280 THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1899. 
colonies, in which the foiination and develop- 
ment of such institutions have long been 
recosnized to be of paramount importance 
to the prosperity of the land. There is how- 
ever only one Kew gardens, _ and how the 
imagination could dignify an infant botanic 
station in the wilds of Africa by the name 
of "Kew" can onlv be accounted lor by the 
fact that our London Garden, the greatest 
emporium of plants and botanical knowicdge 
in the world, is a model to copy though 
never imitated. The officer appointed, Mr. 
Leon Pynaert, of Ghent, as Director of the 
above scheme is also a recent student of 
Kew. Previously to starting on his new^ 
duties, the Belgian Government has sent 
him out to Ceylon and Java to gam a 
knowledge of tropical cultivations, especially 
cacao coffee and rubber. Having spent a 
a pleasant fortnight in Ceylon, v siting, a 1 
the botanic gardens and meeting co-Kewites, 
Messrs. Nock and M icmillan, he left on the 
Uth inst. by the ss. "Tonkin" for Java, 
where he hopes to make a longer stay. 
Mr Pynaert has been particularly pleased 
withWhathehasseenof Ceylon, and was agree- 
ably surprised at the advctnced state ot the 
civilisation of the country. He could not help 
contrasting the state of Colombo with 
e°ectitc tramcars,&c., and also of Kandy and 
Nuwara Eliva with that of CoquilhatviUe 
his headquarters in the Congo, which he said 
has only sixteen white people, all told. 
imagines that the proper course would be to insti- 
tute private prosecution under the Lotteries Act. 
He does not think that the Home Office has any power 
to undertake prosecutions iu the name of the Govern- 
ment, lie will, however, keep your requeet under 
consideration. — I am, sir, yours obediently, 
J. WiLFis-. 
THE PACKKT TEA QUESTION. 
SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION. 
The World's Tea Company was suinmoneil at 
Kin<'ston-on-Tlianies on August 29, for having 
unl-uvfuUv ami with intent to defraud, applied a 
fahe trade descriplioa within the meamng of 
the Merchandise Marks Act 1897 to tea sold by 
them in packets. Tlie prosecution was instituted 
hy tlie Surrey County CouncU, whose inspector, 
Mr li A Hou'diton proved purchasing at de- 
fendant's premises in Kingston Market Place 
on .July 30tli, a half-i)0und packet of tea which 
onbeiu" weighed, showed a deficiency of three 
drachms twelve grains ; and a ciuarter pound 
packet, which was deticieut to the extent of three 
drachn's 23 grains. , , , , ■ i n ^ i 
Mr Bodkin, for the defendants, said that unless 
there'was some written or printed representation 
applying to the article purchased, theie could be 
no false trade description within the meaning of 
the Statue. In this case the wrapper of the packet 
bore the words : " Ceylon and Indian Teas, Is 6d 
per pound," and gave no indication whatever of 
the weight of the article sold. The Bench held 
that the wrapper gave an indirect indication, and 
imposed a tine of' £5 and costs. 
BOUNTF TEA TRADING. 
A copy of a resolution, passed by the Birmingham 
Grocers' Association having been forwarded to Mr. 
Chaniljcrlain, asking him to use his iniiuenee with 
the Home Olhce to put a stop to the lotteries in 
connection with what is known as the bonus tea 
trading system, the loUowing reply has been re- 
Highbury, Moor Green, Biimingham, Aug. 25, 1899. 
Sir —I am defiired by Mr. Chamberlain to acknow- 
ledee' the receipt of your letter of the 2Uh inst. and 
CODY of resolution adopted by the Birmingham 
Grocers' Protection Association on the subject of 
bounty tea trading. At first sight Mr. Chamberlain 
PEODUCE AND PLANTING, 
Tea Tkade of Japan.— The tea trade of Japan is 
not in a very flouiishing condition. The action of the 
United States Government in imposing a duty of 10c. 
gold a lb from June 14. on all tea imported had a 
marked effect upon the Japan tea season of 1898. 
The new Kestiiction Act, prohibiting the importatiori 
into ihi: United States of inferior teas, continues to 
be strictly enforced, and many cases of rejection 
occurred daring the year. Common teas liave, there- 
fore, for the most part been forced to seek a market 
in Canada, which has so far imposed no restrictions 
upon its admittance, but where, to judge from recent 
discussion iu the Canadian Houses of Parliament, it 
appears by no means unlikely that similar precaution- 
ary measures will be tr.ken for the exclusion of inferior 
teas. The total export of tea from Japan to Canada 
amounted to 11, .512,1451b, as compared with 8,605,4921b 
during a corresponding period of the year before, 
aa increase of 2,906,653 lb. In the United States 
tea costs 4Cc. gold per lb, with the new duty of 
10c. gold per lb, and the beverage is therefore at 
a great disadvantage as compared with coffee. 
General depression of business followed the an- 
nouncement of the enforcement of the duty, and in 
serveral cases large orders were cancelled. Most 
of the tea shipped to America has remained in 
bond owing to the lower price of that which reach- 
ed the country prior to June 14. As nearly all 
last season'.? tea remains unsold, it does not look 
aa if the season of 1899 would be a prcsperous one. 
In Japan, moreover, the cost of tea-firing materials 
and labour has continued to increase, as compared 
with former years, and, strange to say, since the 
imposition of the new duty the prices asked for by 
the growers have likewise risen. The total export 
for 1898 amounted to 41,102,118 lb, valued at 
£838,740, as compared with 43,510,244 lb, valued at 
£798 327, in 1897. Of this quantity 31,861,149 lb. 
went to the United States of America, 7,680,644 lb. 
to Canada, and the remainder to various other 
countries, of which China with 501,660 lb, took 
the largest proportion. 
Heb Majesty's Customs and Phoduce. — In the 
annual report of the Customs Department just issued 
there is a table which analyses the items in -our 
dutiable imports for the ten years 1889-98, showing 
the increase or decrease in each year of the quan- 
tities imported for home consumption. The most 
notable increase is to be found, under the head of 
Cocoa, which recorded a growth, between 1896 and 
1897, of no less than 32'7 per cent,, the total figures 
being 28,270,562 lb. in 1896 and 37,528,2461b, in 1897. 
If the fiscal years ]996-97 and 2897-98 be taken, and 
the comparison confined to manufactured cocoa, an 
even greater proportional advance is observed — viz., 
BO'} per cent. We are glad to see, however, that 
the home manufacturer's competitive instincts have 
awakened, with the result that in the last fiscal year 
imported manufactured cocoa went down from 8,029,151 
lb. to 6.366,120 lb.— a decrease of 1,668,031 lb. ; while 
the imports of raw cocoa rose from 30,087,311 lb. 
to 34,634,962 lb.— an increase of 4,547,651 )b. Going 
back to the table of calendar years, we find that 
between 1889 and 1898 the import of cocoa (both raw 
and manufactured^ increased from 20,541,254 
lb. to 40,192,049 lb.— that is, nearly doubled 
itself : a testimony at once to the growing favour of 
the beverage and to the fact that the " masses " 
are taking their share in the national taxation. 
1'hese facts are further exemplified in the case of tea, 
the consumption of which grew from 185,578.298 lb. 
in 1889 to 235,353,767 lb. in 1898— an increase of 
