540 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. 1, 1900. 
Charles III. of Navarre, and in 168-1 Louise XIV. 
ordered that it be transplanted to the orange grove 
in Versailles, and there it has remained ever since. 
During the last two centuries the tree lias been 
knovpu as the " Grand Bourbon," and for many 
years eveiy possible care has been taken to preserve 
it from decay. Now it has passed away at the 
great age of 478 years, and many Parisians who 
knew it well are sorry that they will never afjain 
see this statelv ornament of the Vers-^illes GuuX- 
Aens. —Queensland Agricultural Journal. 
<s>- 
STUDY THE TEA BUYER: BIG BREAKS 
WANTED. 
(Z'o the Editor of the Home and Colonial Mail) 
Sir, — I wish to draw attention to what is be- 
coming; a very serious question for tea buyers in 
the London market, namely, the dividing up of 
a break of tea into tliree or four divisions and 
offeriug tliein all in the same week, or even on the 
same day. I have just been looking over Ibis 
present week'.s catalogues and find from Salonali, 
three Pekoes, three Pekoe Souchongs ; Dinjan, 
four Pekoes ; Khoboiig, three Pekoes ; Debrapar, 
four Pekoes and four Pekoe Souchongs ; Sokerat- 
ing, four Pekoes ; Anio, three i^ekoes No. 1 and 
7 Pekoes No. 2 ; Carron, three Pekoes and tliiee 
Pekoe Souchongs ; Hapjan, three Pekoes ; Green- 
wood, two Pekoes and three Pekoe Soueliongs ; 
Etah, two Pekoes No. 1, two Pekoes No. 2 ; and 
so on, if your space would admit of the needless 
multiplication of examples. Now all these gardens 
are presumribly managed by good men of business, 
and yet here is plain evidence of f'efying the oft- 
expressed opinion of the market as set forth in the 
annual circulars of all the best informed brokers, 
who ever and anon havereoomniended theincreasing 
the size of the breaks. Some of the breaks above 
referred to do not average more than twenty- 
four chests ; the quality of each of the three 
or four twenty-four chest lots is .so close that 
few experts would find :j;d per lb. between them ; 
yet instead of bulking the three together so as 
to save time, buyers must taste three samples 
and microscopically endeavour to detect a shade 
of difference, thus wasting ranch valuable time 
and exasperating them besides. It is perhaps 
too much to hope that the pointing out of this 
flagrant condition of things will efl'ect any al- 
teration, nevertheless, in the best interests of 
the Indian tea industry, I think attention 
should be directed to it. When will sellers 
learn that in studying the buyer is the surest 
way to increase business, and in the long run 
gee the be^t price? And when will they per- 
ceive the fact that the man who has accurately 
valued one sample will bid higher for it than 
the man who has InuTiediy and uncertainly 
looked at four samples and cannot for the life 
of him make np his miuil which is the best? — 
I am &c., D F Shillington. 
. ^ , 
THE INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION (LONDON.) 
The following is an abstract of the proceedings 
of a meeting of the general committee iield onTues- 
day, 9th Jan. Present : Mr. D Cruickshauk, 
Messrs. Robert Lyell, F A Roberts, A G Stanton, 
(chairman), J N Stuart, W 11 Verner, C VV 
Wallace, and S A Went. 
The Late General HioNRY H0PKIN,S0N, C S I.— 
The following resolution was unanimously passed 
by the conimittee before proceeding to the 
business of the day: "This Association regrets 
to learn the decease of General Hcniy Hop- 
kinson, csi, who was for many years asso- 
ciate<l with the Indian Tea Association as its 
chairman, and begs to express its sympathy with 
his family." 
The niinutes of the last meeting of tlie 
committee, held on Tuesday, December 19, 1899, 
were read by the secretary and confirmed 
Correspondence with Calcutta, which had 
been previou-ily circulated to members, was laid 
upon the table. 
Scientific Officer for the Tea Di.s- 
TRICTS.— A letter on this subject from Dr. 
Voelcker, addressed to Mr. Cruick^hank, was read 
by the secretary, and at the request of the com- 
mittee Mr. Cruickshank arranged to see Dr. 
Voelcker again and settle with him as to the 
engagement of a suitable man with the requisite 
qualifications to proceed to India and take up tlie 
appointment. 
Warkhouse Charges.— Mr. Geo. W Christi- 
son's letter of October 27th last was considered 
and discussed Ijy the committee, and also the 
minutes of the meeting of the Calcutta committee 
of December 5th, 1899. 
Travancork Statistics.— After some dis- 
cussion it was decided ihat iti fu'ure it was 
advisable that estimates of the Travancore crop 
should, if procurable, be given separately by the 
Calcutta Association when framing their forecast 
of the Indian tea cro)j. 
Work in America.— The .secretary reported 
interview with Mr. Mackenzi(! on 8th inst. Letter 
from Mr. Mackenzie dateil 8th idem was read, and 
secretary was instructed to reply conlirraing ar- 
rangements made. 
iLB Draft. — Correspondence with Mr. J A 
Brown, Secretary Tea Buyers' Association, was 
read by the Secretary, and meeting of Joint 
Committee arranged for Thursday, lltli instant, 
at Ceylon office. 
Paris Exhibition, 1900,— It was n&ted 
that four pliocos of Darjeeling had been received 
from this exhibition from the Calcutta Associa- 
tion. The photos were exhibited to the com- 
mittee. 
Proposed Dock Trust for the Port 
OF London.— Letter from Mr J A Brown, Se- 
cretary Tea Buyers' Association, was read, in- 
timating that Mr. John Lacky had been ap- 
pointed as their representative for the special 
committee of the London Chamber of Oommei ce. 
Mr F A Roberts was requested, and agreed, 
to act as the representative of the Indian Tea 
Association. Ernest Tye, Secretary.. 
— Home and Colonial Mail, Jan. 12. 
Sugar. — Capital, writing on the sugar-cane 
crop in Bengal, says : — The season was rather fa- 
vourable to the crop at the beL'inning. but sub- 
sequently heavy rain adversely affected its pros- 
pects, and in some places the crop suffered from 
want of rain and daraage by insects. The total 
area under sugar-cano is returned at 860,200 acres, 
against 861,100 acres in the ijrevious year. Only 
three districts report a crop which is above the 
normal, and nine dvstricts an average one ; the 
remaining thirty- three districts expect an outturn 
below the normal. The forecast of the crop was a 
normal outturn, but it is now probably that only 
84 per cent of a normal crop will be obtained. 
On this basis the outturn of raw sugar may be ex- 
pected to be 15,896,500 cwt. against 17,428,700 
cwb. in the previoBs year. 
