406 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURiST. [CIec. 1, 1902. 
describe the Indian occurences of mica commercially 
valuable, and of course this only implies a very limited 
area. Mr Holland points out that such an area must 
n3cessarily be restricted in extent as the combinations 
of circumstances necessary for the formation of mica- 
crv'stals of the proper size and without the flaws com- 
monly produced by earth movements are always res- 
tricted in extent. 1 therefore follows that large mica 
deposits are commercially very valuable to the country 
which possesses them, and according to Mr Holland 
India possesses an area which should give her a good 
share of world's trade in mica, and at any rate should 
make mica mining of far more importance than it is at 
present. Mica appears to have been used ia India in 
the past very extensively as medicine, it was con- 
sidered to have magical as well as medicinal proper- 
ties. Of course it is now used in India principally in 
the manufacture of ornaments. But mica is being 
largely used in other directions abroad, and as has 
been mentioned is a valuable commercial asset 
to any country. Mr Holland therefore mentions 
that it would cot be very surprising if 
Government were to show an inclination to temper 
the encouragement already given to the mica miner 
with restrictions intended to discourage his wasteful 
methods of mining and the tendency which he has 
shown, not unnaturally, to secure immediate returns 
by want only excavating shallow workings over large 
areas. The paper is also intended to convey to the 
mica miner a brief resume of the nature and history 
of the mineral in which he is so largely interested. It 
is rather doubtful, however, whether the book will 
ever find its way to those who follow the industry and 
if it do whether Mr Holland's erudite discursion on 
the minerological and chemical characters of the 
mineral will be properly understood and appreciated. 
The mica deposits of India appear to be fairly widely 
distributed. The Tibet border, the Bombay Presidency, 
Barma, Central India, and the Central Provinces, 
Madras, and Mysore, the Puajab. and Eijputana, all 
claim valuable mica quarries, and there is not the 
slightest doubt that properly worked and safeguarded 
the mica mining industry could be developed to a 
far greater extent than it is at the present time. Con- 
sidering that mica is now so largely used in the 
electrical industry exportations of the mineral would 
doubtless be heavy and profitable. Although the 
volume contains a good deal of information that will 
be of use in the industry itself* it is chiefly a mineral- 
ogioal record, and as such it is complete and 
Bitisfactory. — Bombay Gazette, Oct. 6. 
THE TEA BONDED WAREHOUSE RING. 
A correspondent of the Financial Neuis of 
October 28 write.? i— " Allow me to add my 
testimony to the excessive charges made by the 
warehouses on the linfortunate tea Importer. 
Following the lines of your correspondent, ' An 
Indian Tea Planter,) in your issue of the 17th 
instant, here are the disbursements of an Indian 
tea garden tor freight and warehouse charges, as 
well as the amount and value of the tea grown for 
the past two years : — 
Tea sold. Freight. Wareho. Chs, 
Year. Lb. Value. Amt. p. c. Amt, p. o. 
£ £ £ 
1901 90,514 3,171 135 4 25 165 ,5 20 
1900 141,826 4,360 243 5 57 220 5'04 
*' The number of chests for 1901 was 1,087 and 
for 1900 1,455, being a total of 2,542. You will 
observe that the statement of your Calcutta 
correspondent, that he was told that the warehouse 
charges are often equal to the cost per case of 
conveying tea from Calcutta to London, is amply 
borne out by the above figures, whare for 19j0 the 
ware house charges amounted to 5 "20 per cent of 
the value of tea, as against 4'25 per cent paid for 
This, however, is not the only grievance of 
which the importer has to complain in regard 
to these charges, thougli whether the warehouse 
proprietors are responsible for it I cannot say. 
The importer, before he can obtain possession 
of his tea, has to pay through his broker the 
charges for freight and warehousing, which, of 
course, no one complains of ; but when he 
comes to receive his account sales hetinds that 
he is charged, in addition, interest at 5 per 
cent for three mouths on both charges ; so that 
on the above sums, amounting for the two 
years to £763, he is mulcted to the tune of 
over £10. One would naturally suppose that 
if these charges did not fall due for three 
months the importers should receive, and not 
pay interest. But it is ' the custom of the 
trade' one is told, and has meekly to submit. 
Again, should the importers wish to delay 
receiving the proceeds of the sale until prompt 
date— viz., three months—' the custom of the 
trade' comes in, and he is forced to take a 
cheque, less three months interest at 6 per 
cent, and which he has to deposit with his 
bankers, who will barely give hira 3 per cent 
for it. 
Take, besides these iniquitous warehouse 
charges and the others already referred to, 
those for brokerage, ageucy, and miscellaneous, 
and can it be wondered at if the lot of the 
tea planter, with the price at 5^(1— 6d per 
pound, is at the present time not a particularly 
happy one ? To make one's meaning perfectly 
clear, copy of pro forma account sales is 
appended :— 
ACCOUNT SALES OF TEA, &C. 
80 Chests, 5,8401b.— 6i .. .. £146 0 0 
Freight— 33/9 
Warehouse chai'gea . 
Public sale, 14 lots 
Int. on frt. 20/7—6/11, 
110 ds. 
Do warehouse, <fcc. 12, 
11/, 90 ds. 
Brokerage 1 per cent.. 
91 days disct. 
CHAHGES. 
£10 15 
12 0 
0 10 
0 3 5 
25 2 1 
£120 17 U 
1 10 3 
£119 7 8 
-Home and Colonial Mail, Oct. 24. 
AGRICULTURE IN CEYLON : 
(In connection with subjects treated of in the 
"Agricultural Magazine.") 
IRRIGATION 
has done much for Ceylon. It has changed 
Anuradhapnra. or rather the North-Central Province, 
from a howling, fever and parangi-stricken wilder- 
ness, into a fertile, smiling garden. It haa done 
and is doing the same in other neglected parts of 
this island. In spite of Mr. Digby, it is doing much 
on the opposite continent to minimise the effects 
of recurring famines. 
Now South Africa has come under British Rale 
the attention of its administrators has been turned 
to irrigation. Mr. "Willcooks, c.m.g., m.i.c.e., haa 
reported to Lord Miluer that on irrigation, and 
irrigation alone will depend the permanent develop- 
ment of the country. Agriculture is neglected for 
gold ftu^ ^iamon^ miijing is, ^hat it was fifty 
