THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. i, 1894. 
The Price of Liberian ocffee has risen to $44 50 I 
per picul, which is three times the price of Liberian 
coffee when it was first planted in Malaya. — J 
Straits Budget. 
Calcutta Tea Bales. — We call attention to 
the Market Eeport of Mcesrs. Wm, Moran & Co 
dated the 3rd ult. (see page 107). The splendid range 
of pricts— Is 7Jd to 2a IO5J — real.zad for Darjseling, 
Assam and Dooars teas, is enough to make the 
mouths water of Ceylon planters even in our high 
districts. Tea from the Dooars realizing 2s per lb. for 
145 packages is very notable. A Broker io calling 
our attention to the Caloutta circular and the fine 
prices', remarks: — ''Very little doubt about India 
goiog in for quality this year." A merchant on 
the other hand remarks on the very backward 
plaoe now taken by Ceylon teas in prices in 
the Lane. Clearly, improvement in quality must 
be looked to, or " Ceylon " (as a whole) will become 
a name for inferior teas. 
Coconut Bristle Fibre. — A considerable 
degree of activity has marked the demand for 
bristle fibre of late, and we hear that enterprising 
natives are going in freely for the preparing in- 
dustry. One such is reported to have erected 
works at Veyangoda on quite an elaborate scale, 
with iron tanks for the steeping of the husks, 
machines for oleariog and cleaning the fibre, Ac. 
The worst of it is that there is so little guarantee 
for permanence in the demand for fibre of any parti- 
cular description. Either the fashion changes, or 
there is suoh a rush to meet an encouraging 
demand that the supply is overdone. We trust in 
the present case that the demand may keep fairly 
well up. — In this connection we may remark that 
we hear nothing now of the use of " coir" or 
"coir refuse" as a backing of plates or boarding 
in shipbuilding, about which so much was made 
a short time ago. 
Electric Lighting in Ceylon : Installation on 
Mattakellib Estate. — Mr. J. Torr Todman, the 
electrical engineer connected with the firm ot Messra. 
Boustead Bros., kindly gave us some information relat- 
ing to his recent trip upcountry for the purpose of put- 
ting op an electric installation ol Mattakellie estate. 
The installation in question consists of two arc lamps, 
and^hirty incandescent lamps, and, when Mr. Todman 
left, the work was nearly finished. There are two 
arc lamps placed in the factory main building, which 
they light up very brilliantly ; while Mr. Todman says 
that a portable light he has invented for enabling tne 
factory h'inds to examine the tea on the withering 
tats has already been found of use on Mattakellie. 
He will, return there later and finish the work, which 
is at present in the hands of the oarpenters on the 
estate working under Mr. Todman's instructions. 
The power used on Mattakellie is steam, and the two 
are lamps and thirty incandescent lamps absorb about 
4£ horse-power. 
Cofpee Peeling in Hamburg. — The mention of 
coffee peeling in London led to my informant re- 
marking that there was a large and growing business 
of coffee peeling in Hamburg, where several firms 
had extensive mills for the work. These were for 
cleaning coffee from Southern and Oentral America, 
such as from Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, 
&c, the produce being shipped direct to Hamburg 
in German steamers. The firm of Gordon & Co. 
were large shippers of pulpers to all these coun- 
tries ; the difficulties of transport and the scarcity 
and high cost of labour have hitherto prevented the 
importation of peeling mills, at the same time | 
necessitating the construction of pulpers in small ! 
sections, wnich involves an additional charge of 
£40 or £50, which is willingly paid for the additional 
convenience. For one machine sent to Central 
Africa a dozen are shipped to Central America, in 
addition to which better prices are obtained from 
planters in the latter country, where there is evi- 
dently nure money than amongst English settlers 
ia African countries.— London Gtr. 
The Bhevabox Coft«e Blossom doe* not seem 
to be getting on bo well as was expected. The 
continuel drought has reaullud in a good deal of 
burnt spike, and loss of yuuug berries.— is. of J. 
Observer. 
Liberian Coffee seems to be going ahead with a 
vim in the Mauritius. Mr. E. H. Edwardes, an 
old Ctylon plan.er, expects to get two tons per acre 
from h.s plantations !— Ibid. "Thit is in tbe Sey- 
chelles. — ID. T.A.I 
Ax Insect Pest. — His Excellency the Governor 
has formerly proclaimed the Selaudria cerasi, or pear 
and cherry slug, to be an insect within the meaning 
of the Vine, Emit, and Vegetable Protection Act, 
and prohibited its introduction into the province. 
— Adelaide Obserctr. 
China Tea in Tibbt.— An interesting article 
appears in the Glasgow Herald dealing with the 
arrangement just oomplettd with the Imperial 
Chinese Customs by which during the first live 
years of its operation, Indian tea will not be allowed 
entry at all into Tibet although after that period 
it will be admitted into Tibet wider the same 
duty as Chinese tea will then be paying on entry into 
Gieat Britain. " This it says, "is «ii impor.ant rt- 
servation, and it argues ouusiderable astuteness 
on the part of the Chinese omoials who male it 
for the Tibetans are probably tbe largest con- 
sumers of tea in the world. The markets o. Tibet— 
hitherto monopolised by the ' brick tea 1 of Wes- 
tern china — have (or many years been regarded 
with longing by tbe Indian tea-planters, amoug 
whom the failure of tbe Maaaulay Mission a few 
years ago was acutely felt. The Chinese have evidently 
a keen appreciation of the same markets, and are 
not disposed to yield them withoat a quid pro quo." 
It then prooeeds to say that the exports of Cnina 
tea are increasing after a long term of steady 
decrease under the pressure of the competition of 
India and Ceylon, and that the fall in silver has 
given a stimulus to exports of all sorts from 
China ; and discussing the question whether chea- 
per silver (as well as lower exchanges) will still 
leave it possible for China tea to be landod in 
larger quantities in London at lower prices than 
heretofore, but yet with a profit on the operation, 
says all the evidences are in support of the 
affirmative. It is the competition of all Indian and 
Ceykn tea that has driven down the price of 
China tea of late years though the Chinese were 
the first to put their produot out of favour in our 
ma'kets by shipping so much rubbieh when prices 
were good. Had it not been for the present supplies 
from India it is quite certain that as exchange fell the 
silver price of China tea would have bean put up in 
proportion to the decline in the gold value of silver. 
In conclusion it is said :— 
So long, as China has no serious competitor in 
the Bussian market, the probability seems to be that 
she will go on producing larger quantities of the 
cheaper teas at still lower prices— even now the price 
of common tea in China is from 25 to 30 per cent, 
lower than it was 15 or 20 years ago, On tne other 
hand, the supplies of the very low grades from India 
and Ceylon last year were not up to expectations, a 
laudable desire to improve the quality and reputation 
of Indian tea having actuated many of the planters. 
For some years past China tea has been in our 
markets not mu.h more than a make-weight. Many 
dealers do not keep it at all, and many more only 
to "blend" with Indian and Ceylod teas We say 
nothing here about the comparative merits, but it is 
probable that few people now a days in this country 
ever taste genuine Uhiua tea, or would recognise the 
flavour of the ' Bohea" that our grandmothers loved. 
But, according to present appearances, the wheel of 
fortune is revolving backwards and the closing of 
the Indian Mints seems destined to familiarise us 
once more with the unmixed leaf of the Flowery 
land. 
