90 
THE TROPICAL AGRICTLTURIST. [ArorsT 1, 1898. 
Tea Piantehb and the Curhency.— The following 
letter uppeaia in Thf Times fro*n Mr. Granville L. 
Acwortn, late L'hairnn m, United Planters' Association 
of South India : — " May 1, in behalf not merely of 
the European planter of India and Ceylon, but also 
of the niillious of producers of the great Indian 
Empire who are unable to make their voices 
heard, support the proposal of Mr. Ernest lye, that 
two members to represent the huge producing in- 
terest of India and Ceylon be added to the Indian 
Currency Committee ? I do not think the public 
have adequately scasped what the proposaU of the 
Indian tioveinment in regard to the fixing of the 
rui.ce at Is 4d mean to the producer. Taking 
Blivcr at its present price of '261 por ounce it 
moans that an export dnty oi som^- iii'ly per cent 
(50 per oeat) !:■ ])hiced on kiI Iiid:Kij proJuoti coniii t? 
into cojupctition wiii) thi.n'j of oihr-r Sflv-^r-udin^ 
Ojuntries; or to puv it in otiicr words, countri-s with 
a silver currency conipotii'g in India have a bouusuf 
fifty per cu-iit (M per ceui) pt .cbd on ib"irK"odii by the 
Indian Governmtrn. Tea, coffi-e, cotton, jute, hides,' 
seeds (t'c, will nil sufl'er under this cruBhiiig tux, and, so 
far as the Eiiropeiin planter is concerned, it simply 
Bpplls ruin. Wf positively canuot on thes>' te: nis 
eoinnote with Cliina, Br.izil, ( o^ta Rioa, mid tf!<r 
Central Stiat? of America. The end fjr us must 
surely come, as surely as it h:,s to the sugar industry 
in the West Indies, for it must never bo forgotten 
that it was boniity-fed bec=t and not fair competition 
that extinguished sugar planting in the West 
Indies. 
•Tapanesf. Tea Planting Phokpects. — The lightness 
of money in Japan is said to he seriously embarras- 
sing the tea trade ihere, a id the rise in wages and 
in the prices of general commodities in recent years 
has likewise been severely felt by the planters. It 
is again stated that a considerable decrease in the 
production of tea in Japan will he a feature of the 
present year. We have previously pointed out that 
Japan teas are suffering in reputation in foreign 
markets as a result of careless and inferior methods 
of preparation, and attention is being called to this 
fact as a serious matter 'iffecting the future of 
Japanese trade and finance, tea being a very impor- 
tant item in the exports of the country. The 
question is considered to be the more deserving of 
attention as ("eylon tea is now said to be steadily 
taking the place of Japan tea in many directions. 
The Central Tea Guild of Japan is taking the matter 
up, and is urging the producers in Japan to improve 
their methods. The Guild is also establishing tea 
inspection oliices in Yokohama and Kobe, with the 
object of preventing the exportation of inferior 
ea. 
Coffee in Java. — The decline in coffee prices, en- 
couraged as it is by the great fall in the Brizil an 
exoh.inge, appears to be havl:]g a very adverse in- 
flaeiice on ccfl'c^e-plaiiting interests iu Ja\a. A stage 
of depression there, it is stated, has now btcn 
reache.l which justifies fears of the worst. It is re- 
ported t}irt,t many estates there are to be ''shut 
dewa." The position is said to be most unsatisfac- 
tory in Cotie — Dutch East Borneo— where the suit- 
a,bleness of the soil and climate to ttie cultivation 
of Liberian coffee led planters to open up estates 
very eagerly. Prices, especially for the Liberian 
description, have, however, fallen so low, and coffee 
growing in Brazil has been so extended, that ail 
hopes of financial success in Cotie have now, it is 
stated, been abandoned. Only a year ago nineteen 
concessions for coffee planting in Cotie were applied 
for, but the outlook is at present so discouraging 
that all these api')i:;ations will be allowed to fall 
t'lrongh. IVlaiiy coffee estates iu .Tava also are re- 
ported to be in di!fieu!ti>'s, and four are mentioned, 
Vxluert in ISOfi at 1,400.000 guilders, which are now 
ill i.be blinds of mortgagees, who intend f.o sell them 
by auction. It is added that the estates have, as 
a rule, been woikod on so uusati -factory a system 
t.*iat no provision has been made for bad years such 
as are now being experienced, planting companies 
having? trusted to a contiuuance of the brilliant re- 
sults at first attained.— H, 4' C. 3fail, June 3. 
