162 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 1, 1899. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
Weighing Paper with Tea. — The Lipton case, the 
first stage of which was decided last week, is sub- 
judicc, as it will shortly come before a higher court. 
It is poiuted ont on behalf of Messrs. Lipton that 
a mistake had crept into some of the reports of 
the proceedings, in which it ia representsd that 
the deficiency in a lib packet amounts to as 
much as 2oz. White the company make no secret 
of the fact that their lib packets iaclude the 
weight of the paper, it is of cour.-;e, quite wrong 
to imngine that the paper weighs anything like 
2oz, Tlie explanation is that drachms have been 
mistaken for ounces in the reports in question. It 
was stated during the hearing of the case before 
the magistrate that including the weight of the 
wrapper in the weighs of the tsa was a custom of 
the tea trade ''from time immem irial." This has 
hurt the feelings of a numb'^r of firms who do not 
follow this cuatoni. So mcMiypac-ket 'ea tr&,di'ig firms 
have denied this soft impeachment; that it is 
necessary to remove the impression that it is 
a general custom to include the weight of 
the paper with the tea. It is stated on be- 
half of Messrs. Lipton that the £17,000 men- 
tioned as profit on this method of selling 
tea during a year's operat on is greatly ex.- 
aggrtga ed, and that the sum of £2,000 would be 
nearer the mark. It is also argued in defence of 
those who sell the paper v?ith the tea that if a 
buyer goes into a grocer's ^hop and buys a pound 
of sugar, in the ordinary "way, the grocer places a 
piece of paper ou the scale, puts the sugar on it, 
and when the soile is turned, does the packet up 
and sella it. No doubt if the buyer wanted it he 
would give the sugar without the paper, and the 
buyer would get a little more. It is the same in 
regard to packet teas and all other articles sold 
in packets. This is ingenious, but not conclusive. 
Intbrestino Figures. — Apropos of the Lipton 
case, a correspondent writes that the turnover of 
Lipton'a business is estimated at 3,000 chests per 
week. It follows that if, as was proved when the 
company was convicted for selling at short weights, 
the gain is 3 per cent, there would be three pounds 
of tea in every chest which would virtually cost 
nothing. This, on the turnover of 3,000 chestp, 
•would equal ninety cheats gained per week. Taking 
the value of the quantity gained at Is per pound 
duty paid, the money value would be £150 per 
week, or £23,400 per annum. 
Natal Tea.— Indian and Ceylon tea planters have 
not taken tea growing operations in Natal seriously, at 
present looking upon tea cultivation in that colony 
more as an interesting experiment than in the light 
of competition. Doubtless the supply of Natal tea in 
Mincing Lane will be on a small scale for some time 
to come, but it cannot be denied that tea planting in 
Natal can be profitably conducted. A correspondent 
of the " Grocer, "who is very enthusiastic about them 
informs the tea trade that" Natal tea will soon be 
definitely on the market, " and that the analysis of 
these teas is " really first-rate. " He says: " There is 
a due amount of caffeine present which should make 
them mild, yet sufficiently strong in the invigorating 
properties. The low per-centage of tannin should 
make these teas welcome to the dyspeptic, and indeed 
to everyone who thinks much about his digestion. In 
each case the percentage of tannin appears to be much 
lo'.p - than that which is found in samples of Indian 
tea. The other items in the analysis R,r", q uite normal ; 
but when we come to the ash we find a rather un- 
usual ingredient, for it contains a notable pernentag; 
of manganese. This is undoubtedly derived from 
the soil, in which manganese is fairly widely 
distributed. I am not aware that there is any soluble 
Bilt of manganese in the tea which could be dissolved 
out by the water, and if there is I do not know 
what the precise effect upon the system would be 
to anyone drinking it. So far as can be gathered, 
the amount which would be taken in a cup of ttft 
if it really does dissolve, is so insignificant as to, 
be practically without any importance whatever, and 
so it may be disregarded. On the other hand, if 
the manganese only exists in the tea leaves and ie 
not dissolved out, then of course it has no significance 
whatever to the tea-drinker." 
