638 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 1, 1899. 
FAILURE TO IMPROVE CHINA TEAS. 
We take the following from our evening con- 
temporary : — 
Mr. 'I'liotnas Fairliiust, who arrived c>u Wed- 
nesday from Foochow, and is now up-country, 
will continue lii« journey to London liy the 
" Australia," wliicii leaves Colomlio on llie 5lli 
Janiiarj. A representative of the local 
" Times " saw Mr. Fairliurst before he left for 
Dim1)ula, and in answ er to questions respecting 
the Foochow Tea Improvement Company which luis 
just collapsed, he said tlie Company tried their ex- 
S)erinients in iu)proving teas about twenty miles from 
b'oochow, in order to avoid any possibility of 
friction with the natives. Tlie e\|ierimeiits, which 
were superintended by Euro|)eaM.s, weie carried 
out in a very poor district, and it had since been 
thought if tliey had been undei taken in the more 
productive districts, 2('0 or so miles distant, sucli 
as Fanyong and Scumoi, a larger meai-ure of 
success would have atl ended them. The great 
difficulty respecting this, however, was the in- 
adeiiuaie means of transport, the only method 
of communication or cutlet being by a river 
full of rapids or by cooly-back, and there wa.s 
another great draw-back in the circumstance 
tliat the experiments in the better districts could 
not have the indi.«pensable European supervision 
without considerable incoin enience, and, perhaps, 
danger to them. Tlie renson for the c(dlap.se of 
tlie Company, Mr. Kairhurst continued, in rejily 
to an enquiry by his questioner, was the high 
cost of production, this being accounted for by 
the difficulties of transport, high wages both to 
Europeans and Chinese, and the iieavy Chinese 
ex])orb duty, which averaged something like 20 
per cent. 
With regard to China teas* genei ally, Mr. Fair- 
hurst said there was a great demand in the 
English market for common teas at about 43d 
or 5d, and China could produce better teas at 
that price than Ceylon was able to. He gave as 
an explanation of this, that the Chinese method 
of manufacture of cheap teas was the belter one, 
as although machine manufacture improved the 
appearance of fine teas, it had not that effect with 
the common kinds. Ceylon tea, Mr. Fairhurst 
remarked, ought to do well, considering the 
sliortness of the amount exported from Cbina and 
India, the falling-eft" during the past year with 
regard to China black teas, as compared with the 
previous year, being appoximately 5,000,000 lb. 
The demand in London was, as be had before 
stated, for common teas. 
WEIGHING CEYLON TEAS: 
THE LONDON CUSTOMS SYSTEM. 
(INSTRUCTIONS SHOWING HOW TO REDUCE THE 
LOSS TO A MINIMUM.) 
In order to avoid the loss usually experienced in 
Ceylon from the gystem of weighing in vogue by the 
LoDclon Customs authorities, viz., to give the turn 
of the scale against the importer, both ou gross 
and tare, the following hints will prore of value 
to proprietors and Superintendents of Eatatss. 
1. The Tare (that is the weight of the empty 
package, comp'e:e with lid, lead, hoop-iron and 
nails) should in all case weight two to four ounces 
under the pound, whether the package be chest 
half-chest, or box- 
2. The gross weight of a package must in all 
cases weigh three ounces over the pound; whith»f 
package be cbeatj half-chest or box, 
3. When a shipment of tea is not to be " Bebulked" 
in London, the Customs' authorities '• nvrrage tdre " 
the break, that is to say a Email per c«otaKe of the 
psckages are opened and their tares ascertained, 
and from these »n "average tare" for the nhol* 
break is struck. In this c:Ase it is imperative thftt 
the tare of each package weighs abke. 
4. WKf-n a shipment of tea has to be '• Rebalked" 
in London, the tare of each pa.ckaK« in the break 
may vary, provided the tare of each package is 2 
oz. ui)der the lb. 
Subjoined iit ao example of the correct method 
of weighing two packages sai'l to coutaio UK) lb. 
tea each, which have to be Rebulked in LondoB. 
Garden Weights, Ceylon. 
Tare. Tea Net. Gross Weight. 
No. 1 27 lb.. 14 or.. 100 lb., 6 oz. 128 lb.. 3 ot. 
No. 2 26 „ 12 ., 100 „ 7 .. 129 .. 3 „ 
CiiEtoma Weights, Locdon. 
Gross Weight. Tare. Tea Nett. 
12a lb. 28 lb- 100 lb. 
129 „ 29 „ 100 „ 
The two examples above will demonstrate the point, 
inasmuch as in Mo. 1 the loss is 5 oz. only, which 
is the least possiiblc. while No. 2 shows a loss of 
7 oz., owing to the slightly lighter tare. 
5. The following is a very usual but incorrect way 
of weighing teas, possibly through faalty scales or 
weights. 
Garden Weights. Ceylon. 
Tare. Tea Nett. Gro^s Weight. 
No. 1 27 lb., 3 oz. 99 1b 12 ozs. 126 1b. 15 ozs. 
Nr. 2 28 „ I „ 100 ., 13 ,. 128 „ 14 „ 
Caatoms Weights, London. 
Gross Weight. Tare. Tea Nett. 
126 lb. 28 lb. 98 lb. 
128 ,; 29 „ 99 „ 
The Customs do not recognize ounces. With re- 
gard to example 1, this package, the gross weight of 
which the Superinleodeut makes 126 lb. 15 oz., 
would only be called 126 lb in London, the tare, 
according to the Superintendent, is 27 lb. 3 oz., over 
here the 3 oz. would be called 1 lb., and the tare is 
called 28 lb. The 28 1b. tare id deducted from the 
gross weight of 120 lb., with the result thnt the 
amount of tea iu this package is said to be 93 lb., the 
owner of the estate losing the lib. 12 oz. tea which 
may quite possibly be in the package. 
A Biill larger loss is to be seen in example 2, in 
which the Superintendent has packed lOJ lb. 13 oz. of 
tea, but only gets paid for 99 lb., the difference going 
into the pocket of the retailer. 
6. A most important point isto have the weights of 
the weighiug machines, used ou the estate, constantly 
checked, and for this purpose a sot of test weight! 
should be kept. A beam scale is to be preferred to • 
platform oi e, as the former is the more accurate. 
7. When a Superintendent, to equalize the tares o( 
his packages, adds pieces of lead or wood for that pur- 
pose, the material so added shonld be fixed inside the 
package, so as to prevent it falling out when the 
package is opened in London. 
8. A Superintendent may " tare " and pack his teal 
with the greatest care, but if he afterwards permits hit 
carpenter to plane away from the top of the package 
before nailing down, all his careful work be wasted. 
The Metropolitan bonded Warehouses, Limited 
Crutcheo Friars, 
London, June, 1898. 
School of Tropical Medicine.— A school of 
tropical medicine has been founded in London, with 
headquarters at the Seamen's Hospital, Victoria 
and Albert Docks, E. The class-rooms, &c, (now 
in course of erection), will not be ready until 
October of next year, by which time the con- 
stitution and curriculum of the school will havo 
beea formulated.— C4ewt6i and Druggist. 
