806 THE TROPICAL AGEICULTUEIST. [Nov. 1, 1889. 
the leaves than anything else, as gums in most 
cases are deeper feeders than tea and 
therefore do not roh the latter, so mucli as 
other trees do. Grevilleas seem harmless, 
but if we examine them carefully, we shall 
find the branches covered with scaly bug, 
etc., the surrounding tea getting the benefit 
thereof ; not to mention the shade created, 
which is so much to the liking of injurious 
growths. Another system to be condemned 
is growing trees for fuel amongst the tea. 
One need but look at the tea adjacent (a 
few months after these trees have lieen 
felled !) to wonder whether the fuel obtained 
were worth the damage done, 
Artificial. — Now, af ew remar'ks on artificial 
manuring. It will be found that in many cases 
the results of application of artificial manures 
are unsatisfactory ; this being due to our allow- 
ing our fields to go too far before manuring, 
the bushes being shuck ; and if we exaniine 
the roots, we will find them in a like state. 
The result is, they are not in a condition to 
assimilate the manure applied, a part of 
which in consequence will be lost. One must 
allow for this in fh'st application and give 
the bush a larger dose than would be reqiiired 
in succeeding ones. Surely the "Times," in 
claiming that Mi'. Bamber has reduced the 
cost of manuring in the island by 50 per 
cent, makes an absurd statement and one 
very viucomplimentary to the Planting Com- 
munity generally. I happen to know that 
Mr. Bamber is probably as siiprised as we 
are at this statement, though I also 
know that the " Times " gathered this 
infoi'mation from several different men. 
I can only say that Mr. Bamber's coming 
has indeed been a God-send — to such — but I 
most certainly think that the majority — 
including Mr. Bamber himself — would not for 
a moment dream of such extraordinary 
cheapening in the cost of manuring 
being possible. Mr. Bamber recommends 
cheap mixtures ; so do others and such 
mixtures were used long before he came ; 
and as he aims at permanent benefit 
to the soil, how we can attempt to place 
any A^alue on his system till at least a trial 
of two years, I cannot see. At present the 
greatest tribute we can pay him, is that he 
came at the right moment- and played an 
important part in the upsetting of the 
Castor Cake and Bone Era of Conservatism. 
HANKOW THE TEA MART OF CHINA. 
THE TOWN AND ITS INDUSTRY. 
(Specially loritten forthe " Ceylon Ohserver.'" ) 
Hankow does not perhaps stand pre-eminent 
as a health resort, and indeed those who have 
faced a summer or two in that place, 
might look upon Colombo as a sanitarium ; 
but as 
A CENTRE OP BUSINESS ENERGY 
and activity it is, for three months— May, June 
and July— in a imique position. 
Situated about 6.50 miles from Shanghai, up 
the Yangtzse, on its rl!^;l)t l)a-nk, it stands 
in the very centre of Cliina as the mart of 
the China tea trade. Not that tea is the 
only article it trades in, but undoubtedly tea 
liiis niJide Hankow famous. Big businesses 
iU'C done in hides, bristles, fcathevs and "all 
sorts and conditions" of other articles ; but 
tea has made Hankow what it is. 
As the month of May aj^proaches, the re- 
turn of the tea-ta^ ters, or " Chaaszees " as 
they are called, is noticed in Shanghai and 
erelong they take ship up to Hankow. There 
aie three principal lines of steamers up to 
this port, known as Ewo, 1'aikoo and China 
Merchants : and if j^ou ask a Chinaman which 
he prefers, he will answer thus : — Ewo is liest 
for the Canton man who travels up, Taikoo 
best for the foreigner, and China Merchants 
best for Mandarins. This is boriie out in fact 
and tea-tasters generally select Taikoo. 
About three days are occupied in the journey 
and several interesting river treaty ports are 
touched at en route. Kiukiang is reached 
about a day before Hankow. All teas from 
Kiukiang districts arrive at this port first 
and several houses have representatives there 
in order to buy earlier than others. But 
the bulk of the teas are shipped up to Han- 
kow and offered on that market. 
QUIETNESS REIGNS SUPREME 
in Hankow when the "Chaaszee" arrives 
and the Bund wears a dreary and for- 
saiien aspect ; but in a day or two all is 
changed with the arrival of the first mus- 
ters. The tea-taster buckles on his armour 
in the shape of his oldest clothes and 
the tea battle opens ! A tea season is no 
child's play when once started and the mus- 
ters arrive in a seemingly endless stream. 
The tea-taster in a "quick" season must be 
in his tea room by 5-30 a.m. and start oper- 
ations forthwith, nor stay his hand (or rather 
tongue !) till five or six at night, barring 
short intervals for meals. 
THE TEA-TASTER 
is not a rigid abstainer during the season 
as stated in a recent "Century" article, 
but he iierhaps takes his stimulants in rather 
smaller qujintities and discards smoking al- 
together until after dinner and the day's 
work is over. 
He proceeds on very similar lines to those 
in Colombo, the essential difference being the 
very great care necessary, and taken, com- 
pared with that in the case of Ceylon teas. 
A very good-sized sample is sent'round by 
the Broker— much larger be it noted thaii 
that allowed by the Colombo trade — and he 
then proceeds to become acquainted with the 
quality of the tea before him, using the 
same utensils for this purpose as in use 
in Ceylon. The "Century" article 
errs xex j much in its description of this 
phase of the subject. 
If the tea suits him, he tells the Broker to 
forward a chest muster and thus has the 
useful opportunity of seeing a full half-chest 
of the tea before he has even made a bid 
for it. Should he still like it, he then makes 
a contract for the tea at the jjrice agreed 
upon ; but he has the option of returning the 
chest muster and making no purchase should 
he, on second tasting, dislike the tea. It will 
be realised that this is of great assista^nce to 
the tea taster in selecting suitable teas for 
his orders and if an error is made it is more 
often his own lack of judgment rather than 
inability to see what the tea really is from a 
very small sample. 
If the tea taster is exacting in making his 
staff work, he also works very hard himself, 
