33° 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov.  x,  1892. 
seems  to  be  the  simpler  and  more  usual  plan.  To 
clarify  the  same  requires  straining  and  filtration, 
when  some  foreign  substance  is  added  to  prevent 
decomposition  of  the  vegetable  matter,  in  which 
shape  most  of  the  juice  is  shipped  from  the  island. 
In  order  to  concentrate,  it  is  strained  from  the  seed 
and  pulp  and  placed  in  a copper  battery  and  boiled 
on  the  same  principle  as  sugar,  care  being  taken 
not  to  soorch  or  burn  it,  as  that  destroys  the  aoid. 
The  more  densely  the  juioe  is  concentrated,  the 
more  valuable  it  is  ; but  it  is  not  advisable  to  go 
too  far,  as  it  burns  easily  without  forming  a crust 
on  the  oopper.  No  iron  vessel  must  be  used,  as  the 
iron  turns  the  acid  black  From  the  latest  data 
the  amount  exported,  whioh  was  doubtless  about  all 
that  was  made,  was  53,884  gallons,  of  whioh  44,492 
gallons  went  to  the  United  Kingdom,  110  to  Canada, 
and  9,282  to  the  United  States.  The  average  valu 
ation  in  the  export  list  is  20  cents  per  gallon,  but 
the  prioe  for  the  raw  juice  ranges  from  18  to  20  cents 
according  to  the  supply  and  demand,  while  the 
oonoentrated  juice  sells  according  to  the  percentage 
of  oitric  aoid  it  contains.  Substantially  the  tame 
prooess  is  adopted  in  the  manufacture  of  sour  orange 
juice. — Globe,  Sept.  23. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  SYDNEY. 
In  the  Sydney  Trade  Revieio  of  16th  Sept. 
Messrs.  H.  W.  Carey  & Co.  say : — 
• Ceylon  teas : Each  week’s  arrival  by  the  mail 
steamer  has  been  generally  quiokly  absorbed  at  steady 
prices,  atlhough  the  quality  has  been  somewhat  in- 
different, there  haviDg  been  few  fine  teas  among 
them.  Sales  have  been  made  of  common  rough  leaf 
Souchongs  4J1  to  o|d  per  lb.,  Pekoe  Souohongs  6d 
to  7|d  per  lb.,  Pekoes  7d  to  llid  per  lb.,  broken 
Pekoes  9d  to  Is  2gd  per  lb. 
In  the  Sydney  Daily  Telegraph  of  20th  Sept, 
we  read: — 
Tea  had  some  attention,  110  chests  oommon  Oeylons 
being  placed  at  5£d  to  5£d  and  70  chests  Indian  up 
to  lid. 
In  its  issue  of  the  21st  the  same  paper  says : — 
Tea  is  dull.  At  auction  a few  hundred  packages 
China  were  sold  at  from  5Jd  to  6|d.  Very  little  dis- 
position to  operate  was  shown.  Privately  100  boxes 
scented  orange  Pekoe  were  placed  and  about  100 
packages  Ceylons  ex  “ Hassilia”  at  about  6^d. 
NEW  CROP  TEA. 
Retailers  desirous  of  increasing  their  tea  trade  and 
enjoying  a reputation  for  always  keeping  fine  tea 
Bhould  take  pains  to  seoure  from  the  early  arrivals 
of  new  crop  Japan  tea,  a supply  sufficient  to  carry 
them  to  the  beginning  of  next  season.  The  finest 
tea  is  now  available,  and  such  as  for  appearance  and 
flavor  will  be  hard  to  match  some  months  hence. 
As  regards  fine  Formosa  there  is  no  such  precaution 
necessary,  many  regarding  the  September  ouring  the 
better.  The  first  picking  is  generally  light  as  regards 
flavor  and  strength  while  just  the  reverse  is  true  of 
Japan,  the  first  picking  being  the  finest.  In  buying 
Formosa  avoid  tea  that  is  rank,  or  too  highly  burnt. 
The  quality  of  Formosa  tea  depends  greatly  upon 
the  time  and  character  of  the  fermentation.  The 
longer  it  is  carried  on,  the  nearer  the  tea  approaches  a 
Congou. 
It  is  always  in  order  for  a retailer  to  acquaint  con- 
sumers with  these  facts,  and  induce  many  to  lay  in 
enough  new  crop  tea  for  a year  and  thus  save  the 
carrying  of  stock,  by  a plan  which  affords  customers 
the  highest  satisfaction. 
Green  teas  may  be  selected  at  any  time,  as  the 
method  of  curing  etc.,  does  not  make  it  necessary  to 
avail  of  the  early  receipts  in  order  to  secure  the  finest 
grades.  There  are  fine  green  tea  districts  in  China, 
designated  as  “MoyuDe,”  “Tienkii,”  “Fychow,”  “Tai- 
ping,”  and  “Pingsuey,”  grading  in  quality  in  the  order 
Bfttoed,  £he  “Moyune”  district  produces  two  grades 
“Nankin”  and  “Packlong” — the  former,  a full,  rich 
strong,  toa9ty  tea;  the  leaf  of  a dull,  pale  green  in 
color  and  quite  free  from  coloring  matter.  Yotmg 
Hyson  is  the  finest  leaves  and  is  graded  into  first, 
seconds,  thirds  and  fourths. — American  Grocer,  Sept.  7. 
