May 1, 1901. J 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
763 
10,111,526 lb. as against 37,750,000 lb. in 1900, show- 
ing an increase of 270 per cent, while during the 
same period the consumption of tea rose from 
160,500,000 to 219,750,000 lb., being an increase of 55 
per cent only. 
The duty on ooffie, which has an average value 
of 8d per lb., is IJd per lb., or only 25 per cent 
of the duty on tea, with which article it competes 
as a beverage. 
Sugar at present contributes nothing to the Ex- 
chequer, but a duty of even Jd per lb , which could 
hardly be felt by consumers, would realise, it is 
calculated, about £6,750,000. 
. My Association hive endeavoured to show in this 
letter that the increased duty hus struck their In- 
dustry heavily at the very jnoment when, from other 
causes, it was least able to bear up against such 
a blow. They now venture to pray your Lord- 
ship to press upon the Government the serious 
nature o£ the crisis in which the Indian Tea In- 
dustry is involved, and the disastrous effect upon 
it of the continuance of the present higii rate of 
duty. — I have the honour to be, My Lord, your 
obedient servant, ERNEST TYE, Secretary. 
District. 
PUBLIC SALES 
On Garden Account for week ending 
Eebruarv I6th, 1991. 
1901. 
1900. 
Fkgs. Average Pkgs. Average 
Prices. 
Prices. 
Assam 
23,574 
7-04 
14,173 
9.08 
Oachar andSylhet 
12,513 
4-82 
10,767 
6-83 
ChittagoDg 
146 
5-66 
Chota Nagpore. . 
46 
6-25 
Darjeeliug 
1,751 
8-70 
2,202 
10-87 
Dooars 
9,278 
5-05 
4,573 
7 04 
Kangra, &o. 
Nilgherry 
303 
4-70 
11 
7-25 
Terai 
154 
4-75 
149 
7-75 
Travancore 
1,691 
4-39 
44 
6-75 
Total . . 
49,440 
6.04 
32,570 
8-12 
TOTAL SALES 
Di->trict. On Garden Account from June 1st 
1900, to 
1901. 1900. 
Average Average 
Pkgs. Prices. Pkgs. Prices. 
A3sa,m .. 471,732 8-51 453,117 9-34 
Cachar and Sylhet 292,,340 5-80 305, 'J79 7 09 
Chittagoug .. 5,895 6-35 2,977 7-46 
Chota Nagpore.. 1,304 5-30 1,619 6-25 
Darjeeling ... 76,140 9-78 61,402 1074 
Dooars .. 145,0-^9 5-64 125„529 7'38 
Kangra, &c. .. 5,260 6-10 10,879 7-06 
Nilgherry .. 3,749 5-90 4,629 7-30 
Terai ..- 12,110 5-96 12,055 7-26 
Travancore .. 34,066 5-53 29,418 6 83 
Total 
1,047,684 7-301,007,134 
S 3i) 
THE BAHREN PEARL FISHERIES. 
In the centre of the broad V-shaped bay, that sepa- 
rates El Katr from Turkish ElKitif, lies the object 
of murh solicitude, viz. the Island of Bahrein, famous 
throughout the world for its pearl fisheries which rauk 
■with iho-ie of Ceylon. The island is thii ty miles long 
and from six to nine miles broad. Tho pearl flshinjj 
at i;;Uu\MU lasts according to an Indian report from 
June to O ;tober, aud it is pursued not only at Bsihrein 
but alocg the entire Arabian coast. The Bahrein 
b.xiik5, stretching for a length of four to five leagues 
are, however, the richest and most certain. At the 
season of the fisheries some 4,500 boats ol: every size and 
rig in.iy be seen, all busily employed. They carry 
from five to fourteen men each, and the total number 
of hands engaged i.s said to be 30,000. The scene ia 
one of the greatest picturesqueness and animation. 
Like most of the gulf ports and trading settlements, it 
was taken early in tho 16th century by the Portuguese 
who established a station there and at El Katif, to 
ensure a monopoly of the pearl trade. When tbe 
pearls have been picked out of the shells they are 
handed to the master of the boat who proceeds to sort 
them by the manipulation of a triple set of brass 
sieves pierced with holes of different diameter. The 
pearls that are unable to pass through the largest 
sieve are called "Pi-as," the residue of the second 
sieve are "Batin," while the resulting contents of the 
third sieve are kaawn as "Dzel." Made up into sepa- 
rate batches, according to their classification, tbe 
assorted pearls are theu sold to the pearl merchant 
upon an intricate scale of values, depending upon the 
sliape, colour, specific gravity, and size. The merchant 
re-arraiiges them in small packets and despatches 
them to the Indian market whence a great many go 
back again to Arabia and Persia. Generally spe^ik- 
ini.', the Bahrein pearls are not so white as Ceylon 
pearls but are larger and more regular in shape ; while 
they are said to retain their lustre for a longer period. 
The Ceylon banks require to be carefully watched and 
fishing is only permitted by Government at various 
periods. On the other hand, the Gulf banks giveno 
indication of a failing supply. — Journal of the Societti of 
Arts, March 15. 
THE AXE AND THE ;TREES : 
A REVIEW OP THE WORLD'S TIMBER 
SUPPLY. 
Timber for ordinary building is dear at present, 
a fact v/hich renders the nublio rather more at- 
tentive to the voice of the professional forester 
tiian it generally is, The figures and areas dealt 
with by experts in this art are generally so large 
that they are looked on as rather outside the 
range of practical business. But the shrinkage 
of the world is bringing all its " timber properties" 
into reach. Their sites, boundaries, and contents 
are all well known, with one notable exception, 
that of the great tropical forest which belts the 
globe ; and all nations and languages— the civi- 
lised ones, that is to say, for the savage, like the 
peasant, is always the enemy of trees-^are begin- 
ning to take stock both of the waste and extra- 
vagance of the past and of 
THK PRIN'Cir.VL LEFT INT.VCT FOR THE FUTUEil. 
Among the latest lights on this subject are a 
paper read by Dr. Schlich before the .Society of 
Arts on the outlook for the world's timber sup- 
ply, the Reports of the Forest Commissioners of 
the United States, the haiiabooks of the New 
South Wales Government, and a paper by Mr. 
Alder Anderson in Pearsoii's Magazine for Feb- 
ruary on " Russian Imperial Forestry." Most 
of the demand for European timber has 
been met hitherto from Sweden and Nor- 
way. But this supply is not sufficient, 
and the Russians are getting their forests into 
order to meet the coming demand. Their auto- 
cratic Government has passed Forest laws alii'.ist 
as strict as those ot the Norman and An- v\:\ 
Ki. igs, with this difference, that, while the i;viior 
laid an embargo on private lands, and forbade 
tiie owners to cut down their trees that the cover 
for game might remain, the Russians forbid pri- 
vate owners to cut down their timber excei)t under 
Government inspection, antl recognise no abso- 
lute ownership in trees except b\ ' the State, in 
