204 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Stpt,  i,  1:  92. 
Goilil08pon3$n0$. 

To  the  Editor. 
COMPARATIVE  PRICES  AND  QUALITIES 
OP  CHINA  AND  CEYLON  TEA. 
13,  Rood  Lane,  London,  E.  C.,  8th  July. 
Dear  Sib, — We  are  sending  by  this  mail  a sample 
of  the  New  China  teas  1892-3  orop  whioh  have  just 
arrived  per  s s.  “ Moyune”  and  we  also  send  a 
sample  of  fair  ordinary  Ceylon  tea  now  selling  on 
the  market. 
As  many  persons  interested  in  the  tea  trade  had 
for  some  time  been  hoping  for  a revival  in  the 
China  department  owing  to  an  anticipated  im- 
provement in  the  manufacture,  and  as  such  a 
revival  would  doubtless  have  done  harm  to  the 
Ceylon  Tea  Trade,  we  think  you  will  be  interested 
in  comparing  these  two  growths  of  tea. 
When  you  notice  that  the  China  tea  was  actually 
sold  in  London  at  lljd  per  lb.  and  the  Ceylon  is  a 
tea  on  the  market  at  about  8 per  lb.  you  will  at  once 
observe  bow  muoh  cheaper  and  more  serviceable 
the  Ceylon  tea  is  of  the  two.  This  must  sooner 
or  later  be  also  observed  by  the  country  at  large, 
and  we  hope  foreign  markets.  — We  are,  dear  sir, 
yours  faithfully,  GOW,  WILSON  & STANTON. 
[Mossrs.  Somerville  & Co.,  to  whom  we  submitted 
the  samples,  report  as  follows; — “China  tea. — London 
value  Hid.  Greyish  rather  small  well  made 
Moning.  Liquor. — Good  flavour  and  quality.  In- 
fused leaf  bright.  Ceylon  tea. — London  value  8d. 
Greyish  rather  small  well  made  pekoe  leaf,  Liquor. 
— Pair  strength  good  flavour  and  quality.  Infused 
leaf  bright.  We  make  the  Ceylon  better  value 
compared  with  the  China  tea.”— Ed.  T.AC 
TEA  CULTIVATION  AND  SCIENCE. 
Upcountry,  July  18ch. 
Dear  Sib, — A week  ago  “Another  Proprietor” 
asked  your  correspondent  “ An  Old  Coffee  Stump  ” 
to  elucidate  his  statement  continued  in  his  letter  to 
you  of  the  28th  June  last,  viz.— “ Ceylon  is  draw- 
ing too  much  from  the  soil,  where  the  supply  is 
limited,  instead  of  drawing  more  from  the  at- 
mosphere, where  the  supply  is  unlimited.” 
I have  been  anxiously  looking  for  the  solution 
of  this  bit  of  scientific  theory,  and  I trust  “Old 
Coffee  Stump”  will  tell  me  in  plain  and  bumble 
language  how  I am  to  set  about  “ drawing  more 
from  the  atmosphere,”  because  I have  drawn  about 
the  last  bit  of  nutriment  from  the  soil,  and  the 
proprietor  of  this  estate  who  reads  the  Observer  at 
home  will,  after  reading  “Old  Coffee  Stump”  ’5  letter, 
be  instructing  me  to  now  “ draw  more  from  the 
atmosphere.”  ENQUIRER. 
[En  route  from  the  hills  we  noticed  several  tea 
estates  on  which  the  tea  bushes  wpre  prured  so 
close  to  the  ground  that  at  some  distance  it  was 
difficult  to  realize  that  the  surface  was  not  bare. 
This  sight  suggested  the  query  whether  “ Old 
Coffee  Stump”  had  such  cultivation  in  view  in  his 
enigmatical  utteranoes.— Ed.  T.A.] 
CINCHONA  BARK  PROSPECTS. 
July  18th. 
Sir, — A friend  at  home,  who  is  the  owner  of 
a cinohona  estate  in  Southern  India,  has  asked 
my  opinion  as  10  the  quantity  of  bark  I wou  d 
estimate  there  i6  still  let t in  Ceylon,  supposing  all 
the  trees  were  uprooted.  Can  you  or  any  of  your 
subscribers  assist  me  to  form  an  estimate  ? 
