Aug, 1, 1900. J THE TKOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 89 
or two ago, but occasionally there is a small 
visitation of a beast that appears to be the 
same as the cinchona caterpillar which wrouijht 
such havoc in Ceylon in years jjone by. But in 
no single instance have I known ic iittaik a 
liealtliy tree. It is ever useful in yonns; coffee 
in drawing attention to '• wasters " Avhich 
otherwise inight escape notice. Oat with such 
an one, and, as sure as cows have tails, the 
roots will be found defective. 
It should further he reaiembcred that here in 
Serdang, coffee is a comparatively new intr >- 
dnction and its natural enemies when attempt- 
ing to establish themselves lind, owing to the 
ricliness of the soil, such a lusty bu?h, that they 
can make little or no impression on it, and re- 
tire discomfited. I may in fact say that a bad 
plant is only owing to bad planting. 
W. T M'K. 
lOtii June. 
. ^ 
IMPORTATION OF TE.v INTO FRANCE (ex- 
ports DEDUCTED.) 
[Extract from Le Travail National, 13th 
May, 1900.] 
Yeais. 
Kilos, 
Increase per cent. 
1880 
408,000 
11 0 
1881 
438,000 
107 
188-2 
456,000 
H2 
18S3 
491,000 
120 
1884 
523,000 
1-28 
1885 
473,000 
116 
1886 
.542,000 
133 
1887 
543,000 
133 
1838 
491,000 
120 
J 889 
523,1 '00 
128 
1890 
603,000 
148 
1891 
602,000 
147 
1892 
645,000 
158 
189:-'. 
676,000 
165 
1894 
692,000 
169 
1895 
718,000 
174 
1896 
754,000 
184 
1897 
765,0!I0 
187 
1898 
826,000 
202 
1899 
876,000 
214 
Remarks. — 
•This represents the 
excess of imports of 
tea int) France over exports. Much tea is imported 
into France and held in Bond in Marseilles and 
elsewhere for exportation to Switzerland, Spain, Italy 
Algeria, Morocco and Dabonaey. Some even goes 
to Turkey. Noue of them is shown, nor does it 
shew the country of origin. 
The Banana an id Typhoid.— The uses of the 
banana are claimed to be many and various. 
The latest is both unique and important. Ac- 
cording to the belief of Mr. William C Usery, M D 
of St. Louis, the banana is the very best food 
obtainable for typhoid fever patients. In this 
disease he explains, the lining niembrance of 
the small intestines becomes intensely inflamed 
and gorged. Eveatually it begins sloughing away 
in spots, leaving well-defined ulcers. At these 
places the intestinal walls become dangerously 
thin. A solid food, if taken into the stomach, 
is likely to produce perforation of the intestines, 
and dire results will follow. Therefore, solid food 
or foods containing a large amount of innutri- 
tious substances are dangerous, and are to be 
avoided. The banana, although it may be classed 
as a solid food containing as it does 95 per cent 
nutrition, does not possess sufficient waste to 
irritate these sore spots. Nearly the whole 
amount taken into the stomach is absorbed and 
gives the patient more strength than can be ob* 
taitied fi'om otUsi' food,-- P M Herald, Juaa 20, 
INDIAN TEA SEASON 1990. 
PK ACTICAL .CRinCtSM OF CURING AND MARKET, 
The two opening sales of the season have, so far, 
not done much to raisa a |)!anter's spirits, for the 
prices obtained are very near the cost of produc- 
tion, in some instances below. The brokers say 
that, so far, no good teas, or teas of speci U merit, 
have as yet tui iic'l 11)1, hut we fail entirely to see 
how this can be the case from all districts. It is 
quite possihle that one or two districts might 
show inferior q iality, but tlie universal coiideiw- 
nation takes us somewhat aback. If it is true, 
the sooner an enquiry is made into the cause the 
better it will be for the industry, and at present 
an excellent opportunity for t e New Agricul- 
tural Chemist just arrived for proving his merit. 
We can scarcely put it down to our planters 
having lost their cunning, for every year sees 
them supplied witii new machinery, supposed to 
be of a modern and better type, and with closer 
attention to plucking and cultivation, we must 
say. we fail to fathom it. In former years Assam 
teas commanded a very much higher average than 
the other districts, but sales so far this year bring 
those ilown to the level of Cachar and Sylliets, and 
consideiing how much more expensively the 
Assam Valley gardens are worked than those 
in the Surma Valley, the same prices spell ruin. 
In foi iner years, there were many notable marks in 
Cachar especiilly, that commanded As^am prices, 
but, lo ! the mighty have fallen also, and those 
marks which it would be invidious to mention are 
down on a level with the " ruck ' Can the 
Ijrokers or agents explain how this phenomenon 
has come about ? for jdieaomenon it is. The teas, 
so fai as one can judp-e by appearance, are as good 
as ever they were, yet they don't bring the money 
— and this is the main thing. Has the exhaustion 
of the soil anything to do with it? Have the 
seasons changed, or what ? There is no doubt 
tlie chemistry of tea is in its infancy yet ; but 
still, we fail to see how teas turned out in iden- 
tically the same manner, with better machinery, 
fetch annas less per jiound than they ilid even, 
sny, a couple of years ago. Has anything gone 
\yroiig with the new machinery that the planter 
did not bargain for ? Do the new dryers not 
retain the volatile oils so well as the old ones, 
or what? The brokers may, we allow, under- 
estimate the ilullness of the market, but they 
cannot surely do this so much as the extent 6f 
the drop in prices would lead one to believe. 
Allowing for a drop of, say, two or three annas 
within the last three years, i.e , about an anna 
annually, the average price of the whole crop 
sold in London does not indicate this over all : 
but it is most distinct in particular cases; and 
it is this we would like to see explained away 
satisfactorily. Has the new drying machine de- 
teriorated the leaf in manufacturing, produc- 
ing only what a broker would call a dri/ tea, 
i.e., a tea without much in it ? Another point 
worthy of consideration is the amount of rolling 
given. This has been gradually increas ing until 
now nearly doubli the time is given on the 
rolling table to what was a few years ago. Has 
this extra rolling anything to do with the poverty 
in cup ? We do not say that these, or any 
other processes during manufacture (to which we 
may allude), are answerable for the poor teas now 
being produced; but merely suggest them as points 
for our practical planters to consider and weigh 
well. There has been also a great craze for cool 
fermentation or oxidisation, but we do not know 
how tar the industry ha? beea benefited by it, oj; 
