THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST* [April 1, 1904* 
even amouget planters, for there if a section of the tea 
community, we believe, who hold that a small duty is 
not an evil. These are, however, in the minority. The 
general feeling amongst people interested in the tea 
industry is that a tax on tea is a serious handicap and 
a, grievance, and that the retention of that portion of 
it imposed as a war tax is a gross injustice. Even if it 
were admitted that the consumer paid the whole of the 
duty the grievance would remain, and the grower 
would be justified in protesting on the ground that the 
consumption of tea is thereby restricted. The duty 
may be an "ideal" tax from the Chancellor of the 
Exchequer's point of view, but concern for the national 
revenue is a virtue which people smarting under a 
sense of injustice cannot be expected to cultivate. 
TEA PLUCKING BY MACHINERY. 
"Our Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Wilson, is reported 
as having said that he expects to see the day when tea 
leaves will be plucked from their bushes by a reaping 
machine." It seems incredible, says the New Yorh 
Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, whose comments we 
quote, that a learned Secretary of Agriculture, one 
who. moreover, has been a professor in an agricultural 
college, and therefore should be especially wise, should 
hold so extraordinary a notion, since tea plucking is 
the least desirable, by a reaping machine, is incon- 
ceivable. The sentiment of the aged gentleman is 
probably fathered by the wish to see the Uoited States 
a tea growing country of vast proportions, an ambition 
and achievement which is closely tethered by our in- 
ability to apply to tea growing labour as cheap as it 
can be got in India, China, or Japan, even our cheapest 
negro labour being very dear in comparison. — R and C 
Mail. 
» 
A PEEKMAAD PLANTER GOES IN FOE 
RUBBER. 
Peermaad. — We are shortly to lose Mr and 
Mrs Iniray, who have both been many years 
on these Hills. Mr Iraray, I hear, contem- 
plates opening up a rubber plantation in the vici- 
nity of Kanjorapilly, and every one will wish him 
success. They will both be much missed and their 
hospitable little bungalow at the Mount will know 
them no more. Every planter is now keen on 
rubber- planting and we wish all those who venture 
on the enterprise success. Kubber takes from 
five to seven years to yield a good crop, so one 
has a long time to wait, but if the present demand 
continues, a ready market will be available. — 
M Mail. 
THE ANTI-MALARIAL EXPEDITION 
TO ISMAILIA. 
Sir Alfred Jones entertained at lunch, in 
Liverpool on Monday, a company of merchants and 
scientists to meet Professor Boyce on his return 
from Egypt, and to hear his statement as to the 
success of the anti-malarial fever expedition to 
Ismailia. Sir Alfred Jones presided and welcomed 
Professor Boyce. Professor Boyce said that when 
Major Eoss visited Ismailia in September, 1902, 
there were 2,000 cases of malaria annually in a 
population of 9,000 people of whom 2,000 were 
Europeans. The authorities at Ismailia loyally 
carried out Major Boss's suggestions as to filling 
up marsh land close to the town and cleaning out 
email irrigating channels and stagnant waters. 
That involved an expense of £4,400, and at the 
same lime they organised a drains brigade and a 
petroleum brigade, as a result of whose work 
people could not sleep in any of the houses in the 
European qnarter without mosquito nets, b'tom 
something like 2,000 cases of malaria a year the 
pumber bad been reduced, according to the latest 
statistics drawn up by an independent medical 
ofiBcer, to 200. As a matter of fact, there were no 
fresh cases of malarial infection in Ismailia ; there 
had been no deaths among Europeans during the 
year, and only four among natives, against some- 
thing like 30 deaths the year before Such had 
been the improvement that Prince D'Arenberg, 
President of the Suez Canal Company, informed 
him that he hoped before two years were out to 
see Ismailia regarded as the sanatorium and 
watering place for Cairo. Tropical medicine was 
bringing us to think that after all this little country 
of ours had been for centuries teaching medicine 
applicable to our own country and domestic life 
without thinking of our great Empire all over the 
world. The time had come when they must teach 
students a medicine applicable to the whole world. 
Major Ronald Ross, C B remarked that the success 
of the anti-malarial campaign at Ismailia had 
taught two things — that it was possible to rid a 
large town entirely of mosquitoes, and that it was 
equally possible to eradicate malaria. He had 
been asked by Mr Brodrick to draw up a report as 
to malaria cases in India which numbered 300,000 
admissions to hospitals among the troops and the 
gaol prisoners. With the Ismailia figures before 
hira he would do that with complete confidence, 
for he was sure that very shortly they would 
roduce that immense admission rate to one-third of 
the former number, — London Times, 
A RESUME OP THE CANADIAN TEA 
TRADE 1903-4. 
By J LOCKHARDT WaTT, TOEEONTO. 
(Abridged.) 
There have been some interesting developments 
in the tea trade of the Dominion during the past 
year that dealers would do well to note and the 
consideration of which should assist them in the 
profitable conduct of their business in this article 
during the year on which we have entered. The 
most prominent development of the year is the very 
large quantity of Ceylon and Indian green tea that 
has been imported during the season and which 
is steadily going into consumption to the displace- 
ment of other green teas and particularly Japan 
teas. The trade in China black teas had been 
rapidly declining, but the past year might almost 
be said to have witnessed the complete extinction 
of this trade and the black tea trade of the Domi> 
nion is now firmly established in favour of Ceylon 
and India, Should the sale of Ceylon and Indian 
green teas continue to gain ground as in the past 
year, then it is not a question of a decade, but of a 
few seasons only, when the whole supply for 
the Dominion of tea, both black and green, will 
be taken from the British tea-growing countries — 
India and Ceylon, 
EDUCATE THE BUYEB. 
The dealer should not fail to impress on the 
consumer, on all suitable opportunities that fine, 
flavoury, thick-liquoring tea which can easily be 
obtained by an intelligent buyer to retail profita- 
bly at 40c to 50c per pound is quite as economical 
in use and is infinitely more agreeable to the palate 
than inferior tea at 25c, per pound. These remarks 
refer particularly to black teas (Indian and 
Ceylon), and a point the dealer should himself 
bear well in mind is that the difference between a 
tea costing say 18c. and a tea costing say 23c. both 
bought on quality (not leaf) is the difference 
l^etween an ordinary tea and a really fine tea, so 
