Oct.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
POSITION  OF  THE  FOOCHOW  TEA  TRADE. 
The  Foochow  Daily  Echo  of  July  23rd  states : — 
Following  the  information  we  published  last  week 
of  two  rich  natives  embarking  in  the  tea  trade 
tempted  by  hearing  of  others  retiring  from  it  on 
their  profits,  we  learn  this  week  that  they  have  been 
greatly  disappointed,  growers  being  unwilling  to  pick 
at  the  very  low  price  offering,  the  said  price,  they 
say,  not  being  enough  to  pay  for  the  labourers’ 
food  in  picking,  let  alone  other  items  of  expense 
whioh  fall  on  them.  It  would  appear  from  this  that 
the  growers  having  been  caught  with  their  pioked 
first  crop  and,  no  doubt,  to  a great  extent  with  their 
second  crop  teas,  deoline  to  go  on  picking  unless  an 
advanoed  selling  price  is  first  agreed  upon.  They 
would,  they  say,  be  spending  their  time  more  profit- 
ably by  working  in  the  rice  fields.  It  was  under- 
stood that  the  teamen  intended  this  season  to 
combine  together  against  the  growers  to  bargain 
at  the  lowest  possible  figure,  the  ostensible  rea- 
son being  to  place  foreign  buyers  in  a posi- 
tion to  compete  with  India  and  Ceylon,  and  so  save 
the  trade.  They  euooeeded.  The  growers  with  all 
their  tea  ready  picked  and  ready  for  sale  bad  to 
give  in  with  such  a formidable  combination  against 
them  ; and  it  is  said  the  tea  changed  hands  at  un- 
heard of  low  prices.  The  broad  reason  given  for 
the  combination,  however,  seems  to  have  been  for- 
gotten. If  foreigners  have  bought  at  10  to  15  per 
cent  lower  tael  price  than  last  year  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  teas  are  laid  down  low  enough  to  com- 
pete appreciably  with  the  cheap  coasting  Indian  and 
Ceylon  produce  ; while  if  the  teamen  had  given  up 
half  of  their  profit,  say  another  10  per  cent  (out  of 
the  20  per  cent  made  by  them)  the  comparison  with- 
out rivals' laying  down  costs  would  hsve  very  favour- 
able and  at  such  costs  the  demand  for  Foochow 
Oongou  would  have  sprung  up  again.  Now  It 
would  appear  that  we  shall  have  to  pass  through 
another  season  before  we  shall  be  able  to  show  our 
power  of  being  able  to  lay  our  teas  down  at  prices 
roally  low  enough  to  compete  with  our  rivals.  We 
scarcely  believe  in  the  threat  of  the  growers  giving 
up  picking  altoge'ber.  They  had  become  so  accus- 
tomed 'to  getting  their  own  prices  through  a long 
series  of  years,  while  the  competition  amougst  buyers 
lasted,  that  they  feel  aggrieved  now  a change  has 
come  about,  and  are  apparently  making  a stand. 
Times  will  show  whether  they  mean  to  abide  by  it. 
The  news  sounds  something  like  a crisis  upoouutry, 
but  it  is  the  first  we  have  heard  of  it,  and  we  need 
be  under  no  apprehension  of  insufficient  supplies  so 
long  as  the  daily  arrivals  to  this  market  continue  on 
their  present  scale. 

TEA  CULTURE  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
There  seems  to  be  a revival  of  interest  in  an  industry 
that  attracted  some  attention  about  twenty-five  years 
ago,  says  the  Jacksonville  Times  Union.  When  Com- 
missioner Le  Due  was  at  the  head  of  the  department 
of  agriculture  it  was  his  hobby  that  the  growing  and 
manufacture  of  tea  should  be  made  a great  Southern 
industry.  He  started  an  experimental  tea  plantation 
in  South  Carolina,  and  for  a year  or  two  it  received  a 
good  de»l  of  notice  from  the  press. 
But  the  southern  planters  were  then  realising  big 
prioes  for  the  fleecy  staple,  and  they  did  not  look 
with  favor  on  the  idea  of  engaging  in  a competition 
with  the  Chinese  tea  growers.  Before  Le  Due’s  tea 
garden  was  fairly  in  shape  for  practical  experimenta- 
tion he  was  superseded  by  Mr.  Watt,  who  had  no  faith 
in  the  experiment,  which  thus  came  to  an  end  before 
it  had  actually  beguD. 
But  it  seems  that  the  South  Carolina  tea  garden  has 
survived  official  cegleot  and  is  still  a source  ofsi-ppiy 
of  the  fragraut  beverage  for  the  neighbourhood. 
Meanwhile  the  ideas  of  southern  farmers  iu  regard  to 
the  profits  in  cotton  have  undergone  a radical  change. 
They  are  anxiously  to  find  other  crops  whioh  can  to 
some  extent  take  the  place  of  ootton,  so  as  to  reduce 
the  evil  of  over-production  and  to  afford  a greater 
vanoty  of  products  for  home  consumption. 
