612 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Makch i, 1895. 
(ensuing year — Mr. Armitago being re-elected, 
and Mr. Robson being elected in place of Mr. 
Hall who goes home shortly — Carried unani- 
mously. 
Mr. IlOBSON ottered thanks for having his name 
putontlie Board but asked that he beallowed a few 
days' time to consider the matter, before accept- 
ing the appointment. 
Mr. H. Tarrant proposed and Mr. \V. H. 
Davies seconded that Mr. John Guthrie be" 
re-elected Auditor for the present year. — Carried 
unanimously. 
This was all the business done, and the meet- 
ing closed witli a vote of thanks to the chair. 
CAFFEINE AND CHEAP TEA. 
Caffeine, for which there seems to be a con- 
siderable demand, is chiefly made from the 
sweepings of tea warehouses, which can be ]'iir- 
cased at about 4d or ."id per [p. Recently sonie 
enterprising Germans have hit; upon a method 
of getting their caffeine for next to nothing. 
The tea sweepings have been bought in the I. mi 
don market, taken to Germany, all the actual 
dust tea removed by sifting, and the coarser 
particles of tea, after passing over a magnet to 
remove particles of iron, have been returned t>> 
the London market and ottered as drinkable tea. 
The character of this tea was detected by the 
use of a lens, which revealed the particle- qtjj 
wood arising from the opening of tea chests in 
dock warehouses. These it is impossible to re- 
move from the tea sweepings. The residual dust 
Berves as the source of caffeine. — Pharmaceutical 
iToili'nal and Transaction, Feb. 2. 
«. 
A BOMBAY SYNDICATE FOR THE 
TREATMENT OF RHEA. 
The patents of Professor Gomess for the treat- 
ment of his well-known and important fibre have 
been acquired by a powerful syndicate to develop 
the industry throughout India. The purchasing 
company will establish branches in each Presidency, 
in Central India, the Berars, the N.-W. Provinces, 
Burma, etc. Extensive arrangements have already 
been made for encouraging the growth of the 
plant, which is indigenous to India, and grows 
wild in Bengal, Assam and other parts of India. 
It will be remembered that many years ago the 
Government offered a prize £5,000 for the inven- 
tion of any process for eliminating the gum in 
the fibre, which hitherto has been the only objec- 
tion and difficulty in dealing with it commercially. 
This Professor Gomess now claims to have 
effected by a simple and inexpensive chemical 
agency, and the "filasse" is now being extensively 
spun in Braford, Manchester, and other places in 
England, and clothes of various fineness and 
mixed with silk or wool are being manufactured, 
in converted cotton looms. The Company claims 
to be able to produce the filasse at 2Ad a pound 
— Indian Engineer. 
CEYLON PRODUCE IN LONDON. 
COFFEE— Of Plantation Ceylon, 47 casks, 7 
tierces 18 barrels sold — low middling faded and 
common at 90s to 93s, peaberry at 105s, middling, 
smalls at 90s, pile size at 96s to 97s, boldish at 
104s to 104s 6d, bold at 108s to 117s, peaberry at 
108s to 129s ; one fine mark, Fordyee, sold in our 
sale as follows : smalls at 95s, pile size at 109s 6d, 
boldish at 120s, bold at 121s, and peaberry at 133s. 
0OCOA,— The market generally remains depressed, 
add with the exceptions of Trinidad, of which the 
supply is very late, and the better classes of Grenada, 
which are relatively cheap as compared with Trini- 
dad, the demand keeps disappointing. The low 
prices at which Bahia, African, <tc, were lately 
selling have permitted some of our larger manufac- 
turers to secure supplies privately, and materially 
reduces the competition in auction. " The ordinary and 
fa|r ordinary qualities of West India are now selling 
below the price of the commoner grades of Guaya- 
quil, which are consequently neglected. The de- 
mand for Arriba has for the present become very 
limited. 
Supplies of Ceylon remain in excess of the 
restricted demand, although the moderate pi ices 
attract attention from some manufacturers who were 
not interested at the higher rates. During the first 
four weeks 8,216 bags are returned as imported, 
whilst Deliveries have been 813 for Home Consump- 
tion, and 1,014 for export— together 1,827 bags. At 
this week's sales of 7K2 hags of this growth barely 
one half sold. The following are the details : — 
CEYLON. 
Kondesalle 132 bags, 23 bags O sold at 70s, 15 bags 
defective and small at 25s to 28s 
per cwt. 
Mahaberia 51 do bought in. 
Delgolla . . 79 do do. 
Maynetrees 30 do sold, dull mixed weathered at 45s. 
FT .. 56 do 35 hags sold, dark very small at 
27s 6d, pieces at 31s. 
Yattawatte 81 do import 1893 sold at 56s. 
Tyrells . . 40 do bought in. 
Periawatte 125 do do. 
Of other growths 1,300 bags Trinidad 6old, middl- 
ing red at 62s to 63s, good red at 63s 6d to 67s, 
fine at 68s to 69s, and superior marks at 70s to 
72s ; 500 bags Grenada, fair common to fair at 45s 
6d to 48s, good at 48s 6d to 50s, fine at 51s to 55s, 
one mark at 56s to 57s ; 340 bags Jamaica, common 
at 42s to 43s, washed fermented at 48s ; 14 bags St. 
Vincent at 44s to 46s ; 350 bags Dominica, low at 
38s 6d. fair ordinary to good at 44s to 45s ; 39 bags 
Surinam at 50s to 51s per cwt. African and Guaya- 
quil were bought in, but privately 300 bags of the 
latter have sold at 52s to 58s per cwt. 
CINCHONA BARK.— There is nothing of interest 
to report. The next auctions in London are on 
the 19th instant and in Amsterdam on the 28th inst., 
and the trade await the two series to supply their 
wants. 
SULPHATE OF QUININE.— Continued inactivity 
prevails, and business is of the most limited des- 
cription ; at the close 5,000 oz. B & S sold at lid 
per oz., and there are further sellers at this price. 
Manufacturers' quoted prices remain at Is 2d per oz. 
— Wilson, Smithett <k Co.'s Report, Feb. 1. 
DRUG REPORT. 
(From Chemist and Drue/gist.) 
London, January 31th. 
Cinchona— The principal buyers (according to the equi- 
valent of sulphate of quinine secured; at last Thursday's 
cinchona-auctions in Amsterdam were the agents for the 
English, French, and American factories (13,310 kilos) ; 
the Auerbach factory, 1,759 kilos ; the Mannheim and 
Amsterdam works, 1,739 kilos ; the Frankfort and Stutt- 
gart works, 1,721 kilos : and the Brunswick factory, 1,384 
kilos. Various small buyers secured 1,829 kilos. The tone 
was very quiet, with few buyers ; about 10.S7S kilos being 
bought in. Of pharmaceutical barks, only fine qualities 
are at all saleable. Of the Java bark which was bought 
in at the Amsterdam auctions on January 24th only a 
very few lots have since been sold, ami the bulk is 
held below the present market rates. There has, how- 
ever, been a fair business done privately in fine druggists' 
bark in long and broken quill. 
Cacaine — During the last four or five days there have 
been rumours of an impending advance in cocaine. For 
the present, however, all the makers except one still 
quote the old terms of 17s per oz for hydrochlorate in 
100-oz parcels. It is expected, however, that in the begin- 
ning of next week the price will be raised to 18s per oz. 
Scarcity of raw material is said to be th« cause of this. 
