April 1, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
689 
ZANZIBAR NEWS. 
MR. D. G. FAIRCHILD, RECENTLY IN CEYLON 
Mr. David G Fairchild, of the United States 
Department of A<^riculture, passed through here 
on January 21st. He was ou his way South in 
the " Herzofi," He had been to Dar es-Salaam 
to inspect the Hotauical station there and had 
thus only a few hours to devote to Zanzibar. Mr, 
Fairchild is well known in Planting circles in 
Ceylon, Singapore and the East and West Indies. 
He is especially interested in fruit and one of 
the principal objects of his mission is to discover 
the best fruits that are grown and to collect seeds 
and plants of them for his Government. He 
visited the fruit market here and took away with 
him samples of our oranges, mangoes and bana- 
nas. He has promised to send us a brief report 
upon their quality. Mr. Fairchild was much in- 
terested in all that he saw in Zanzibar and was 
e>^pecially struck with the signs of life and vitality 
that are to be witnessed here in our busy centres. 
SIR JOHN KIRK, OF RUBBER FAME. 
Sir John Kirk, g.c.m.g., k.c.b., p.r.s. arrived 
here on January 27th by the " Yangtse " and 
proceeded to Mombassa by the " Jnba " the next 
day. He goes up the line and returns here it is 
hoped by about the 20th February to allow him a few 
days in Zanzibar before proceeding home by the 
February French mail. Sir John Kirk was British 
Agent and Consul-General here, but retired in 
1887, in 1858 he joined Livingstone's first great 
Zambesi expedition as chief officer. It was in this 
Expedition that Lake Nyasa was rediscovered 
and laid down, the lower Zambesi, the Shire and 
Kovunia explored. In 1895 Sir John was appointed 
a member of the Government Committee for the 
construction of the Uganda Railway and he is 
now on his way to inspect the line. It is, however, 
as a naturalist and especially a botanist that Sir 
John Kirk is perhaps best known. His contribu- 
tions to the Flora of Tropical Africa have been 
considerable. The greater part of what is known 
of the Flora of Zanzibar is due to the investiga- 
tions of Sir John Kirk. He practically created the 
Kubber trade of the East Coast of Africa and the 
best-yielding species, Landolphia Kirkii, is called 
after' him. — Zanzibar Gazette, Feb. 4. 
TEA IN 1902-3. 
AN INDIAN END-OF SEASON VIEW 
The 1902-03 season is now drawing to a close 
and it is time to form an estimate of what has been 
done in the way of lightening the burdens of the 
tea producer in tlie ininiediafce past. In the first 
place the results of the present season have been 
disappointing so far as we have gone, and there is 
not time enough left of the London selling season 
for last year's crop, to materially alter the aspect 
of aflaiis. The general average of all tea sold in 
London on garden amount for the eight mouths 
of the season that have elapsed is lower by nearly 
a half-penny than the average for the correspond- 
ing period of the 1901 02 season, and even below 
the average for the eight months of the 1900 01 
season to end of January. We have during 
19.2-03 averaged a little over 7id against nearly 
8d in 1901-02 and 7id in 1900-01. At the end ot 
two years of short crop this result would be dis- 
heartening were it not a mere indication that 
our efforts have not been commensurate with the 
magnitude of the evil. Our demand needs to be put 
ou a much broader basis, if we desire to make it 
firm and constant. There is yet time in the four 
months of the London selling year remaining, for 
the averages to advance comparatively, but it is 
clear that they have fallen too far behind to more 
than catch up with 1900 01, an admittedly dis- 
astrous year for prices generally. Those who pin 
their faith to the natural flow of trade would do 
well to note that though advance has been made 
in the last two years, it has not been sufficient to 
enable us to conte:.. plate with equanimity the re- 
currence ot another crop of the magnitude of 1900. 
On the other hand, having come through so 
much the future certainly looks brighter, perhaps 
by contrast. London, fairly indifferent for three 
years, has woke up to the growing scarcity of tea, 
and it looks as if the boom in common teas which 
pievailed in the early days of 1899 were to be 
repeated. Having in memory the time of depres- 
sion that was ushered in by that abnormal rise in 
rates for teas for price, we cannot think the whole 
battle won by the attainment of inflated prices 
for this class, even if they should come 
topasi in the immediate future. We cannot 
forget that these prices for a particular 
class of tea were explained at the time as subver- 
sory of all true values in other grades and not to 
the general interest of the industry as a whole. 
It is to be hoped that when the short excitement 
ot a "boom" is past, we may be able to prevent 
the reaction and settle all teas on a hrmer and 
truer basis of prices than before. 
■ For the rest 1902 has been replete with good 
work. The Russian buyers have been attracted to 
the merits of the Ijidian article and an important 
trade has come, we believe, to stay. There has 
been a general quickening of demand for many 
minor centres, in the aggregate compensating for 
the Australian trade which in some unaccountable 
manner we continue to lose, In Americi, British 
grown tea has at last a cliance of making further 
inroads upon the Far Eastern article, our previous 
expansion having checked upon reaching tiie limit 
of the black tea consumption of the Transatlantic 
countries, British and Yankee. During the year suit- 
advances in machinery for making the "true" 
green article, as approved by the Americans, have 
taken place, and though Ceylon and Icdia by the 
application of the ])atent laws appear likely to be 
served with different machinery for the purpose, it 
seems that both countries are equally advanced, 
and time alone can show if either possesses an 
advantage over the other. Further ingenuity will 
no doubt be called out to overcome details in the 
process and place us mechanically equal with the 
hand labour of China and Japan. Even now we 
are able to uiulersell those countries with ease, and 
in these days of cheapness the result should be a 
foregone conclusion. In two important markets, 
therefore, Russia and America, our advance seems 
certain, and if the crop does net unduly rush 
forward this circumstance should render prospects 
for 1903.04 much brighter than any presented to 
our view for years past but only if the situation is 
treated with continued prudence. — Indian Plant' 
ng and Gardeyiinq, Feb, 28. 
Coffee in Queensland.— In a letter from 
Queensland dated February 2nd, the con- 
tinued drought in th.it colony is spoken of 
as very serious. " We have only had one 
half crop now in four years," says the writer, 
" aud last year w.os "a total failure. Thie 
year promises to follow suit." 
