320 
THE TROPICAl AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. 1, 1898. 
is becoming an established custom among ilie 
poorcf class. Although the nature of the Ameri- 
can will not permit of stoiiping factories for 
afternoon tea (as in Englanfl), the employees have 
the privilege of taking their beverage while at 
work, and what is more cooling on a hot day, 
and if in winter time liiey can readily heat their 
tea on the steam pipes (used for heating pur- 
poses) to be found in all factories. I think the 
future of Ceylon tea in the United States most 
promising, and that Ceylon [)!anters have a great 
market to compete for. -I remain, yours truly, 
G. C. WAKR. 
United States Depaetment of Agkiculture, Section 
OF FORBION MAUKETS, WASHINGTON, D.C. 
CONSTIMI'TION OF TEA IN THE UNITED STATES. 
Years ended Cousumption 
June 30th. Nett Imports. per capital. 
Pounds. Pounds. 
1860 .. 26,;-!5i6,928 .. -84 
1861 .. 21,016,667 .. '66 
1862 .. 23,386.777 .. "71 
1863 .. 27,021,040 .. '80 
1864 .. 35,851,022 .. I'Ol 
1865 .. 10.849,189 .. "49 
1866 .. 41,511,448 .. 1 17 
1867 39,.379,574 .. 1 09 
1868 .. 35,625,863 .. '96 
1869 .. 40,810,025 .. I'Ott 
1870 .. 42,540,471 .. I'lO 
1871 .. 44,894,915 .. 1 14 
1872 .. 59,369,602 .. 1-46 
1873 .. 03,751,940 .. loS 
1874 .. .54,141,3.53 .. 1-27 
1875 63,291,304 .. 1'44 
1876 .. 61,160,245 .. 1-36 
1877 .. 56,838,175 .. 1-23 
1878 .. 63,123,188 ,. 1-33 
1879 .. 58,891,535 .. 1-21 
1880 .. 69,894,769 .. 1-39 
1881 .. 79,130,849 .. 1'54 
1882 .. 77,191,060 .. 1-47 
1883 .. 69.597,945 .. 1 30 
1884 .. 60,061,944 .. 1-09 
1885 .. 66,374.365 .. I'lS 
1886 .. 78,873,151 .. 1-37 
1887 .. 87,481,188 .. 1-49 
1888 .. 83,944,547 .. I'lO 
1889 .. 79,192,253 .. 1-29 
1890 .. 83,494,956 .. 1 33 
1891 .. 82,395.924 .. 1-29 
189 .. 89,610,741 .. 1-37 
1893 .. 88,131.0S8 .. 1-82 
189* .. 91,801,565 .. ISl 
1895 .. &6,4B7,Ci2 .. 1-38 
1896 .. 93.340,213 .. I'Sl 
1897 112,907, .543 .. 1-55 
CACAO AND ITS FUNGUS ENEMY. 
Sept. 16. 
Sir, — You may perhaps think the following 
remarks about the fungus attacking the cacao tree 
of some value. When sharing the nustake that 
the damage was caused by a beetle (Tomicm per- 
forans) I apidied to the trunk of many trees 
which did not seem attacked, a coating of margosa 
oil. "With t'ae exception of three of them on 
which the effi.-cts of the fundus showed themselves 
a few days sifter the ;..iiplication, the parts of the 
trees so coated have reiniiined iinmniic. 
Brin"i;)g this together with tlie fact that some 
varieties do n&t soe'.D to offer a field of culture 
to the si>ores of the fungus, 1 am led to think 
that the oil has put the bark of the criollo in 
that state that the spore cannot settle or giw 
on it. Of course any common oil, the cheapest 
to be found, would piobably be efficacious. 
Mr. Carruthers might perhaps think it worth to 
test this prophylactic— Yours truly, A. V.D, F. 
I'OULTKY FARMING AND NATIVE 
APATHY. 
Sib,— The, naraber of steamers calling at this port 
is daily iiiereasinK, and as a result tbtre is a great 
demand for all food stuff", aud pric«>6 have con- 
siderably risen. Poultry alone has risen iu price 
fully .50 ijer cent, and eggs the same. At present 
the dubashes supplying shipi eeud men ioto the 
interior and buy up sU the fowls nnd eggs they can. 
Every steamer leaving the port takes away lat«e 
numbers of fowls and lai^e numbers of eggs; ao 
that local consumers are at a great disadvantage. 
It is surprising that local capitalists do noi take to 
poultry-rearing on a large soale. It is an enterprise, 
which, if carefully mana.ged, is sure to yield good 
returns. One great drawback is that tliey have not 
yet (except in one or two instances only) commenced 
the use of artificial incubators, as they l-argely do in 
India. The experiments of a genlleinan at Kuru- 
ncgala with these incubators have, 1 believe, to a 
certain extent" been succo^sful, aud there is no rcuon 
why others with capit.il aud imorovel modern io- 
cubatora should not command success. The dis- 
inclination on the part of ^oung native gentlemen 
to strike out in this direction is, I believe, that they 
consider it to be beneath them 1 They ignore the 
fact that their fathers aud forefathers earned their 
curry and rice, by the sweat of their brow at the 
plough, in their ancestral piddy fiel s. Let them 
fiut th eir pride in their pockets and go in for aome 
ucrative trade, such as poultry fdrmiug, wherebv 
they may accumulate m^re wealth, instead of squan- 
dering what their parents have left theiu, and leave 
the next generation wealthier and better members of 
the community. — Yours truly, (j 
TEA PRUNING. 
_ , Northern India, Sept. 
Sir,— I have not yet seen the letter of* "An ex- 
perienced Planter," who says that he has carr'ed out 
some of tbQ suggestions (in my last letter,) for 
some yearii and does not approve of them, and baa 
found clher treatment successful. I thall have done 
some good if I gain for the public the experience 
of a man who thinks and tiicn. 
I offered my experimce, only as an aUernaiiveto 
cutting down tea boshes. It will do some good if 
it induces Planters to refrain for a year or two 
from cutting down a block of tea. My "iJea is that 
tea is cut do tvu for the benefit of a few seasons 
at the expense of the general good of the estate', 
and that the less severe the treatment of tea bushes' 
the better they will repay tlie care given them. 
I have seen today an admir.vble illustration of my 
theory. An old bush has got ons straight stem, 
about i of an inch in di.imeter ; it is uncut froin 
the ground to the height of 2 foot, above 2 feet it 
shows two prunings. The growth on this stem is 
fully 18 inches since the hist pruning. The growth 
on the rest of the bish is barely 12 inches "in the 
same time. I have got only this one straight stem 
because I have not as yet systematically cut oat 
old wood— the old stems on this bnsh have all been 
pruned several times and havd probably been cut 
down twice, but they are stiil too good to sacrifice. 
Now that I aui convinced of what was only a' 
theory, bnt has been proved by expeiisnce I will 
cut out some wood from etch bush at €ai;h pruning 
I look forward for the letter referred to, an ! I shali 
be able to jnd^e whether the "other tieitment" 
will suit my garden. 
I found this pkce a mass of gnarled stems I 
fancy that about 30 per cent, are straight and clean 
now (which I have allowed to growj, and within 
five years I hope to have oU the stems straight 
aud uncut up to the yielding point. Darin' these 
five years. I have to increase the yield, to keep pace 
with a falling market, or make much finer tea of 
the same amount. The question is, shall I do this 
more easily by cutting down l/5th of the estate 
yearly, or by my prssent method of preserving the 
