AxjG. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
105 
with spirit some 680 bales being cleared under 
the hammer. Ordinary to medium sorts " un- 
worked" {i.e., sold as shipped) mostly brought ?.d 
to Id per lb. advance on February prices, while 
the good and fine quill " -worked "—all bemg 
sold— realised about Id to -Jd per lb. better 
than last sale's rates. Firsts, ordinary to line, 
sold at lOd to Is 6d. Seconds d\d to Is 5d. Thirds, 
9d to Is 4d, and fourths Ihd to 11^ per lb. 33 
bales Tellichery were brought in for want of 
offers. 
Chips, &c., were in excessive supply and neg- 
lected. Of 2,638 bags oifered, about 80 bags only 
were sold. Chips % 2d to 2^d, clippings, 6;c., /Ad 
to 8i per lb. 
Present Stock of Ceylon 3,830. 
1898. 1897. 1891). 
Bales against 
3,8.54 
1898. 
3,408 
1897. 
3,473 Bales. 
1896. 
Chips 7,383 bags 2,092 5,34-t 5,209 Bags. 
The next auctions are fixed for 28th August. 
LADY-BIRDS AND GREEN BUG, 
The annual general meeting of the Lower Piilueys 
Planters' Association was held on the ^rd instant at 
the Diadigul Club. . ^ , 
The Hon.Secretary said:— In presenting my report tor 
1898-99, I regret I cannot record an altogether flourisn- 
in" position of affairs. Crops, which in the early part 
ot"l898 we were so sanguine would be large, proved 
disappointing. The average rainfall on tbe Lower 
Pulneya and Siroomullay Hills dnriug JuDe, July, 
and to the 20th August, 1898, did not exceed oo cents, 
showing what a total failure the S.-W. monsoon was. 
This prolonged drought, accompanied with a bad 
attack of green bug, resulted in serious damage to 
our crops. For the present season crops again will 
not be satisfactory, and prices, 1 regret to say, have 
fallen very low. 
Lady-Bikds.— During the past year no action has 
been taken towards importing this useful insect (our 
only remedy for eradicating that awful pest— green 
bag). It haa been suggested by the Nilgiii Association 
that Mr. Newport be asked to send periodical con- 
signments of lady-birds by post from Australia. Un- 
less we have an entomologist on this side to receive 
these insects, and subject them to a careful examina- 
tion before setting them free, there would be the 
danger of introducing the parasite. We cannot be 
too careful, or the remedy may prove worse than the 
existin" evil. As this question is to be discussed at 
this meeting, I shall say nothing further on this 
subject. 
Discussing this subject later on, the Honorary 
Secretary, Mr. Gerrard, said :— " Mr. H O Newport 
was sent over to Australia to collect lady-birds. 
The experiment, as you all know, was an utter, and to 
ns disastrous, failure: for we are somewhat iu the same 
position now, ms so vividly described by Mr. Newport 
in a speech before the U. P. A. S. I. two years ago 
(1897). He theu said : ' Even if this bug spares our 
trees, it does not spare the crops, and if some thing is 
not done— and that quickly— we, on the Lower Pulneys, 
will have to abandon our estates, and leave the 
district.' Of course the picture was overdrawn. No 
estates have had to be abandoned on account of the 
attacks of green bug ; but there is little doubt ihat 
the continued attacks of this pest have had a good 
deal to do with the short crops of the last few years, 
and it is for this reason that we would welcome the 
arrival of lady-birds to put an end to the bug ; for it is 
very evident that, with present low prices, it is abso- 
lutely necessary for the trees to bear large crops, and any 
pest that prevents thsm from doing so, by destroying 
good bearing wood, becomes a very serious evil. So 
much money has been spent over the Newport failure 
that there is little left for further experiment, and 
how, now, to succeasfully introduce la'iy birds from 
Australia will require very careful consideration at 
the next meeting of the U.P.A.S.I- I think you will 
all agree with me that a skilled entomologist shonld 
receive the coneignments as they arrive, for there is 
alv»ays the dnuger I believe, in unskilled hands, of 
introducing with the insect the parasite that feeds on 
it; and, with reference to this matter, I don't (hink 
that a botanist can be expected to carry out the work 
of an entomologist." 
SANDY TEA FOR THE POOR. 
Half t!ie "dust teas" biouL'lit into England 
should be conliscated by the Ciistouis according 
to Mr. Heniy Sell's paper, Comtnercml Intelh- 
gence, whicli, by the way, has just been greatly 
enlarged and improved. In l,0'-0 pounds ol " dust 
tea" there are often 200 pounds of sand and 
earthy matter. Sometimes there is a.s much as 
35 per cent of mineial rubbish, aitiiough not 
more than 1 per cent of sand is " natural " to tea, 
in the opinion of Dr. Bell, of the Government 
laboratory. Tlieotiicial inspection, it is charged, 
is most superlicial, for "not one sample out of 
1,000 packages of 'dust teas' landed ^is sub. 
mitted to analysis." Large importations of very 
inferior goods rejected by the Hamburg and New 
York Customs have been passed by the English 
Customs and sold in LonUon. The breakfast; 
table of the very poor suffers correspondingly. — 
Home paper, 
TEA-GROWING IN RUSSIA. 
The tea plautations in the neighbourhood of 
Batoum continue to occupy the serious attention 
of a few Kussian tea planters, who appear to be more 
or less sanguine as to the ultimate results that are likely 
to be attained. Messrs. PopofE have erected a factory 
for manipulatiug tea on one ef their estates near 
Batoum, and have gathered their first crop this year, 
but I regret to say that, owing to the mystery with 
which they attempt to surround their industry, and the 
secrecy which they maintain in respect to all matters 
concerning their plantations and the cultivation of tea 
on them, it is quite impossible to procure information 
of a reliable nature in regard to them. Although the 
tea crop from these gardens was all forwarded to Mos- 
cow and St. Petersburg, it does not, according to the 
St. Petersburg papers, appear to bear comparison with 
the imported article in general use in the Bussian 
Eupire. The Imperial Domain authorities expect to 
obtain a crop next season, and are making prepara- 
tions for the erection of a factory on their estates, and 
1 am given to understand that the order for the build- 
ings and plant has been placed in the United King- 
dom. It seems probable that the results of tea-growing 
on the last montioued estates stand a better chance of 
success than those obtained on the other estates, 
thanks to the fact that they have not confined their 
sowings to one quality only, but have laid out planta- 
tions o£ several kinds of Indian teas as well as Chinese 
and Ceylon hybrids. By adopting this rational course 
they will be able to judge which quality i.s more espe- 
cially adapted to tbe prevailing climate and other local 
conditions. Their acreage under tea has been largely 
increased during the present year. — British Comul at 
Batoum. 
VANILLA. 
Mexico. — There art a few Americana already here 
in the business with plantations about ready to bear. 
Some have just started. Many others are coming, 
judging from the numerous inquiries. Heretofore, the 
French have mainly cultivated the vanilla, with now 
and then a Mexican, while the Indians hunt and 
gather the wild vanilla. Vanilla is principally ex- 
ported to tho United States— about ^"^,000,000 worth 
per aiiuura. I write this article to answer in a gene- 
ral way the many inquiries addressed to me con- 
cerning this industry. Now that our people are em- 
barking in it. I look for improved methods that will 
increase the production and simplify tbe process ot 
curing. — United States Consid at Tujcpan. 
