THE  1 ROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1893. 
658 
who  hud  entered  with  so  much  vigour  snd  per- 
severance upon  the  attempt  to  inoculate  tie 
publio  of  the  United  Slates  with  a taste  in 
tea  superior  to  that  which  has  so  long  domi- 
nated them,  were  prepared  to  at  least  oarry 
on  their  work  until  the  Chicago  Exposition 
had  become  a thing  of  the  past.  But  if 
we  may  trust  to  what  Mr.  Elwcod  May 
has  but  recently  written,  we  need  no  longer  to 
-content  ourselves  with  so  limited  an  expectation. 
Apparently  the  tide  which  has  so  long  been  ad- 
verse has  taken  a decided  turn  in  favour  of  Ceylon 
teas.  Mr.  May  tells  us  that  custom  has  flowed  in  of 
late  to  an  extent  which  his  resources  have  been 
unable  to  meet,  and  that  in  one  single  week  he  was 
behindhand  in  meeting  requirements  to  the  extent 
of  25,000  packets  1 Without  pretending  to  be  able 
to  say  with  certainty  what  should  be  the  exaot 
meaning  to  attach  to  this  statement,  it  is  at  least 
evident  that  orders  have  suddenly  begun  to 
flow  in  upon  the  Company  to  an  extent  for  whioh 
— at  all  events  at  that  particular  time — it  could 
not  have  been  prepared.  Other  evidenoe  of  a 
start  of  prospective  prosperity  lor  the  Company — 
and,  consequently,  for  Ceylon  teas — are  afforded  by 
Mr.  May’s  letter.  He  has  evidently  so  far  suo- 
oeeded  in  overcoming  the  prejudice  of  the  Ameri- 
can public  in  favour  of  the  common  and  “faoed”  teas 
of  Japan  and  China,  that  the  dealers  throughout 
oasany  important  States  of  the  Union  have  at  length 
felt  themselves  compelled  to  arrango  for  the  regular 
supply  to  them  of  Ceylon  teas.  This  is  undoubtedly 
a great  Step  in  advance,  and  it  is  one  upon  which 
we  can  well  understand  Mr.  May’s  congratulating 
himself.  Once  the  barriers  of  long-established 
prejudice  yield  to  the  conviction  among  the  American 
publio  that  they  have,  in  respect  of  good  tea,  too 
long  remained  in  outer  darkness,  we  may  be  sure 
the  demand  muBt  increase  by  leaps  and  bounds. 
We  think  that  we  may  well  believe  that  this 
result  will  soon  become  e\idenced  by  a large  inorease 
in  the  shipments  of  Ceylon  tea  to  America.  We 
do  not  like  to  be  too  sanguine,  but  it  would  really 
appear  as  if  Mr.  May’s  long-continued  efforts  were 
at  length  about  to  bear  abundant  fruit.  Our 
planters  have  anticipated  great  resul's  from  the 
approaching  advertisement  of  their  teas  at  the 
Chicago  Show.  Apparently,  they  will  not  have  to 
wait  for  that  before  obtaining  an  assurance  that 
their  teas  have  seoured  a foothold  in  America 
from  whioh  we  may  be  Bure  they  will  not  be 
easily  driven.  While  congratulating  them  upon 
the  prospect  thus  disolosed,  we  would  take  the 
opportunity  afforded  by  Mr.  May’s  letter  to  onoe 
again  acknowledge  the  importance  of  the  service  he 
has  rendered  to  Ceylon.  It  is  impossible  to  overlook 
the  connection  of  the  promised  prosperity  with  Mr. 
May’s  individuality.  He  has  prophesied  strenuously 
and  persistently  that  the  day  for  this  would  oome, 
and  he  has  fought  manfully  against  many  depressing 
conditions  until  atlengthhis  prognostications  appear 
to  be  in  a fair  way  of  realisation ; and  we  sin- 
cerely trust  for  his  sake,  as  well  as  for  that  of 
all  conoerned,  that  the  realization  may  be  oomplete. 
4. 
COFFEE  AND  TEA  IN  HAWAII. 
We  have  reoeived  a oopy  of  an  interesting  report 
by  a Committee  on  the  prospects  of  coffee  and  tea 
in  the  Hawaii  islands.  It  is  no  wonder  though 
our  American  cousins  should  feel  a strong  interest 
in  these  fertile  sub-tropical  lands,  for  they  are  as 
capable  of  producing  largo  quantities  of  coffee  (if 
not  tea)  as  of  sugar  and  ooaonuts.  Of  coffee 
already,  a good  deal  has  been  planted  in  the 
differont  islands,  On  the  principal  one,  Hawaii 
itself,  there  are  1,300  acres  of  oeffee  growing  and 
the  new  Kona  Coffee  Company  has  already  120 
acres  out  and  200,000  plants  in  their  nurseries. 
