564 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTUELST. 
[Feb, 1, 1901. 
wax and sperm candles are sent here from other 
countries, but they cost too much for general service, 
and usually the home made, cheap candle is used. 
The Philippines have in them a great many more 
LEATHEll TANNEBIE3 
than strangers suppose. There is a large consump- 
tion of leather here for the making of shoes for use 
on Sundays and feast days. Harness leathers are 
wanted, and belts, etc. In nearly all of the cities 
or of the country there are leather tanneries in 
operation, and these have taken new life since Ameri- 
can occupation. Your correspondent visited several 
of these native tanneries and found that in every 
case there had been increased orders, and that it 
was the intention to add more machinery an:t in- 
crease the capacity of the work. The native tanuers 
find an abundance of tanning material in the country, 
and this comes cheap to them. They al-?o use con- 
siderable fats and oils in the finishing processes for 
softening the fibre of the leather and in getting the 
necessary glossy finish. Since they have tried to make 
leather belting for the power plants of the islands, 
considerable oily substance has been called for. 
The natives formerly turned out belting so stiff 
and harsh that few would buy it, preferring to pay ten 
times higher prices for the imported belting that would 
work well on pulleys. But among the discharged 
soldiers of the United States Army there were some 
wlio were formerly tanners, and these men have seen 
the money to be made in the business, and they have 
interested themselves with the native owners, with 
the result that the belting turned out by the native 
tanneries is now suitable for the transmission of power 
on frictional surfaces of pulleys. 
It has become a general custom in the Phillippiues 
to. always calculate upon certain important portions of 
articles shipped here from other couutries to be mis- 
sing. Paints have been shipped here from American 
and other nations in vast lots during the past year, 
but the necessary oils are often absent, with the result 
that the native painter uses auy available oil. I have 
seen these native painters dump quantities of coconut- 
oil into colors so as to thin the colors and mike them 
go over more surface. The oils prevent the drying 
of the colours for a long time, but no one minds Lhis. 
The painters of the islands are good customers of the 
oils, and the coconut oil makers have no difficulty in 
selling their products, and the chances for additional 
manufacturers are good. 
Americans or others who would engage in the mak- 
ing of coconut oils in the Philippines should calculate 
upon securing the entire plant for the oil manufacture 
in America, as there are no presses or refining appara- 
tus here. One can buy the engine here, also the vats, 
pumps, belting and small devices. All other equip- 
ments should be purchased ahead and sent here. The 
necessary labor can be secured in the immediate vici- 
nity. I know of peverfil Americans who are sitting 
back in their carriages and riding about, while their 
newly purchased oil works are paying handsonje pro- 
fits under the superintendence of a Filipino oil manu- 
facturer at wages equal to about |1 gold per day, and 
a very small corhmission on profits. This superin- 
tendent hires several overseers of departments at 40 
to 50 cents per day and no commission, and the over- 
seers get all the labor they want at from 10 to 15 cents 
per day. The coconuts can be raised or bought out- 
right, or the copra can be purchased ready to crush a,nd 
refine. There is certainly money in this business now 
that the soldiers of the islands afford the necessary 
protection to industries. If need be, soldiers will be 
provided to guard outlying works. — Oil Faint and Drug 
Utpoi'ltv. 
THE TEA TRADE IN 1900. 
In its review of tea for the past year the Grocer 
has the following : — 
CEYLON TEA. 
Tlii.s market, as regards priced teas, is ruled 
by the Indiau market, but tine (j^uality Pekoes 
and all leaf teas .suitable for export have a ruar- 
ket of their own, nioie or less, while line broken 
Pekoe.s move up and down 3i and 4-d per lb. 
tlirou;.diout the year as qu.riiiy improves or falls 
off. Tlie enormous e.xtra supply, however, for the 
first five months of the year <;reatly added to the 
collapseof the common tea market. From Januaiy 
1, 1900, to May 31 we received llj xuillioa lb. 
more than in 1899 to same date, wliile for tlie 
year we shall receive about 112 million lb, against 
96| million lb in 1899, making a total increase 
of between 15 and IG million lb. Deliveries, how- 
ever, liead the list in incrca-ies, and are most satis- 
factory — viz , 11 million lb, or say 105 million lb, 
against 9i\ million lb in 1899. We have, Lowever, 
added on to our stock about 6 million lb, and, 
as we said in our remarks on Indian tea, the out- 
look for tlie/new year is not a bright one when 
we con.-iuer/that India and Ceylon together will 
add some IT million lb on to the stock by January 
I, 1901. We can only hope that the present ruinous 
rates will help to curtail any e.*:tra supplies we 
might otherwise get frourour " spicy colony." Re- 
exports are accountable for Ij million lb of the in- 
creased deliveries. The qualitj of thisyear'ssupplies 
lias been a fair average. The average prices of the 
line liquoringleaf teasaud brokeus untilAugust were 
decidcdlj' under previous season.'^, but since then 
values have improved considerably, the trade 
having competed for them, owing, no doubt, to 
the poor value offering in Indian teas between 
8d and Is per lb. In previous years Rui^sian orders 
were generally ■2d per ib over trade ideas, but 
of late we lind the latter have been willing to 
take them at even more money. The market 
.opened in January with a very strong tone and 
a quotation of 6^'! to Gil for leaf, but prices 
before the end of the month gave way for the 
lower grades, and shoved small ups and downs 
for several months, while the better teas rose 
until May or June. Sweet common broken Pekoes 
were a feature at b\^\ to 6J, and liave remained 
low for the rest ol the year, with a rise of ^<1 
|)er 111 about July, only to fall away again later 
on. In July-August we find quotations of 5d for 
leaf, and since then there has been a more or 
less falling market for common kinds until we 
reached 4|il and 4fd for fair leaf teas, and 5^d 
to Gd for sweet broken Pekoes. The quality of 
fine teas was very good in October, and long 
prices were, and are, being realised. Choice teas 
have been scarce tbroiigiiout the year, but as we 
write we find that the lower grades are nearly 2d 
per lb cheaper than they were at the end mf 
1899. 
The exports for 1900 from Colombo direct to 
other countries than the United Kingdom will 
be about 32 million lb, Russia being credited with 
nearly 9 million lb, or an increase of more than 
5 million lb over 1899 ; while America and 
Australia both taken 1 urillion lb extra — Home 
and Colonial Mail, Jan. 4, 
Artificial Manuras —The Englishman un- 
derstands that a scheme is under consideration for 
the starting of a company having fcr its object 
the manufacture in India of artificial manures, 
This movement lias had its origin in the important 
part that scientific methods of manuring have 
been found to play in improving the quality 
and increasing the yield of \nAi%o.— Pioneer^ 
Jan. 1, 
