Dec. 1, 1900.] THE TEOPICAL AGiilCULTURIST. 
407 
coffee tree is from 8 to 12 palmos high, while in the 
Santos the standard varies from 10 to 16 palmos." I 
may here state that a palmo is equal to 83 inches. 
Shevarovs. C. K. Short, 
—Madras Mail, Oct, 24. 
Sir, — Adverting to " H. W." 's letter in your 
issue of the 25t)i instant, 1 fail to see how, apart 
from its impracticability in general planting, fi 
greater number of plants than 302 can be got into 
an acre by conducting the operation in regular 
hexagons with 12 feet sides, and having a plant in 
the centre so that all the plants may be 12 feet 
apart. In a hexagon of this size every two adja- 
ceno triangles form a rhombus whose sides are 
12 feet by 12 feet, and there are three such 
rhombic hgares in the hexagon, whose super- 
ficial area, therefore, is 48 .square yards, and this 
is space just enough for three plants. It will be 
observed that the centre plant of eacli hexagon be- 
comes the corner plant of a rhomhiis 12 feet by 
12 feet so that this practically amounts to plant- 
ing 12 feet apart, only instead of in squares wa 
have the figure slightly altered, but with the 
same area. I avail myself of tiiis opportunity of 
correcting an error wliich crept into my letter 
of the 18ih instant — in it "more light rain"' 
should read " more liglit and air." 
Gudalur. H, H. G. 
A SOUTH MYSORE VIEW. 
South Mysore, Oct. 23. — The interesting articles 
in your issue of the 16th, and subsequently, on 
" The Improvement of Coffee Culture in S. India," 
have been real with interest by many planters 
here. The prospect of picking such big crops 
with so little trouble is certainly a most dazzl- 
ing one, but I venture to think there is not one 
planter in this district who is sufficiently san- 
guine of success, to cut out any of his existing 
coffee on the mere chance of such a prospect at- 
taining fulfilment. Borer removes quite enough 
of our coffee trees yearly, and the difficulty of 
growing supplies, especially on old estates, has 
become a difficult and expensive matter. It is 
permissible to think that Ijorer and leaf disease 
would attack coffee planted 12 feet by 12 feet just 
as severely as coffee planted 6 feet by 6 feet is 
now attacUesl. Shade trees are proved to be an 
absolute necessity in this district for the protec- 
tion of the coffee during the drought from Decem- 
ber to April and to reduce the devastation by 
borer to a minimum. This fact alone serves to 
demonstrate clearly ander what entirely different 
conditions coffee is grown here to the conditions 
which obtain in Brazil and in some of the other 
coffee districts of S. India. — Eladras Mail, Oct, 30. 
TEA CLEARING HOUSE. 
This Association was formed some years 
back for the mutual advantage of tlie wholesale 
tea trade and of the wharfingers. The insti- 
tution has proved beneficial in some respects, 
especially in promoting despatch in the deli- 
very of teas. Instead of the various whole 
sale houses having to send the documents round 
to the very numerous wharves scattered along 
the Thames bank, they are handed in to a central 
office in Mincing Lane, which saves considerable 
time, especially as the same system applies also 
to the returns of the unused portions of warrants 
to the owners. There is no doubt, however, that 
the Tea Clearing House, as at present constituted, 
has become injurious to the interests of a con- 
siderable portion of the trade, and particularly to 
those of the tea planters and importers, and of 
tlie home trade. This is because the members, 
on its formation, agreed only to buy teas lying 
at certain specified warehouses, while on the 
other hand non-members were excluded from the 
benefits of the Clearing Hou^e. People were also 
tempted to join it by being given discounts of 
5 per cent o!f some of the charges, on condition 
that these were not allowed to other people, such 
as the reta ilers who buy tea. We have always 
objected to the latter portion of the arrangement 
as. coming perilously near those secret commis- 
sions which form such a canker in irade. These 
disccunts have in some casts been recently in- 
creased. 
The result of the creation of the Clearing House 
monopoly has been that, while the imports of 
tea nave enormously i.icreased, the warehouses 
at which it is placed have remained stationary in 
number. As a consequence, the dock and ware- 
housing charges on lea have been maintained, and 
they are, as is generally admitted, exorbitant as 
compared with those on any other commodity, 
for instance, they are double those on coffee, an 
article which is dearer on the average than tea in 
bond. Tea warehousing has also become an ex- 
tremely profitable business, so much so that it has 
been embarked upon by syndicates of meichants 
and others, who have become part proprietors of 
Tea warehouses, and who import tea in order to 
obtain the housing. The whole system militates 
very greatly against the interests of the tea 
planters, who have, as everyone admits, vei y great 
difficulties to contend with without the add'itional 
one 01 a warehousing monopoly in London coupled 
with excessive charges. No relief can be obtained 
from the Customs, who at present absolutely re 
fuse to , license more bonded warehouses for "the 
storage of tea in London, and who will not re 
ceive payment of duty except at the specifie- 
warehouses on their list. This acts as a great 
hindrance to the proper development of the tea 
trade in London, but while the Clearing House 
exists in Its present form no change can be ex- 
pected It IS interesting to know that a leading 
hrm of wharfingers has now seceded from the 
Clearing House, and it remains to be seen whether 
the trade will or will not re-assert its libertv of 
buying where it pleases. Tea-growers, importers, 
and dealers shoula also be represented in the 
working of the Clearing House. 
The following ciicularhas recently been issued on 
the subject, and it would certainly appear that the 
advantages of the Clearing House would be better 
acknowledged by an annual money payment, than 
by maintaining a tea warehousing monopoly 
« Tea Clearing House Committee, 21, Mincing Lane 
September 27, 1900. ^ ' 
Sib or Gentlemen,— The Committee of the Tea 
Clearing House beg to notify to you as a subscriber 
that Chamberlains Wharf Limited, are no longer 
members of the Tea Clearing House, and are, there- 
fore, not entitled to its privileges. Having regard to 
the terms of Rule 14 the Committee have decided 
in order to avoid inconvenience to the trade, to 
suspend that llule so far as regards teas already 
purchased by buyers, and now lying at Chamberlain'a 
Wharf, and teas already catalogued for sale at that 
wharf. I am, your obedient servant, (Signed) G J 
PoocK, Secretary"' 
