Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
ia  very  dull,  prices  having  in  some  cases  gone  down 
as  much  as  4 annas  per  pound. 
The  following  remarks  by  one  of  the  leading  planters 
of  Lukhimpore  may  be  quoted  : 
Prices,  however,  have  been  very  disappointing.  The 
market  opened  well,  but  almost  immediately  prices 
gave  away,  and  the  tendency  has  been  steadily 
downwards  until  now,  when  ordinary  teas  are  selling 
at  abnormally  low  rates. 
The  Superintendent  of  Jofcai  Assam  Tea  Company, 
Limited,  a very  large  concern  in  Lakhimpore,  writes  : 
Prices  have  touched  the  lowest  point  ever  known  ; 
some  say  ordinary  teas  are  fetching  2 annas  per 
pound  less  than  Indian  tea  of  the  same  quality  has 
ever  sold  for. 
The  competition  of  Ceylon  tea  is  supposed  to  be 
one  of  tjie  principal  causes  of  the  depression  in  the 
market.  —Ind ian  Agriculturist,  June  4. 
DARJEELING  LETTEK. 
The  reoent  prices  at  the  Calcutta  sales  of  tea 
have  been  more  reassuring,  aud  there  seems  to  be 
a tolerably  steady  demand  for  good  liquoring  teas 
with  flavor  : a great  many  gardens  in  this  district 
are  behind  last  year  and  in  the  Terai  leaf  is 
particularly  short  just  at  present  so  that  demand 
for  good  strong  teas  is  likely  to  last  throughout 
July  though  beyond  that  period  it  is  speculative  to 
prophesy  what  will  happen.  Nearly  every  portion 
of  h bis  district  has  been  more  or  lees  affected  by 
green  fly  blight  and  there  is  no  doubt  some  grand 
teas  have  been  made  lately,  by  all  acoonnts  some 
fine  liquoring  teas  have  gone  straight  home  from 
Assam  and  it  is  certain  that  the  quality  of  the  t as 
made  to  date  is  superior  to  those  made  to  the  same 
date  last  year  taken  all  round.  It  was  pointed  out 
very  strongly  at  the  commencement  of  the  season 
to  all  managers  the  vital  importance  of  keeping 
the  Indian  brand  above  the  standard  of  Ceylon 
and  China  poor  liquoring  teas  and  not  without  effect. 
If  managers  would  only  stick  to  plucking  two  leaves 
and  a bud  and  going  round  their  gardens  steadily 
in  six  days  where  labour  allows  it,  we  should 
not  see  so  much  Indiau  Pekoe  Souchong  on  the 
market  at  four  anoas.  Labour  is  more  plentiful  than  it 
was  last  year,  partly  owing  to  scarcity  in  Nepal, 
but  the  Indian  corn  crop  promises  to  be  a bnmper 
one,  so  the  scarcity  of  corn  ought  not  to  last  much 
longer  and  this  will  affect  also  the  price  of  rice 
which  is  now  dearer  than  usual.  The  Terai  is  beep- 
ing up  its  reputation  as  usual  by  an  outbreak  of 
cholera,  which  has  now  spread  over  a tolerably  large 
area.  Rainfall  has  been  rather  light  for  the  last 
week  in  some  parts  of  the  district,  and  very  short 
near  Sillignri,  all  the  hills  have  been  heavily  clouded 
and  sunshine  is  at  a premium. — Indian  Planters’ 
Gazette- 
INDIAN  TEA  AT  THE  CHICAGO  EXPOSITION. 
To  the  Editor  op  the  “ Indian  Planters’ 
Gazette.” 
Sir, — With  reference  to  the  intemperate  letter 
from  a Tea  Plantar  so  ably  commented  on  in  your 
last  week’s  issue  the  following  figures  taken  from 
audited  accounts  speak  for  themselves.  They  relate 
to  the  working  in  1891  of  the  whole  of  the  public 
Tea  Companies  under  our  Agency  (good,  bad  and  in- 
different) with  the  exception  of  one  where  manu- 
facturing has  not  yet  commenced. 
Agents’  allowance  Managers’  pay, 
and  for  Commission  and  Commission 
R 63, 67 6 Rl,10,722 
f 
The  first  amount  represents  the  total  amount  o 
allowanoe  and  for  Commission  of  any  sort  whatever 
bar  Interest,  earned  by  us  as  Agents.  The  second 
refers  to  Managers  only,  and  does  not  inolade 
Assistants. 
