602 
THE TROPICAL AGiilCULTURIST. 
[Makch 1, IL'OO. 
TEA AND COLONISATION. 
Our Southern contemporary, I'lanting Opinion, in 
quoting our leader in a recent issue on "Famine Colo- 
nisation and Tea," Ka,ys " Indian Gardenimi'' appears 
to lean towards a great Hcheme of State colonisation, 
remarking that if 'his were established, and planters 
assured of regular supply of labour, it would be 
possible to pass a regular stream of agriculturalists 
through the tea gardens to the land. We need 
scarcely point out, however, that success would 
•depend largely, if not mainly, upon the regulations 
enforced, and with the Assam Emigration Bill in 
mind, we are disposed to hesitate before arriving 
at the conclusion that a State scheme is 
desirable. Certainly, ' there is no reason to doubt 
that effect could be given to such a scheme if 
the Government would take it in hand, abandoning 
itS; present merely restrictive attitude and adopting 
inatead a spirit of hearty co-operation.' Butisthei e 
not grave reason to doubt whether such co-opera- 
tion can be expected from a Government tliat 
endeavours to control the scale of pay as between 
employer and employed, when it dues not itself liguie 
as one of the employers ? The answer to this ques- 
tion should come from the North. We need cnly 
remark that to us it appears an anomaly and a 
scandal that the Governmeutof India should sopeitist- 
ently manifest a desire to interfere between the planter, 
employer, and his emplyes, when it does nut even 
pretend to have any concern for the relations of 
employer and employe in otlier industries — such, for 
instance, as the enormous mill industry that has been 
developed in India, or the still more important agii- 
cultural industry, which affords examples with which 
the planting industry cannot vie, of what might strike 
impartial economic scientists as an abuse by the 
employer of the helplessness of the employed. Again 
when labour is required for the construction of State 
or State-aided railways, what restrictions are imposed 
on ' the migration of labourers ? We are not suggest- 
ing that Government should be consistent, for we 
value too highly w^at little reputation for sanity we 
possess. Our solo aim is to hint that inoonsistency 
and eccentricity niight be kept within bounUs even 
where the administrative measures of the Government 
of India are concerned." Our contemporary is evi- 
dently afflicted with the historic doubt, whether 
anything good can come out of Nazareth. We have 
already had occasion to complain that the Government's 
Intelligence Department on these questions is not 
very efficiently worked, but beyond this we do not see 
reason to go. With full information before it, we 
believe the Government will give a large measure 
of justice in time to our industries ; and it is the pro- 
vince of the press to see that the deficiencies of 
official intelligence departments are supplied. At the 
same time, perhaps, it might be as well for the pvets 
to set a good example to Government in dealing fairly 
and temperately with the questions at issue, and in 
avoidance of imputations of bad faith. — Indian Gar- 
dening, Feb. 8. 
TEA BULKING AT THE PORT COMMIS- 
SIONERS' WAKEHOUSE, CALCUTTA. 
We have much pleasure in giving publicity to the 
following from Mr. Apjohn, Chief Engineer in the 
Port Trust, which explains itself. The v'ews to the 
Calcntla Tea Traders' Association on this subject will 
be found in another column : — 
To THE EniTon, "Indian Gaudenin(;." 
Dear Sir, — Your leader in this week's Indian 
Gardeninrf expresses approval of the introduction of 
local tea bulking, but gives vent to doubts as to 
whether the bulking can be accommodated in the 
Port Commissioners' Tea Warehouse unless it be ex- 
tended, and you deprecate the bulking being con- 
ducted at the Kidderpore Docks- It is proposed to 
havf, bulking plant at the Ki.idei pore Docks in the 
new tfja-sheil being proviclecl for ihe reception of 
garden teas sent for direct bhipment, and it is for 
such teas that the Commissioners were asked to 
provide local bulking, and the Kidderpore Docks is 
the proper place to cotduct it. 
For sale teas the balking must, of course, be in 
the Tea Waicliou.se, where plant will also be provided, 
and it will not bs fuuni that this plant will take 
up a large portion of the floor ep.ice which, as you 
rightly EtH-t.-, is at present in much demani. One 
of the great advantages of my system ot bulking is 
that but little fpHce is ri^qai) ed "for its accommo- 
dation. Teas 10 be bulked aie brought to the machine 
from where stacked in ihe Warehoute, the chests 
are then opened and their contents poured into the 
bulker, the empties sent down by a slide to the 
ground-lluoi- v. liere ;hey are fed to the cower packer 
and delivered icady for closing. All the" floor spacea 
occupied by the bnlker and the operations con- 
nected with it allovvini,' ample roum for temporarily 
stacking tens broii(^!it for bulking. Opening the 
chests and closing lifj^Un on the ground floor does 
not exceed C per cdiit of the floor area of thu Ware- 
house. The bulker nud power packers would be 
quite capable of dertliii^' in a week wi)h the largest 
number uf chests ever sold at the weekly sale. 
Several tea experts who have considered the matter 
agree wi'h me tliat ilie pioviaion of bulkinf^ facilities 
will in time tend to ec nomy of space, when it is re- 
cognised that bulking can be uffected much more 
quickly than the pie.'^c-nt laying down to draw samples, 
and in time it will become largelv the custom to 
have teas bulked on arrival in the Warehouse before 
sale, which will not only save time, but afford belter 
samples than are now obtained by laying down each 
chest and drawing a sample from it. Teas laid down 
for the lUawing of samples occupy for each chest an 
area of G square feel for an average lime of 24 hours, 
whereas stacked to the usual height each chest re- 
quires only one square foot of &out space. If the 
laying down of teas was abaiiduned for bulking, the 
Tea Warehouse could accommodate quite three times 
as many chests as at present. 
The businesa of the Warehouse is rapidly growing, 
and it is desirable that its accommodntion't-hoiild be 
increased, but the installation of bulking plant will 
tend to reduce, and not to increase the p'-essnre on its 
resources.— Yours faithfully, J H Ar.joHN. 
Calcutta, 2nd Feb. 1900.— Indian Gardenivff Feb. 8 
MINOR PRODUCTS REPORT. 
CiTEONELTiA OiL. — Ten lots bwe been sold recently 
at lid per lb, c.i.f. 
Cocoa Butter. -The nuctions to be held in Am- 
sterdam on February 6th will consist of seventy 
tons VanHonten's, twelve tons Helm, and four tons 
De Jong ; while on the same date in London 110 
tous Cadbnry's brand will be offered. — Chtmiat and 
Drmjgist, Jan. 27. 
" The Indian Forester."— We have received the 
January number, the contents are as follows: 
Original Articles and Translations — The Production 
of Sandalwood bv C D M'Carthy ; Natural Coppice, 
by Sir Dietrich Brandis, i-.n.s., k.cm.b. ; The Forests of 
Cochin China ; Correspondence — The Treatment of 
Bamboos, Letter from C P Fisher ; Is Poinciana, 
Elata a wild tree in India ? Letters from P Glea- 
dow and Jaikrisna Inderji ; A destructive Fun- 
gus on Xylia dolabriformis. Letters from B S 
'Troup ; Official Papers and Intelligencee — The 
Treatment of Rubber with Alum in Penang; 
Reviews— Forest Administration in the K.-W. P. 
and Oudh, during 1898-99 ; A list of the Trees 
and Shrubs of Pilibhit, Northern Oudh and Gorak- 
pur ; Extracts, Notes and Queries; Timber and 
Produce Trade; Extracts from Official Gazettes j 
Appendix Series, 
