from New York, and 
Messrs. Macey and Dunham of that city acte 1 gra- 
tuitously as forwarding agents To the great credit 
of tho Honorary Commissioner bo it said that he has 
rot charged in the account a single item of expense 
incurred by himself. — leaner. 
TEA SOIL AND OTHER ANALYTICAL 
EXPERIMENTS. 
A planter, who is not keen about tbe As- 
sociation following Mr. Hughes' advice, wrote, 
before he had seen letter on page 57 : — " Why 
can't the Government make Cochran or some- 
one else public analyst, and if any planter wants 
his soil or tea leaves analysed, send to him, and 
for a small fee get a report. What good was 
done by analyses of coffee soils, in times past! 
A decent clean-looking bean will fetch a good 
price, no matter where it has been grown. The 
same thing happens with tea, a fine flavoury tea 
will fotoh a good pric? wherever grown, and I 
think most planters of 10 or 15 years' experience 
know what soils are suitable for tea. I would 
rather usa my own judgment in a matter of that 
than go to any analyst." 
Our correspondent should not suppose that analy- 
ses of soils and manuring experiments are the 
only step3 (though these are very important). He 
cannot have read Mr. Hughes' letters in our 
columns during the past year very carefully. 
Take the very latest (before the one above referred 
to) and what did Mr. Hughes write (April lltb) ?— 
"With a variation of climate and soil, there will 
naturally be a variation in tbe quality and strength 
of the tea made. 
But in what respects doss the tea differ, and 
bow far is the difference due to the soil, and how 
far to the climate; or still more how far is the differ- 
ence due to the mode of manufacture ? 
The e are the points which I have put forward 
from time to time in your paper, with a view of 
exciting the interest and support of your Planters' 
Association. 
It is therefore) a mat'er of regret, and possibly cf 
distinct pecuniary loss to the Ceylon tea enterprise, 
that up to the prfsent time the Planters' Associa- 
tion have not considered it desirable to promote 
soientiflo investigation into tho principles of tea manu- 
facture. 
As was pointed out iu mv Keporfc upon tho Tea 
Analyses made last j e\r in Loudon, the market price 
of the simples examined, varied according to tho 
amount of tbe soluble ash contained, and the results 
certainly suggested further research as being likely to 
yield useful as well interes'ing results. 
It is probably only a question of time ; and very 
likely a large Tea Company will first lead the way 
in scientific reseirch aud attach an experienced 
chemist to the Factory staff, who, if a good man, 
would 60on be found most useful, for iustance in 
reporting on the quality of tbe green leaf deliverod 
from different estates. 
In saying this I feel sure I am cot simply expressing 
an opinion, but predicting a fact." 
We sincerely regret tbat the enterprise of the 
Cey'on Planters' Association in tbe direction pointed 
cut above, should have fallen so far behind that 
of the eister Tea Association in Calcutta. 
♦ 
DEUG REPORT. 
(From Chemist and Druggist.) 
LondoD, May 24tb. 
Cassia Fistula. — Twenty bags of fair, but somewhat 
wormy, Java po's, imported via Amsterdam, were bought 
in today at 30s per cwt. They are said to represent the 
residue cf tbe recent imports. 
Cocaine.— Next to the drop in salicylates the chief 
feature of interest in the drug market has been the sud- 
den reduction of <is per oz. (equal to about 2J per cent) 
in the nice of hydroch! orate of cocaine. From a m ni- 
mum of 18s per oz., the quotation for the article (in 
parcels of at least 100 cz) his been lowered to 14s per 
cz. Smaller quantities are being offered at 14s 3d to Ms 
t5d per oz. For 1-oz. bottles 3d per oz. extra is charged. 
Delivery must be taken within three months from date 
of contract. 
Quinine. — These has been no business at all in the 
articie this week. Iu the wh lesile market it would, 
perhaps, be possible to buy second-hand German bulk- at 
lid peroz., but ll ; [d per oz. is the asking price. 
Vanilla. — A fairly large supply, offered at auction to- 
day, was well competed f .r, ordinary and medium kinds 
realising full prices, flue beans la per lb, advance. The 
following were the quotations :— Fine 8 to 9 inches, 20s 
to 21s 6d; 7 to 8 inches IPs to 18s 6d ; 6£ to 7 inchei 
12s to Hs 6d ; to 64 inches 10s to lis 6d ; i\ to h' 
ioehes 8s to 9s 6d ; pafe oily and foxy, from 12s 6d down 
to 2s per lb. 
« 
TEA AND SCANDAL. 
Mrs. Partington, Mrs. Eamsbottom and Mrs. 
Geundy are etich historical characters that it would 
bo interesting to get their experiences of Tea. I 
have as yet only c 'me across those ol the nret-nxmed 
lady, and I now hand them on to you. Tbey are 
thus described in "Mr?. Partington's Tea Party:" — 
Mrs. P.'s first visit was to the Grocer's. ' I want 
half a pound of the best black and a quarter of a 
pound of the best green if you phase' said s! e. to 
the thtvp youi g man behind the couuter. "I'm told 
Souchong has ibe h st sav. ur, but I don't preti nd to 
know. The real instcnificance of the mines passes 
my reprehension." " Perhaps you'd like to try Orange 
Pekoe ma'sm " suggested tbe shopman. " It's tea 
I wont, thank yon" waB the reply. " I didn't know 
that you were conveyors of fruit ss well." The man 
grinned and packed up the black tea. " Gunpowder 
I suppose ma'am?" he asked. -'Lor bless the man; 
does Le think I am going to kill anybody, or have 
a corrosion in the bouse or what ?" she exclaimed. 
The man explained that he merely mentioned a 
certain kind of green tea. "Well" she said, greatly 
relieved; "if jou're sure it won't blow up, I don't 
mind . I've often heard that it's dangerous to use 
much green tea and if they put gunpowder in it. 
I am sure it is uo longer a project of turprise." 
The green tea was also packed up The tea 
was made and passed round, and no one present ever 
tasted abetter flavoured cup in Lis life. Mrs. P. bad 
a genius for tea-making ; ' on excellent tli g iu woman.' 
She did not give yon all the strengih of the leaf in 
the first cup, and the mere washings of the t^a-pot 
in the second. She did not send y n a pale yellow 
infus on with the first, and a black decoction with 
tho second. She avoided both these faults and 
manage! to give ju9t the right and pleisaut degree 
of strength to both, and even if you were unreason- 
able enough (as all her guests were) to ask for a 
third or even n fourth supply, you might be quite 
certain of finding the quality of ibe be verage unim- 
paired. Her tea pot was like a conjuror's bottle, and 
seemed inexhaustible in its supply of good liquor except 
that it continued to pour tea only, aud not variously 
coloured water like the bottle iu question, 'Paul 
