28o 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  i,  1892. 
The  inorease  to  British  North  Amerioa  is  also 
noticeable,  that  being  due,  no  doubt,  to  the  direct 
line  of  steamers  placed  by  the  Canadian  Pacifio  Rail- 
way between  China  and  Vancouver. 
Silk. — The  export  of  silk  given  in  the  yearly  returns 
sbows  a large  inorease  over  last  year,  the  total  of  raw 
silk,  white  and  yellow,  being  60,000  piculs,  as  against 
40,000  piculs  in  1890.  This,  however,  is  accidental, 
as  the  silk  season  extends  from  June  to  June,  and  it  is 
therefore  a question  of  market,  and  not  of  production, 
how  much  of  the  crop  is  exported  before  and  how 
much  after  Dec.  31st. 
As  regards  the  season  1891-92,  business  has  been  on 
the  whole  steady  and  fairly  satisfactory.  The  total 
export  for  the  season  up  to  date  has  been  about  61,000 
bales,  with  a stock  on  the  local  market  of  some  8,000 
bales,  more.  This  is  rather  over  the  average  of  pre- 
vious years.  The  export  of  China  silk  is,  on  the 
whole,  increasing,  but  at  no  very  rapid  rate,  nor  does 
the  quality  improve  to  any  appreciable  extent. 
The  filatures  in  Shanghai,  belonging  to  foreign  firms, 
continue  to  be  kept  fully  employed.  Of  the  total  ex- 
port some  1,500  bales  is  reeled  and  prepared  in  the 
foreign  filatures.  But  notwithstanding  the  use  of 
foreign  reeling  machinery,  the  production  of  these 
filatures,  either  through  carelessness  or  for  want  of 
efficient  foreign  supervision,  is  not  free  from  fault, 
and  oompares,  I am  informed,  very  unfavourably  with 
the  silk  sent  out  from  the  filatures  in  Japan, 
China  silk  is  intrinsically  the  best  silk  in  the  world, 
but  from  ignoranoe  or  luck  of  energy  on  the  part  of 
the  producers,  it  continues  from  year  to  year  to  be 
prepared  in  the  old  faulty  method,  while  Japan  silk, 
by  nature  much  inferior,  is  beating  it  in  the  market, 
simply  by  the  oare  and  attention  bestowed  on  its  pre- 
paration, and  by  the  fostering  provision  of  the  Japa- 
nese Government,  who  provide  the  means  of  educating 
their  people  in  the  most  approved  methods  in  vogue 
in  Europe, 
The  export  of  silk  piece  goods  is  increasing,  having 
risen  from  3,500  piculs  in  1881,  costing  3,900,000 
Haikwan  taels,  to  6,500  piculs  in  1891,  costing  9,300,000 
Haikwan  taels.  The  great  proportion  of  this  export 
is  for  France. 
Black  Tea.— For  the  following  information  I am 
indebted  to  a gentleman  of  long  experience  in  the 
tea  trade  : — In  the  early  part  of  the  season  a very 
aotive  business  was  done  in  Hankow  first  crop  teas, 
three-fourths  of  it  being  for  the  Russian  market, 
which  now  takes  more  than  the  half  of  the  black  tea 
exported  from  North  China.  The  Chinese  had  bes- 
towed speoial  care  in  the  preparation  of  the  crop, 
with  a view  to  meeting  the  demand  of  the  Russian 
buyers,  and  sent  to  market  some  remarkably  fine 
teas,  equalling  the  best  of  former  years.  Handsome 
profits  were  realised  by  the  native  dealers,  as  much 
as  86  taels  a picul  (3s  5|d  psr  lb  ) being  paid  by 
Russian  buyers  for  choice  Ningchows.  But  the  Russian 
demand  being  satisfied  prices  fell  off,  and  the  dealers 
lost  severely,  especially  on  second  and  third  crops. 
Shippers  to  England  realised  more  or  less  heavy 
losses,  profits  being  quits  the  exception.  Some  rash 
buyers  who  shipped  flue  teas  to  London,  costing  about 
2s,  lost  over  Is  per  lb.  while  losses  of  4d  to  6d  per 
lb.  were  quite  common.  The  only  kiuds  which  are 
said  to  have  covered  cost  were  common  grades,  cost- 
ing about  6|d  per  lb. 
This  disastrous  result  was  in  no  way  due  to  the 
quality  sent  forward.  The  export  to  England  for  the 
season  1891-92  being  only  26,750,000  lb.  In  1880-81 
the  amount  sent  forward  was  74,500,000  lb. 
The  real  misohief  which  is  driving  China  teas  out  of 
the  market  is  the  heavy  local  taxation,  whioh  makes 
it  impossible  to  compete  with  the  nntaxed  produce  of 
India  nd  Ceylon.  Duty  and  Iekin  together  come  to 
about  6 taels  per  picul,  which,  considering  that  the 
average  price  of  Shanghai  bought  teas  is  13  taels  to  14 
taels  per  picul,  represents  a taxation  of  some  36  per 
cent.  On  the  commonest  sorts  it  is  as  much  as  53  per 
oent  of  the  cost. 
