Aug. 1, 1899.] THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
ill 
MOTHEE-O'-PEARL AND RUBBER. 
England supplied to France, in 1897, 1,308,331 
kilos of moUier-of -pearl, estimated at 3,794,159 
francs, and Germanj' 24,o9i kilos, estimated at 
71,332 fi-ancs. The mother-of-pearl export from 
French Oceania, on the other hand, at the pre- 
sent time, ranges in value from H to 1^ million 
francs annually, and is monopolized by the Society 
Islands Group. Practically the whole of this ex- 
port goes to London and Liverpool. As France, 
however, requires on an average 6i million francs' 
worth of mother-of-pearl annually for her indus- 
try, it would seem that the production of the 
French Oceanian Settlements is not likel.y, unless 
largely developed, to be sufficient. The shell fish- 
eries of the Persian Gulf of Ceylon, of Cape 
Comorin, of British Australia, of the Straits Set- 
tlements, of the China Seas, of .Japan, and of 
the United States of America, are not liable to 
French export duties, and will always remain for 
the supply of the British markets* It is in- 
teresting to note that, in 1897, the mother-of-pearl 
supply of France was drawn in the following pro- 
portion from the various countries : from England 
ooj per cent., from India 27 per cent., from the 
United States of America 4 per cent., from -Japan 
2 per cent., from Germany IJ per cent., from other 
foreign countries 9^ per cent., and direct from the 
French Colonies i per cent. But mother-of-pearl 
is not the only article for which France is attempt- 
ing to create a market in her ports by means of 
export duties. We hear upon good authority that 
a proposal is under consideration for the imposi- 
tion of an export duty upon india-rubber, which, 
like the export duty upon mother-of -pearl, would 
be remitted upon the production of a certificate 
from the French Customs to the eltect that the 
india-rubber has been sent direct to a French port 
and declared for consumption in France. The im- 
portance of this proposed step, which would cover 
Madagascar and the French Congo and French 
Guiana, need not be insisted upon. — British Trade 
J ournal. 
ADULTERATIOiN OF TEA. 
HOUSE OF COMMONS, THUKSDAY, JUNE 8. 
Sir F. Flannery (Yorkshire, Shipley) asked 
the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his attention 
had been called to a statement in the Press that 
a quarter of the caper teas and half of the dust 
teas now imported .'Jiould be confiscated under 
the Food and Drugs Act of 1875 by reason of 
their containing 20 per cent of earthly matter 
and sand ; whether he would explain the nature 
of tiie precautions taken by the Customs De[)art- 
ment in London for the detection of such adul- 
teration, and whether the iiuniber of samples 
analysed could be increased with advantage; and 
whether, having regard to the fact that the des- 
criptions of tea above natned were for the most 
part consumed by the humbler classes least able 
to protect themselves against adulteration, he 
would increase the staff of inspectors especially 
allocated to the dnties of sampling and analysis 
of caper and dust teas. 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer.— 
My attention has been called to this matter. The 
Board of Customs have, in view of representa- 
tions made to them by certain firms and of state- 
ments in the Press, ordered a full inquiry to be 
made. It is not easy, within the limits of an 
answer to a question, to explain the precautions 
taken by the Board tor the detection of the adul- 
teration of tea ; but I shall be happy, if the hon. 
member wishes it, to supply him with particulars. 
The Board of Customs, as at present advised, do 
not consider that there is any need for altering 
the existing regulations but if, as a result of 
the investigations now in progress, it should 
appear advisable to niaka such alterations or to 
increase the number of tea inspectors the neces- 
sary steps will be taken at once. Meantime a 
cirf'ular lias been issued to the tea inspectors 
directing tliem to administer the existing regula- 
tions with .special care. — Loud im Times, June 9. 
Shuttieworth, W. S. & Co.; Tetley, Jos., & Co., 
Travers, Jos., and Son, Limited; Towor Tea Co. 
This was seconded by Mr. T. Smith, for- 
mally put to the meeting, and carried unani- 
mously. After furthei' short addresses from gen- 
tlemen present, all to the same pui pose, the meet- 
ing concluded witb a vote of thanks to tiie chair- 
man.— iZ and C Mail, June 9. 
FACILITIES FOR MAKING GOOD TEA XL 
CONTRADICTORY VIEWS AS REGARDS 
MANURING. 
In respect of " Upper Hewaheta district," 
we misApprehended the local conditions in 
some of our remarks in our last article. For 
instance, as regards the time for "pruning," 
planters have to consider the effect of the 
South-west monsoon which sometimes plays 
havoc with tea bushes with less than a 
year's growth on them after pruning. As 
regards soil, the remarks made to us were 
meant to show that though the old coffee 
soils do not give as good yields as virgin 
soil ; yet flavour is maintained in tea from 
the former, longer and more steadily than 
in tea from virgin soil, partly due, perhaps 
to the slower growth of tiie flush on old 
coffee land. No doubt there is a difference 
in flavour all round, if one makes comparisons 
with say ten years ; but it is shown tliat fresh 
land yielding oOO lb. of tea per acre has lost 
flavour more than old land cropping 300 
lb. per acre. In regard to "Manuring" it 
is felt that a better knowledge of chemistry 
would be a great help to a planter in going 
thoroughly into the question and making 
the practical experiments on his own land 
which can alone show what fertilisers are 
most suitable to ajDply. 
The three letters which have been held 
over to the last, are dated from Hatton, 
Nawalapitiya and Dolosbage ; but they are 
not the least important of those with which 
we have had to deal. The first holds the 
arranging and chopping the manufacture" — 
by which, we suppose, is meant interfer- 
ence by Proprietor or Visiting Agent, ac- 
cording to the supposed course of the 
market— as the drawback to the turning out 
of better tea. Nawalapitiya recognises no 
particular drawbacks, as the average rates 
obtained for i*-s teas, are all that can fairly 
be expected from its elevation and soil. In 
Dolosbage, the great drawback has been, 
till very recently, insufficient labour, aggra- 
vated from March to May by a rush of leaf, 
Avhich hinders proper withering and neces- 
sitates night work which seldom produces 
goocl tea. The jat on most estates in Hatton 
is said to be poor, and even inferior ; whei-eas 
Nawalapitiya considei'S it;S jat generally fair ; 
and Dolosbage generally good. On the other 
hand, the Hatton soil is fairly good, and, 
so far from being worn, the estates yield 
larger returns than they did some year's 
ago; while Nawalapitiya, thougl; its estates 