[The  American  Grocer  does  not  condescend  to 
mention  Indian  or  Ceylon  tea  1 We  had  personal 
experience  of  equal  prejudice  in  Australia,  and  lo  1 
the  ohange  between  18S0  and  1892. .A  similar  prooess 
will  take  place  in  America. — Ed.  T.A.] 
TEA  GROWING  IN  AUSTRALIA; 
Experiments  are  going  to  be  tried  with  a view  of 
testing  the  soil  and  climate  of  certain  localities  in 
Australia  for  the  cultivation  of  tea.  It  was  announced 
some  time  since  that  a tea-planter  from  Assam  had 
arrived  in  the  colony  with  the  intention  of  ascer- 
taining what  could  be  done  with  the  hybrid  variety 
of  tea  obtained  by  crossing  the  China  with  the  Assam 
tea  plant.  It  seems  that  the  visitor  had  an  idea  of 
experimenting  with  this  hybrid  at  Mildura,  to  see 
whether  the  humidity  from  the  irrigation  water  would 
counteract  the  dryness  of  the  olimate.  It  may  be 
also  tested  in  some  of  the  moist  valleys  in  Gipps- 
iand  and  elsewhere.  One  paper  suggests  that  tea 
culture  in  Australia  might  be  a recommendable  venture 
under  the  bonus  system;  or  a tea-growing  company 
might  be  started.  Acoording  to  Mueller,  the  tea 
plant  has  proved  hardy  in  the  lowlands  at  Melbourne, 
where,  in  exposed  positions,  it  endures  quite  unharmed 
light  night  frosts,  as  well  as  the  free  access  of 
scorching  summer  winds.  But  it  is  in  humid 
valleys,  with  rich  alluvial  soils,  and  access  to 
springs  for  irrigation,  that  the  most  productive  tea 
fields  can  be  formed.  The  greater  the  rainfall  in 
any  region  otherwise  adapted,  the  richer  the  yield 
of  the  tea  plant.  It  comes  into  plentiful  bearing  of 
its  produot  as  early  as  the  grape  vine,  and  earlier 
than  the  olive.  Its  culture  is  not  difficult,  and  it  is 
singularly  exempt  from  fungus  diseases  if  planted  in 
proper  localities.  Pruning  is  effeoted  in  the  cool  sea- 
son, in  order  to  obtain  a large  quantity  of  small 
tenders  leaves  from  young  branches. — Auckland  paper. 
[There  are  large  areas  of  tropioal  and  sub- 
tropical Australia  where  tea  would  flourish,  but  the 
dearness  o£  labour  puts  commercial  eucoess  out 
of  the  question.  India  and  Ceylon  grow  and  oan 
oontinue  to  grow  all  the  tea  the  world  wants. 
—Ed.  T.A.\ 
VARIOUS  NOTES. 
Quinine  Manufacture  in  Italy.— The  two  Italian 
quinine  factories  (in  Milan  and  Genoa)  produce 
together  from  1,000,000  to  1,250,000  02.  of  quinine 
salts  per  annum,  two-thirds  of  which  are  exported- 
So,  at  least,  says  a German  offioial  report  on  the 
trade  of  Italy — Chemist  and  Druggist. 
Liberian  Coffee  in  Java. — It  is  reported  that  the 
Government  oompulsory  cultivation  of  coffee  in 
Java  will  soon  strike  into  another  line.  It  has  been 
decided  to  experiment  officially  with  Liberia  coffee 
in  the  Preanger  districts.  The  Locomotief  says 
that  the  cultivation  of  Liberian  ooffee  has  oome 
more  and  more  into  favour  in  European  planting 
enterprise  there  from  its  making  better  head 
against  the  diseases  whioh  beset  Java  ooffee, 
and  from  its  commanding  equally  high  prices  in  the 
market.— Straits  Times,  Oct.  1. 
A Good  Crop  of  Ginger  in  Jamaica  may  yield 
as  high  as  2,000  pounds,  but  the  average  yield 
of  dried  and  oured  ginger,  ready  for  the  market 
is  from  1,000  - to  1,600  pounds.  It  need  not  be 
peeled  for  two  or  three  days  after  digging,  if  kept 
from  the  sun,  but  after  peeling  the  roots  are  soaked 
in  water  over  night,  washed,  cleaned  and  weighed, 
than  put  on  mats  and  turned  over  carefully  at 
midday  for  six  or  eight  days,  until  cured.  Three 
pounds  of  green  ginger  makes  one  pound  of  the 
dry  root  of  eommeroe. — British  and  Colonial  Drug* 
gist, 
