446 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. i, 1895. 
TEA SWEEPINGS. 
London, Nov. 9. — It was reported yesterday tha 
another shipment of the "Hamburg Tea" had ar- 
rived from Hamburg. I am told that the Tea 
Dealers' Association have had a meeting and that 
the tea growers and producers and merchants are 
likely to have a meeting on this same subject, as 
they very keenly resent the fact of the Custom 
House allowing tea sweepings to be sent out of the 
country and returned here as a "food" and put on 
the market. I have no doubt, that I shall be able 
to send you from time to time this information as 
it crops up. — Cor. 
PLANTING AND PRODUCE. 
Suggested Reforms in the Tea Trade. — Mr. 
Slaney's letter, which we printed last week, has 
called forth the following expressions of opinion on 
the same subject. A Leeds correspondent of the 
Grocer, signing himself James Johnson, says : " I 
have frequently noticed the objectionable ' cedary 
smell' pervading some Indian, particularly in 
Dooars growths. The remedy your correspondent, 
Mr. Slaney, proposes, viz., the posting of marks 
for information of the trade, appears a practical 
one ; and perhaps the writer would so far have the 
courage 01 his opinions as to exhibit a list in his 
sale-rooms of marks coming under his notice packed 
in bad wood. I am informed that the wood com- 
plained of is shipped from Japan and China to India 
and Ceylon, principally the former, for use in dis- 
tricts where there is a scarcity of the right materials. 
Amongst marks I have noticed where teas come Ov-er 
in exceptionally good packages. I would name the 
following : — Assam Company, Doom Dooma, Jokai, 
Upper Assam. One would think it would be to 
planters' interests to have due care to the procuring 
of such packages as would secure the teas arriving in 
best possible condition. Curious things are certainly 
found in tea at times, and I quite agree with your 
correspondent respecting the earthy matter which is 
sometimes found in Indians, Javas, and Ceylons. 
However, some people who are on the cry out for 
grip, etc., in low teas may like it. Certainly there 
would be more strength in it than in the 'resuscitated 
tea' so skilfully manipulated by ' expert tea blenders,' 
that customers 'Oliver Twist like,' called for more," 
" Tumsong " writes: "I cannot understand owners 
of tea estates putting their teas in cedar wood 
chests described by your correspondent Mr. Slaney 
last week. The trade would think that quite natur ally 
producers would studiously avoid using chests which 
may l contaminate their contents. I am of opinion 
that the only remedy must of necessity be of a 
drastic character, such as posting up the trade with 
the garden names or marks when this wood is used," 
The First Sale of Indian Tea in Calcutta. — 
The' first, we believe, distinctly public (or commercial) 
sale of Indian tea was made iu the Calcutta maiket 
on" May 25th, 1841, although as far back as 1788 
Sir Joseph Banks suggested to the Court of 
Directors of the East India Company that the effoit 
should be made to cultivate tea in India. Lord 
William Bentinck, on the eve of his departure for 
India, accordingly received instructions that he should 
give the subject his careful consideration. Some 
eight years previous to Sir Joseph Banks's sugges- 
tion Colonel Kyd had actually raised China 
tea in the Botanic Gardens of Calcutta. Lord 
Bentinck, on his arrival in In-lia, lost no 
time, however, in taking action. A Tea Committee 
was founded, with Dr. Wal'i' h as Secretary. In 
addressing his Council on January 24th 1834, His 
Excellency made it clear that he was to 
leave nothing unturned that might help to attain 
the objeot aimed at, viz., the acclimatisation of the 
best Chinese plants. The Tea Committee do not 
ejipear to have informed Lord Bentinck that Major 
Bruce (about 1821) and subsequently Mr. Scott (in 
1824)2"had found the tea plant wild in Assam. Much 
expense " and considerable delay were accordingly | 
incurred in sending several expeditions to China to j 
procure Chinamen and tea-seed, but while a com I 
missioner was actually in China (on behalf of the 
Tea Committee; Captains Charlton and Jenkins re- 
discovered the wild Assam plant. — II. and ('. Mail, 
Nov. 9. 
-1 . — — 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA. 
MR. JOHNSTON'S KEPOHT. 
A Blue-Book was published lately (Africa 
No. 6, 1894), containing the report by Sir. H. H. 
Johnston, her Majesty 8 Commissioner and I mi- 
sul General, on the lirst three years' adminis- 
tration of the eastern portion of British Central 
Africa. The report, which consists of 43 pages, 
is dated Zoniba, March 31, lh94. Of the 237 
Europeans iu the country at the time this report 
was drawn up all but 11 were British sub j Bete) 
and may he enumerated thus — 09 English, live 
Welsh, 130 Scotch, six Irish, six Australians, 
six from Cape Colony, and live from Natal. The 
health is generally good, and the only Malady u> 
he really feared is black-water fever. Mr. John- 
ston speaks in terms of high praise of the mis- 
sionary societies at work in the country, of which 
he enumerates seven — the Universities' Mission 
(the oldest of them all), the Church of Scotland 
Mission, the Livingstone Mission, the Dutch 
Reformed Church Mission, the London Missionary 
Society, the Algerian Mission, and the Zamhesia 
Industrial Mission. High praise must be given 
to the missionaries for the extent and value of 
their linguistic studies, some details of w hich are 
given. When he comes to the trade of the country 
Mr. Johnstone tells us that the imports for the 
year 1893 were 49,142/., an increase of 1(5.142/. 
since 1891, while the exports were 22,139/., as 
much as 18,252/. of which represented ivory. 
Cofl'ee iigures in the list of articles exj>orted to 
the amount of 2,9967. 
CEYLON COCOA. 
A-N INTERVIEW WITH CADBURV BRO'S. BEl-UF.SZKTA 
Everyone, whether interested in cocoa growing or 
not, has heard of Messrs. Cadbury Bros., the well- 
known chocolate manufacturers ; so that Mr. J. p. 
Davis, the representative of that firm, who is now 
travelling in the East, had little t.iificulty in making 
his firm known, and readily agreed to see a repoiter 
of a contemporary this morning. Mr. Davis for the 
last year has been travelling through India for his firm 
and has called at Ceylon eft rou'e. Whilst here Le 
was naturally desirous of seeing a cocoa estate, and 
journeying to Handy, was kindly shown over Palle- 
kelle by Mr. Vollar, the experienced and courteous 
superintendent. Needless to say Mr. Davis is full 
of praise of what he saw under Mr. Vollar's guidance, 
and readily supplied ns with all the information he 
could give regaidirsg the manufacture of chocolate 
at the prettily-situated woiks belonging to his firm 
at Bournville near Birmingham. Asked if he could 
explain the suuden drop in the price of cocoa which 
has recently occurred, Mr. Davis said that " it was 
bound to come sooner or later. Cocoa had had a 
very considerable rise in price, and the inevitable 
reaction set in this year." Continuing, he said 
" Ceylon cocoa still tops the market, and seems likely 
io do so for some time to come, seeing that its 
superiority does not lie alone in its better preparation 
but in its better aroma and brighter color, due tc the 
soil in which it is grown and to other causes. Do we 
use Ceylon cocoa largely" '? Yes, we do. It is not of 
course exclusively used in our better-class cocoa6 and 
chocolates. These are blended with Trinidad and 
other West Indian growths, but Ceylon cocoa is too 
food to be used in anything but the beet makes." 
Ir. Davis then told our representative that his turn 
shipped more largely to Australia than to any other 
coahtry, and that India was their third largest custo- 
mer ; but none of these countries of course take any- 
