March i, 1899.] TSE TEOPICaL AGRICULTURIST. 
639 
NATAL TEA AT AN EXHIBITION. 
Mr. Heurv Atkins, South African representative of 
the Nectar Tea Oompaiij', writes to the Cape Times 
that a great injustice has besu clone to the brancl of 
"Nectar" te?, the tea-drinldng community cf South^ 
Africa, and myself. The J udging Committee of the 
Grahamstowu Exhibition appointed to act as expert 
judge of the teas competing, Mr. Hindsoii, a Natal tea 
grower who [Not for competition. — Ed. iV. J/] has an 
exhibit of his teas at the above exhibition. After care- 
ful examination of the competing teas he gave 
"Nectar" the first priz", thereby entitling the brand 
to the gold medal. This decision, it appears, was not 
satisfactory to Mr. Donglis, chairman of the Judging 
Committee. I thoroughly appreciate that gentleman's 
knowledge of the relative merits of a Kerry or 
Priesland cow, but cannot conceive that his know- 
ledge of expert tea-tasting entitled him to set aside 
the most careful judgment and opinion of the very 
expert he and his colleagues had chosen. In order to 
further satisfy his own opinion upon the matter, Mr. 
Douglass, without intimating his intention to his 
fellow jurors or to Mr. Ilindson, invited i\Ir. Bushby, 
of the Natal Court, to give his opinion as to the relative 
qualities of the te''s. Mr. Bu^liby, after careful ex- 
amination, fully concurred with Mr. Hiudson's judg- 
ment. A third person was called in, who, I under- 
stand, walked into 'he judging room smoking a cigar, 
an act that would be considered an outrage on all tea- 
tasting laws. This gentleman has placed " Nectar " 
second. I claim the gold medal, and refuse to accept 
any other. The following is Mr. Hindson's statement 
to Mr. Atkins : — 
.January 16th. Judged teas very carefully. Awarded 
" Nectar " 1st ; " Ceylindo," 2nd ; " United Kingdom," 
3rd. Subsequent action jurors outrageous. I declined 
to send in report, and withdrew.— C7(«;rtJii< and Dnirj- 
yist. 
COFFEE MOVEMENT IN 1898. 
The year 1898 is one of exceptional interest so far 
as coffee is concerned, the record showing that (he 
production of coffee, stimulated by years of high prices 
has far oustripped the consumptive requirements of 
the world, and that such condition is likely to continue 
for seveial years. The world's visible supply began 
to increase in 1696, and from July of that year in 
rose from 2,588, 19;-{ bags to 7,128,800 bags on Novem- 
ber 1, 1898, declining since to G,6y0,763 bagson Jan- 
uary 1, IS'JO. This large supply is about one-half the 
world's avenige production tor the last two years, and 
ia a bulwaik against any " bull " movement until 
there ia a partial failure in supply. 
Of the 5,82.5,163 bags delivered in the United States 
there were 4,643,072 bags cf Brazil and 1,181,491 bags 
of all other sorts, so that Kio and Santos coffee con- 
stituted 79 7 per cent, of the total supply. 
The total receipts at Rio and Santos in 1898 were 
8,895,000 bags, against 10,039,000 baes in 1897. It is 
claimed that planters have been holding back coffee 
and that the crops of Rio and Santos in 1899 1900 
will furnish 10,000,000 bags. 
The outlook for Java coffee is more favorable for 
the next than the present crop, the present estimate 
for next year being 250,000 picula Government and 
350,000 picnla private coffee. 
The extension of the industry in Mexico, Central 
America, and Venezuela has gone forward and 
supplies from those countries have been increasing, 
and are likely to for several years to coino. 
Altogether, it is certain that the world's supply is 
largely enough in excess of its requirements to keep 
prices low ; and as they are now ou a basis of cont 
conimeusurato with the relations of supply to demand, 
it is reasoUAbly safe to carry heavy stocks. — -iHit/iciiH 
JAVA QUININE. 
In the .article on Java quinine in our la.st i.^sue 
we mentioned that most of the London deliveries 
have been resliipped to New York. Tlii.s is a 
very common rnniour, bun Me.ssrs Brookes & Green, 
21 Mincing Lane, E.tJ., through who.«e hands 
all_ the Java quinine pas.ses, assure us that it is 
quite groundless, and, as a matter of fact, not 
five per cent of the parcels landed in London 
have been reshipped. It is taken by English 
buyers for Iingli.<-li consumption.— CweoH.sf and 
Druggist lor February. 
^ 
NATAL TEA 
Is providing the colony with new outlets for 
energy and capital. It is about fifteen year.s 
since tea-planting was started in Natal, Mr 
W R Hindson, of the (Clifton Tea Estate, 
being one of the pioneer.s. The twentv-live acres 
he commenced with have grown to " over 600 
acres. Hindoos and tlieir families are the worker.; 
employed, the KadVi having proved to be too 
dear and too lazy. The picking season ia Natal 
commences generally early in .September, and 
goes on till about tiie end ot the following 
May. Tlie months of June, July and Angus'd 
are taken up with digging and manuring the 
land and pruning the plants. The tea is picked 
by the coolies, ninle-carts in different gangs 
collecting the leaf. Last year's output of tea from 
the estates was estimated at from 300,000 to 
400,000 pjuiids, for which there is a ready market ; 
and as there are other estates whieli bring up tlie 
total under tea-cultnie to between -2,500 to 3,000 
acres, tlie year's output of tea may be put down at 
1,000,OCO lb at least. The industry is a growing 
orip. Incidently it may be mentionell that although 
coffee was, as iu Ceylon, af.ailure, it is still grown 
in Natal, and so is the arrowroot plant to a slight 
extent. — Natal Mercury. " 
[Our correspondent sends us samples of the Natal 
tea, which we have tried. The flavour is good, but 
the te,asgive a poor liquor with London water, and 
M'ould only be good herefor blending-purposes. 'The 
leat is made the average in size, — Ed. C. ti- Z).] 
The Te.v Crop EsxiMATio.-Very curiously the 
deductions from tlie telegraphic news recently 
made by the local " Times" and ourselvf s were both 
wrong ; though in different ways. We <ratiiered 
that the total crop was estimated at 125 millions 
including (instead of 'apart frnui ') 1-^- miliion lb. 
for local consumiition ; while our contemporary 
put the total estimate correctly at 126.^ niiUion 
lb. ; but tvrongli/ inferred that all this was avail- 
able for e.xpnrt. Here is how the Association 
Committee [lut the matter: — 
Total crop ... ... ...lb. 126,500,000 
Local Consumption ... ... 3,500,000 
125,000,000 
shi-pments to U.K. ... 93.000,000 
,. , 32,000,000 
Ihen we divide this somewiiat ns follows:— 
Australasia ... ... 16,000,000 
Russia ... (•,') lO.OOO.OOJ 
North Aniericn, direct (in- 
cluding via China) ... .l.OOO.OOO 
Other countries... ... 2,000,C0O 32,000,0^0 
Hut " Other Countries " should iei(uire ;> (if not 
4) million lb, : ihe only question i.i, will Ku.s^ia 
go in for 10 million lb. of Ceylon to.; in 1899 
against 2,714,(00 lb. in 1.S9S. This increase is, 
peiimps, too iiuich to expect in one yeai. 
