August 1, 1898.; 
tHE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 
95 
for Siberian gold works, salt, coal, agrieuitaral 
machinery aad parts of mac'dnes. to an unlimited 
extent ; machines for equipping Siberian mills and 
workshops, fishing nets and twine for the same, certain 
chemicals — but only in quantities actually required 
by works in S beria — tin, lead and olive oil in the 
quantities required in each separate business for 
preparing fish couaerres ; and sacks to the extent 
necessary for the actual export of grain. Duties 4J 
roubles per pood on Ob and i roubles on Yenisei will be 
9harged on brick tea, so that a Kiakhta tea merchant 
Who pays only 2; roubles, will ^e protected and the 
overlacd trade preserved from ruin. 
The Minister has made the above exemptions for the 
present y<-ar, and hopes to have ihecj Ciclonge^^ for the 
next five years. AU ma- liiacry for gold raiuicg ia 
Sioetia is further mere mftde free of duty ca all the 
frou iers of the Empire. Dariea are .liifewise repealed 
or rf-duced fci five years fiom Sjptfmbei- i-:t i-cx: on 
ftgrii,ii!'.ur;il machinery. Sce.^ni pio'ti=;h^> ^anous kind? 
of thiashing machines, r£;'nei-3, sorters, harrows, &c., 
wi':i 'je free of duty, wuiie duties on other spsci^I kinds 
wiii oe reduci^d froM 1 roubie 20 kopeks to 50 kopeks 
per pood. Fiucilly, diitiea on nearly sU obemica-I 
manures and remedies against diseases of trees and 
vines are aboli?ii?d. 
We work ont -1 to 4 J ronble-s (rouble = S-* lid) 
fier pood (381b. Enjilish) to mean 4d to 5fl per 
b. ami therefore this can only refer to t!»e com- 
mon brick tea as Cant, de trisei! points ont, 
and which apparently enters via Kiaohta for '2'» 
roubles per pood, or 2jd jjer English lb. : 
THE DISTRIBUTION OF CEYLON TE.A. ; 
ROOM FOK A COMPANY; AND "J. L. S.^' 
KEADY TO PRO.MOTE ONE. IF DULY 
SUPPORTED FROM CEYLON. 
We direct the special attention of Ceylon 
planters to the following letter from one whose 
initials, as well as his special claim to treat of 
tea distribution, will at once be recognised. We 
feel sure that great interest will be felt in tlie 
"new departure" J.L.S. ha.s already begun to 
promote ; and if he makes arrangements to 
enable planters out liere to give tlieir support 
and take shares in his Distributing Company, we 
cannot lielp thinking, that support wonfd at 
once be forthcoming. Should he not also get 
iwme ot tiie big e-state proprietors at home — such 
men a.s H.K.R., \Y. McK , G.S.D., A.L.C., H.L.F. 
and others— to take an interest ami .~hew that 
tiiey recognised tiie iuiportance of the movement 
aod the sound business basis on which it stands ? 
"J.L.S.'s " letter is as follows : — 
24, Rood Lane, 11th June, E.C. 
Two or three letters and editorial remarks 
in your columns lately have pointed at a way in 
whicli every planter in Ceylon might do some- 
thing to raise the prices of Ceylon tea and that is 
by bringing his force to bear on the domestic 
and social circle, which, be it large or small, every 
one can do something to influence. 
Ma:iy of the Companies, lirms and individuals 
to wiioMi yon are good enough to give a gratuitous 
advertisement as " supporters of the Ceylon Tea 
Industry" have done much to foster tlie taste for 
good Ceylon tea and have as a rule, tried and 
in 'many ca-^e.s very successfully to show that the 
lowest priced article is not aecessarily tiie 
cheapest ; tliat the best tea the world pr(«luee-s 
cannot be retailed at l* 7d per pound, and by 
giving good tea and good value for money have 
snpjiiied the wants of those who are still ready to 
pay '2s a pound or upwards for t'leir tea. 
The enormous profits which can be made by 
retailing tea are a dream of the past ; retail prices 
liave so come down that it is only by dealing 
on a large scale that a tea-selli.ug business can l^e 
profitably conducted and most of tiie '• supporters 
of the Ceylon Tea Industry" could tell how much 
more business they could do without any in- 
crease of rent or wages, and how crippled tliey 
are by heavy expenditure owing to the snialiuess 
of their transactions. 
Now if we could capitalize all these Companies 
at a fair price, which would show 10 per cent profit 
over a series of years and if we could secure the 
co-operation of ail v.hoso interest it is to keep 
up the quality and the price of good Cevlon iea. 
giving them the oppoitunity of sharii-"' iu the 
prcfit^ V, hich ihrir go^'d- wiif created, the resnli 
would be vei y b--;;eiioia"' c.,> Ceylon. 
Pi-ic^ a LONDOX Compaq i ia a pi>siuoa ro 
retail a mTllion ponnd, of, tea at. 5s per pound or 
mo-e (an I il;,jre tre .srii! jnav.y people prei.-ared 
to pay those prices if tuty uet what sni't.s them) 
and tile result wonh! Ikt fiir-reaching, it wonid 
not oi.iy affect the niiiiion ponmls bonjiht aiiii 
sold, bat it would tell on every pound of Ceyion 
tea sold m Miticing Lane and if it hud I 
b?iieve it woulil have, the effect of creatin-' a 
taste for better tea and there is strons evidence 
that this has already set in, the benelit to growere 
miaht be very grciii. 
i may mention that before my attention v.-as 
drawn to the suggestions in your columns, I 
had been working this matter up and have'ar- 
rangeil for the amalgamation of several concerns 
on the basis I have mentioned, each seller of a busl- 
nes-s to the new Company retaining for a period of 
years, at least lialf his purchase price in shares to 
ersure the continuity of goo<l-win. 
Give us the goo"d-will from Cevlon planters 
wiiich will dispose of a million poiands of "oo<i 
Ceylon tea at the prices indicated which means 
tiiat the proprietors, managers and assistants of 
each es ate should enable us to sell say si.\ chests 
of Ceylon tea per annum and I wilT guarantee 
good dividends and what is of more iinporrance 
to all of u« an effect on Mincing Lane price* 
J. L. S. 
F. ^' — The time is specially favorable for brino-. 
ing out a Company o ti.is sort : there is clear 
evidence of a revolt among all ehisses of tea- 
drinkers against the cheap IvA nasty, and the- 
recent reduction in parcel post rates has le«l 
h'.rgely to the 10 lb: cansiter, the favourite from 
of purchasing tea by very many, being >ent direct 
from London to ail parts of 'the countrv. 
USEFUL HINTS TO CACAO PLANTERS. 
Witli reference to Mr. de Sancti.s' letter and 
oar advice to cacao planters to make "observa- 
tions,' Mr. Carruther^ is good enough to write: — 
"When I first came out to VTariapoUa earlv in 
December I marked some 30 yonng leaves onlv just 
out of the bud. After 15 weeks not one of 'these 
„. . ^ , . , leaves stav 
on the trees. 1 have been amused in mv visits to 
find some planters when I asked them, estima-e 'be 
dur.^tion of t!ie leaf at from 3 months to 4 ve^^rs • 
The more observa'.ious taken ihe better. The pi in 
I used was to make with a small pencil point pro- 
testor, a hole ia each leaf and make a uote of the date." 
Mr. Canuthers is at present working nt Pera- 
der.iya labor.ttory ; but has still t.. vi.^ft llani^l.uk- 
kana and Monaragala, so that if he is to lii.ixh 
by the middle of August, he has his work cat 
out for hira. 
