Sept,  t,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
191 
It  was  very  pleasant  to  learn  of  Mr.  Geo, 
White’s  thorough  enjoyment  of  his  visit  to  the 
Ceylon  and  Indian  Tea  Distriots,  but  especially 
of  his  month  in  your  island.  He  has  returned 
all  the  better  for  the  trip  and  change  of  scene,  and 
his  only  regret  is  that  time  and  circumstances  did 
not  permit  of  his  seeing  more— indeed  of  carrying 
out  a great  deal  of  the  program  which  he  had 
laid  down  for  himself. 
Talking  of  the  need  of 
ECONOMY  IN  RESPECT  OF  TEA 
reminds  me  of  a subject  started  in  the  course  of  a 
varied,  interesting  conversation  with  Mr.  Stretch  (of 
Messrs,  Darley  & Butler),  namely,  the  strong  reason 
now  existing  for  a movement  to  secure  a reduc- 
tion in  the  present 
DOCK  CHARGES  ON  TEA. 
The  subject  has  been  lately  mooted  by  a City  man 
with  very  large  tea  interests,  and  this  led  Mr. 
Stretch  to  go  into  figures  which  show  that  these 
charges  are  equal  to  from  8 to  10  per  oent  on 
the  value  of  the  teas.  Of  course,  the  general  fall 
in  prioes  of  late  years  has  increared  the  percen- 
tage and  indeed  is  the  cause  of  a claim  for 
reduction.  It  is  evident  that  lower  values  are 
bad  all  round — for  the  planter,  merohant  and 
broker  and  tea  distributor  as  well  as  for  the 
Dock  Companies.  And  the  worst  of  the  matter 
is  that  the  latter  are  far  from  prosperous.  To 
start  an  independant  (00-operative)  Warehouse 
for  Ceylon  planters’  tea,  might  be  one  way  out 
of  the  difficulty.  Some  of  the  large  Indian  tea 
firms  have  their  own  wharves  or  warehouses  and 
a not  uncommon  answer  from  them  to  brokers, 
seeking  business,  is  to  suggest  that  some  of 
the  teas  of  constituents  should  be  sent  to 
their  warehouses  as  a quid  pro  quo.  The 
whole  question  of  Dock  Charges  and  the  room 
and  need  for  reduction  is  likely  to  come 
before  the  Tea  Committee  shortly. 
Of  another  product, 
COTTON, 
once  of  special  importance  to  Colombo  merchants 
through  their  dose  connection  with  Tinnevelly — Mr. 
Stretch  had  not  a very  brilliant  account  to  give, 
though  the  rela  tive  position  of  the  South  of  India 
product  is  very  much  better  than  lean  remember  it  to 
have  been.  To  those  of  us  who  go  back  to  the  time 
when  the  present  managing  head  of  this  London 
house  and  your  mercantile  representative  in  Council 
were  amoDg  the  most  assiduous,  if  not  boldest  riders 
in  and  around  Colombo,  it  is  of  interest  to  learn 
of  a younger  generation  making  a mark  for  physical 
vigour.  In  the  Field  of  the  9th  inst.  you  will 
find,  in  a report  of  the 
TEA  IMPORTS  AND  DELIVERIES. 
Recurring  to  the  statistics  just  published  by 
Messrs.  Geo.  White  & Co.,  of  which  I send  you 
a copy,  it  is  very  striking  to  note  the  progressive 
advanoe  of  Ceylon  in  correspondence  with  the 
falling  oil  in  China.  The  year  is  here  counted 
from  1st  July  to  30th  June,  and  here  at  a glance 
is  the  comparison  I refer  to  in  respect  of  imports  : — 
Imports. 
China  and 
Ceylon.  Japau.  Difference, 
lbs.  lbs.  lbs. 
1891-92. ..63, 76k, 000  60.214, 000=Exces8 Caylon  3,554.000 
1890  91. ..60, 191, 000  69,742,000=  ,,  China  19,551,000 
1889-90. ..34, 290, 000  90,050,000=  „ „ 55,760,000 
Then  in  regard  to  consumption  — 
Deliveries. 
1891-92. ..61,366, 000  66,494,000  ...  5,128,000 
1890  91. ..44.482, 000  81,305  000  ...  36,823,000 
1889-90...32, 893,000  87,836,000  ...  54,943,000 
We  may  be  sure  that  the  “ difference  ” at  the 
close  of  the  current  year  will  be  against  China  in 
“ deliveries,”  as  it  is  already  in  respeot  of  imports  ; 
and  indeed  for  the  first  half  of  1892  by  itself,  the 
comparison  is  as  follows  : — 
Deliveries  of  lb. 