From  inquiries  made  in  Colombo  I lenrn  that 
j the  amouDt  of  bark  sold  locclly  is  larger  than 
I usual,  and  that,  up  to  the  end  of  June,  tbe  total 
! shipped  is  565,000  lb.  in  excess  at  the  eame  date 
last  year.  A large  portion  of  this,  I understand, 
came  from  the  Badulla  district,  and  is  probably 
bark  containing  over  3 per  cent  of  sulphate  of 
quioine.  It  does  not  pay  to  ship  tho  common 
red  bark  at  the  present  rate  per  unit. 
My  friend  has  seDt  me  his  “ Review  of  the  Bark 
Situation”;  and,  although  it  may  not  interest 
many  planters  at  this  period  perhaps  you  may  find 
room  for  it.— I am,  &o., 
EDWARD  HAMLIN. 
Review  of  the  Bark  Situation. 
The  'present  ruinous  state  of  the  bark  market  is  caused 
by  overproduction.  Not  only  is  the  market  overloaded 
wi'h  stocks,  but  the  present  ra'e  of  production  ex- 
ceeds what  is  required  for  consumption. 
Producers  have,  however,  the  remedy  in  their  own  hands, 
were  they  to  dtstroy  all  b-rk  yielding  under  3 percent 
of  quinine,  or  more  than  3 percent,  of  tbe  total  produc- 
tion, what  would  be  the  probable  effect  on  prices? 
Shipments 
English 
Under 
Percent-  Leaving 
horn 
lb. 
i per  cent. 
age. 
for  ship’t. 
Java  for  1891 
9,000,000 
2,520  000 
28 
6,450,000 
Ceylon  ,, 
6 000,000 
4,000.000 
67 
2,000,0(0 
India  ,, 
4,506,000 
2,025,000 
45 
2,475,000 
19  500,000 
8,545,000 
10.925,000 
If  large  quantities  sre  thrown  on  the  market  they 
aie  bought  up  by  speculative  manufacturers  or  specu- 
lators and  stored  for  use,  or  to  be  resold.  The  effect 
of  this  is  not  only  to  depress  prices  at  tbe  time  but 
for  years  to  come. 
Most  of  the  producers  have  baric  of  different  kinds,  and 
if  they,  alone,  were  to  destroy  instead  of  skipping 
j those  baiks  jielding  under  3 per  ceDt,  the  supplies 
would  be  reduced  by  nearly  one-third.  What  then  would 
be  theeffecr  on  prices? 
1 2 crops  of  10  tons  each— results  compared  : — 
£ Profits. 
3 tons  2 per  cent,  at  Id  per  unit  ...  56 
Less  expenses  of  harvesting,  snip- 
ping, and  selling  at  £20  ...  60 
2 tons  2J  per  cent,  at  ljd  per  unit  08 
Lets  expenses  as  above  ...  40  18 
5 tons  5 per  cent  at  l^d  ...  291 
j 10  Less  expenees  ...  100  191 
5 tons  destroyed  (under  3 per  cent.) 
5 tons  5 per  cent,  (average  of  good  ledger) 
at  ‘2d  per  unit  ...  466 
Less  expenses  as  above  ...  100  366 
In  the  latter  case,  tbe  value  of  the  unit  has  only  been 
raised  to  2 1 per  unit,  but  would  it  stop  here  ? 
If  the  value  of  the  unit  is  Id  to  l%d,  bark  under  2 per 
cent,  wou  d be  worth  Id,  under  3 per  cent  about  ljd 
per  unit,  over  3 per  cent  about  ljd  per  unit. 
Agreement  as  to  some  plan. — This  is  o point  which 
producers  should  consider  reasonably.  It  is  unreasonable 
for  all  g owers  to  expect  to  be  equally  benefited  by 
any  plan.  It  would  be  cruel  lo  expect  a really  hard  up 
planter  to  sacrifice  what  may  perhaps  be  bis  remain- 
ing all.  It  will  tje  useless  to  hope  for  combination  on 
the  part  of  South  America. 
Ceylon  contains  most  oj  the  bad  kinds*  of  cinchona, 
but  p autrrs  there  aie  doing  W‘  11  with  tea,  they  would 
therefore  be  the  better  able  to  sacrifice  their  bad  baik 
it  He  means  rod  bark  as  compared  to  ledgt  rand  offici- 
nalis, wliiob  are  the  only  types  now  cultivated  in  South 
India. — E.  H. 