Out  of  the  first  sum,  European  Assistants.  Baboos, 
Sircars,  Dnrwacs,  Taxes  (other  than  but  including 
Income)  numerous  subscriptions,  Offioe  rent,  private 
residences,  stable  and  various  other  expenses  un- 
known to  tea  planters  have  to  be  provided.  The 
manner  in  which  aplications  for  subscriptions  have 
been  met  by  certain  planters  can  only  be  due  to  mis- 
apprehension of  the  real  facts  of  the  case.  No  Agency 
business  gives  such  a poor  return  as  tea  in  com- 
parison with  the  amount  of  work  involved.  Take  for 
example,  a Jute  Mill  of  500  Looms,  such  an  Agency 
— entailing  one  quarter  the  work — will  give  as  good 
a commission  as  a dozen  Tea  Gardens  turning  out 
5000  maunds  each.  Let  all  interested  ia  tea  for  once 
in  a way,  if  such  a thing  be  possible,  sink  petty  jeal- 
ousy and  cordially  support,  to  the  best  of  their 
respective  abilities,  the  movement  to  introduce  Indian 
tea  into  America,  A better  man  than  Mr,  BlechyDden 
for  promoting  the  objeot  in  view  could  not  possibly 
have  heen  seonred.  “ Calcutta  Agents,” 
— Indian  Planters’  Gazette,  July  2. 
USES  OF  THE  BANANA. 
Editor,  Sugar  Journal. 
I don’t  think  that  the  health-giving  properties  of 
the  banana  are  appreciated  by  the  people  of  our  large 
towns  where  the  fruit  is  so  cheap.  They  merely  look 
upon  it  as  a cheap  edible  when  other  fruits  are  scarce 
or  out  of  season,  but  in  slices  the  banana  makes  an 
excellent  salad  served  with  any  kind  of  dressing; 
cured  it  is  far  more  palatable  than  meat ; boiled  as 
a vegetable  while  green  in  the  skin  for  one  hour  and 
peeled  before  sending  it  to  the  table  it  will  be  found 
excellent,  and  would  make  Paddy  smile  and  think  ha 
was  in  old  Ireland  again.  It  also  makes  an  extremely 
delicious  pudding  for  children  served  with  sweet 
milk  and  some  sugar,  and  baked  for  one  hour 
in  a moderately  quick  oven.  Many  people  in  different 
parts  of  the  world  can  with  truth  say  in  regard  to 
the  banana  “ This  is  what  I live  on.”  A very  good 
breakfast  dish  is  to  be  made  by  frying  slices  of  bacon 
and  then  slices  of  banana  in  the  hot  bacon  fat 
with  plenty  of  pepper,  and  serving  together  as  one 
does  a dish  of  bacon  and  eggs.  These  are  a few  of  the 
many  ways  of  utilising  this  most  accessible  fruit  for 
both  rich  and  poor,  which  are  well-known  to  most  peo- 
ple living  on  the  coast  of  North  Queensland,  but 
perhaps  not  so  well-known  further  South  where  the 
Sugar  Journal  and  Tropical  Culture  circulates, 
William  Reynolds, 
Daintree  River,  North  Queensland. 
THE  COFFEE  TRADE. 
[In  copying  the  following  artiole  from  the 
American  Grocer,  we  attract  attention  to  the  re- 
gretable  facts  that  in  the  United  States  the 
consumption  of  coffee  and  tea  is  not  advanoing, 
while  the  use  of  beer  is  increasing. — Ed.  T.A.'] 
The  deliveries  of  coffee  for  the  eleven  months  of 
che  trade  year  ending  May  31st  were  237,693  tons, 
against  231,172  tons  for  the  corresponding  period  of 
the  preceding  year.  This  increase  is  not  as  large  as 
we  have  a right  to  expect,  considering  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  the  country.  Under  favourable  condi- 
tions consumption  should  advance  about  8 per  cent 
annually.  That  it  does  not  is  surprising,  in  view  of 
the  prices  being  so  much  lower  for  Brazil  sorts  than 
at  this  time  last  year.  The  deoline  is  fully  4£  cent 
per  pound  on  Brazil  grades.  Mild  sorts  rule  higher, 
particularly  Padang  and  fine  Maracaibo,  It  is  gener- 
ally conceded  by  the  trade  that  there  is  a growing 
soaroity  of  fine  old  coffee,  and  also  that  the  average 
grade  of  the  imports  is  not  as  high  as  it  was  years 
ago.  The  substitution  of  steamers  for  sailing  vessels, 
the  hurrying  of  the  crop  to  market,  less  care  in  the 
preparation  of  the  bean,  new  methods  of  curing,  the 
introduction  of  machinery,  have  combined  to  reduce 
the  proportion  of  fine  or  tanoy  grades  of  coffee  until 
there  ia  an  absolute  scarcity  of  what  the  trade  for- 
