Nov.  i,  1892.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
307 
the  field.  There  is  no  doubt  that  if  grocers  decided 
be  given  to  chicory  mixture.  The  Grocer  mentions 
the  case  of  a correspondent  who  took  a special  interest 
in  selling  pure  coffee  as  opposed  to  chicory  mixtures  : — 
‘ He  began  to  sell  cofEee  ' fresh  ground  and  pure’— 
that  is,  without  the  sophistication  of  chioory — and  how 
the  results  have  come  up  to  his  most  sanguine  expsca- 
lion.  During  the  last  six  months  his  trade  in  this 
branch  alone  has  risen  from  7 lb.  per  mouth  in  January 
last  to  40  lb.  in  July  (he  is  not  in  a very  large  way 
of  bu-iness),  ai  d the  profit  realised  has  been 
thoroughly  satisfactory.  He  has  not  been  specially 
favored  by  circumstances  in  any  respect,  and  has 
been  able  to  push  the  trade  entirely  on  its  merits.” 
Dbting  Cocoa.— In  his  report  on  the  trade  of  Para- 
maribo for  the  past  year,  OodsuI  Wvndham  says  with 
reference  to  drying  cocoa  : — Four  different  systems  of 
coooa  drying  are  in  use  or  have  been  tried.  1.  Sun- 
drying on  large  trays  on  trams  run  out  from  under 
sheds  when  the  weather  is  favourable,  and  brought  under 
cover  in  rainy  weather.  2.  Drying  on  brick  floors  under 
which  furnaces  are  placed.  3.  Fruit-drying  machines 
of  various  sizes.  4.  A system  of  drying  by  steam 
outside  an  enclosed  cylinder  has  ber-n  tried,  and 
another  of  drying  by  hot  air  in  a revolving  cylinder 
is  about  to  be  tried.  Of  the  first,  it  may  be  raid  that 
it  is  unsatisfactory  as  it  is  dependent  on  the  season, 
and  a wet  season  may  cause  much  loss  of  good  cocoa 
by  its  becomiog  sour  before  it  is  properly  dried.  Of  the 
seooud,  that  it  is  apt  to  shrivel  up  th9  beans  and  to 
discolour  them.  Of  the  third,  that  fruit  driers,  even 
the  best  and  most  expensive  as  yet  introduced, 
have  only  served  to  partially  dry  the  bean  and 
saves  it  until  it  can  be  sun-dried  ready  for  sacking.  Of 
the  fourth,  that  the  machine  requires  some  altera- 
tions ; as  it  stands  it  appears  rather  to  cook  than 
to  dry  the  bean.  And,  lastly,  the  revolving  cylinder 
has  not  yet  had  a fair  trial.  An  English  firm  has 
patented  a cocoa-drier  called,  I believe,  the  “ sirocco,” 
which  was  lately  tried  at  Trinidad  before  the  Go- 
vernor of  the  colony  and  several  officials  and 
planters  with  satisfactory  results.  Details  of  tbe 
trial,  however,  are  not  yet  to  hand,  but  if  on  re- 
ceipt they  prove  the  machine  to  be  a success,  I 
think  the  member  of  the  firm  who  visited  this 
colony  and  invited  the  planters  and  the  Govern- 
ment to  send  some  one  to  represent  the  colony  at 
the  public  trial  of  the  “ sirocco,”  at  Trinidad,  even 
offering  to  pay  all  the  expenses,  will  have  no  cause 
to  regret  his  trip,  and  that  orders  for  the  drier 
will  reach  him  from  Surinam. — H.  and  C.  Mail, 
Sept.  2. 
A Cheerful  Note. — At  this  dead  season  of  the  year 
it  is  quite  a boon  to  be  able  to  chronicle  a meeting 
of  tea  shareholders,  and  though  the  gathering  was 
merely  a statutory  one,  the  note  of  cheerfulness 
sounded  was  in  pleasant  relief  to  the  general 
financial  gloom.  Mr.  J.  Berry  White  is  an 
excellent  chairman  at  a meeting  of  shareholders, 
and  he  may  be  reckoned  upon  at  all  times  to  take 
a clear  and  open  view  of  the  situation.  He  is  a 
firm  believer  in  the  resources  of  Assam,  and  the 
province  in  under  no  little  obligation  to  him  for  an 
advocacy  which  has  done  it  some  substantial  service 
in  the  commercial  world.  His  remarks  upon  the  pros- 
pects of  tbe  Assam  tea  industry,  founded  as  they 
are  upon  practical  and  up  to  date  knowledge,  are 
well  worth  the  attention  they  always  command. 
Han  Look.  On  and  Smiie. — At  the  statutory  meet- 
ing held  on  Monday  of  the  Makum  Assam  Tea  ora- 
pany,  Limited,  Mr,  J.  Berry  White  emphasised  the 
fact  that  the  depreciated  rupee  was  a matter 
that  the  proprietors  could  regard  complacently. 
The  fall  of  12^  per  cent  in  silver,  which  has  depressed 
the  importer  of  merchandise  in  India  and  caused 
the  Government  of  India,  the  officials,  and  other 
classes  serious  trouble,  enables  the  directors  of  a 
concern  like  the  Makum  Tea  Company  to  get  one- 
eighth  more  work  done  for  the  sterling  capital  now 
than  they  did  when  the  company  was  first  started. 
Under  these  circumstances,  the  dark  cloud  of  a de- 
preciated rupee  has  a silver  lining  indeed  to  some  eyes. 
