Nov. 1, 1898.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
341 
REVISED KSTIMATE OF INDIAX TE\ CROT, 1898. 
Tlie General Committee le^iet to stare tliat they 
are unable to jjresent a revised estimate of the 
Trliole of the crop, as they have failed to obtain 
completed figures from five firms of Tea Garden 
Agents who snbmitted a total orifrinal estimate 
of 10,830,780 lb., and they have also been unable 
to revise the estiniates for Dehra Dun and Kii- 
maon, and for private and native gardens ainonnt- 
ing to 6,000,000 lb. The Committee are conse- 
quently in a position to present only a revised 
estimate of the crop of such gardens as have now 
sent in completed figures, as der following parti- 
culars : — 
Manufacture to Balance 
to be made. 
15th August 1896. Season 1S9S. Total, 
lb. lb. lb. 
Assam .. 30,690,857 31.895,276 62.586,133 
Cachar .. 8,321,434 11.385,949 19,708,383 
Sjlhet .. 8,(112 971 14,221,269 22,234,240 
Darjeeliug .. 3,609,647 2,237,007 5,846,654 
Terai .. 1,884 505 i,0.59,327 2,943,832 
Dooars .. 10,051,444 11,375,876 21,427,320 
Chittatfong .. 30.n,119 616 441 921.560 
Chota-Nagpove. 94,049 100,551 194 600 
Kangra .. 1,302,000 651,000 1,953,000 
64,272,026 73,543,696 137,815,722 
The above revised estimate must therefore be 
taken in comparison with the original estimaie 
of the crop of 1898, viz. :— 
lbs. 
158,681,312 
Les3 as per para. 2 ... 16,830,780 
141,850,532 
If from this be deducted 137 815, 722 1b the 
result shows a deiicit of 4,034,810 lb on the ori- 
ginal estimate of the gardens tiiat have snbniitled 
completed returns, or say about 2 8444 per cent 
on their crop, and ajiplying this percentage of 
deficiency to the 10,830,780 10 above leferredto, 
the total revised estimate would be 154,107,877 lb 
Estimating shipments to America, the Colonies 
and othf-r I'orts with local consumption at 
18,000,C00 lb there will remain about 136,000,000 lb 
for e.vport to Great Britain. 
Actual shipment- to 13 rh September to Great 
Britain are 58,204,109 Ih as against 58,139,550 lb 
to the same date last year. — Indian Planters' 
Gazette, Sept. 24. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
GiXHEK.— Good prices are prevailinL' in London 
market for Jamaica Ginger. Parcels of very fine 
quality may realize over 100s |)er cwt and even 
belter results may be expected where good ship- 
ments are made direct. — Produce WorlJ. 
The Co.\i.Mi.KCi.\L Aspect of the West Africi.n 
problem, Mi. Freeman, in a new book, deals with 
in some detail. He is convinced that tiie trade 
of the far interior has been over-e.'itimated, while 
the possibilities of Ashanliland itself have not 
been suiliciently recognised. The kola nut was 
the real wealth of the kingdom. " It was to 
the kola nut," he says, " that Ashanti was in- 
debted for nearly the whole of its great caravan 
tra<lewiili the MoluiMimedan countries of the north 
and east — a trade liiat had supplied it with 
articles of use .-iiiil lu.vurj-, and had even aug- 
mented it.s stock of gold.'' IJiiD with the passing 
away of the poweitui Ashauti Kingdom the 
cultivation of the kola plantations has been 
much neglected, and the country has consequently 
dijclined in ])rosperity. 
" UuBBKt; FORivSTS."— Henri Condreau, who has 
discovered so many rubber forests, says the India 
Iiuhber tVorld of Septen)ber 1st, has again ascended 
the river Curiipuhy to the cachocira t/ratide aad 
termiTiated his investigation ia the Tuere. ' This 
year he intends to explore the region between the 
rubber-bearing rivers Tocaniius and Xicga return- 
ing to Para in December. It had been intended, by 
one of 51. Conrlreau's companions, who died of tever 
OQ the upper Anapa, to establish a model rubber 
plantation at Par".. 
Mica.— The tests as to whether the mica is 
good for anything, or whether, as the natives 
say, " it is alive," are its firmness, specific gravity, 
and the power of reflecting the eouncenanee free 
of contortions. The latter test shows theperf-ct; 
parailelism of its individual plates and consequent 
likelihood to split well. The heavier the mineral 
ami the more jierfect the reilection, the more 
valuable is the mineral considered. All the plates 
not standing the neces.sary test are of a soft and 
llimsy nature, without any of the brilliant sparkle 
of the better sort, and are called by the natives 
" dead mica." — Invention. 
" Gueex or Uxfee.mexted Tea for Americ \." 
—On page .323 will be found a paper on this sub- 
ject by an Indian Tea Planter. '■ A.C' opens well, 
but he rather loses himself ^n wordy reiteration later 
on and makes impracticable suggestions about a 
special Association organizing the busine.ss. So far 
as Ceylon is concerned, the Thirty Committee'' 
nave done the rigiit thins; in their ofl'er of a 
bonus for a limited period to give the new teas 
a good start. However in the following part of 
his manuscript "A.C." becomes more oractieal, 
as will be seen latei. 
Nyassaland Coffee Compaxv.— \Ye recrret to 
learn from the report published on p.age 126 
that owing to .scarcity of labour and an 
unusual r.ainfall causing heavy growth of weeds 
success has not attended the work of clearinc 
a-id |>!anting .383 acres accomplished during ths'pa.s't 
year. No further land will be ojieiied this sea- 
son and the energies of the Sup.-rintendent will 
be directed towards fully supplying last year's 
clearings. It is gratifying to know"" that no fur- 
ther diificulty is anticipated in regard to labour 
nnd that the prices of Nyassaland coffee have 
been well maintained. 
Fish a.s M.\xt:i;E.— An illustration of the in- 
tensity of the heat in London is found in the con- 
denmation of fish at Bi!iings;;ate iMarket, 221 tons 
having been destroyed in" the first 25 days"of the 
present month, against 1,35 tons in the 31 days of 
August, 1S97. The quantity so treated last month 
was only 93 tons, and in June 78 tons. Last Mon- 
day was the hottest day of the current month, and 
the result was that no fewer than 34 tons of fi.*h 
were found to be unfit for consumption. This 
wasted food is hermetically sealed in tanks with 
carbolic acid, taken to Belvedere down the Thames 
and made into fish guano, e.xcellent for land.— 
Home pajiei: 
The Yangt.sf, Valley.-Id the September 
Contemporary Review a solid and valuable article 
IS Mr. Archiba'd Little's description of the 
Yaugtse Yalley. Frankly <lisclaiming iiis ability 
to discuss general English policy in China in 
spite (or because) of forty years' residence in (he 
Celestial Empire, hegivesa most v&luahle account 
of tl le mar\'el!ous rix'er with its 3,^)00 milesof uavj«^- 
able water (including its tributaries), servin^'a 
population of 180,000,u00all ready to multiply their 
e.\|ienditure on foreign commodities ten (old, lu 
spite of iiis disclaimer, he concludes with a plea for 
securing it as our "sphere ot inlluence," 
