(68 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 1, 1899. 
lbs. ; and 1890, 52,000,0(J0 lbs. The amounl of brick 
tea, our representative was told, was at (lie very 
lowest computation an eciuiv.dent quantity to the 
amounts ^^iven above, and it has been freely .stated 
among Kussian merchants that the agj<regate 
amount of tea coming into Russia for the last two 
or three years was as mucli as U0,()O0,(KXJ lbs. per 
annum. Tlie v\ hole of the tea entering Ihe coun- 
try had to pay duty, the bi iek tea going into Siberia 
being charged at Irkutsk at the rate of 7/0 for ;j6 
lbs. ; upon black tea through llie Marine CustoniK 
a duty of 1/1(1 per lb. \n as imposed ; and upon over- 
land teas 1/ or 1/1 per lb., according to exchange ; 
while for green teas the amount charged was 
something similar to that for overland teas, but 
the exact figure our informants could not at the 
time to call to mind. 
This induces us to ])ul)lish thn following 
letter which wo addressed to the Chairman 
of a Sliaijgluii Tea Coiuiiiittee in Septeiuber 
last; but to which we liave never liad a 
reply, po.ssihly thioiigh liis ah.sence in 
Europe. The letter eaii-ie.s its own explana- 
tion : — 
Colombo, Sei)t. 12. 1898. 
Dear Kir, — T ^■enture to address you as 
Chairman of the Siib-Committee that r(q)orted 
on "Tea" in January JH97, to ask for inform- 
ation, or your oj^naion,— if you will be so 
kind as to <',ive it — on a question that has 
arisen out of your Report and Statistics. A 
Ceylon planter, Mr. T. N. Christie, visited 
Russia and from officird information gave 
the total C<)iis\iuiption of tea in the Empire 
as " 52 million lb. leaf teas and 40 million 
of brick and slab teas " — a total of 92 million 
lb. teas 
In yoixr Shanghai Report, I find that the 
Exports of China Tea to Russia in 1890 
aggregate 132.507,866 lb. (.55,G18,GG() lb. green 
and leaf tea and 70,949,200 lb. brick te.i.) 
I ventured to infer that in place of 92 mil- 
lion lbs., Russia — between the Pacific and 
Germany and Thibet and the Arctic Ocean, 
— consumed nearer 140 million lb of all kinds 
of tea, including re-exports from London 
and some Ceylon and Indian. But Mr. Christie 
thinks not— that his figures cover all the 
consumption and that the excess of the China 
Exports in 1896 uuist represent re-exports. The 
difference really concerns the 37 million lb. ex- 
cess of brick tea and since you could not mean 
that quantity of tea to go from one i^art 
of China to another, while Russia covers or 
protects nearly all the other territory' served 
through Kiachta, using "brick tea," I am 
puzzled to think to what countries, re-expoi ts 
can take place y Thibet must be served, I 
infer, by a south-west route from China, and 
not through Kiachta ? Does Corea use brick 
tea and get it through Kiachta? Or what 
light can you kindly throw on the question ? 
The Russian Consul here (Capt. de Frisch*) 
was of opinion that a good deal of the brick 
tea was allowed to enter Russia by certain 
routes paying little or no duty, which the 
Government were anxious to develope, and 
that that fact might account for much of the 
excess, I send with this letter two copies of 
Ceylon O'j-'^erver marked, and copy of Mr. 
Christie's Report on Tea in Russia ; and I 
need scarcely say the favour of any inform- 
ation you can give will be much appreciated 
by,— Yours truly, 
Editor, Ceylon Observer, 
M. r. UAVIKS KAUKI AM) JAIUH CO.. 
LD., OF KAIJHIUALE, WCSTEKN 
AUSTRALfA. 
This important and wealthy Compauy, 
which is now icpieKented here by Messrs. 
Buchanan A: Co., will in a short 'time, we 
expect, hold a very prominent iM>siti«)n in 
our mitLst through the introduction of larffe 
quantities of timl>er. We un<lersUiid that 
several ships are now due and on arrival 
the timber will Imj stored at "Lake View", 
Me.ssrs. Buchanan A: Co.'s recent pun-h.-ise at 
Kew Point. The Government ib' taking up 
a large quantity of the c.jnsigninent and we 
are certain that, when once the durabilitv 
of the wood is known, tiie demand for I't 
will be considerable. We ji.ussed thr<jugh the 
.Tarrah Forests of Weatern Australia in 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Madras Ckmknt.— Why hhonld not Ceylon be 
able to uianufacture her owu cement? An Imlian 
contemporary reports that t-onie time Hfio the 
Madras (Jovernnient determined to iry Madras 
cement against Engli-h cements of the hif;iRst 
quality Kent out by the .Secretary of State. After 
prolonged tests and trial.-*, a eireiihir ha^* been 
i#(<ued to the D.P.W. to the ellect that "the 
t^sls of cement made by tlie Coissnliiug Areliitccn 
show that Madras cement lia.s attained a sutlicieiilly 
high standard to he commonly used in the Depart- 
ment. Its use in the I)ei)aitment is, therefore, 
sanctioned and recommended." 
Is Samoa Cocoa grows very freely, and yieldg 
abundant results with biU little attentioi-. There 
seems very good prospcets for small capitalists t'o- 
inz to this part of the world, who have about 
£500 to £2,000 making a fair income by the cul- 
tivation of cocoa. Of course it is necessary to 
have a knowledge of tropical planting at tlie s'tart, 
so that tl)G!?e ignorant in this respect should ob- 
tain knowledge from those in Samoa who are ex- 
perienced before planting on their own account. 
Tlie cocoa tree does not begin to pay until 
the third or fourth year, and is in full bear- 
ing after the filth year, and continues to yield, 
for there is practically no ,a<;e limit to the "bear- 
ing of the cocoa tree. -Produce World. 
Indian Museum Notfs.— Volume IV.— No. 3. 
—We have to acknowledge receipt of the latest 
of these useful issues. The contents are as 
follows : — 
1. Original Communications— (i) Description of 
two new species of Xineiiia from Bengal by the 
Right Honorable Lord Walsingham, m.a , f.r.b, etc. • 
(ii) On the possible utilization of the Calcutta Green 
Bug as food for Birds, etc. : by F. Finns, b a , p.z.s • 
(iii) Description of three new species of Indian 
Coleoptera of the family Cnrcnlionidse : by Mona. J. 
Desbrochers des Loges ; (iv) Some comparative trials' 
of Insecticide pumps in relation to the treatments of 
Tea blights, and experiment in the treatment of red- 
spider : by W. J. Fleet. 
2. Notes on insect pests from the Entomological 
Section, Indian Menseum : by E. Barlow (i) Tea 
Pests ; (ii) Insects destructive to cereals and crops • 
(iii) Insects destructive to frait-trees; (iv) Forest 
Pests; (v) Determination of miscellaneous insect 
pests ; (vi) Reports of results of remedies, etc. tried 
during the years 1895-96. 
3. Reprints and Miscellaceons Notes— (i) Descrip. 
tion of three species of Indian Aleurodidae : byW M 
Meskell, reprint ; (ii) The Bot-fly of the Indian 
Elephant, reprint ; (iii) Pood of Wood-peckers of the 
United States, 
