186 
THE TEOPICA.L AGRICULTURIST. [Sept. ], 1900. 
three bbarams per acre (one bharam being qtiivoJent 
to 66"ib.) It ia stated that a single vine pv iciucea from 
cue edangali to four edangalia of dried pepper. 
There is no doubt that pepper cultivation is highly 
remunerative, and it is a pity that it is not carried 
on more extensively than it is at, present. — Ind.ian 
A<iricult%u-ist, Autjust 1. 
HUNTERS THE TEAMEN, LIMITED, 
MORE PROSPERITY. 
The third ordinary a;eneral meeting of the share- 
holders in Hunters the Teamen, Limited, was 
held on Tliursday, at the iMitre Hotel, Man- 
chester. Mr. George Ollerenshaw, chairman and 
managing director, presided. 
The directors reported that there was a pi'oflt 
on trading of £34,183 14s Id., and after payment 
of all expenses a net profit of £24,964 5s. 5d., 
which showed an increase on the preceding year 
of £5,555 2s. 3d. This amount added to £2, .508 
2s. Id. brought forward made a total available 
profit of £27,472 7s. 6d. The preference dividend 
for the year had been paid, and an interim divi- 
dend on the ordinary A shares at the rate of 
10 per cent, per annum, and on the ordinai-y B 
shai'es at the rate of Ih, per cent, per annum, 
and £3,000 added to the reserve fund. The sum 
of £13,334 17s. 6d. remained available for distri- 
bution. Tlie directors liad made ihe payment of 
a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum 
on the A ordinary shares and interest and divi- 
dend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum on 
the new issue as per agreement, and now re- 
commended a dividend at the i-ate of 12^ per cent, 
per annum on the B ordinary shares (making 10 
per cent, for the financial year on the A and B 
ordinary sliares). It would be remembered that 
in March last a further issue of capital was made, 
viz •.—20,000 A ordinary shares at 10s. premium. 
This premium had been added to the reserve 
fund. In addition to the above £3,000 and £10,000, 
it was fui'ther recommended that the sum 
of £5,000 be added to the Reserve Fund, making 
the same into £22,500, and the sum of £4,487 7s. 2d. 
be carried forward. 
The Chairman moved the adoption of the report 
and balance sheet. He said he was again in tlie 
happy position of being able to report progress 
and increased profits, the result of a largely-in- 
creased turnover. The new shares had Ijeen 
readily taken up by existing shareholders, and 
application had been made to the Manchester 
Stock Exchange for quotation of the new shares. 
Gentlemen connected with the provision trades 
well knew that the markets during the past few 
months had gone dead against the retailer, and 
under such adverse conditions the net profit was 
highly gratiting. Tlie reserve fund of £22.500 
must be vei'y agreeable news to owners of B 
shares, for in the ordinary course of things their 
siiares must a year hence rank equal to A shares. 
Mr. S. J. Brad well seconded. Each year, he 
said, they seemed to meet under brighter 
auspices. Their success was not so much in an 
increase in the percentage of profits as in a 
large turnover at about the same expense.— 
Grocers' Journal, Aug. 4. 
-« 
A SUGGESTION FOR MAKING GREEN TEA. 
I am going to try and ra'-.lce green tea, but so far 
I have no nailing orders. I am afraid that my tea 
■will be different from that made by others. I 
imagine that there must be two or three men available 
who know how to make green tea who could be 
Becured as instructors. These men could be deputed 
to visit the different districts and instruct the mau- 
B,gGr3 within a given circle, and others from a wider 
circle could come in and attend the demonstrations. 
The instructor should actually make a whole break, 
aad ftU cpnceracd jshouli make tea on the same lines 
and submit samples. Whatever appliances are re- 
quired sfiould he obtained beforehand, and everything 
prepared to make a large quantity of tea of one qualitj 
and character. 
It would have been better to allow a bonus of 
1 anna per pound, and half fee to the instructor, 
i.e., E6,250 for 200000 lb., or better still. R12,.5u0 
for instructors and J per pound bonu-^. The 
most important points in the new venture are 
quantity and uniformity. We have fixed the 
quautiiy at 200/100 lb. but have taken no steps 
to get equality of character, so that the 
200,000 lb. will he split up into several sorts of tea. I 
do not believe that the political troubles in Ghini 
Vv-ill have any eii'.jct on our chances of gaining the 
American market; we need not hnrry ourselves un- 
duly. It will be better to get more system into our 
attempt even if it incurs a delay. We have not cut 
out China green teas in America because we have 
not tried to do so. If we do try we can do it, be- 
cause our leaf is better and our labour cheaper, and 
because we are more honest. The plan I propose 
is to find instructors who have already succeeded in 
mukiug suitable green tea for America. 
These men will draw up a list of appliances and 
have them prepared by a fixed date. Iron pans, 
steaming cylinders, soapstone, gypsum, Prussian blue, 
cloth for pressing bai;s, tea chests of certain dimen- 
sions— iu fact, anything they fancy. Each instructor 
would get promises of a fixed quantity of green tea 
to be made within a fixed circle. He would go 
to one central factory and mahe one invoice 
himself ; and he would watch the manufacture of 
the others, and be ready to go and put matters 
straieht if any great difference appeared iu anyone's 
tea. The instructor's work would be done in two or 
three weck^, and the result would be a break of tea 
which could easily be matched in the future. 
The individual managers would be released of all 
responsibility, and it really is not fair to ask any man 
to risk his reputation on an utterly unknown product. 
Those who succeed will do so by chance, and those who 
fail will be continued as fools if each one is left to 
mere verbal instruction. It would be wise if the pro- 
prietors to give up part of the b iuus to secure expeti 
and experienced instructors. I feel inclined to try 
2,0001b,, and get E,187 8-0 bonu^, but I would certainly 
rather spend this in going to see the tea made by an 
expert than risk failure. 
So much about instructors, but another point which 
is at present in dispute is the necessity of steaming 
apparatus. 1 was recently in Calcutta and had a talk 
with one who knows how to make green tea, and he 
says that steaming is done by the action of heat on 
the leaf. The leaf supplies its own moisture, which 
heat, (however applied), turns into steam, 
Surely it is a mistake to apply steam " obtained 
from water outside the leaf! j3y applying steam, 
a temperature of only 212 deg. can be 'given to the 
leaf, but I have read that leaf can be steamed on 
red hot pans ; it is more than probable that tem- 
peratures over 212 deg. are required for making good 
green tea or Oolongs. Our Siroccos can give heat 
up to 350 deg., and that would make the leaf steam 
in about half a minute. I have never read that the 
Chinese or any Indian green teas in former times 
required a steaming apparatus. 
I see an advertisement on page XIII of 9th August 
of your paper, stating that the cost of the 7iecfssary 
machine for steaming is R600. Would Mr. H D 
Deane tell us for how long any apparatus had been 
considered necessary. This means that the bounty 
of 1,' annas on 6,40Uib would have to be advanced 
by the intending experimenter, and most of na 
would like to know whether steaming by the aid of 
an apparatus is really necessari/. May I suggest 
that steam applied to leaf will muke it more moist 
so that besides the cost of fuel to make the steam' 
more fuel will be required to dry off the added 
moisture. Dry heat extracts moisture from the leaf 
in the form of steam, and the drving is thus already 
comrneaoed. A.G.— Lilian Garclenina and Plantina, 
August 23. ^ ^ 
