Nov. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
Should any of your r aders desire tc hear further 
fiom ire, I, being t-n enthusiast, sbai! be delighted 
to render them ar y r.ssistar ce in my power. With 
kind wishes, and thanks to you, sir.— I sm faith- 
fully yours, R. PATTEN. 
N,B.- I shall, indeed, be thankful if eny of 
your readers will forward me a specimen alive, 
of your ind genoua bees, Apis dorsata, and 
A. indica. 
FROM THE COCONUT REGION, 
NEGOMBO DISTRICT. 
Sept. 29th. — Tr;e drought still continues all the 
way from Colombo to Puttakm and in a North- 
westerly lUrection to within about 12 miles routd 
Kuiunegala. The palms are suffering muoh, and 
every additional day of drought now is felt with 
increasing severity. I fear that large numbers of 
trees must in some localities be killed outright. 
Suoh an intense and long, protracted drought has 
not been experienced for many ytars back. Tanks 
and wells are dried up and animals suffer from 
want of water ; and human being? are obliged to 
drink the most vile looking stuff loaded with 
sediment. The effects upon crops for the coming 
year will ba most disastrous. As for cinnamon the 
bushes have not had a deoent flush of young wood 
for goodness knows how long ; and the sticks are 
in consequence stunted in growth, thick in the 
bark ana most H,ffk'ult to pi-el. Those who sre 
relying upon the Punchy Mosama for any appreciable 
portion of their crop will I fear have much diffi- 
culty in sejuring it. 
PERAK. 
Mr. F. O, Jackson, the Taiping Agent of the Char- 
tered Bant, will shortly be relieved by Mr. Greigof 
Pensug. 
Mr. 0. L. Gibson hns applied for 1,000 acres of 
land at Matane for coffe planting, aud Mr. O^ilvie 
is taking np 610 acres for a s.milar purpose in the 
same diftriot. 
A project is on foot to organise a Planters' Asso- 
ciation for the whole of the Native States, and a 
meeting of Perak residents concerned in planting, 
numbering about twenty-six will shortly be held in 
Taiping to ascertain the views of those interested 
in the question. 
Mr. G. L. Bai'y of Kmta has been tip-country on 
a visit to the Uherakoh gold fields, which are situated 
near the Ulu Perak boundary, and intends to try 
his luck iu that district (Kwala Kangsur). Gold has 
in times gone by baen worked by the Datives in a 
rough and ready fa-hion ai>d judging by the amount 
obtained in this manner, the venture if properly 
workid by Europt aos should prove extremely luc- 
rative. — Fencing Gazette. 
INTRODUCING INDIAN TEA. 
It gives us (American Grocer) pleasure to make 
prominent the following communication from Mr. R. 
Blechynden,resiclent representative of the Indian Tea 
Association, a brench of the Calcutta Chamber of 
Commerce, whose eole misiicn is to create a dempnd 
for India tea, and not to trade in the article. We 
ham that the demonstrations in Brooklyn have 
resulted in making a very satisfactory demand for 
India tta. The intelligent and equitable policy 
pursued by Mr. Blechynden is calculated to open 
many avenues of introduction. Grocers desiring 
demonstra.ions would do wt.ll to open correspondence 
with him. 
Indian Tea Association, 
Brooklyn, N. Y., Aug. 28, 1891 
Editor American Grocer: 
My attention has been called to tho article in yonr 
iisne of tho 8th in«t. on "Ceylon To» in America." 
have read it with great interest, and hive risen 
from its perusal with a feeling of considerable satis- 
fticticn, f.r reasons I will set forth. 
On examining the plans yrn advocate for introducing 
Ceyion tea into America, I find they cn : ncide very 
closely with those a- 1 opted by the Indian Tea Association 
for introducing India tea into this country, and rs 
I am entrusted with the carrying out of the scheme' 
it is very encouraging to me to hava for it the 
approval of snohan authority as the American Geoceh, 
After the experience gained at the World's Fair of the 
atlracSion and interest aroused by tho natives who 
servad India tea incur building there, it was determined 
to continue our advertising on the lir.ei we followed 
thrrp, and I had the hor.our to be enmmisjioned to 
return to this country with a staff of oativee. 
It was proposed to attend the food shows and fairs 
held in different parts of the country, and as these 
take plooe only at a certain season, to ta^e plaoa the 
men io grocery stores in the interim. 
I arrivad in New York on the 20 :h of June, and have 
since then given demonstrations in twenty different 
stores, giving a clear week to each. The great majority 
of the.se demonstrations have been given in Brooklyn. 
Tho results have been sa'isfaetory both to myself and 
to the grocers, for they have not only sold a good deal 
of India tea, but have found that the presence of the 
natives in their stores has given a pood increase to 
their general sales. Numbers of people drawn into tha 
store by curiosity to see the natives, hate, while taking 
the tea provided" made other purchases. 
Now that the residents w 11 be returning to their 
town homes, I propose making a few demonstrations 
in New York City, and the length of my stay will 
be gui.ied to acme extent by the remand I find for 
them among the New York grocers. I do not suppose 
they are a whit behind thdr tcaispontine brethren 
in their appreciation of the good solid ad. they get 
from such a show as we gave. 
As regerds your suggestion that a general agent 
should ba appointed to New York to sell cur product 
to the trade, wholesale and even retail the scheme 
you advocate, and that adopted by the Indian Tea 
Association, diverge. The association is affiliated to 
the Ber gvl Chamber of Oommerc. and represents the 
eotire tea industry of India, but is not formed as a 
tradiog corporation. It oan open lhe \tay for trade, 
but cannot itself trade. The sssjeiation, therefore, 
mu*t confine itself to bringing India tea to the 
uo'.ice of consumer and g-o er iu vatious ways, having 
the latter to obtain his supp'y thr ngh tho regnhr 
channels. In this way the enterprising merchant who 
finds * demand f or the article bis no need to fear 
any but tho ordinary trade rivalry, es no firm or 
individual will be subsidized by the association and 
given an undue advantage. The association is here 
to create a demand lor an article which, as i's history 
shows, has on'y to be known to ba appreciated, and 
it leaves the supply to that spirited b'-dy of mer- 
chants which has made New York one of the greatest 
commercial centres of the world. — I am, s'r, 
Your obedient servant, R. Eleciiynden, 
Commissioner for the Indian Tea Association, Cal- 
cutta and London. 
THE COFFEE TRADE. 
In a recent number of the Statist there is a second 
an ice 011 Coffee, signed "Anton HvUtendahl," in 
which the writer deals with consumption and pro- 
duction 
Now, with regard to the oor sumption for the season 
1891-95, it may possibly reach 10£ million bigs, if 
we have a decline of from 25 per cei.t. to 30 per 
cent, in present t-pct values, aid the di-tribut'on of 
such estimatel consumption wouid probably be ai 
follows : — 
United States . . . . 4,200,000 bags. 
Europe .. .. 6,900.000 bags. 
Elsewhere .. .. 400,000 bags. 
Total ... 10.500,000 bags. 
Out of the 100,000 bags al'ott^d ol.sjwhare, I 
serva 101,000 bigs for coffja in E trope, on s'.d 