Brazil Coffee.— The British Consul at Rio de 
Janeiro, in his report recti .ed on Brazilian affairs, 
speaks in hopeful terms of the coffee planting 
industry, and expresses surprise that, althougi. some 
hundred millions sterling of British capital tire 
employed in public funds and enterprises in Brazil, 
so little has been invested in the profitable pursuit 
of coffee planting. It may be due, he thinks, to a 
feeling of insecurity as to the protection afforded to 
the property of foreigners in the interior of the 
country ; but he notes with satisfaction that the 
President of the Republic has made a powerful 
appeal to the State Goverumont to extend full 
protection to all immigrants and foreigners. 
Cocoa. — The consumption of cocoa is increasing 
rapidly. In some countries this is very notiseable. 
G^-i-a]a*jy has doubled her consumption of cocoa since 
1882, and England has considerably more thai: .'oublcd 
hers. In France the consumption was in 1868 about 
15,000.000 Ih, which figure has now been more than 
doubled. The annual consumption in the various 
countries was, according to some recent statistics: 
Franco, 30,500,000 lb ; United States, 26,400,000; Eng. 
land, 22,1011,000; Germany, 19.900,000; Holland, 17.000. 
000; Spain, 12,300,000; Switzerland, 4,800,000; Belgium, 
3,600,000; Austria-Hungary, 2,200,001); Russia, 1,900, 
000; Denmark, 1,400,000 ; Italy, 1,100,000; Swepen 
800,000; Norway, 300,000 ; Portugal, 200,000. Reduced 
to annual consumption per individual Holland heads 
the list with three and a half pounds per head, 
Switzerland comes next with one and three-fifth 
pounds, and France third with fonr-fifthe of a pound. 
—ff. <&: C. Mail, June 23. 
MINOR PPtODUCTS REPORT. 
London, June 15. 
Cardamoms.— A fair " jobbing " trade has been 
done this week at well maintained prices, the demand 
being especially for seeds. 
Coca Leaves. — There are numerous enquiries to 
be met with bat little or no actual business. Trnxillo 
leaves are offered at lOd and Huannco at Is 3d. 
Oil of Citronelle.— A fair business has been 
doing this week the tone is slightly better. Drums are 
offered on the spot at ll^d and tins at Is to la Oid. 
Oil of Lemongrass.— Still quiet, and purchasable 
at 2|d sTpot.— British and Colonial Biuqyiist June 16. 
'London, June 23. 
Canella Bark.— Fair bark can be bought at 35a 
per cwt. 
Cinchona.— The auctions on Tuesday were not ani- 
mated in the sense that the tea sales next door 
were, for tea buyers have a style of their own 
which is a hybrid between a bear garden and the 
Chicago Wheat Exchange. The offerings at the 
cinchona sales were limited to five catalogues, and 
much of the stuff had been seen before. It was 
also notable that the usual large buyeri on 
this occasion stood down, not oaring to go to 
the extreme rates which the ultimate parohasers 
paid. The cinchona bark auctions to be held in 
Amsterdam on July 13th will onsist of 5,6'! pack, 
ages of Ledger and hybrid, of 577 cases and 677 
bales of succirubra. The stock in first hand at Amster- 
dam consisted on June 20th, of 2,044 packages 
Government bark, and 8,259 packages private bark, 
including the quantity to be offered in the next 
auction. 
Lemon Oil.- Dearer by 3d to 6d per !b, according 
to holders. Super ia quoted 8s spot, and extra super 
33 81 f.o.b. Me.ssina ; these are the lowest prices in 
ths classes mentioned. 
Kola Nuts.— Firmer, West Indian having sold at 
2Jd, and more was wanted for African. 
Vanilla. — Tahitis were offered today, apparently 
as ft matt«r of form, for only 1 tin sold at 68 6d per 
lb., 4 inch to « inch beane.— CAenwsi mi. Druggist, 
Jmne 24. 