A Nice  Point.— Tea  dealers,  who  pride  themselves 
on  selling  tea  direct  from  their  own  gardens,  and 
who  endeavour  to  persuade  their  customers  that 
this  is  a great  advantage,  are  not  allowed  to  have 
all  the  fun  to  themselves.  Large  grocery  firms, 
who  do  not  grow  their  own  tea,  endeavour  to 
impress  upon  their  customers  that  the  advantage 
lies  in  buying  teas  blended  from  many  gardens. 
One  firm  has  issued  a circular  in  which  this  is  pointed 
out,  so  that  in  any  case  the  dealer  who  buys  in  the 
market  from  the  very  best  growths  offered,  and 
judiciously  blends  the  different  kinds,  can  produce 
and  supply  a much  more  uniform  and  cheaper  tea 
than  any  so-called  grower  can  possibly  do.  This  is 
a nice  point,  and  would  afford  a good  subject  for 
debate  at  a Grocers’  Association  meeting. 
Produce  in  Bond. — According  to  the  B Bill  of 
Entry  showing  the  quantity  of  bonded  goods  remain- 
ing in  the  Ouetoms  and  Excise  Warehouses  of  the 
United  Kingdom  on  the  31st  nit.,  the  stock  of  tea  was 
84,139,2111b.,  against  81,089,221  lb.  at  tbe  correspond- 
ing date  of  last  year,  and  80,756,666  lb.  in  1890  ; coffee, 
149,645  cwt.,  against  160,323  and  286  678  cwt.;  cocoa, 
13,095,203  lb,  against  14,214,829  and  12,518,148  lb. 
The  Trade  Barometer. — The  Board  of  Trade 
returns  for  the  month  ended  August  31st,  just 
published,  are  more  favourable.  They  show  that 
the  imports  for  the  month  amounted  £34,844  365, 
showing  an  increase  of  £2,098,086  as  compared  with 
the  corresponding  month  last  year.  The  exports  for 
the  month  were  £20,051,330,  being  a decrease  of 
£619,159.  The  imports  for  the  eight  months  ended 
August  31st  amonnttd  to  £281,019,613,  or  an  increase 
of  £3,302,683,  compared  with  the  corresponding 
period  last  year ; while  the  exports  for  the  same 
time  were  £151,375,929,  showing  a decrease  of 
.£15,305,924  compared  with  the  first  eight  months  of 
1891.  The  imports  of  tea  were  2,238,3511b.  more  than 
in  August  last  year,  but  most  of  that  increase  is 
due  to  China  having  sent  more ; the  value  of  the 
larger  total,  however,  is  declared  to  be  £32,102  less. 
Cinnamon. — At  the  qoarterly  sales  of  cinnamon 
held  last  week  the  auctions  passed  oS  at  better 
prices.  As  against  4,240  paokages  in  1891,  the 
landings  of  Ceylon  cinnamon  in  London  for  the 
last  thirty-four  weeks  have  not  exceeded  3,220 
psekages,  and  whilst  tbe  deliveries  have  been  750 
packages  heavier  than  in  the  preoeding  year,  the 
stock  remaining  on  hand  on  the  27th  iust.  was 
the  lightest  that  has  been  known  for  years  past, 
being  reduoed  to  2,615  paokages  in  comparison  with 
4,390  packages  in  1891.  Therefore  it  followed  that 
of  the  900  bales  Ceylon  offered  nearly  the  whole  was 
c.'etred  off,  excepting  a small  portion  really  fine  which 
was  withdrawn  at  extreme  r„tes,  and,  confirming  the 
improvement  in  value  recently  observed  privately,  the 
rates  obtained  were  mostly  id  to  Id  per  lb.  above  those 
current  in  MaJ  last,  viz.,  ordinary  to  fine  firsts  at  7d  to 
lid  ; secon  s at  6d  to  8Jd  ; thirds  at  6d  to  lOd  ; 
fourths  at  5Jd  to  7d  ; and  broken  (in  nine  boxes)  at  5id 
to  6^d  per  lb. — R.  and  C.  Mail,  Sept,  9. 
THE  RICE  TRADE  FOR  1891. 
Messrs.  Fraser  and  Co.’s  annual  review  ’states: 
The  trade  of  the  past  twelve  months  does  not  afford 
very  muoh  scope  for  an  interesting  rev>  ew.  Indeed, 
for  the  first  seven  months  of  the  y ear,  nothin"-  of 
importance  arose  to  oloud  the  horizon,  and  there  "was 
a minimum  fluctuation  in  prices,  thereby  allowing 
purchases  and  sales  to  proceed  on  the  even  tenour 
of  their  way  without  any  Extraneous  excitement.  There 
appeared  to  be  the  prospect  of  rice  enough  and  to 
spare,  notwithstanding  that  the  expeoted  surplus  avail- 
able for  shipment  of  400,000  tons  from  Japan  turned 
ont  to  be  over  300,000  tons  short,  and  the  “ good 
prospects  cabled  from  Saigon  resulted  only  iD  33.565 
tons  1 A larger  quantity  from  Burmab,  however,  had 
to  be  reckoned  with,  and  an  extra  amount  from 
Bengal,  while  even  Persia  sent  a few  thousand  bags 
more  than  in  the  previous  year  to  swell  the  list. 
Still  the  rice  trade  had  its  little  flutter,  as  most 
trades  have  just  to  relieve  the  meaotooy  of  register' 
