574 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [March  i,  1893. 
many  causes,  independent  of  its  capacity  ot  produc-  ' 
tion,  climate,  fertility,  and  the  profits  realised  by  ! 
the  cultivator.  But  the  situation  appears  to  be  1 
on  the  point  of  changing,  and  the  day  is  not  far  ! 
distant  when  her  coffees  will  be  met  on  all  the  I 
markets  of  the  world.  The  total  exports  of  coffee  : 
amounted,  during  the  year  1890  — 91,  to  6,150,358 
piastres,  or  1,339,358  piastres  more  than  during  the 
preceding  year,  and  an  increase  of  99  per  cent,  on 
the  average  of  the  last  five  years.  The  consignments 
were  made  by  the  following  ports : — 
Vera  Cruz  (5,554,365  piastres),  Soconusco  (202,328), 
Puerto  Angel  (176,478),  Tampico  (201,328),  other 
ports  (26,859). 
The  countries  of  destination  were  England  (37,310 
piastres),  Germany  (188,619),  Spain  (2,130),  the  United 
States  (5,715,459),  France  (206,680),  Italy  (40), 
British  Colombia  (120). 
The  State  i f Vera  Cruz,  by  reason  of  its  privileged 
position  and  its  ready  communication  with  the 
United  States  and  Europe,  has  become  the  chief 
centre  of  the  cultivation  of  coffee. 
The  average  cost  price  of  coffee  in  the  small 
plantations  of  the  interior  never  exceeds,  12  piastres 
per  quintal,  and  the  exports  effected  last  winter 
were  made  at  the  average  rate  of  24  piastres. 
Prices  have  even  reached  27  piastres,  leaving  to  the 
middleman  an  average  profit  of  13  piastres  per 
quintal,  or  more  than  118  per  cent.  If  it  be  con- 
sidered that  a coffee  plantation,  worked  under  the 
above  conditions,  brings  back,  in  five  years  at  the 
most,  what  it  has  cost,  it  is  seen  that  very  few  in- 
dustries present  such  favourable  conditions. 
In  those  regions  situated  on  the  sea  coast,  as  for 
example  in  the  States  of  Vera  Cruz  and  Tamaulipas, 
the  owners,  being  able  to  export  their  products  more 
easily,  realise  still  larger  profits.  Thus  the  planta- 
tions in  these  States  are  yearly  increasing  to  such  an 
extent  that,  according  to  the  estimate  of  M.  Carlos 
Gris,  it  may  be  expected  that  in  12  years  the  ex- 
ports of  coffee  from  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz  will  be 
probably  increased  tenfold.  — Board  of  Trade  Journal. 
CEYLON  TEA. 
(From  1.  A.  Rucker  and  Bencruft's  Weekly 
Circular.) 
London,  J*m  12th,  1‘ 93. 
TEA.— Ceylon. — The  following  table  showing  the 
relation  between  prices  and  deliveries  for  the  past 
two  years  may  be  of  interest ; — 
1892. 
Auctioned. 
Average. 
Deliveries. 
packages. 
lb 
January 
68,000 
0§d 
4,729,000 
February 
64,800 
9jd 
4,760,000 
March 
78,300 
9d 
5,158,000 
April 
50,500 
9jd 
4,96S,000 
May 
95,000 
9^d 
5,997,000 
June 
62,000 
8|d 
5,487,000 
July 
73,100 
8|d 
6,166,000 
August 
92,200 
84d 
6,502,000 
September 
71,500 
9|d 
6.663,000 
October 
47,000 
10|d 
6,183,000 
November 
47,600 
llid 
5,500,000 
December 
40,900 
10jd 
4,202,000 
1891. 
Auctioned. 
Average. 
Deliveries. 
packages. 
lb. 
January 
48,600 
lifd 
3,565,000 
February 
54,400 
Is 
2,884,090 
March 
53,000 
lljd 
2,770,000 
April 
77,400 
10:1  d 
3,942,000 
May 
56,700 
lod 
4,578,000 
June 
85,600 
9id 
5,480,000 
July 
63,900 
9Jd 
5,420,000 
August 
68,800 
9Jd 
5,156,000 
September 
72,800 
Old 
5,277,000 
October 
59,800 
lOd 
5,340,000 
November 
54,500 
9£d 
4,787,000 
December 
•15, 600 
lOd 
4,282,000 
The  largest  deliveries  were  in  September,  after 
two  months  of  8^d  to  8jd  cost.  The  smallest  were 
in  December,  after  two  months  of  lOjd  to  11), d cost. 
