Oct. 1, 1899.J THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
279 
A PRACTICAL TEST OF THE NEW 
TEA-TRADE CONDITION. 
Axi apfgrieved London firm writes to ns as 
follows, adding a practical statement show- 
ing <^e injm^y wrought by an increased 
number of tarers : — Even this week numbers 
of the "Joint-Committee," in defence of 
their insisting upon separate tares being- 
taken, have said they '• don't believe it would 
make any difference to anybody." 
This is a strange argument to use for 
insisting on a clause to be inserted in an 
agreement and for petitioning the customs 
to insist on it also, viz, that it would make 
no difference to any one. ' The following 
however shows the injury inflicted on some, 
and the difference it may make to a good 
many of those concerned : — 
292 Packages Ceylon Tea, ex " Ophir," of value 
£650, sold 1st August, 1899, chested as soon as 
made, and bulked in London. 
Tares ran even and average tares were accepted. 
There were tared 5 chests at a cost 
of 1/ each 
12 chests at a cost 
of lOd each £0 15 0 
17 chests. 
There were bulked 74 chests at a 
cost of 1/ each 
218 chests at a 
cost of lOd each £12 15 8 
292 chests. 
The taring and bulking together... £1310 8 act- 
ual cost. 
Under the Clause G, proposed by the Joint 
Committee for the so-called agreement, 2nd 
August, 1899, insisting on separate tares being 
taken, the charge would have been — 
bulking and taring 74 chests at l/5=£5 4 10 
218 do 1/2= 12 14 4 
292 packages. £1719 2 
say extra charge ... £4 8 6 proposed. 
The above were bulked in London, because 
the Proprietors are of opinion that London bulk- 
ing is better in several ways than Estate bulking. 
Had the London bulking been forced on the 
Proprietors, as may occasionally happen to every 
garden Proprietor through the Tea bein^ thrown 
up by buyers after sale on grounds of irregu- 
larity, the same extra charge would be incurred 
in every case, even if previously Estate-bulked 
and tares unquestioned, viz. : £4 8 6 
and in addition 
new Warrants at 4d. | say=ld. per 144 
new Weight-notes at 2^d. J package 
an extra charge proposed by the Joint ) 
Committe for reasons known only to J- £5 12 10 
themselves J 
London, 25th August, 1899. 

AUSTRALIAN AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 
Sydney, Aug. 24. 
Yesterday I paid a visit to the I^and Office, 
round which I was conducted. Part of it is 
devoted to Agriculture, and in the Agricultural 
Library 1 saw pamphlets and reports frcm all 
36 
parts of the world. Tiie librarian told me tha 
Mr. Jackson, tlie principal of the Hawkesbury 
Agricultural College, considers tlie Tropical Agri- 
culturist one of tiie most u.seful publications lie 
receives. I was introduced to Mr. Campbell, 
the head Agricultural in.spector in the Colony. 
"Yes;" he remarked, "tea grows like a weed 
here." In response to further inquiry, he showed 
me some that had been plucked close to Sydney. 
He said, however, it would never be a paying 
industry in this Colony as I he labour Was too 
dear compared with cooly labour in tea growing 
countries, and New Scuth Wales will never enter 
into competition with Ceylon in that respsct. At 
the present time the Government are experimenting 
in tea growing in the north of the Colony. 
"Here's some coffee,'' he said, showing nie a tin 
full, " as good as you have in Ceylon." 
I lent Mr. H. C. Russell, t!ie Government Astro- 
nomer, my copy of the T- A. and lie returned 
witii the following note : — •' Very many thanks 
for letting me see the Tropical Agriculturist. I 
am very pleased with the Magazine, it is fall of 
carefully prepared data valuable to readers." 
RAMIE FIBRE IN ALGERIA. 
A NEW PROCESS OF EXTRACTION, 
A Calcutta correspondent sends us the fol- 
lowinginterestingextractupon a subjectwhich 
is of importance to several Ceylon planters at 
the present time: — The splendid possibilities of 
the Ramie fibre have long been recognized 
in the United States as well as elsewhere, 
but the processes of extracting the fibre have 
either been defective or too costly, except 
in China, the land of cheap laboi\ However, 
a Parisian House has here on exhibition a 
machine which, if its claims are justly 
founded, solves the problem satisfactorily. 
Along with it were specimens of ramie 
branches, fibres, balls of binding-wool in 
various weights and colours, skeins of beauti- 
ful embroidery thread, cord and tassel of 
artistic design and finish, and passementerie 
trimming. The treatment of the plant is said 
to consist in the introduction under pressure 
of carbonic acid gas and the gas of hydro- 
chloric acid, alternately, which in five minutes' 
exposure so acts on the branches that the 
fibre is then easily crushed out. As to the 
details, the exhibitor apparently did not wish 
to say too much, but as to the residts, he 
affirms that one machine is capable of treat- 
ing sixteen tons per day of ten hours. A 
company is said to be forming for its manu- 
facture and control and rumour hints that 
at least one contract has already been made 
in Algeria, for all the i^anue that a certain 
property can produce. M. Bachelerie, 60, Rue 
Canmartin, Paris, is given as the address of 
the inventor. — Philadelphia Manufadurer. 
THE CONGO BOTANICAL GARDENS. 
VISIT OP THE NEW DIRECTOR TO CE"^LON, 
We referred a few days ago to a paragr-aph 
contributed to the Morning Leader by a 
Belgium correspondent regarding the forma- 
tion of a botanic garden in the Upper Congo, 
the Belgian colony in Central Africa. 
This is probablj' the first botanic sta- 
tion (or experimental garden, one might 
say) of the kind which the Belgians 
have started, much unlike the British 