These  facts  have  been  urged  on  the  attention  of  the 
Chinese  Government  again  and  again,  but  they  seem 
indifferent  to  the  threatened  ruin  of  the  once  great 
national  industry.  At  the  present  moment  Russia  is 
the  best  customer  for  China,  and  if  the  Russian  taste 
were  changing  to  India,  which  is  always  possible,  the 
China  tep.  trade  would  soon  be  a thing  of  the  past. 
It  is  a delusion  to  suppose  that  China  tea  has  dete- 
riorated ; the  apparent  deterioration  of  late  years  in 
teas  sent  to  England  has  been  due  to  the  low  prices 
paid  by  English  buyers,  at  which  they  cculd  naturally 
only  get  inferi'T  teas.  The  Russian  buyers  who  pay 
good  prioes  get  teas  of  the  former  excelltn.e.  If  the 
crush  ng  burden  of  taxation  were  brought  down  to 
something  like  what  it  was  originally  meant  to  be, 
viz.,  5 per  cent  ad  valorem,  instead  ot  20  per  cent  to  50 
per  cent  as  it  now  is,  there  would  be  a good  chance  for 
China  teas  yet.  For  the  time  being,  India  and  Ceylon 
teas  are  the  most  papular,  no  doubt,  but  there  is  a 
large  conseu aus  of  medical  and  expert  opinion  in  fa- 
vour of  the  view  that  China  tea  is  more  wholesome, 
and  in  its  method  of  preparation  freer  of  tanning  and 
other  deleterious  elements. 
Green  Tea.— The  business  in  this  kind  holds  its 
own  with  difficulty,  and  ha3  this  season  been  a losing 
trade  for  native  dealers,  and  an  unremunerative  one 
for  foreign  buyers.  Japan  teas,  being  un taxed  except 
to  the  extent  of  $1  per  picul,  can  undersell  Shanghai 
green  teas  in  America,  which  is  the  principal  market 
for  this  class.  It  is  not,  perhaps,  too  much  to  hope 
that  the  Chinese  Government  will  yet  follow  the 
example  of  the  Japanese  in  the  matter  of  both  tea 
and  silk. 
Comparing  the  exports  of  1891  generally  so  far  as 
they  are  destined  for  foreign  consumption  with  those 
of  the  years  1879-81  the  following  changes  may  be 
noted : — The  export  of  silk  has  increased  by  some 
3,000,000  of  taels,  and  that  of  tea  has  fallen  off  by 
nearly  2,000,000,  and  general  exports  have  increased 
by  some  5,500,000  of  taels.  The  combined  effects  of 
cheap  tea  transit  and  cheap  silver  have  brought  into 
the  market  a vast  quantity  of  raw  material,  most  of 
wbich  goes  to  England.  The  principal  items  (not 
counting  straw-braid  which  has  long  been  exported), 
are  hides,  goat  skin  rugs,  camel  and  sheeps’  wool, 
hemp,  feathers,  &c • — L.  and  C.  Express , Aug.  19. 
The  Government  Coffee  Crop  in  Java  has  been 
taxed  upon  586,477  pieuls  for  tbe  month  of  July 
last,  this  being  an  increase  of  79,582  piculs  on  the 
preoeding  month.  The  population  of  Palembang 
are  discontented,  owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  liberal 
grants  which  have  been  made  by  Government  of 
uncultivated  land. — S.E.  Press,  Sept.  3rd. 
Coffee  in  West  Africa.  — Information 
respecting  railway  progress  in  South-West  Afrioa 
has  a bearing  on  coffee  production.  One  line  is 
now  open  for  220  kilometres,  and  we  read  in  the 
Manchester  Guardian,  that 
It  is  hoped  that  a few  months  will  bring  it  to  Casengo 
where  all  tbe  coffee  plantations  are.  Great  efforts  are 
being  brought  to  bear  for  this  end,  and  the  works  on 
the  more  distant  sections  have  been  greatly  reduced  for 
the  present,  the  staff  employed  on  them  being  added  to 
that  between  kilometre  220  and  Oeiras.  all  work  being 
concentrated  on  that  one  section.  The  constructors 
have  had  many  difficulties  to  contend  with,  not  the 
least  being  the  soaroity  of  labour.  Heavy  rains  have 
also  done  a great  deal  of  damage  ; in  December,  1891 
the  loss  was  enormous.  In  one  part  the  Hue  wa8 
washed  away  in  18  different  places  in  as  many  kilo- 
metres, the  gaps  varying  from  10  to  150  metres  in 
width,  rails,  sleepers,  embankmeut,  and  culverts  being 
washed  completely  away.  This  damage  was  not  caused 
by  local  rains,  although  they  were  considerable,  but  by 
an  enormous  body  of  water  sudaenly  coming  down  from 
the  higher  lai.ds  further  in  the  interior.  The  receipts 
though  small,  have  been  increasing  steadily  from  the 
commencement  ; but  no  really  great  difference  can  be 
looked  for  until  Caseogo  is  reached  and  the  coffee 
brought  down  by  train,  instead  of,  as  now,  taken  by 
carriers  to  Dondo,  and  shipped  thence  by  steamer  via 
the  Quanza  River  to  Lc&nda. 
