462 
THE TBOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jan. 
• ol Years'ago we heard the old excuBe 
universal, years^agu, » cl mate and 
about the dampness of the 01 m ^^^^^ 
the cUfficulty of keeping eas but ^^^^^ 
ave as alleged, the d.fficultv c^^^ 
aied ««ch simple appliance.^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ 
Then again, Jf^-^-^ ,„*^^oi bt to rely on 
the smaller gar(.ens no ^^^^gg 
rough nfve labour and this 1.. ^^^^ 
for the chests "o*^ h^ "^^'Jignt, and we can only 
seems to us totally >"''"™f.,''^i,ting system to 
,scriUe the -;Srd:y? ^"en' metaf e^ 
ignorance. I" "^^ as the beautifully 
so easily be obta ned ^^ip^^i^, ,vood chests, 
made " Ven- sta and othei ^mnci 
uneven tarcn ^^"^'P ^t "eady-cut wood for 
oar sugar rehners to irnport rea y ^^^^^ ^ 
such a cheap eo'"";.^;^^^.,^', 40 oOO or 50,00t) cases 
single rn^J'^ ^'^'^^^lf^^'l''^^^^^ it surely would 
a week of the size of a tea cnes^ 
be worth the while of ^ Indian Plante ^^^^^^ 
either the " Venesta Pacl^a^es ^^^^^^^ 
proper shooks f rom «tlf .^"'^"X^ces ^ are so defi- 
^he native labour ^nd the applianc ^^^^^^^^^ 
cient as they api ear to be in^ necessitate re- 
cases. The planters al.o go '^^ '^^^^^^^^^ 
bulking in t US y,iJy,ent.sized leave.. This 
vision of their teas into ditterent 
can only be effected by a co^t y y ^^^^ ^ 
ing, in addition to the e^PO« .^i„„ the 
friction, which ^'fj^^.^to co^mpiradvely waste 
leaves, ^^nd turns them into ^co^^^P ,^^,^1 ^^at the 
dust or l'i"lf "j^'Vov hPtter to buy a reasonable- 
planters won d do far better to I y ^^^^ and 
• T«.i;n Cevlon, and Java, is 
The production i". I"dia, ^ y . plantings 
consequently -^^^^g'Tnto bearing. 'sven i 
are year by year coming nianted for the next 
another tea plant we^e Plant^^ ,„„tinue from 
five yenrs, the increas._ wouui^^^^.^^ ^j^^. 
who can work better and more econc.nically than 
he small -rowers. This is the system which 
Ing ula-e'^has established in China, and it is 
akea. v beginning in India. These latter chanpcs. 
however are matters for the future, and the 
Sre^nt .Necessity is for a simphhcation, and 
P wA;=«tinn of the tea trade, such as will 
reatirreduce the i"esent unnecessarily, high cost 
of distribution. 
■ „^ 'Hie consumption of tea in this 
previous sowings. =^ ^nd the next great 
l-ountry h,..s 'eacUed Us limit, an^^^^^^_^^^^ 
consuming country— l ie ^^^^ ^^^^ ■ 
sometlii.ig like one-s xlh o'J"^ (^^in^ 
present, (greatly redded to tlie n j 
teas. The same t>^e^ ca^e i ^^^.^^ 
although we hope, f ^^^y, 
Ceylon teas ^^iH v^adily make t ^J^^^^^., , 
these countries, the f e'nand ca ^^^^ 
for ye.u-s ; its P>-og'-«f .'therefore continue- to de- 
cre^i^ing supp les "^"^^^ ^^^.f the Indian Gov- 
luge this market. .V'^^. exchange valueof 
ernment in artilicially hxin- tlie_exc .^^^H^^.^^^j^g 
ernment i" ^.^^''^of Is ld w l en the intHnsicvalue 
the rupee at therateof Is 4ci « ^^^^^ 
of the coin IS ^o'fetliing about ^^^^^^ 
invious to the Indian tea planter ^^^^^^ ^^^^ 
pressing tin.es it « ^divert the trade 
to ruin our own growers, "> u„.„.,c<. nhina. 
to ruin our uv... - j,, . because China, 
to the common tea .^^T^'p^change for the 
owing to. the ^]Z'^'l\''f,i^^^^ 
dolhir, enpys an advantage o e,o„„inies '.n 
tea. While the P-^'^^„';*-^4t the possibilities 
the tiMdeave great, we **^';^^^„^.g^ter, so that the 
of decreasing pnces are e en^^^^^^^^^^^ 
question should "^^^ ^e interest of the 
i., therefore, "b^'i^^^'^ \" reform in earnest, 
whole trade ^^-/-^^P-eS^U ol the coniing.de 
,K K?le extension of something like 
uression will be tne ^^^^ rf the small 
I'he Central .J'-^S ' o nlknlcture tea. and 
r;Xn'rhi ^^leaf to the Urger operators, 
In the above remarks we have given a short 
outline of the main changes required whether at 
home or abroad, for it matters little which section 
of the tr.ade is benefited so Ions as expenses can 
he lessened. The necessity foi reform must come 
ome very forcibly to the producer, in consequence 
ot the i.resent great depression in values. It is 
true that for temporary reasons, very common teas 
have recently very considerably advanced but we 
o northink\hat this can possibly last /or long 
with the supplies coming forward. If it do so. 
and the price of common Indian tea is maintained, 
we shall shortly be swamped with common China 
CoHKon, which will bring prices once more down 
to a lower level. If there is no hope for a 
rise in the price of tea, but rather a strong pros- 
nect of a further fall in it, the only way to save 
the planters from ruin is economy in production 
and distribution. The mixture of the two branches 
of the trade in the above remarks is apparent and 
not rea for\ve hold that the whole tea trade is 
organted far too expensively, .for. the present 
scale of prices, and that economies in cost in any 
direction Will benefit all sections alike. -Home 4, 
Colonial Mail, Dec. 1. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
p„«<;tan Tea —The attempt at tea enltivation 
in the Trans-Caucasus haB demonstrated that the 
tea-plant can be successfully grown in the country 
nnder existing climatic conditions, and further that it 
Ts only necesslry to surmount certain difficulties a.t 
nresent experienced in respect to the question of 
obtaininrcheap labour in order to make te^-grow- 
obtaining c I. district. A large Moscow 
'fom erected a ^fac o,y on its plantations la.t year, 
a .d the au horities on the estate belonging to the Im- 
n«rial domains at Chakva have followed this «- 
P 1. =r,fl have set up a tea-making estabhshment of 
LTs durable dfmensrons. The yield of the tea crop 
been eood and, comparatively speaking, fairly 
abundant ^ Bu the Eussians like good tea, and this 
Trans Caucasian tea is far below the standard of 
Indian Ceylon, or China. Seeing, however, that tea 
can now be successfully grown in this re- 
^ton our Consul at Batoum, m a re- 
lovt on Transcaucasian agriculture, " the Imperial 
^omahi authorities propose to 
ffihis US if^'w =gla|i; spMe 
Cnding inhabitants to cultivate under their super- 
vision It is considered that a measure of this kind 
would induce a considerable proportion of the peasantry 
To cultivate tea, and as soon as it is/''ow" tbat fairly 
r^mnnerative wages can be obtamed f or the coUectioa 
0IX leaf a Urge number of women and children 
wo ild wUlinglv come forward and assist in gatbenug 
haTve8?^and by this means au important reduc- 
Hon in the price of labour would be likely to foUow.• 
qn for the present, and for some time to come, 
lusst wm want th; usual supply f™m elsewhere 