LAUY BIRD UEETLE3 FROM 
AUSTRALIA : 
MK. NEWPOKT'S MISSION. 
We call attention to tlie important coitm- 
pondence on the above subject t'iven eli»e- 
where. It will be observed lii&i both tiie 
Director of Kew Ganleu» (Mr. 'I'hibelt^jij Dyei) 
aud Sir. \V. F. H. Rlandfcrd (a lc:uiiiiy; Eiito- 
inolo{,'ical authority) deprecate the mission under- 
taken by Sir. Newport— who is (<ii|i)KMseil not to 
be a Bcicniist,— aud i>'jiiii out certain ii»^k' that 
niHV bt incui ied. \l the bainf tiiiic, llic .-uc< »».a 
of Mr. Kocbel's mission on bchnlf of CHlilornii 
i" K< !;iiowlwl|L!e<l, and it will o<»-<'ive<l thai Mr. 
K-iMibtrM aiuh'jrity it. un iilioricd ^viiii r';*jj>-ct, a«altii< 
incidi'.iitaliy thill ot .(ur own Mr. (j.een — Jtliou(;ti 
the latter wron^rly (t ^'ets onalil fur * '.rk doi.e by 
the late Mr. Niet 'cr v.'e 'iiink Wo know liow Mr. 
Koebel a<lv.jcaL' d. to Mr. Green, the ^clliu{; ov«|- 
of certain lady-bird becllea wliicli he wa* conlident 
wo'iUl Work benelicially in the ca-^it of t-'ey lun. L' nder 
any circuii'^tam es Mi. K. E. Gm-UH authoricy 
US a coiii;ielcut EiiliniioKigUl is ftdly iicknoM'- 
le<l};ed and whatever the ( 'eyiou Goventii.ent and 
Planter 8 may do under lii!< advice, caiiiiot be 
wroii^. Coiild be not be |>c»>u.aded l<i uud«r- 
take a mission iu perKon on behalf of Ceylon, 
tltat is if he thinks an enemy to Otth€zi<t t/i- 
tit/iiii ax well a.>* to " f^rcen hujj ' coiihi be safely 
ialroiluceil. — It will be curious nnu to >ee what 
the I nitcil I'lanter.s' .Association \ull ilo : |»er- 
hap.s it may turn out iliat .Mr Newport it a 
<|ualilied EntoiiioloKiMt after all. ll will be ob- 
served that the «uni raiHeil for his Miaiiion in 
only K5,0(>U all told — half from the plunterb con- 
cerned and half from the Madras Government. 
THE LADY BIRDS AND COFFEE 
IN .SOUTH INDIA: 
ADVERSE OPINION ON .MR. NEWPORT'S 
MISSION. 
(From n Corrcsjiondent.) 
The Madras Government liiw commu!iicat«d 
copies of correspondence received from the Secret- 
ary of State for India on t he subject of the depu- 
tation of Mr. Newport to India for the puqio-c of 
obtaining lady birds. The lollowiu;; is the c^irre- 
spondcucl^ referred to in proce-idings ot ihe 
Madras Government ; — 
Read the following despatch from the Right Hon'hl« 
(he Secretary of Stj-tefor India, lieveuue Nc. -1 dated 
'28ih April IS'JS : — I forward herewith a copy of a 
lei ter received from the Director of the Royal G,i.rdeiia, 
Kew, and of its enclosure from Professor Bl.infordI 
offering some precautionery obsfrvations whi< h may 
be useful on the subjecc of Mr. Newport's deputation 
to Australia for the purpose of obtaining a c nsign- 
ment of certain species of ladybirds. 1 am aware of 
the circumsiances iu which Mr. Newport was 
selected for this doty in the absence of a skilled ento- 
mologist. 
Enclosures : Letter from the Director of the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, dated 17th Match, ISg.S. 
1. I have before me tiie proceedings of the Govern- 
ment of Madras G.O. 351. 18;h .May, 1897, and G.O. 
28th, 17th January, 1898, of whicli 1 have received 
copies through the Secretary of State in Council. 
•2. It appears froiu these thtt ccff-^e in the Madras 
Presidency is nif^ciej with scalf bUiTS ^nd othpr 
insects. To remedy this .state of things it has been 
decided by the Madras Government to pay B2 i 00 a 
moiety of the expenses of the delegation of Mr. 
Newport to Australia, to collect and carry to India' 
a consignment of lady birds. ' 
