808 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1. 1904. 
the operation the process ot firing is completecl, though, 
of course, the quality of the tea itself and the require- 
ments of some special market will regulate the exact 
amount of firing in each case. Xhe tea is then packed 
in lead-lined cases containing, as a rule, 40 lbs. each, 
and is ready for export. This is a brief and very 
general description of the manufacture of oolongs. 
FLOWER- SCENTED " POUCHONG." 
Another class of tea known as "pouchong " is also 
made in Formosa. It is a coarser tea than oolongs 
and is highly flavoured with the scent of jasmin, 
gardenia, and other sweet-smelling flowers, Only a 
small quantity is produced, and hitheito its con- 
sumption has been entirely confined to the Chinese. 
EXPORT OF FORMOSA TEAS. 
I am unable to obtain the latest figures showing 
the exports of Formosa teas. In the year 1902 the 
estimated output amounted to 22,000,000 lbs., and 
from 1893 to 1902 the average annual export approxi- 
mated to 20,000,(100 lbs., valued at £700,000, or 8'4 
pence per lb. The large bulk of oolongs find a market 
in the United States ; and of the total exports from 
Formosa pouchong teas only account for about 6 per 
cent. The local taxation, which has been considerably 
reduced by the Japanese, is still high, amounting to 
•63 penny per lb. Since the arrival of the Japanese 
some attempt has been made to improve and organise 
the industry. 
TEA ASSOCIATIONS FORMED. 
After a manner somewhat characteristic of their 
Government in the island, they have ordered the for- 
mation among the growers of Associations for the 
grevention of adulteration and the introduction of 
otter methods of cultivation. The Japanese them- 
Belves have not entered the field as growers or ex- 
porters, and there is nothing to show that these 
Associations have done anything to efiect the object 
for which they were established. 
AVERAGE PRICE OP OOLONGS. 
Whether the production of oolong teas would be 
profitable in Ceylon is a matter upon which, in the 
absence of practical experience, I am reluctant to 
offer any opinion. The large prices these teas at 
present command is certainly an attraction. At 
Iwatatei I myself saw a sample of semi-prepared 
tea purchased at !S250 per pical of 133 lbs,, and the 
average price of oolongs stands at 8'4d. compared 
with 6'2d. in Ceylon. But then there are other con- 
siderations, posibly of more importance, than present- 
day prices which should not be lost sight of. 
OOLONGS IN CEYLON, 
Supposing that teas equal in quality to Formosa 
oolongs can be produced in Ceylon at slightly cheaper 
rates, it still seems to be a matter for careful consider- 
ation whether their manufacture should supersede 
in any way that of the present green and black teas. 
Unfortnnatelyj I have no papers giving particulars 
of the various kinds and quantities of tea consumed 
in America, but the Formosa dealers I met were of 
the opinion that the demand in America for oolongs 
was not an increasing one, and they deprecated, in 
consequence, any tendency towards increased pro- 
duction. On the other hand, the Ceylon trade with 
America for the past year is eminently satisfactory 
— showing exports, green and black combined, of 
6,926,0100 lbs. as compared with 3,729,806 lbs. in 1902, 
TEA TKADE EXTENSION IN AMERICA. 
In view of the increased duty on imports to the 
United Kingdom, the extension ot trade with the 
United States becomes a matter of very great im- 
portance ; but whether it will be more profitable to 
produce oolongs or to push them at present increasing 
trade in green and black teas is a doubtful point, 
and one which the report of Mesrs. Kingsford and 
Kelway Bamber, together with an accurate know- 
ledge ot the American market, will be of great assist- 
ance in deciding, 
Nawara Eliya. J. KEAFE. 
.COCOA PLANTING iLIN SAMOA. 
A GROWIKG INDUSTRY STARTED FROM CEi'LON. 
The introduction of the cocoa-growing industry 
into Samoa dates from 1888, when 100 trees were 
procured from Ceylon, and were followed in 1884 
by 383 trees obtained from Java. The industry has 
not yet attained any great magnitude, but thSre are 
great expectations of its ultimate success, and much 
attention is bein^ paid to it. lo 1899 the area under 
cocoa was estimated at 300 acres, planted by foreign 
residents and an unknown area on native lands. 
The Apia Customs Returns show 400^. worth of cocoa 
exported in 1901 and 625Z. worth in 1902. In 1903 
Prof. F. Wohltmann visited Samoa on behalf of the 
German Colonial Economic Committee and of the 
German Trading and Planting Company of the South 
Sea Islands to investigate the condition of the cocoa 
planting there, and of other cultivations suited to the 
Samoan Islands, An account of his visit and recom- 
mendations is published as a Supplement to the Janu- 
ary number of the" Tropenpflmzer " 1904, and from 
it the following points which may be of interest to 
planters in British Colonies are summarised. 
THE ISLANDS OF SAMOA. 
The Samoan Islands, of which the two largest, 
Upolu and Savaii, belong to Germany, lie only 14° 
south of the equator, and possess a tropical but very 
equable climate. The usual range ot temperature 
is from 680 to 88° F., but exlremss of 66° to 94° F. 
have been recorded. Violent winds and thunder- 
storms are not of frequent occurence, but severe 
hurricunes sometimes sweep over the Islands, though 
only ia every seven to nine years. The dampness 
of the air is not so great as would be expected in 
tropical islands, but it is high enough to meet the 
requirements of all moisture-loving tropical plants. 
In the rainy season, which lasts from November to 
March, the air is usually almoat saturated with water 
vapour. In the dry season, lasting from April to the 
endot October, the hygrometer shows in the morning 
and evening about 90 per cent, and over of com- 
plete saturation, but at 2 p.m. about 05 to 75 per 
cent, is observed ; this circumstance is very favour- 
able for the drying of cocoa and of copra. 
THE RAINFALL. 
As regards rainfall, the record kept at Apia ex- 
tends from 1890 onwards, and as evidence of prior con- 
ditions it is noted that only once since 1857 has the 
food supply fallen short and occasioned a famine. 
The mean annual rainfall for the 13 years 1890 to 
1902, is 115 in., and the extremes in that period are 
a minimum of 89 in. and a maximum of 163 in. 
As far as quantity is concerned, this minimum fall" 
is sufficient for cocoa and plants needing much 
water, but on the Samoan coast the rain is not well 
distributed in the course of the year, and there are 
years when periods of drought last too long, and 
are too intense to suit the needs of the cocoa plant. 
It for two or three months in succession the fall is 
only 0*8 in. per month, the yield is very seriously 
threatened ; for this reason suitable localities at 
higher altitudes should be sought when selecting 
land for cocoa planting, as the rainfall is heavier 
in such situations. It must bo remembered how- 
ever, that at higher altitudes the coast variety of 
cocoa may not grow so well, and that above 1 600 ft. 
the plant is likely to fall a victim to parasitic growths 
and other vegetable enemies. 
THE SOIL FOE COCOA. 
As the land in Samoa is very variable in its nature, 
before purchasing a plot, it should be thoroughly 
tested by digging numerous holes to examine the soil, 
and subsoil. The cocoa tree is deep rooted, and the 
most important point consequently is the existence 
of a considerable depth of suitable soil. The tap 
root usually penetrates to a depth of 4 J to 6 ft,, 
and its course must be unimpeded if the tree 