30 
At  present  the  farmers  of  the  south,  directly  or 
throngh  the  merchants,  are  sending  all  of  the  ready 
money  they  can  get  hold  of  to  the  northern  and  wes- 
tern States  and  to  Europe  and  Asia  for  commodities 
which  to  a large  extent  would  be  provided  at  home 
but  for  the  faulty  economio  system,  which  has  become 
established  under  King  Cotton’s  rule. 
If  it  costs,  as  is  stated,  25  cents  a pound  to  piok 
tea  leaves  with  negro  labor,  it  is  evident  that  it  will 
not  pay  to  grow  tea  for  sale,  except  at  retail  prices 
near  home.  But  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  will  pay 
to  grow  tea  for  home  use,  just  as  it  pays  a farmer  to 
produce  milk,  butter  and  eggs,  although  he  may  not 
have  a market  for  these  articles.  It  is  by  practicing 
such  small  economies  that  the  farmers  of  the  north 
have  come  to  be  to  muoh  better  off  than  those  of 
the  south.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the 
consumption  of  tea  in  the  rural  districts  of  the 
south  is  so  small  that  the  home  production  of  it 
oannotbe  regarded  as  a very  important  economy. 
One  thing  is  certain,  that  the  tea  plant  grows  well 
in  the  Carolines,  Florida,  and  most  of  the  other 
Southern  States.  It  ought  also  to  be  true  that 
American  ingenuity  can  devise  means  of  cheapening 
the  manufacture  of  tea.  With  a tea  plantation  well 
established  at  Summerville,  there  is  an  excellent  field 
for  experimentation,  and  it  would  seem  that  the 
sabj'ect  ought  to  receive  further  attention  from  tho 
department  at  Washington.— Florida  Agriculturist, 
July  6th. 
— — '♦  - 
THE  TRAVANCORE  EXHIBITION. 
(From  our  Own  Correspondent.) 
Trevandrum,  Ilth  Aug.— The  Travancore  Agri- 
cultural Exhibition  of  1892  was  formally  opened 
yesterday  by  His  Highness  the  Maharajah  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Hannyngton,  the  British  Resident, 
and  an  immense  concourse  of  visitors,  both  European 
and  native.  The  whole  was  a grand  success.  The 
weather  was  most  favourable.  Punctually  at  7 
o’clock  His  Highness  the  Maharajah  arrived  at  the 
building  and  was  received  by  Colonel  Brereton,  the 
President  of  the  Exhibition  Committee,  and  was 
led  to  a seat  on  a raised  platform  at  the  entranoe 
of  the  building,  where  were  already  assembled  the 
Valia  Kovil  Tampuran,  Dr.  Noel  Hodges,  the 
Bishop  of  Travancore,  the  Dewan,  Mr.  Shungra 
Soobier,  the  Dewan  designate,  and  many  European 
and  native  officials.  A Company  of  the  Nair  Bri- 
gade, with  band  and  odours,  was  stationed  near  the 
entrance  and  saluted  His  Highness  the  Maharajah 
and  the  British  Resident  on  their  arrival.  As  soon 
as  His  Highness  had  taken  his  seat  Mr.  H.  3. 
Ferguson,  the  Secretary,  advanced  and  read  th 
following  Report  of  the  Committee 
It  is  now  eight  years  since  an  exhibition  was  held 
in  Trevandrum,  whioh  was  the  third  of  the  kind 
that  had  taken  place  here,  two  having  been  held  pre- 
viously in  1867,  when  Sir  Madava  Row  was  Dewan. 
The  effect  of  the  two  was  little  felt  in  1884,  and 
many  difficulties  were  met  with,  and  much  prejudice, 
the  result  merely  of  ignorance,  had  to  be  overcome. 
The  Committee,  however,  in  its  report,  predicted  that 
the  Exhibition  would  do  good,  and  further  observed 
that,  “ whenever  another  is  held,  it  will  be  found  that 
its  objects  will  be  understood  and  its  benefits  ac- 
knowledged.” Since  1884,  a series  of  Exhibitions 
have  been  held  in  the  different  divisions,  th% 
credit  of  starting  which  is  due  to  the  present 
Dewan  who,  as  Dewan  Peishcar,  first  began  t>,em  in 
the  Cottayam  Division,  The  Exhibition  held  here 
in  1884  and  those  held  subsequently  in  the  Divisions 
have  rendered  the  work  of  the  Committee  for  the 
Present  Exhibition  comparatively  light.  The  Rules 
drawn  up  in  1884,  based  on  those  in  force  in  Madras, 
were  found  to  work  well  and  to  need  little  or  no 
modification,  while  the  prize  list  was  found  to  require 
only  slight  alteration.  The  ryots  and  others,  having 
taken  part  in  various  minor  Exhibitions,  have  been 
quite  alive  to  the  importance  of  this  one  in  the  capital, 
an,d  many  interesting  exhibits  have  been  sent  from 
all  parts  of  Travapeore.  The  experience  gained  hae 