“Ceylon,”  January  to  June  1892=31,101,000 
Do.  “ China  ” do.  do.  =29,603,000 
Excess  of  Ceylon  ...  1,498,000 
CINCHONA  BARK  AND  “ RUBBER.” 
A very  interesting  call  to  me  was  one  on  Mr. 
Meier,  once  a leader  in  the  cinohona  bark  trade 
with  very  extensive  deslings  in  South  Amerioa  as 
well  as  in  the  East.  For  a long  period  Mr.  Meier 
took  speoial  interest  in  the  Ceylon  industry;  but, 
alas  1 the  trade  has  gone — disappeared — for  as  Mr. 
Meier  remarked  who  could  have  supposed  at  the 
time  that  contracts  were  made  at  48  oents  for  2 
per  cent  bark  that  it  would  be  selling  at  Id  per 
lb.  or  who  could  have  deemed  advances  up  to 
£75,000  in  a single  year  for  South  American 
bark,  from  one  house,  as  risky  before  Ceylon 
exports  took  their  extraordinary  and  unexpected 
sweep  upwards. 
No  more  about  bark— for  even  Ceylon  is  not  done 
yet,  while  Java  is  coming  on  with  increasing 
quantities — said  Mr.  Meier  ; but  what  about  your 
Rubber  and  Guttaperoha  ? I had  no  news  to 
give  of  any  value,  and  it  certainly  made  one  feel 
that  in  respect  of  Rubber  (as  Liberian  coffee, 
Kola-nut  and  other  new  products)  the  Ceylon 
planters  have  too  hastily  turned  aside,  when  I 
learned  that  the  single  Province  of  Pari  is  now 
exporting  as  much  as  20,000  tons  per  annum  of 
Rubber  worth  £300  per  ton  or  £6,000,000  I — so 
said  Mr.  Meier,  and  still  the  demand  grows  and 
outstrips  the  production.  The  Para  rubber  is  got  by 
tapping  and  the  trees  are  taken  speoial  care  of,  now. 
ANCIENT  MORTAR. 
In  a recent  number  of  the  London  Builder, 
our  friend,  Mr.  John  Hughes,  had  an  interesting 
paper  on  the  composition  of  anoient  mortar  as 
used  in  the  construction  of  our  old  castles, 
abbeys  and  churches.  The  article  includes  full 
analyses  of  the  specimens,  also  illustrations  from 
microsoopic  slides  of  the  sand  used  in  the  mortar. 
One  of  the  specimens  analysed  was  from  the 
“ Giant's  Tank,”  Ceylon,  haviDg  been  given  by  you 
to  Mr.  Hughes  on  the  ocoasion  of  his  last  visit  to 
Ceylon  in  1888.  Mr.  Hughes  is  continuing  his 
investigation  into  the  character  of  the  mortar  in 
some  of  the  Northern  caBtleB  and  abbeys,  and  I 
am  glad  to  say  he  has  received  considerable 
enoouragement  from  those  interested  in  the  matter. 
The  practical  result  so  far  appears  to  be  that 
pu-e  limestones  do  Dot  make  the  best  lime  for 
building  purposes,  and  that  if  about  25  per  cent 
of  clay  were  calcined  in  the  kiln  together  with  the 
limestone  the  resulting  lime  would  be  more 
hydraulic  in  character,  more  like  Portland  cement, 
and  in  general  character  greatly  improved  for 
building  purposes. 
PERU,  <£a. — THE  WEST  INDIAN  CURING  OF  “C080A.” 
Mr.  Arthur  Sinclair’s  papers  on  his  trip  West- 
ward and  Southward  and  impressions  of  Peru  in 
the  Victorian  Magazine  are  likely  to  finish  in  the 
September  number — the  oonoludiDg  two  chapters 
being  the  most  important.  A separate  paper  will 
probably  be  given  on  the  visit  to  the  West  Indian 
islands,  Mr.  Sinolair  being  particularly  anxious 
to  show  up  what  he  considers  to  be  the  disgusting 
West  Indian  mode  of  curing  “cocoa.”  ThiB,  in  the 
form  sent  from  Trinidad,  he  does  not  consider  fit 
l for  human  food,  led  alone  “the  gods”!  When 
