614 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1901. 
TEA IN FEANCE, 
CfSYLONf AND INDIAN VERSUS ANNAM. 
A recent report by the French Bureau of Foreif;ii 
Coniinerce contains statistics rehiting to the tea 
ndiistry of tlie Protectorate of Annani. Tlie year 
1894 was the first iu which tea from one of lier 
colonies was offered in Fiance. In tliat year 
7,500 1b were received from Annam. In 1896 the 
recei|)ts increased co 10,296 lb ; in 1897 to 13 000 
lb. In 1898 the imports of tea from Annam into 
France were 4-2,26-21b. Tfie tij^'ures for 1899 are 
not yet available, but it is estimated that tlie 
exports will not be less than 04,000 lbs. Up to 
1892 Annam tea was cultivated only for use 
among the natives, and tlie proposition to cultivate 
it for European consumiidon seemed a chimer,!. 
But the consumption of tea in France was increas- 
ing; very rapidly. From 1,447,63.5 lbs, eonsuMied 
in 1892, the quantity rose to 1,794,832 lbs in 1898, 
and increased by nearly another 10U,<;00 lb in 
1899. The supply was almost entirely from China 
an Ceylon. The tea from Annam is said to equal 
the finest article produced in Cliina. It is in very 
general use in the French army in Annam, and it 
is only believed to be a question of time when it 
will meet the entire demand in France. The pro- 
duction is daily increasiiif;. The old colonists are 
going into the business of growing tea, finding it 
more profitable than any other occupation. The 
above st.Atements, culled from a French repoit, are 
not very favourable as to the prospoets of Indian 
and Ceylon tea in France. They must, however, 
be accepr.etl witli a considerable " pinch of salr," as 
it is highly improbable that Annam tea will ever be 
able to compete with the British-grown product. 
It is hoped that the standard of tea will be raised 
in France and that the Ce.\lon staple will be sup- 
plied to the army. Strenuous efforts are being put 
forward to achieve these most desirable results. — 
/. P. G. Jan. 19. 
OVER-SIJPPLY-LOW PKlCES. 
[To the Editor, Home and Colonial Mail.] 
Sir, — There is no doubt that the advance of 2d 
per lb. in the duty vi^as imposed in a most in- 
opportune year for the producers of tea. Even 
though the lUityliadnot been increased, we should 
doub: less have had a full in values due to 
over-supply, but this fall hfcs been aggravated by 
curtailment of demand, owing to fictitious or 
forced increase in the retail or consuming price of 
the article. The planter is thus smitten on both 
cheeks. What is the remedy? There is only 
one : reduction of supplies. 
There are various schemes suggested, having 
tliis object in view, some more absurd than others. 
One g'les so far as to propose burning or destroy- 
ing a portion of the tea. To these various sug- 
gestions let us aild one more. It is this : that 
every producer should agree, under penally, to 
allow 10 per cent of the tot il area of his estate to 
remain unpruned and untouched for one year, 
The area lying fallow would unquestionably be 
improved by the year's rest, and if the scheme 
were workable and succeeded, then that particular 
10 per cent of acreage could be cultivateil the next 
year, and enotlier 10 per cent could then be 
given a well earned rest. The effect should be 
about 10 per cent less tea, which might mean 
an advance in London in fiiice of perliaps Id or 
2(1 J>er lb., or eay, roughly, 20 per cent, 
We like to make practical suggestians, but a.s 
we think insui mountable oitWculiies might crop 
up which would make this sugge.«iion impractic- 
able, we desire to sub.?cribe ourselves. — Yours 
*'"'y. Brokers. 
Lon.ion, January 3, 1091. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
GOOD PRICES : A HINT TO THE TEA FOLK. 
VVe are interested to leavn from Mr. Geo. 
Christie that the estate, Kanapediwatte, of 
which he has charge, sold 2,947 lb. cinchona 
bark ni November last, and that it fetched 47i 
Pek'oeT^* Better than Orange 
ElephAxNTS in N. Siam.— Elephants have 
grown so scarce in northern Siaiii that a special 
law has just been passed for tlieir preservation. 
Ally penson wrongfully killing an elephant is made 
liable to hue or imprisonment. Formal per.iiissiou 
to catch an elephant must be obtained from the 
authorities, and one in five of those so caught 
will be the property of the Government.— .B. 
(razette, Nov. 21. 
Treatmknt of Mosquito Bites.— M. Manquat 
recommends, for the treatment of the bite of the 
inosquito usually met with in France, the em- 
ployment of tincture of iodine, foimoi, or men- 
tholised eau de Cologne. Applying the tinc- 
ture of iodine on a brush causes the ilisappear- 
anee of the itching at; the end of about 
ten to twenty mi.iutes. Although the iodine 
acts much more quickly wlicn it i.s applied at 
once, still it doe.s not lose its (-fficacy when the 
papules are enveloped and infl.immed. Using 
formal, five pramuies are taken of a forty per 
cent solution, and nii.\ed with ten grammes of 
ninety p r cent alcohol and ten grammes of 
water. This is applied in a thin coat and renewed 
as it evaporate.", care being taken to discontinue on 
the appearance of any cauteiisiug effect. Tliis is 
said to act even more o^u:ckiy than the iodine 
mentholised eau de Cologne, or ineiitholised 
alcohid of a four or five pe cent solution, also 
soothes the nahmg.—Brdish and Colonial Drug- 
gist, Jan. 25. 
Extraction of Rubbkr.— A navel process 
was desciibed recently before the Society of 
Civil Engineers of France for the extraction of 
india-rubber from the tree. The bark and roots 
are cut up and soaked in dilute sulphuric acid. 
The efiect of this is to decompose the woody 
portions without affecting the india-rubber. In 
this way a division is made between the valuable 
rubber and the rest of the bark and roots, and 
it is claimed that the rubber so produced is 
quite pure. It was stated by the author that 
1 lb. of india-rubber could be produced by the 
process at a cost of about •Ih i.—Enqineer.—Two 
French chemists have discovered a process by 
which rubber may be obtained from Landolfia vine, 
which grows wild and luxurianily in all parts 
of Africa The process of tapping the Landolfia 
is impracticable, as the flow of rubber hardens too 
quickly. By the process of M, M, Arnand and Ver- 
neuil, the vine is crushed in hot water, by which 
means all the rubber which it contains is extracted, 
—(Queensland Agricultural Journal, 
