Nov. 1, 1899.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
317 
supervision of bis large property in aadition to my 
other charges. It may also interest you to know 
that in Ceylon there is a coffee sieve knowu as 
Westland's Sieve Plate, made by Walker & Sons, 
Kandy, which is recognised as a very useful stylo 
of sieve to have on one's Pulper. It has obloug instead 
of round holes, and allows almost no cherry to pass 
uupniped. 
This letter is written solely with the object of 
aiding my brother-planters who are still trying to 
make the most they can out of coffee, and you are 
welcome to make any use of it you think fit. 
EXPORT OF CEYLON TEA AS PER CHAMBER Or COMMERCE 
PRICE CURRENT DATED 3RD OCTOBER, 1899. 
LOCAL TEA REPORT. 
(September 1S99. ) 
[TARKANT, HENDEESON & CO.] 
Total number of packages offered during : — 
1899. 1898. 
Jan. . 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Aprl. 
June 
July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
pkgs. 
40,704 equal, 
, 30,685 „ 
, 43,109 „ 
. 34,0'29 „ 
. 56,082 „ 
41,720 „ 
41,930 „ 
. 45,253 „ 
. 36,786 „ 
lbs. 
3,196,299 
2,426,407 
3,422,100 
2,698,200 
4,363,099 
3,253,196 
3,287,569 
3,393,269 
2,884,707 
pkgs. 
48,698 equal. 
27,105 „ 
29,953 „ 
32,2'13 „ 
45,555 „ 
56,184 ,, 
39,159 „ 
41,899 „ 
30,703 „ 
lbs. 
3,855,261 
2,130.761 
2,359,291 
2,562,835 
3,631,532 
4,451,588 
3,077,724 
3,181,581 
2 403.584 
370,298 
28,924,846 351,499 27,654,157 
Market.— Throughout the month has been very firm 
with an upward tendency, and closing prices for the 
month showed a distinct advance over closing rates 
in August. 
Quality.— Shows improvement. 
Weather— Generally unfavourable for growth. 
Exchange.— Firm. 
General.— Statistically the position of tea through- 
out the world is generally strong, and, judging from 
present prospects, the output of both Ceylon and 
India is likely to continue on a moderate scale. Ihere 
is evidently every reason for presuming that prices, 
particularly for common kinds, will remain firm until 
the end of the year. 
MOVEMENTS OF TEA IN LONDON DURING AUGUST, 
1899. 
Imports. Deliveries. Stock, 
lb. lb. lb. 
Ceylon 
Indian 
Java & China 
9,413,876 
13,472,938 
4,826,966 
8,633,180 
10,015,542 
3,414,857 
24,373,006 
28,474,353 
18,093,689 
27,713,780 22,063,579 70,941,048 
SHIPMENTS TO THE COLONIES COMPARED WITH 
' THE SAME PERIOD 1896-98. 
Jan. • 
Feb. .. 
Mar. .. 
Apr. . . 
May .. 
June . . 
July . . 
Aug. . . 
Sept.... 
1899. 
lb. 
825,457 
1,740,632 
923,463 
1,315,033 
1,244,660 
1,418,146 
1.586,503 
1,647,010 
1,497,831 
1898. 
lb. 
1,290,955 
1,031,9?2 
1,151,687 
1,184,076 
1,832,110 
1,561,280 
1,129,211 
1,179,516 
904,218 
1897. 
lb. 
956,977 
787,916 
1,279,468 
1,235,369 
1,500,345 
983,361 
967,546 
1,077,555 
954,263 
1896. 
lb. 
775,127 
934,018 
1,444,468 
937,661 
1,146,872 
1,261,555 
776,557 
647,463 
709,811 
1899. 
1898. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
United Kingdom 
76,887,609 
74,534,260 
Australia 
. . 12,222,006 
11,268,725 
America 
i,81b,0U9 
Russia 
2,719,244 
1,914,486 
Germany 
289,578 
267,619 
Fiance 
76,014 
61 519 
India 
417,300 
864,622 
Holland 
22,874 
22,631 
Africa 
231,088 
301,740 
Other places 
1,414,8.52 
1,159,810 
Total 96,500,118 
92,201,421 
MINOR PRODUCTiS REPORT. 
(Chemist and Druggist, Sept. 16.) 
Quinine. — Dull and easier. Quotations in second- 
hands, have dropped about id per oz. Today's 
quotation is lljd per oz. spot ("with buyers at ll^A) 
and lljd for December delivery, which figure has 
been paid. Makers' prices are unaltered. 
Cinchona. — At auction on Tuesday supplies were 
again small, amounting to 1,907 packages ^including 
729 packages all more or less damaged by smoke 
in the late fire at Bull Wharf). The demand was 
quiet, although the bulk was disposed of at lower 
rates, or generally on a unit basis of lid against l|d 
in August and 1-Jd at the last Amsterdam auctions. 
Cardamoms. — Meagre supplies were catalogued to- 
day, consisting mostly of Ceylon-Malabars, for which 
"there was no demand. The following rates were 
paid :— Ceylon-Mysore, dull bold Jong bleached 2s 8d 
to 2s 9d ; medium ditto 2s to 2s 2d ; small ditto Is lOd ; 
splits and pickings Is 5d. Ceylon-Malabars, medium 
lean brown Is 8d. No seeds were sold 'publicly. Some 
of the parcels offered were not on show in time. 
The shipments from Ceylon for the week ending 
August 22 were 6,7111b. 
SALE OF A COFFEE ESTATE. 
This afternoon at Messrs. Powell and Go's sale- 
room, the valuable property known as the Silian 
Cofi'ee Estate, about ten miles from Port Dickson, 
■was put up for auction. This freehold property 
which consists of about 2,000 acres, together with 
buildinss thereon, was disposed of to Mr. Rahmin 
for ^S,500.—Si7igapore Free Press, Sept. 28. 
12,198,735 11,265,025 
9,742,800 8,633,530 
The Indian Tea Trade, Mr. O'Connor in his 
review of the Trade of India in 1898, has a word 
of encouragement to say to those tea planters 
who are beginning to cry out about the decline in 
their industry. He points out tliat last year the 
outturn of Indian tea was the laigest on record, 
giving a total of 157 million pounds, being more 
than double the quantity exported thirteen years 
ago. When a limited market is found in conjunc- 
tion with an unlimited supply, the inevitable 
result is a heavy fall in prices. Yet Mr. O'Conor 
would not have the Indian plnnters give way to 
des))ondency. He recalls the fact that it took 
Indian tea twenty years to drive Chinese tea out 
of the market, and he reminds us that Indian tea 
is at present consumed in a comparatively limited 
area. A very large proportion of the white race 
of the world does not yet consume tea. In France, 
for example, the beverage is still used only for 
medicinal purposes. Mr. O'Conor warns the 
planters that in their efforts to force their way 
into these iiuge untapped markets they mu*t be 
prepared for a struggle as strenuous as that under- 
taken by them when they entered the lists against 
China tea. But wi'h coura<;e and perseverance 
there is no reason why they should not forge ahead, 
— ri?nes of India, Oct. 4. 
