May 1, 1899.] THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
783 
rUODUCE AND PLANTING. 
Keeping up their Spirits. — A faw months ago 
most of the newsp.ipers were very pessimistic on the 
subject of tea. Tlie industry was iu a bad way, and 
tea planting had been altogether overdone. There 
is a different tone observable now, and the " Leeds 
Mercury," a journal which claims credit for being 
cheerful on the subject of the outlook when other 
papers were very gloomy, congratulate investors on 
the brighter outlook. It says: "A few months ago, 
when the outlojk in the Indian and Oaylou tea trade 
was popularly regarded as extremely black) we sought 
to infuse a more hopeful spirit amongst investors in 
tea shares. Up to that time it was the fashion to 
refer to the high rate of exchange as an influence 
that was likely to work havoc with this particular 
industry, but we pointed out that it had its advantage, 
inasmuch as it was calculated to restrict over-produc- 
tioD, which was, from our point of view one of the 
main causes of the trouble that had overtaken the 
trade. Since then the situation has greatly improved. 
The consumption of Indian tea has once more 
reached a record level, having for 1898 exceeded the 
production exported from India and Ceylon by no 
less than 2,594,0001b, The excess of the exports over 
the world's consumption ranged during the three years 
1895-6-7 from about 6,000,0001b. up to 7,000,000lb. The 
last occasion on which consumption was ahead of 
the export from countries of production was in 
1894, when the excass amounted to 4,945,000 lb. In 
regard to prices of Indian tea, the average obtained on 
garden account for the past week 'was 9'27d., in 
comparison with 8'20d for the corresponding week 
last year. The average since June 1 to date was 8-70d. 
a« compared with 8.77d, while as regards Ceylon 
tea, the average was 8.30d, as compared with 7.63d. 
Looking broadly at the position, it is obvious that the 
maintenancs of a high rate of exchange is not in- 
consistent with a marked improvement in the trade, 
and -we should say that the future has about it many 
elaments of an encouraging nature. We look for an 
improved state cf the share market, and think that 
investors on the look-out for shares likely to undergo 
enhancement in price could do worse than give their 
ftttantion to these specialities, confining their pur- 
chases for the most part to preference shares. Prices 
are well above the level at which they stood when 
we last dealt with this question, and there is little 
reason to doubt that they are destined to advance still 
farther." 
The Tea Trade of the United States. — The 
effect of the tea duty imposed last year in the United 
States to meet war expenses, a duty by the way 
which is uot expected to be removed until 1,900, has 
been to reduce importations to the lowest point. 
Importations for warehousing have not fallen oS, but 
the withdrawals for consumption upon which duty 
is actually paid have been much less. An American 
paper gives the following figures, giving the com- 
parison in the importation of tea in 1897 and 1898, 
and showing the countries from which tea is shipped 
to the United States : France in 1897 sent 2U9 lb. 
and in 1898, 333 lb.; Germany in 1897, 39,093 lb., and 
in 1898, 586 1b.; Italy in 1897, 367 lb., in 1898 6401b; 
Netherlands in 1897, 20,113 lb., in 1898 280 lb.; Knssia, 
on Baltic and White Sens, in 1897, 000 lb. in 
1898, 270 lb., the United Kingdom in 1897 sent 
6,217.726 lb., and in 1898, 2,971,116 lb.; Kcva 
Scotia iu 1897, 90,5311b, in 1898, 27,1281b ; Ontario, 
Quebec, A-c, in 1897 sent 2,155,75Slb, and in 1898, 
1.305,8171b ; British Columbia in 1897, l.rOolb, in 1893, 
168,3361b ; China in 1897 sent 53,-^2-J,5461b, and in 
1898, 39,754,73C>lb ; India (and including, presumably, 
Ceylon) sent 2,117,433 in 1897, and 2,237,8071b. in 1898 ; 
Japan in 1897 sent 45,105,1611b. in 1897, and 22,79S,3081b 
in 1898. About 4000,0001b. of tea were sent from 
Hong Kong in 1897, but only 189,9721b. in 1898. 
