66o 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [April  i,  1893. 
the  dealer’s  profits,  this  Pepper  could  not  be  sold 
under  3J.  Such  a quality  is  quite  unfit  for  the  table 
use,  and  is  only  suitable  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
In  the  same  way,  the  lowest  Penang  White  Pepper 
now  costs,  after  the  recent  fall,  3|d.  per  lb.  The 
cost  of  grinding,  loss  of  weight,  and  barrels,  is  gd. 
per  lb.,  the  loss  in  weight  being  heavier  than  with 
Black  Pepper.  This  would  bring  the  first  cost  up 
to  4id-,  or,  allowing  Jd.  for  the  dealer’s  profit,  to 
4§d  per  lb.  Both  in  Black  and  in  White  Peppers 
it  is  notorious  that  far  lower  prices  than  the  above 
are  current.  In  some  cases  the  opportunity  for 
actual  comparison  is  given  by  the  quotation  of  the 
lowest  Pepper,  whole,  at  a considerably  higher  price 
than  the  simultaneous  offer  for  ground  Pepper.  Every- 
one knows  that  ground  Pepper  must  inevitably  cost 
more  than  whole.  The  question  therefore  arises  of 
how  the  natural  state  of  things  can  be  reversed. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  at  a time  when  there  is  so 
strong  an  agitation  for  the  improvement  of  the 
Adulteration  Acts,  that  the  grocers  will  support 
the  legitimate  wholesale  trade,  and  refuse  to  en- 
courage such  a disreputable  system  of  trading.  The 
case  of  Ginger  is  even  worse,  now  that  its  place  is 
being  so  extensively  taken  by  the  refuse  of  Ginger 
beer  making.  The  grocers  might,  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  law,  just  as  well  sell  exhausted  Tea 
leaves  for  Tea,  as  much  of  the  so-called  ground 
Ginger  that  is  now  being  offered.  The  worst  of 
the  matter  is  that  price  is  not  so  direct  a guide 
with  spent  Ginger  as  it  is  in  the  case  of  the  lowest 
Pepper,  for  the  operation  with  the  former  goes  further. 
It  is  well  known  to  the  wholesale  trade  that  spent 
Ginger  is  not  only  fraudulent  mixed  with  common 
qualities,  but  with  the  better  qualities  as  well,  in 
order  to  obtain  an  illegitimate  profit.  With  the 
lower  sorts,  however,  it  must  be  clear  to  anyone  that 
genuine  ground  Ginger  cannot  be  sold  below  the  cost 
of  the  raw  roots,  inasmuch  as  the  cost  of  grinding 
and  barrels  is  8s.  per  cwt.  Nor  can  bogus  guaran- 
tees of  quality  or  warranties  excuse  a respectable 
trader  in  his  own  eyes  from  buying  such  commodi- 
ties. With  the  higher-priced  Ginger  the  fraud  is 
less  easy  to  detect,  though  the  palate  at  once  shows 
any  extensive  adulteration.— Produce  Markets’  Review. 
— — — ♦ 
NOTES  ON  PRODUCE  AND  FINANCE. 
Tea  Culture  in  America.— Shortly  after  the  War 
of  Secession,  the  United  States  Minister  of  Agricul- 
ture instituted  an  experiment  in  tea-growing  on  an 
estate  near  Charleston,  but  the  results  were  not 
encouraging,  and  after  a short  time  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned.  Dr.  Charles  Shephard  has  now,  ac- 
cording to  a writer  in  the  Canadian  Grocer,  made  a fur- 
ther attempt  to  raise  tea  on  the  same  estate,  and  has 
been  assisted  by  Mr.  Cottam,  a planter  of  considerable 
experience  in  Ceylon.  Mr.  Cottam  states  that  the 
produce  of  this  South  Carolinian  estate  is  fully  equal 
in  quality  to  the  teas  grown  in  India  and  Ceylon,  and 
that  in  his  opinion  the  United  States  can  easily 
produce  the  90,000,000  lb.  of  tea  which  it  now  con- 
sumes annually,  There  are,  he  says,  millions  of  acres 
that  are  suitable  for  tea  cultivation — notabiy  the 
lands  inside  the  yellow  pine  belt.  There  will  be  no 
difficulty,  he  adds,  in  securing  cheap  labour,  since 
Dr.  Shephard  has  a school  on  his  estate  in  which  he 
gives  a free  education  to  the  children  of  the  district, 
and  thus  has  them  resembled  so  as  to  bring  their 
labour  to  bear  easily  and  cheaply  upon  picking. 
Men  will  be  required  only  to  look  after  the  machi- 
nery. It  will  be  interesting  to  learn  the  result  of  this 
curious  attempt  to  obtain  cheap  labour  in  a country 
where  the  use  of  the  mere  phrase  is  enough  to  excite 
an  outburst  of  popular  wrath. 
Another  Substitute  for  Sugar.— Alleged  sub- 
stitutes for  sugar  are  very  frequently  announced, 
but  beyond  that  fact  very  little  is  heard  of  them. 