The  year  1893  has  opened  well  for  the  tea'  trade. 
The  position  has  continued  to  improve,  and  the 
article  is  now  stronger  than  for  many  years.  Tele- 
grams from  Colombo  advising  an  export  of  4,800,000  lb. 
for  December  have  re-assured  the  dealers  here,  who 
are  acting  with  confidence.  We  have  often  re- 
marked on  the  tendency  of  prices  for  fine  teas  to 
fall  in  proportion  as  common  teas  go  up,  and  this 
feature  has  been  strongly  accentuated  in  the  past 
three  months. 
QUININE  AND  DRUG  REPORT  FROM 
MANNHEIM. 
Waldh  f,  Jan.  9 h,  If  93. 
Quinine  and  Bark. -In  the  beginning  of  last 
year  there  was  a very  lively  demand  for  quinine 
on  account  of  the  Influenza,  it  having  become  evi- 
dent, that  quinine  is  the  only  really  effective  remedy 
p gainst  this  epidemical  disease  without  any  of  the 
evil  consequences  to  the  heart  and  kidneys,  which 
have  been  observed  with  patients  taking'autipyrin 
and  other  similar  preparations.  At  the  same  time 
large  quantities  of  quinine  were  sent  into  France, 
a great  augmentation  of  the  duty  on  this  article 
coming  into  force  on  the  1st  February.  In  the  fol- 
lowing months  however  the  market  became  very 
quiet  with  drooping  value,  and  in  July-August  the 
price  of  quinine  reached  the  lowest  point  ever  known, 
business  being  done  in  London  SJ-d,  in  New  York 
at  17  cts.  per  ounce  and  in  Germany  Mk.  24. — per 
kilo.  From  these  low  figures  prices  rallied  only 
very  slowly  until  in  October  suddenly  a great  specu- 
lative demand  sprang  up  in  London  and  large  con- 
tracts for  future  delivery  partly  over  all  this  year 
were  made  at  rising  prices  trom  9fd  to  10jd.  Since 
then  the  value  kept  fairly  steady,  manufacturers 
held  for  10.§d,  whilst  second  hand  sold  small  quan- 
tities 9|d  - 9§d. 
The  position  of  quinine  seems  to  improve.  The 
consume  has  increased,  arrivals  of  bark  from  Java, 
and  stocks  in  London  and  Amsterdam  are  decreasing, 
second  hand  has  no  doubt  sold  a large  proportion 
of  its  stocks  of  quinine.  The  quantities  of  bark 
offered  in  the  auctions  at  London  and  Amsterdam 
find  a ready  sale,  and  go  directly  into  consumption. 
We  may  therefore  look  forward  to  a steady  market 
which  would  be  desirable  in  the  interests  of  both 
manufacturers  and  dealers 
Our  official  prices  of  Sulphate  of  Quinine  in 
tins  were  last 
year 
d. 
d. 
January 
11 
July 
10 
March 
11 
August 
10 
April 
11 
September 
10 
May 
11 
October 
10 
June 
10 
November 
11 
We  beg  to  call  your  attention  to  the  following  statis- 
tics, which  might  be  of  interest  to  you : — 
PRICES  OF  EULPHATE  OF  QUININE  IN  LONDON. 
1st  Jan. 
per  ounce. 
1st.  Jan. 
per  ounce 
s. 
d.  to 
8. 
d. 
s.  d. 
1893 
0 
9! 
0 
0 
1879 
12  0 
1892 
0 
9± 
0 
9i 
1878 
10  4 
1891 
1 
0 
1 
1 
1877 
10  10 
1890 
1 
3 
1 
3i 
1876 
6 7 
1889 
1 
3§ 
1 
4 
1875 
6 4 
1S88 
2 
0 
2 
2 
1874 
9 0 
1887 
2 
3 
0 
0 
1873 
7 10 
18S6 
2 
8 
2 
9 
1872 
7 8 
1885 
4 
3 
0 
0 
1871 
7 4 
1SS4 
7 
0 
7 
6 
1870 
5 8 
1883 
6 
9 
7 
0 
1869 
4 9 
1882 
9 
6 
10 
0 
1822 
40  0 
1881 
3 
10 
6 
1880 
11 
0 
11 
6 