WoNDERPUL. — Excessive tea drinking, some medical 
authorities have stated drives people mad, especially 
iu Ireland, bat in New York it is coffee that worka 
the mischief. The noted specialist. Doctor Elton, 
tells us that American women of the middle classes 
remain too much indoors, drink extravagantly of 
coffee, and brood too mucli over their inability to 
compote with the wealthy women whose doings are 
advertised iu the daily Press. This is the great 
cause of insanity. It is bat fair that coffee should 
have a turn just by way of a cQange. It will be 
time that sugar had an innings soon. 
Rubbish Masquerading as Tea. — Five hundred and, 
eighty two half-chests of stuff called tea (about 30,900 
lb), which recently arrived at the Albert Docks, 
and were seized by the sanitary authorities of 
the Port of London, were brought to the West 
Ham Police Station on Tuesday and submitted 
to Mr Gillespie, one of the magistrates. The tea 
which was said to have been submerged in Marseilles 
Harbour, looked like a mixture of mouldy manure 
and black and green mud, and Mr. Spa^accini, one of 
the food inspectors, asked that it m^ht be destroyed. 
Dr. Collingridge, the medical officer of heal h, in 
supporting the application, said he had made expe- 
riments and found that though the tea was so bad 
it could be '' faksd " and put on the market in 
such a condition as to deceive the purchaser. Mr 
Gillespie ordered the whole consignment to be des- 
troyed nnder the supervision of Customs oflicera. 
A Big Cheque for Duty. — Lipton, Limited, hare 
paid Her Majesty's Customs a sum of £76,847 9s Id, re- 
presenting a clearance of over 2,000 tons of tea, a quan- 
tity equal to the average weekly consumption through- 
out the whole of the United Kingdom. 
Cinnamon as a Cure for Influenza. — Cinnamon 
should be in increasing demand. Dr. Carne Ross, 
in the current number of " The British Medical 
Journal," claims to have discovered a cure for in- 
fluenza. His remedy is simple. All that one has to 
do, according to Dr. Uarne Ross, is to dose oneself 
with cinnamon as soon as one feels the grip of the 
microbe. The doses have to be repeated at intervals, 
first of half an hour and then of an hour, until 
the temperature becomes normal, and the patient 
must stay indoors for twenty-four hours afterwards; 
By that time. Dr. Carne Ross believes, the disease 
will have disappeared. This is not the first time 
that cinnamon has been suggested as a specific for 
influenza. But its properties seem now to have been 
tested with unusual thoroughness, during a period 
of five years, and the result has made the investi- 
gator an enthusiastic believer iu its value. — R. and 
C. Mail, March 24. 
-> 
Wood Preservatiox. — A process of seasoning 
wood which, it is stated, will in about a fort- 
night render timber as well seasoned as is ac- 
complished in five years by storage in the usual 
way has recently been attracting attention. Ac- 
cording to "Nature," an effort is being made to 
introduce the method, which i.s known as the 
Nodoii-Bretonneau method, into this country. 
The system consists in placing the timber to be 
seasoned in a large tank and immer.'^ing all but 
an inch or two in a solution containing ten per 
cent, of borax, five of resin, and three-quarter per 
cent, of carbonate of soda. The lead plate upon 
which it rests is connected with the positive pole 
of a dynamo, the negative pole being attached 
to a sindlar plate, arr.ingcd on its upper surface 
so as to give good electrical contact, and the 
circuit Is completed through the wood. It is 
stated that under the influence of the current 
the sap appears to rise to th* surface of the bath, 
while the aseptic borax and resin .solution takes 
its place in the pores of the wood. Thi.spartof 
tlic process requires from live to eiglit hours for 
its completion, and then the woo<l is removed 
and dried either by artilicial or natunil means. 
In the hitler case about a fortnight's exposure 
in summer weather will complete the process,— 
Vuili/ Chronicle, March 17. 
