July 1, 189S.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 13 
in the districts affecteil, at once gave a trial to 
tiiis very simple aud yet effective reinedy. Tlie 
cost is very little ; a rupee's worth of naptlia1ir,e 
going a very long way indeed towards saving a 
large store of paddy. 
AGRICL'LTUKE AND TKOPICULTUKE 
AT ZANZIBAR. 
OsK of the most practical and interesting Re- 
ports on a siuiU scale it has been onr privilege to 
peruse for some time is that which hasi'eached us 
from Mr. R. X. Lyne, Director of Agiicnltnre, Zan- 
zibar for 1897. We liave niarl-ced copious extracts 
for our Tropical Agriculturist, while all we 
can do here is to mention the new products 
which are reported on with the results of care- 
ful experiments. These are Cacao, Kola, Para 
and Ceara Rubbers, Vanilla, Coli'ee, Chillies, 
Papaya, Castor-seed, and especially Cloves which 
is the staple crop of Zanzibar. The Clove crop? 
of Pemba and Zanzibar fluctuate a good deal 
from 537,84-3 in 1895, to 361,869 in 1890 and 
'332,521 "frasillas" (351b. eacli) in 1S97. Dry 
weather is chietiy to blame for short crops. Labour 
seems good and plentiful : — 
L.\BOUR. — No labour difiicuities have arisen at 
Danga in couaequeuce of the abolition of the legal 
Status. Women received KtJ per month, including 
food money, and men K8 and E9. Twelve months 
ago the wages were RIO and Ell, and they are 
still at thi3 figure in the town ; yet in spite of this 
disparagement the labourers show no inclination to 
desert the shamba for the town. A few Indian and 
Chinese labourers have been given work at Dunga 
but have not been a success as they frequently get 
fever when cultivating the soil. They aslo require 
higher wages than the natives though they work 
shorter hours. 
Live stock, implements, manures and soils foriH 
the closing cliapter of Mr. Lyne's admirable 
Report. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
Tea and the Curken-cy Committee. — As regards the 
Committee on Indian Currency, to which, reference is 
made elsewhere, the tea industry has been practically 
left out in the cold. It is true Sir John iluit is 
on the committee, but he may be said to repi-esent 
the commercial side of the industry. It is the actual 
producer of Indian produce who needs representation. 
What about Mr. Christie? Immediately on the 
announcement that the Secretary of State for India 
had agreed to the appointment of such a committee 
the Ceylon Planters' Association put in a claim to 
independent representation on the committee, and 
Bubraitted to the home Government the name 
of Mr. Thomas North Christie as that of a suitable 
representative of the interests ol the colony. Plan- 
ters may to some extent be satisfied if Mr. Christie 
is called as a witness before the committee. But, 
it is urged, '• the producing interests of Ceylon are 
of sufficient iniportauco to secure Ceylon a seat on 
the committe:." The incident may perhaps suggest 
to Lord George Hamilton and, what is more im- 
portant, to the committee itself, that interest in the 
Indian currency question is not restricted to India. 
The views of the Indian Tea Association, London, 
are shown in the following letter from Mr. E. Tye, 
the secretary, forwarded for publication i'l the Tiinea : 
'•The Secret.iry of State, in his desp i.tch of April 
7, 1S'.18, wiote as follows : ' I propose thei-efore, to 
refer the whole matter to a committee consisting of 
gentlemen whose knowledge and experiencn, whether 
administrative, financial, or commercial, entitles their 
jadgment to the greatest weight, and who may be 
expeL-tdd to give an impartial and unbiassed opinion 
UDon the question vi.hioh will be submitted to them.' 
The result has been the appointment of a committee 
who are all men of m\rk and weight, bat I an'i 
desired to point out that there is not a single re- 
pressutative with Indian experience of =uoh great 
producing industries as tea. coffee, inaigo, aud other 
impartaut agricultural products, oi: of sueh manu- 
factures as jute and cotton. Tiie interests of Indian 
producers and Indian manufacturers are not neces- 
sarily opposed to those of Indi rn houses of commsrcf> 
and finance. But in the present ca^e financial an J 
commercial authorities, however abio and impart' i 
are not likely to look at this question of curr.-njy 
and exchange through the eyes of the Indian j'o- 
ducer or the Indian manufacturer. What mv isso- 
ciation aud the producers, both of India aud roylou 
ask is that some members should be added to the 
committee tj represent the views and iate ;sts of 
producers aud of manufacturers in India aud Ceylon 
considered independently of Ihose either of financiers 
or commercial middlemen. In other words some 
members are required on the committee who will see 
that the question of currency and eschani^e " ai-e 
carefully considered from the point of view "of pro- 
ducers and manufiotnrars in those countries. While 
officia!, financial, aud commercial views are fully 
represented on the committee, there is not a sin^^le 
member with Indian experience v/ho exclusively re. 
presents the views of producers aud manuf acturers in 
India. The association theiofore asks that two 
members be added to the committee to represent th» 
great producing and manufacturing inda3trie3*fn India, 
and Ceylon, such as tea, coffee, indigo, jute cotton 
aud other agricultural produce." ' ' 
Thc Geef.n Tea Trade.— As evidence of the in- 
tensity of the trade struggle in Asia between Great 
Britain and Russii a correspondent of the Mornina 
Pott points out that another attempt is to be made 
to put an end to the trade in Chinese green tea 
carried on between Bombay and the CenTral Asian 
possessions of Russia. The business, stiil fairiy laro-e 
is entirely in the hands of British subjects, Peshawur 
merchants in Bokhara, who act as agents and con- 
signees for certain Indian firms. The Muscovite 
dealers have long looked with envious eyes on this 
branch of business, aud have made many en- 
deavours in Uate years to tempt the Hindoos to 
abandon their Indian connec;ions and ally them- 
selves Vi'ith the Russian traders. Abaut fifteen 
months ago a delegate from Srmarkaud came 
to Bokhara and actually offered to advance to 
the Peshawur merchants as much money as" they 
might req'ure for their purchases without any in- 
terest if ihey would cease to crder their gi-eeu teas 
through the Boiubay houses they represented and 
procure their supplies instead duect from certain 
Russian firms already established in China. In'addi- 
tion to the tempting offer of an advance of money 
it was represented to the Peshawui- (!ea!er3 that by 
obtaiuing their green teas from the Riis-ian firms 
named, and allowing the Russians to forward them 
direct from the Chinese port of shipment to Ba'oum 
and thence to Bokhara, they would save at least 
two to three annas — from 1;- to 13-16 of a penny 
on each pound, and would thus be in a position" to 
sell cheaper locally and make a better profit 
than they now do. But though the Russian 
authorities joined in the representations made 
them, the Peshawur dealers declined " to 
abandon their clients. The result ^vas that 
every hinderance possible has since been put in 
their way by tbe Customs and other offioi.ils. A 
Muscovite combination of firms arrange 1 for' the 
importation direct of from fifteen thousind to t'-venty 
thousand chests of green tea from the Russian honsea 
iu China, aud sold them locally in competition with 
the Indian traders at such i.jv.- prices as to make the 
business unremune: ativo to the Bombay shiouers — // 
«W C. JAkV, M ly 0. ^ 