Chinamen  as  well  as  natives  grow  coffee  on  their 
own  aocount,  and  besides  a large  local  consumption, 
it  is  expected  there  will  be  a million  lb.  of  coffee 
for  export  this  year.  It  is  dearly  the  beginning 
of  an  enterprise  likely  to  extend  rapidly  under 
the  influence  of  American  capital  and  perhaps 
Chinese  labour.  Then  about  tea,  in  Hawaii  we 
recognise  a far  more  serious  rival  than  in  the 
Carolinas  where  Hr  Shephard  and  Mr.  Coltam  are 
at  work.  There  has  been  started  a Hawaiian 
Coffee  and  Tea  Company  and  tea  seed  has  been 
got  from  Ceylon — five  acres  cleared  and  planted  at 
2,000  feet  are  reported  to  be  doing  exceedingly  well 
and  further  clearings  are  to  be  at  once  seen  to  ; 
orop  is  counted  on  in  two  years.  This  Company 
is  also  planting  cacao.  Altogether  the  Hawaiian 
planters  are  enterprising  and  go-a  head.  They  have 
a Planters’  Labour  and  Supply  Company  ; they  read 
the  Tropical  Agriculturist , and  tlsia  Report  shows 
they  are  on  the  way  to  prosperity.  Labour  is  still  a 
difficulty  and  they  think  a variety  of  crops  will 
simplify  it;  but  we  should  look  to  a large  influx 
of  Chinese  as  the  best  solution. 
LAND  CONCESSIONS  FOR  PLANTING  AND 
AGRICULTURAL  PURPOSES  IN  SIAM  AND 
NEIGHBOURING  COUNTRIES. 
For  some  time  past  it  has  become  known  to 
European  planters  that  the  soil  and  climate  of 
some  portions  of  the  Western  States  of  Siam  offer 
very  favourable  opportunities  for  the  profitable 
growth  of  tobacco,  coffee  and  other  products.  The 
recent  agitation  in  favour  of  the  construction  of 
the  Singgora  railway  has  drawn  a goed  deal  of 
attention  to  that  portion  of  the  Malayan  peninsula, 
more  especially  as  it  is  proposed  to  continue  the 
line  after  crossing  the  peninsula,  by  way  of  Keddab 
— through  Provinoe  Wellesley — to  a spot  on  the 
mainland  just  opposite  Penang,  After  travelling 
through  the  whole  of  the  Siamese  Western  States, 
as  well  a3  the  Straits  colony  and  the  protected 
Native  States,  we  learn  that  a selection  was 
made  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Singgora  by  a 
very  experienced  planter  from  Sumatra,  who 
thereupon  proceeded  to  Bankok  to  aek  for 
a concession  from  the  Siamese  Government. 
He  anticipated  but  little  difficulty  in  obtaining 
what  he  wanted,  as  tha  Governor  of  that  district 
was  inclined  to  help  him  or  at  any  rate  professed 
to  be  so  inolined,  and  the  King  of  Siam,  during  his 
visit  to  his  Western  States  some  two  or  three  years 
ago,  had  been  enabled  to  contrast  their  condition 
with  that  of  the  neighbouring  States  under  British 
protection,  and  had  expressed  his  wish  to  see  the 
prosperity  and  enterprise  so  evident  in  those 
territories  extended  to  his  own  dominions.  Not- 
withstanding this  expression  of  wiilingness  on  the 
part  of  His  Majesty,  the  applicant  for  a concession 
of  land  on  which  to  grow  tobacco,  failed  to  meet 
with  the  encouragement  that  might  have  been 
expeoted,  and  it  was  only  after  long  and  weary 
waiting  with  continual  postponements  in  coming 
to  a decision,  that  he  at  last  induced  the  Govern- 
ment to  give  him  a decided  answer.  The  con- 
ditions under  whioh  ho  was  to  be  allowed  to 
take  up  the  land  for  cultivation,  cannot  be 
looked  upon  as  by  any  means  favourable,  or 
indeed  to  merit  the  name  of  “ concession  ” at 
all.  When  they  are  compared  with  the  terms 
offered  by  the  Government  of  other  places 
