April 1, 189.9. J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
695 
THE INDIAN TEA ASSOCIATION 
(LONDON). 
The following is aa abstract of the proceedings of a 
meeting of the Committee hel.i on Tuesday last : — 
Present; — Messrs. D Cruickshank (in the chair), A 
Bryiina, G W Christison, R Lyell. J Ptiddell, A Q 
Stauton, .] N Stuart, W H Verner, and C W Wallace. 
The minutes of the last meetim;, held on Tuesday, 
Feb 9ch 1899, were read by the secretary and con- 
firmed. 
Correspondence with Calcutta aud New Ic k, which 
had been previously circulated to the membersj was 
laid upon the table. 
The draft interim report of the American and 
and Foreign Tea Committee was submitted, and after 
discussion was approved, and it was decided to issue 
the same, together with Mr. Bleohyndeii's report. It 
was also decided to issue a circular asking for sup- 
port for the proposed new levy to be made in CfJcutta 
on the same lines as before, but on the understanding 
that the funds shall be employed to push Indian teas 
in any part of the world, and not in the United States 
only. 
G'lNDiTioNS OF Sale at Pubi.ic Auction.— It was 
resolved that Messrg A BryanB, J N Stuart, andWH 
Verner be appointed a sub-oommit'ee to deal with the 
matte: in accordance wi:h the previous resolution and 
views of the G-nersil Committee. 
Stacks of Tea. — Reai"! 1 tter f 2 th in'it., from Mr. 
A G Si intoii, eiiclo*in;,' letter from Mr. John McBwan, 
of McMeckin and Co., on this subject. The secretary 
was instructed to :isk the Tea Brokers' Association 
to try and obtain information on the point from the 
warehouses. Telegrams from New York) dated 16th 
and 2l3t inst., were read and noted. 
A financial statement, showing the position of the 
Indian Tea Fund at date, was laid on tlie table. 
Ernest Tte, Secretary. 
—H and C Mail, Feb. 4th. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Peael Oy.sters and Shells. — A seasonable 
art cle on ' Mqi iier-o'-Pearl trade " will fee found 
in our daily anil Tropical Agrieulturist. The trade 
in "shells'' i.s eviiJe itly reviving. Some year.s ago, 
he castaway she is of the )>earl oysteisat Aiipu 
were collected and shipped to Colombo and tlience 
to Europe at the instance of a local firm. But 
later on, the trade ivos stopped as unprofitable. 
Unfortunately there are no shells to gather on 
our coast now, until we have another pearl 
ti.-<liery and of the prospects of this Capt. Donnan 
will .«hr)rily tell us. 
Tea in India. — It must be pleasing news to 
all holders ot tea stock- — s.ays the Calcalta Cor- 
respondent of the Pioneer — that there has been a 
sharp improvement in the value of tea in LondDn. 
Type tea, which was sellintr three months ago 
at S^d. per lb. is now quoted T^d, Seeing that the 
crop of the pHSt year lias all gone forward, there 
is every reason to belive that this price will be 
maintained, if not advancetl upon, for the first 
two or three months' shipments of the coming 
crop. I need not to say that the current price 
•would admit of even a backward garden working 
to a fair profit. The weather so far has been 
excellent for tea, and the season will be an un- 
usually early one in most disricts. Past, ex- 
erience of early seasons warrants us in looking 
orwaul to profitable returns, as the bushes are 
not checked by cold weather as is the case when 
the season commences late. Like other stocks, 
toa shares have been inlluencRd liy the pl igue an- 
nouiiceinent. But a^ mrdeus caiiiiot be atfcctL'd 
to any extent l)y ihcpresence of plague in Calcutta, 
there is no reason for a decline en this ground. 
»7 
The Camphor Situation is said by the Drug 
Reporter of New York (January .30th) to be 
getting stronger. We quote the following:-— 
Elsevvhere in thi.s issue of the Keporter" we 
enumerate some .statistics in regard to camphor. 
They show that the exports from Japan during 
the four years 1S88-1891 averaged about 45,000 
piculs per year, and that there was no increase 
from 1892 to 1896. In 1897 the amount ex- 
orted was only 21,400 piculs, and while the 
gures for the whole of 1898 are not yet to 
hand, they will probably not exceed 19,000 piculs. 
The exports from Formosa during the season, 
July to June are : 
1894-95 26,300 cases 
1895 96 30,900 ,, 
1896- 97 29,500 ,, 
1897- 98 17,850 ,, 
The stock in Hong Kong, wliich at one time 
during 1898 was estimated at 11,000 cases, is now 
said to be but 2,000 cases. All of which tends 
to justify a bullish feeling as to values. 
The Seychelles : the Gurami Fish ; Va- 
nilla AND Development with Trade.— We call 
attention to a very interesting letter from Mr. 
Harold llaty of the Seychelles in another column, 
giving useful information in regard to the 
gurami fish which we are so anxious to see in- 
troduced around Colombo if not higher up in 
the island. Mr. Baty is good enough to send us 
a small box of plants, on the leaf of wliich gurami 
is said to feed and we have to thank him for 
this attention as well as for the promise of some 
specimens of the fish on a future occasion. We 
have also to thank the B.I. S.N. Company and the 
Commander of the .ss, " Lawada " for their atten- 
tion in this matter. As regards Vanilla and jiro- 
gress generally, Mr. Baty gives very timely 
counsel ; for, the latest news we had was to the 
effect that any young man with £1,000 capital 
should rush off to the Seychelles. That there 
has been marked progress in development since 
1895, the trade figures clearly show ; but when 
the limited area of available land is considered 
and the tiny size of the islands altogether, we 
think any intending settler or investor would do 
well to profit by Mr. Baty's kind offer and apjdy 
to him for further information before making for 
the Seychelles. 
The Ceylon Tea Crop.s in the Future.— 
The Manager of Abbotsford (Mi-. John Fraser) in 
reference toour remark that many people considered 
130 million lb. would prove about the maximum 
attainable, writes :—" Don't you think it quite 
possible if we ever again get a normally wet 
season that our tea exports may jump 10 to 
20 millions? I do ; so don't allow the "Thirty 
Commistee " to go to sleep, as we still want fresh 
fields and markets new," It would be a novel 
experience for the Observer to be accused of de- 
preciating tea jn'ospects and crops ; but we sus- 
pect iilanters in nourishing high districts do nob 
know all that is going on in the lower divisions 
and in old coffee districts. Still, not only has the 
Thirty Committee to continue its campaign nntil 
a certain footing is got on the Continent of 
Europe as well as of America ; but as we have 
said before, India tea plantershave to he warned not 
to go extending the i]lanting tea of under the idea 
that Ceylon is getting played out. There is still a 
good deal of young tea about in the island to 
make up for cert.ain deficiencies in some quarters 
from bliuht &e. — while ic is satisfncfory to Know 
that London is not likely to be troubled with a 
larger supply from Colombo, eren if our total 
crop did exceed V]Q miliien lb, in the fuiurQ. 
