Oct. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
^69 
As importers of Ceylon tea, ourselves benefited, and 
acting for others benefited by the above Order, we 
humbly pray that there be no alteration with regard 
to it. 
We are led to this petition hearing today that 
there has been a petition, dated 4th iust., sent to 
your Honourable Board, requesting that the order 
may be cancelled, which petition has been signed 
by the Secretary of the Ceylon Association in London 
jointly with the Secretary of the Indian Association, 
and we are convinced that the petition has been 
signed without proper thought. 
The members of our firm belong to the Ceylon 
Association — have belonged to it from its commence- 
ment — and in it there is a special Tea and Produce 
Committee (of which they are also members), for 
the purpose of considering such questions as these. 
The matter has not been directly brought before 
this Absociation or its Committee. Had it been brought 
before them we are sure the request to have separate 
tares taken of London bulked teas would never have 
been made. 
Under your general order ot December 22nd 1894, 
a practice has sprung up in Ceylon of packing 
teas on the day they are made, and leaving any 
bulking that may be required to be done iu the 
warehouse here. It such teas are separately tared, 
the warehouse charges will be increased soma ten 
per cent, and the proprietors ot the tea planta- 
tions will suffer accordingly. Probably they will have 
to abandon their present practice and, as many of them 
will consider, to the injury of their ten, and do all the 
bulking on the estates, and this will require enlarge- 
ment of factories. It is a serious question to some 
planters. 
If you cannot refuse that portion of the petition that 
refers to the separate taring of London bulked teas, we 
humbly beg that you will postpone your assent to it for 
some months. Apparently all those connected with the 
little-considered petition to you of August 4th are now 
out of town holiday-making. Your very obedient ser- 
vants, (Signed) James A. Hadden & Co. 
—H. £ C. Mail, August 18th. 

THE CHINA TEA-TKADE. 
AT KIUKIANG. 
The British Consul at Kiuki.aii" reports that tea 
shows an iniprovenieiit as against previous years 
statistics, but tliat the total falls short of what it 
used to be in former years, and British merchants 
are not sanguine as to the future. The season, it is 
said, was a speciallygood onefor native dealers, but 
foreigners also appear to have done a profitable 
business. Ningcliows, until of late years, were tiie 
favourite Russian teas. Recently, however, Kee- 
niuns seem to compete with them for Russian 
favour, especially in the linest grades, and tliis,com- 
bined. with low exciiange, has consequently driven 
prices up. If it be the case that this is cause<l by 
the Russian taste following the British and prefer- 
ring stronger liquory teas, and that this is leading 
them to take more and more British-grown tea 
each year, there is very good hope for Ceylon and 
Indian teas in Russia. Mr. Consul Brady quotes 
the remarks of a gentleman, well conversant with 
the tea trade, who appears to be very despondent 
as far as regards the prospects of exports to Great 
Britain. He says, " Teas from the Keemuu and 
Mingchow districts have been of superior quality, 
and have sold at good prices. The total yield for 
the season was about the same as last year, and it 
looks as if Russian requirements would prevent any 
further falling-off in production. Export to the 
United Kingdom, however, is steadily shrinking 
and threatens to become nominal. The taste of the 
British public iu the matter of tea has undergone a 
marked change of late years, and consumers have 
no appreciation of light fiavoury teas such aa China 
produces. The introduction of machinery might 
revive the trade with England, and the colonies ; 
but tills seems as far-off as ever, the Chinese being 
quite satisfied with the prices paid for tlieir tea pre- 
pared according to their own methods." liis added 
that green teas pass through Kiukiang, but no busi- 
ness has taken place for twenty-five or thirty years. 
AT CANTON. 
The British Consul at Canton reports that the 
decaying tea trade has again dismissed by over 
500,0001b. A dry spring and an insurrection in 
June in close proxi,niity to the tea districts may, 
to some extent, have efl'ected the trade, but the 
real reason for the decline is the steady falling off 
iu the ilemaiid for Canton scented capers on the 
London Market. 'What demand there is more 
and nioie for low-priced teas for blending pur- 
poses, and a few moi e years will probably see even 
this small demand disappear. The quality ot the 
teas was fully up to the average standard, and 
they were exceptionally well-scented. Taken as 
a whole the year was a fairly profitable one, both 
to the foreign merchants ard to tlie native dealers. 
Long leaf scented Orange Pekoe and Canton Con- 
gous seem to be going entirely out of consump- 
tion. The total export of tea for 1898 was 
4,163,000 lb., of which nearly three-quarters was 
sent by junk to Hong-Kong and does not appear 
in the tables at the end of this report, which are 
compiled from the Imperial Maritime Customs 
Returns. 
COCONUT GROWING IN THE PHILIP- 
PINES. 
It is stated that the coconut palm will grow- 
anywhere along the sea coast ot the Pi.ilipiiies 
and fiourish even in the poorest soil. Under present 
conditions it is ascerted that there is lots of money 
in raising coconuts and it is prophesied that nume- 
rous new coconut groves will be planted. The 
Spanish method of managing a coconut plantation 
is described as being very simple. The trees are 
set out about eight feet apart and until they 
begin to bear which i.s at the end of the eighth 
year the ground may be utilised for other crops 
the same as young orchards are at home. 
After the grove comes into bearing, the owner 
has a steady income for life. Spanish proprietors, 
it is said, usually lease their groves to native 
tenants, who pay for each tree an annual rental 
one dollar mex. At thi.=i rate an acre would 
bring in from .?200 to .$300 mex a year without 
any effort of collecting the rent. The owner 
of a bearing grove of 200 acres can afford to take 
life very easy, and as the prolific coconut tree, 
produces from fifty to 200 nuts a year the tenants 
also have a pretty good thing of it; 
A trio of clerks in the "palace" are said by 
their fellows to be " nutty " on the subject 
just now. However, this may be they are "read- 
ing " on coconut palms and planning to become 
rich, poco tempo, by investing jointly in a plan- 
ation. — Tht Manila Amevican, Aug. 24. 
MATE: PARAGUAYAN TEA. 
Yerba mate, or Paraguay tea, is a popular be- 
verage in South America that has been used for 
centuries. In 1898 the exports of this leaf from 
Montevideo, Buenos Ayres, and Valparaiso were over 
50,000,000 pounds. 
For a long time Paraguay enjoyed the reputation of 
producing the largest quantity and the best quality 
ot mate, but it is surpassed to-day by Brazil. The 
State of Parana alono exports annually 22,000,000 
kilograms (48,501,200 pounds), 
