^60 
i:he tropical 
AGRICULTURIST. [May 1, 190L 
crease in young and manured tea, tlie exports 
for Ceylon at the end of June will be less 
than in 1900 by, say, 5 per cent. If we are 
not _ tempted to go in for coarse pluck- 
ing in .the last sloa months of the year, there 
will certainly be 7 per cent less tea exported 
in 1901 than in 1900. 
Green teas. — Mr. Mackenzie, I see, wires 
'a better feeling in the market.' About time ! 
I only hope the wish is not father to the 
thought. The feeling is now pretty general 
that our Conuxiissioner ought to reside in 
America and must be able to advise his 
constituents, the Thirty Committee, to 
better purpose than he has done during the 
last twelve months." 
NATAL BOTANIC GARDENS. 
The Report for the year 1900, by J Medley Woodi 
A.L.S., has rea,ched us. There is a good deal 
of interesting reading, especially to Natal 
Colonists. Here is a reference to the way a very 
dry year affected fruit crops :— 
We have been in the habit of sending out from year 
to year from 4 to 7 tons of Mangoes, plucked green for 
making chutney, &c , but last year none were gathered 
and but very few are left on the trees. The crop of 
Liohig also was a complete failure, and all other 
fruit trees suffered in a similar way. 
We take two further paragraphs showing how 
certain tropical products will not grow in the 
"Garden Colony" of South Africa : — 
Oola acuminata. — This is the tree which produces 
the Oola nut of commerce, and I regret to have to 
report that all the plants are dead ; the soil and cli- 
mate do not appear to be suitable to the growth of the 
tree 
Theohroma cacao. — I regret to have to report that all 
the plauts placed in the open grouud have since died ; 
two were reserved for the conservatory and these are 
aliv© and healthy. I have never thought that this 
plant would succeed in the colony as our climate is 
not sufficiently tropical for it ; in the summer it is 
warm enough but the cold winter months are not 
suited for plants of this kind. I have several times 
had sent to me fruits which were said to be Cocoa 
grown in the colony, but they have always turned out 
to be those of Carolinea, or IPachira alba, a plant in no 
way related to the Theohroma. 
TEA PROSPECTS. 
(Extract from Geo. White <£• Co.'s Anmml Tea 
Report, for 1901.) 
' Prospects.— Although the presenfe Season closes 
without any near prospect of relief, so far at least 
as the value of common and inferior grades of 
all kinds are concerned, the position can hardly 
be considered as devoid of brightness in the 
future, as in the nature of things it will work 
out a cure for itself, tho-agli in doing so individual 
interests may suffer. Production has overtaken 
immediate requirements, but the Trade is a sound 
one and if given a respite from the burden it 
has lately had to bear in the way of excessive 
supplies it should right itself ere long, partly 
through the expansion of business fostered by 
low prices. It is to be lioped also that the 
action to restrict output taken by the Committee 
appointed by the Indian and Ceylon Tea Assf.ici'i- 
tions may bring home to Directors of Companies, 
Owners, and Managers of Estates generally, the 
absolute need of serious attention to this matter, 
pi,nd, although it may be ditlicult to formulate 
any scheme which can be univei-.^aliy adopted, 
that all will utrive towards the desired end. 
In many cases it may be feasible to gather 
the leaf more quid:!;,-, i.e., without letting 
it run so long. In oiliers liner plucking may 
be resorted to, or portions of p operties 
which do not give an adequate or satisfactory 
yield may beallowed to liefaliow. I'lanters in India 
specially may elect to hiiish their Season rather 
earlier and thus curtail the crop, while on some 
gardens in Ceylon more rest may be given to 
bushes where stinniluting manure lias been used. 
In different ways therefore th^sauie o'oject maybe 
kept in view, the result being that the Industry 
will assume a healthier con^lition and that the 
cloud which now hand's over it Vv'ill gradually dis- 
perse, leaving bebin'! a i'->son wliich should not 
however be forgtieu for iii:uiy years to come. 
Whilethere is mutii to be ilone bj' Pi'oducers, Dis- 
tributors are not back ward in taking their jiartand 
progre.^s is being madeiu ibis )espeCi,tliough slowly 
in some quarters. The Continent of Enroi*e, and 
especially Russia, iscon-uming more British-grown 
tea every year, consequent on ihe persistent efforts 
of exporters both in tiii- i:'>u;itry and at the ports 
of origin. In Can ida and ti.e United States of 
America many are en, a:,:e'i in pushing the trade, 
and so in spite of a uuni''er of drawbacks the 
produce of India and Ceylon is gradually being 
more used in oti'Cr countries than our ov.'u. It the 
manufacture of green teas, suitable for the require- 
ments of our Trans-Atlantic cousins siiould prove a 
success, as is cunlidently lioped by those who have 
taken it up so earnestly, a farther iniporcant step 
will have been gained ami one which will afford 
great relief to all concerned. 
Another matter which should engage notice is 
that of encouraging retail sales locally, and it 
does not seem beyond the bounds of possibility 
that herein may be found an outlet fur coars-j leaf 
which might be sold at such a figure as to induce 
the natives to be large consuuiers and yet be re- 
munerative to growers. In this connection it may 
be noticed that a considerable business is at present 
transacted by South Indian Estates, cliicfly from the 
Nilgiris, whence the people all along the Westcoast 
up to Bombay are principally sup|iiied. A cer- 
tain amount from Ceylon too also finds its way 
there. This is done entirely through native shop- 
keepers and there is no doubt that the existing 
demand in the bazaars might be much inc. eased 
by the offer of cheap tea in small ])ackeis. It is 
estimated that already i.\ million lb are disposed 
of in India alone. 
Manufacture.— With reference to the treat- 
ment of the leaf, what we wrote last year seems 
still applicable, viz. : — "Taking into consideration 
the larger area coming into bearing in some dis- 
tricts, it would seem policy to avoid veiy coarse 
plucking and the manufacture of undesirable sorts 
which foster a low quotation here and tend to 
glut the market. Where briskness, pungency, 
or full-bodied liquor are attainable, every effort 
should be put forth to secure these characteristics. 
Plain featurele.ss teas are more or less neglected, 
especially in the very busy months, and good ap- 
pearance without sterling cup no longer satisfies 
even the Continental buyers who used to take 
that style of China Congou." 
There have been occasional instances this season 
of breaks tainted apparently by eucalyptus leaves 
(where these trees are cultivated) having been 
