^EPT. 1, 1898.1 
THE TEOPICAL 
AGEICULTURIST. 
171 
THE BOMBAY TEA ASSOCIATION, 
T IMITED. 
This Company lias just been formed witli a capi- 
tal of Rl,00,000, divided into 1,000 shares of KlOO 
eaoh. In the prospec'us it is stated that the annual 
production of Ceylon and Indian tea is about 
liffceen crores of lb., but the consumption in India 
is very small, only forty lakhs with a population 
of twenty eii^ht crores, whereas with a population 
of about four crores in Great Britain, the annual 
consumption is fourteen crores, so there is a 
great future for introducing tea aniouo the masses 
in India. Hundreds of tea Companies and 
Agents in Calcutta it i.s said realize a sood profit 
and pay handsome dividends. Tea merchants, 
agents and owners of tea estates are flourishing 
and making large fortunes, but it is surprising 
tliat such a well-known commercial city like 
Bombay has not a sintrle tea Company, and 
people have no idea of the large and extensive 
tea industry and profits accruing therefrom. There 
is a vast fi^ld for such a Company in Bombay to 
extend sales of Indian teas in Indian and foreign 
markets. It is not generally known that teas 
from ditt'erent districts in India vary in strength, 
quality, and flavor ; some draw strong liquor, but 
less flavor ; some have high flavor, but draw very 
thin light liquor ; some teas are of very fine 
leaf, whilst others are coars-e ; some have tips and 
flowers, and otiiers have none. Different varieties 
of choice teas can be prepared, by importing teas 
from different districts in India, such as Darjeeliug, 
Kangra, Kumaon, Assam, Dehra Dhoon and the 
Nilgherries, &c., and blending them. It is neees- 
f-ary to open a factory where different varieties 
of teas can be sorted, blended and seasoned scienti- 
fically, so as not only to srive good strength and 
flavou'-, but to secure perfect tea of uniform 
quality, and also to remove the injurious proper- 
ties of teas, such as tannin and to give a stimu- 
lating as well as a nourishing drink. All these 
require practical knowledge and care, audit is a 
secret art to blend and season teas to perfec- 
tion, to suit the tastes of dilTerent nations. These 
teas may have to ba refired and packed into 
cheap wooden, lead and tin boxes, as well as 
in superior class fancy boxes, also in a variety 
of tin foil and lead jjackets of different sizes, in 
such a way as to suit the climate of different 
countries. It is also advisable to open agencies 
in India, and export teas to Euroi)e, America, 
Australia, South Africa, and such Mahomednn 
countries as Persia, A.sia Minor, and other markets, 
where Indian teas are appreciated and largely 
consumed. To carry out, amongst others, the 
above obi'eots, the Bombay Tea Association, Jjimi- 
ted, has been formed anrl registered as a Joint- 
Stock Company, and to start thi~: Association on 
a firm and piofitable footing, and to ensuresuccess 
in this enterprise, it is arranged to inirchase the 
jfood-will and stock of the well-known and oldest 
firm of Messrs. Morton, Maju & Company who 
have done so much for the tea industry, and were 
tlie first to introduce Indian tea into the Bombay 
Presidency. The business of this Association will 
be conducted under the immediate sujiervision of 
the experienced and enterprising proprietor of this 
firm, who is a well-known expert in teas. If 
there is a good opportunity, tea estates will be 
purchased which will considerably add to the pro- 
fits of the company. The company will also have 
the power to deal in eoilee, sugar, ^c, and otlier 
profitable articles. 
Tlie payment of a dividend at the rate of G 
jev cent at least for the tiist three years is guaran- 
teed, and the shareholders will have the further 
advantage of a right to purchase from the com- 
pany any of the articles in which the company 
shall deal at 10 percent less than the fixed prices 
therefor. 
PLANTING IN STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 
(From Eeport on Tampin District, 1897.) 
Padi planting was begun simultaneously, for prob- 
ably, the first time, in obedience to the regulations 
issued early in the year, and, i believe, that there has 
never before been such a large area, under padi nor, 
for some years, so good a promise of a fine harvest. 
It is impossible to spea.k too highly of the good derived 
from the issue of a few simple rules. 
Tapioca planting was, during the first five or six 
months of the year, in a very depressed state owing 
to low prices, wet v/eather, and the bad state of the 
Malacca country roads ; with the advent of dry 
weather and a slight rise in the market, however, tha 
export quickly increased and large quantities of tapioca 
were taken out of Negri Sembilaa during the latter 
part of the year. Tapioca ruins the soil, and is, 
nearly always, replaced by lalang of which there 
are now large expanses in this district. Could firea 
in the small scrub and lalang be prevented, there 
is no doubt that in many places the jungle would 
grow again and gradually kill the lalang, but thesa 
constant fires mean death to the young trees, whilst 
the lalang seems to thrive all the better after 
burning. 
About 1,000 piknls of jungle produce were exported 
during the year, and the sum of |l,43S-73 was col- 
lected as duty thereon. Four thousand pigs reared 
on or near the tapioca estates were also exported, 
bringing in duty of |l per head. 
Steady progress was made ou the coffee estates 
owned by Europeans, and a considerable amount of 
new land was cleared. No cofl'ee was exported, none 
of the estates being yet in bearing. 
Castillo.^ EuBSER.-Eead ths following letter from 
rS^o ^-Z^- Ferguson, Calicut, dated 5th January' 
1698, about Castilloa rubber;—"! am ausious t"^ 
propagate plants of Castilloa elastica Central Ameri" 
can rubber from cuttings as my trees seldom or 
ever seed and I have never been able to save any 
seed from these trees while the Heveas, Para Eubber 
seeds freely. "When these P.ubbers were first intro- 
duced here I undertook to experiment on the best 
plan of propagating the plants rapidly from cuttings 
but I failed. The late Mr. Lawson, at the request! 
ot (jovernment, came here to look into this matter 
and to advise me ou the subject and my oniuion 
being that we could not prop.\gate by cuttings except; 
by having a propagatiog house with bottom heat : 
but this Mr. Lawson, stated was unnecessary • he 
spent several days with me here and planted m?ny 
hundreds pi cuttings of the Castilloa ia small pots 
m much the same manner as I had previously done 
I took the greatest personal care of the cuttings 
but all died, not oue c itting had formed a callus 
and an expenditure of E78i and much valuable time 
were lost, as Government would not sanction my ' 
building, a small propagating house with hot-bed to 
start the cuttings. If you can give me any sng"es- 
tion or informaticu in this connection I will" be 
greatly obliged. In the case of planting cuttint^s 
here, it appears to me the sap is drawn up and no 
callus IS formed. I find this with Roses and mauv 
other plants, bv:t 1 think the use of bottom heat 
would overcome this difficulty? If so what would 
be the best form of applying bottom heat here or 
in Wynaad for propagating purposes? a stove or a 
hot bod ? and with a suitable propagating lionsa and 
a trained man to attend to it, could the work ba 
carried ou at all seasons of the year ? Mr. Fer'^nsou 
has been asked to send some cuttings of Cas"tirioa, 
elastica— they will bo tried in the gardens hero and 
the results comm iuicatod to him,— A'jri-UortiuiUtural 
SocKiy, Madras, ~ - 
