826 
THE . TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[June 1, 1900. 
MINERAL PRODUCTION OF INDIA. 
(From the Indian Agriculturist, April 2.) 
The Mineral Production of India during the 
four years between 1894 and 1898 has just been 
reported upon by the Director General of Statis- 
tics. Foremost aniong the minerals, it may be well 
to place coal, especially as greater attention is 
now being paid to it, and one eminent specialist 
arrived in India a few weeks ago for the purpose 
of reporting upon the various coal fields of India. 
The industry is shown to be expanding so rapidly 
that the output almost doubled itself in four 
years. The total yield of the mines rose from 
2,820,000 tons in 1894 to 4,605,000 in 1898. Indian 
coal is now exclusively used on some of the rail- 
ways of this country and extensively for coasting 
and river-steamers, mills, and factories. We have 
enough for all steam purposes, but some of the 
coal-fields are so remote from railways and rivers 
that at present it would be impossible, profitably 
to work them. Until difficulties of transport are 
overcome, we shall still have to import from 
England and J.Tpan 360,000 tons annually. But 
our coal will never make coke, and we shall 
forever have to import the foreign product if we 
wish to utilise our own iron deposits ; as for 
sn)elting purposes Indian coal has lieen authorita- 
tively pronounced useless. It is not cokeable. 
Of course the production of iron is quite in its 
infancy in India, the ore being worked only in the 
Raneegunge district of Bengal, Only fifty thou- 
sand tons of iron were produced in 1898, and 
whether it will be possible to utilise the iron de- 
posits of the Central Provinces, Madras, and 
elsewhere, is a question which Mr. Morgans, the 
expert, of whom we have made mention, may be 
able to answer. The section of the repo|t, which 
refers to gold, shows that the metal which used to 
be shipped from Bombay to London to be refined 
and coined is now minted in Bombay from Mysore, 
the only district in which it is found in any 
quantity. In 1898 the output of the Mysore mines 
amounted to 404,625 ounces, the product of Mad- 
ras and the Nizam's territory being little over 
six thousand ounces. This metal realised four 
pounds an ounce, and thus the value of the -^old 
obtained in India in 1898 was £1,642,000. The 
production of last year is known to have been 
materially larger, but the figures are not yet 
obtainable. The quantity of salt produced an- 
nually in this country averages a million tons. 
There are salt wells and lakes in Rajputana, rock 
salt in the Punjab hills, and brine wells in Upper 
Burma, which contribute to the supply. But in 
Bombay, Sind, Madras, Lower Burma, and Aden 
salb is obtained from the sea. But what we 
obtain is not sufficient for our wants, and Bengal 
and Burma find it necessary to import from 
Liverpool, Hamburg, Aden, and Egyptian ports 
of the Red Sea. Saltpetre is plentiful. Indeed, the 
supply is now greater than the demand. It was 
formerly wanted in large quantities for the manu- 
facture of gunpowder and for the preservation of 
food. But it has been superseded for both pur- 
poses, and now we only need produce about a 
quarter of a million tons per annum, which is 
refined in Calcutta, and then exported. The 
remaining minerals of the country are summed up 
in a few words. Rubies and iade are found in 
Burma, diamonds in Central tndia and garnets in 
Rajputana, and manganese, mica, and tin are pro- 
duced in somt; quantities, bub are of comparatively 
little commercial importance. No rubies have been 
obtained since 1896 when 144,011 carats were taken. 
TEA IN INDIA: REVIEW FOR SEA- 
SON 1899-1900. 
(From Baines & Co.'s Tea Review, 1899.) 
Calcutta, 12th April, 1900. 
The close of another season gives us the oppor- 
tunity to review the market for the past year, and 
the prospects for the coming one. 
No estimate of the crop was published at the 
commencement of the season, as the Committee of 
the Indian Tea Association decided that, with the 
climatic uncertainties, it would be better to work 
on a basis of results, and therefore w aited until 
September, to gire tlic actual outturn of manufac- 
ture to end of August, estiinatintr the balance of 
the season ujion the previous year's figures for the 
remaining period. From this'it was assumed that 
the croii would be about 1(53| million lb., of which 
]:H5 was jipportionerl to the United Kingdom. 
Owing, partly, to an exceptionally favourable year 
ill Cacliar and Sylhet, the crop proved to be 11 mil- 
lions in excess of this estimate, of which the Uni- 
ted Kingdom absorbed 149i million lb. There is not 
much doubt that the high prices ruling for lower 
grades during the tirst five months of last year led 
to coarser plucking on many gardens, which may 
account, in someway, for the great increase in 
the crop. 
CALCUTTA ACTUAL FIGURES OF CROP. 
1899 1900 
1898-1899 
Exports to United 
Kingdom 
149,374.164* 
135,381,722* 
Australia 
8,2.50,4:56 
6,398,002 
America ... 
5,923,404 
3,273,096 
Asia 
.5,492,815 
6,972,251 
Foreign Europe 
1,435,140 
1,171,140 
Local Consumption 
(estimated) 
4,380,438 
not given. 
Total ... 
174,8.56,403 
' 153,196,217 
* Re-exported to other countries to end of Feb- 
ruary 190O 
6,014,000 
Do. 1899 
6,006,000 
At the start of last season the statistical position 
was undoubtedly strong. The stock on 1st of May 
1899 was 40j millions, being nearly 9 millions under 
that of the previous year, and the very small avail- 
able supply of Pekoe Souchongs " for price," re- 
.sulted in values for this description, being enhanced 
to 8d per lb. for commonest. By the 1st of June 
exports were 3 million lb. ahead, and during July 
and August continued to increase. The new sea- 
son's crop proved unattractive in quality, and the 
result of these heavy arrivals, caused a quick 
decline in prices of common leaf, and medium des- 
criptions, common leaf being 5^ in August, which 
had been 8d in May. 
Those vrho sold in Calcutta during the early part 
of the season have every reason to be satisfied, as 
these Teas could not be sold to cover cost on arrival 
in London, and most of them showed smart losses 
on the falling market. 
Throughout the year, the abundance of medium 
teas, and the demand for common grades for the 
cheap canisters, resulted in a very low market for 
Pekoes and Broken Pekoes, which very often 
showed only a fractional difference in the prices 
ruling for Pekoe Souchong leaf. The average for 
the year being Sjd against 8|d and 8|d for the two 
prerious seasons. 
At the present time, the end of March, visible 
stocks are under 40 millions, which, we have 
shewn, cannot be taken to represent the true 
statistical position, as all retail dealers must be 
more than usually well supplied owing to the 
heavy clearances before the duty was imposed, but 
at the same time, it would indicate that the Trade 
is capable of working off the surplus before new 
season's teas arrive in any quantity. 
