26 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRIOTJLTtTRIST. [July 1, 1903. 
also to the small gracers who draw their supplies 
to present from professional importers at higli 
cast. We could not hope to touoh the larger grocers 
to begin with. In their case we would have to 
attain our object by creating a demand for the 
article with tlie public, which the grocers would 
naturally themselves fall in with, even if they 
ordered their supplies direct from the Calcutta 
market. The feasibility of such a campaign may 
be gathered from examples ot what small retailers 
and the publif now pay for their tea, Linder sepa- 
rate cover I r^end laniplen of tea purcha«cd here 
representing (Nos. 1, 3 hiuI 4) kinds in common 
use, and a s!Uiiple(No. 2) of Assam Pekoe which 
i was informed was veijj' little in demand, viz.: — 
rev single lb. Per Chest. 
Sample No, 1.— Ceylon Golden 
Pekoe . . . . s 3/ at s 2/9 
Sample No. 2.— Assam Golden 
Pekoe . . . . s 3/ at s 2/9 
Sample No. 3— Ceylon G. Pekoe 
as supplied to Hotels . . s 2/6 at a 2/3 
Sample No. 4.— Ceylon Drinking 
blend . . . -. s 2/6 at s 2/3 
From this it will be seen that a discount of 
.3d per pound is allowed when the tea is purchased 
by the chest, but that even then the charge is 
very high for such tea, it being really an ordinary 
Pekoe and not Orange or Golden kind, and I 
believe there would be no dififlculty about supply- 
ing quite as good a tea at c'l cost of about Is 7d 
per pound, sold and delivered here, all charges 
included, except interest on the money advanced 
by the Aijsociation for financing the operations. 
I now append an estimate of the cost to be 
entailed in carrying through such a campaign as 
I have proposed. It is made out on the assump- 
tion that you can place the tea f.o b. at Calcutta 
for lOd per pound, and that the rate of disposal 
will be at one thousand (l.OOs)) half-chests per 
six months. Ar, first it will be difficult to dispose 
of anything like this amount, but afterwards it 
should be far exceeded, when our teas have become 
known : and it was necessary to take some unit 
of sj.le. I would suggest that the tea be offered 
at Is 9d per pound per chest, and Is 7id where 
lines ot 10 or more chests are purchased. 
Estimated outlay pkr pound of Tea.— Capacity of 
packages, 601b nett. Qutuntity to be disposed of in 
six months, 1,000 half-chests. 
Cost of tea ill Calcutta', including blending, s d 
packing and shipping .. ^. 0 10 
Steamer freight to Durban at 42s per ton . . O OJ 
Insurance, Calcutta to Johannesburg, say . . 0-0^ 
Wharfage, handling, forwarding at Durban ..0-1 
Freight to .Jo-Berg 10s lOd per 100 lb. Eailway 
Tax 3s ditto, Transvaal duty 53 ditto, plus 7j 
per cent, nd val., or Gs 9d per 100 lb. ...0-3 
Clearing, cartage to Store, Coolies, &e., at Joha- 
uno--burg and delivering tea afterwards ..0-1 
Insurance, cables, telegra uja, stamps, stationery ^ 
Secreta.ry at £:-iOfo>-' 6 months. Stores and office 
for ditto, at £20, office boy (storekeeper) at 
£S, Rates, Taxes, &g., at ii2 ..0-U 
Total Afriian expenses> before or duriug the 
s^jjfpi the tea . . . , 6id 
Commission on sales at Id per pound . ,0-1 
advertising at £20 monthly in two or three 
ColoijicH ... ... ... 0-Oi 
Suiidiiea Gomingencies .. ... 001 
should not be far out in the gross cost anticipated. 
Rents and handling charges are extremely high 
here and storage room is difficult to secure, ludeed, 
if you determine to send me a ehallan of tea soon, 
it would be well to inform me as quickly as possible 
the approxima e date it would be shipped at 
Calcutta, a-; I will require time to arrange for its 
receipt at Durb.ui and its storage here. This in- 
formation could be sent by cable, A. B.C. Code (.')th 
Edition). 
Finance.— You will notice I have shown separ- 
ately in iiiy estimate the sum that will be required 
for current expr-ii;.e> bel.np, IJ113 first cliallan of tea 
is sold, and u'liip.li yonr A^iifK'ial ion would have to 
remit to me, viz , 6Jd. per pound, and allowing 
another farthing for share of the adverti.seinentf, a 
renrittance of 3os. per chest, of £375 on each 
cliallan of 250 chests, and £1,750 on ehallan of 500 
chests, would be necessary in the first place, and 
until the sale proceeds of the tea place me in funds. 
Conclusion.— Hoping that you will find this 
Report interesting and what you required. — I re- 
main, etc. (Sd.) M. Chamxey. 
—Indian Planters' Gazette, May 16. 
Total other African Expenses 
Oli 
This estimate has 
Grand Total .. Is 7d 
been carefully compiletl, and 
-THE MOSQUITO PLANT. 
(To the Editor of tlie " Times.") 
Sir, — With reference to the letter in the Times 
of this morning from Captain H D Larymore on tlie 
so called 'mosquito plant' (Ocimum viride), I 
may mention that allied basils have been knowa 
' from time immemorial ' to the Hindu throughout 
India as a defence against mosquitoes, and a pro- 
phylactic in malarious districts. They recognise 
several species, such as ran-tulsi, ot ' wild Tulsi'; 
sufaid tulsi, or 'white I'ulsi '; kala-tulsi, or 
' black Tulsi' (sweet basil), iia.in tulsi (O. 
ffratissiinum) ; Krishna-<M?si ; and tulsi, par 
excellence, called also parnasa {0. sanctum). 
One or other ot these basils is found growing 
everywhere in India especially about temples, and 
most of them are grown in gardens ; in Farther 
India specially they are planted upon and about 
graves ; and a decoction of the stalks and leaves 
is a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever. 
The last-named species is sacred to Vithnu, being 
called after the beautiful Tulsi, who excited the 
jealousy of his wife Lakshmi, who translormed the 
fair maiden into the plant which Vishnu at once 
consecrated to the service of his most distinguish- 
ing rites. The ' holy basil ' is therefore planted 
before every Vaishnava house, and every Vaishnava 
wears necklaces or armlets, and carries a rosary, 
made up of sections of its' stalks or roots ; and 
Hindus are sworn on the waters of the Ganges 
poured into the palm of the hand, crossed with a 
sprig of holy basil ; and sprigs of the plant are 
borne by the Brahmans at all funeral ceremonies. 
One of the most charming sights in India— the 
India of the Hindus— is lint of a fair Bralimini 
woman, in the vill.iges of the Deccan (' lightl.and ' 
ountry), early every morning after having liround 
the corn for the daily bread of the family, and 
performed her simple toilet, with the fearless 
frankness of the Athenian ladies at the ^^di■• 
flowing fouuiain.>j oi Cailirrhoe, waikiiio;, with 
stately steps and slow round and rouoJ {pru- 
rf«/.'s)'ima, ' turning to the right i.e., with the 
sun's shadow), the Tulsi plant placed on ihe four- 
horned altar Ixefore the house of ' the father of 
her children,' invoking on him and them, with 