The  latest  comes  from  Germany.  The  Handels - 
Museum  states  that  at  the  last  meeting  at  Hanover 
of  the  Brunswick-Hanover  Society  of  Beet  Sugar- 
Makers  a Berlin  doctor  made  an  interesting  com- 
munication relative  to  a new  substance  ‘called  vahin , 
which,  it  was  stated,  would  appear  to  be.  about  to 
supplant  saccharin,  and  will,  perhaps,  be  a serious 
competitor  to  the  sugar  industry.  This  substance, 
discovered  in  1883  by  a Berlin  chemist,  is  at  present 
produced  in  that  town  according  to  a patented  pro- 
cess. It  will  be  about  200  times  sweeter  than  sugar, 
and  will  not  have  certain  disagreeable  properties  of 
saccharin.  Several  experts  are  engaged  in  examining 
this  substance. 
Gum  Kino. — An  example  of  the  extraordinary  fluc- 
tuations which  frequently  take  plaoe  in  the  markets 
for  drugs  has  just  occurred  in  the  sudden  advance  of 
the  price  of  East  Indian  “gum  Kino”  to  £15  per 
cwt.  Eighteen  months  ago  the  quotation  was  oniy 
37s  6d  per  owt.  and  the  rise  appears  to  be  due  to  a 
stoppage  of  supplies,  In  India  “ Bengal  Kino,”  the 
gum  of  the  Butea  frond osa,  is  extensively  used  as  an 
astringent,  as  a substitute  for  the  true  Kino,  and  is  in 
some  respects  preferred  to  it,  because  it  yields  a 
stronger  astringent  in  water  than  in  spirit, — H.  andC. 
Mail,  Feb.  24. 
DRUGS  AND  OILS  IN  LONDON. 
(From  the  Chemist  and  Druggist.) 
London,  Feb,  23. 
Cinnamon  is  still  advancing.  Oue  hundred  bales  Ceylon 
usual  assortment,  Deeember-February  shipment,  have 
been  sold  at  6gd  per  lb  c.i.f.  term. 
Cinchona. — The  periodical  auctions  were  moderately 
heavy  this  week.  The  nine  catalogues,  totalled  up,  gave 
the  following  figures  : — 
Packages.  Packages. 
Ceylon  cinchona  1,574  of  which  1 ,4 is  were  sold 
East  Indian  cinchona  865  „ 686  ,, 
Java  cinehena  61  ,,  40  ,, 
West  African  cinchona  21  „ 21  „ 
South  American  cin- 
chona 276  „ 16  ,, 
2,787  2,181 
Most  of  the  bark  was  of  poor  quality,  and  the  highest 
figure  realised  by  any  lot  in  the  sale  6d  per  lb.  drey 
barks  were  not  very  largely  represented  ; but  there  was 
a considerable  quantity  of  Indian  Ledgerianu  chips. 
In  the  Ceylon  kinds  red  barks  srill  predominated,  the 
toue  was  very  sluggish,  scarcely  an  occasional,  flicker  oE 
competition  enlivening  the  selling  throughout  the  auctions. 
Several  Parcels  were  bought  in,  as  it  was  impossible 
to  approach  the  limits  fixed  by  the  owners,  and  the 
general  view  is  that  the  unit  value  rarely  surpassed, 
and  generally  failed  to  reach,  Id  per  lb,  showing  a 
decline  of  8 to  10  per  cent  upon  the  preceding  auctions. 
In  some  quarters  it  is  slated  that  this  sale  marks  the 
lowest  point  yet  touehed  in  the  history  of  the  trade. 
The  following  are  the  approximate  quantities  purchased 
by  the  principal  buyers  : — 
Agents  for  the  Frankfort-o/Main  and  Stuttgart  Lb. 
works  ...  ...  164,956 
Agents  for  the  Mannheim  anil  Amsterdam  works  84,490 
Agents  for  the  Brunswick  factory  ...  ...  58,915 
Agents  for  the  Paris  factory  ...  ...  49,918 
Messrs.  Howard  & Sons  ...  ...  49,040 
Agents  for  the  American  and  Italian  works  ...  36,430 
Agents  for  the  Auerbach  works  ...  ...  31,059 
Sundry  druggists  ...  ...  54.648 
Total  quantity  of  bark  sold 
Bought  in  or  withdrawn 
528,456 
113,074 
Total  quantity  offered  ...  ...  642,330 
Essential  j Oil. — Lemongrass  oil  has  been  the 
subject  of  some  speculation  this  week.  Wo  are  told 
that  one  firm  has  bought  up  the  bulk  of  the  supply 
on  the  spot  and  available  until  next  September.  The 
may  not  be  so ; but  at  any  rate,  prices  are  quotably 
higher.  Business  has  been  done  in  ordinary  native  quali- 
ties at  from  Jfd  to  Igd  per  oz.,  and  today  2d  per  02. 
is  asked. 
Chemical  Products  and  raw  materials  for  the 
manufaoture  of  porcelain  and  glass  are  inoluded 
in  the  list  of  prodhots  which  are  to  be  exempt 
from  the  customs  duty  under  the  Bill  reoently 
passed  by  the  Bulgarian  Government  for  encouraging 
industry  ia  that  country,  by  ceasing  to  tax  industrial 
establishments  having  an  invested  capital  of  2,000 
francs,  and  abolishing  the  duties  on  certain  raw 
materials  not  produced  in  the  country  itself.— 
Chemical  Trade  Journal,  Feb,  18. 
