Oct. I, 1901.] tm TROPICAL AGRICtJLTUltlST. 
culties caused by the unhealhty nature of 
the work in the swamps. The revised esti- 
mates show a probable expenditure of over 
$900,000, the area benefited will be about 
60,000 acres and the date of completion is 
put at December, 1903. An irrigation work 
of considerable magnitude is under con- 
sideration for the district of Lower Perak 
Five hundred acres of land are being made 
available for paddy cultivation by a system 
of sluices and channels, in the tJlu Selan- 
gor district. 
EUROPEAN PLANTERS IN CEYLON. 
In our summary of planting statistics up 
to the end of May last, we gave 1,514 as 
representing the total number of Managers 
and Superintendents on the Tea, Cacao, &c. 
plantations included in the Directory. We 
have now been asked to say what number 
of these are Europeans. To enable a proper 
return to be made we have had the General 
Directory analysed, with the result that a 
total of 1,697 names of European planters 
has been arrived at. But this includes 86 men 
who are resident in Travancore, no fewer 
than 235 who are away in Europe, &c., 92 with 
no address, and 25 who are coconut or 
cinnamon planters. This brings us down to 
a total of 1,261 European (tea and cacao) 
planters in active service against 263 
Ceylonese Superintendents— apart from coco- 
nut and cinnamon estates where Europeans 
only number 25 against a vast preponderance 
of Ceylonese. it is noteworthy that for 92 
" planters " in the Directory, there was no ad 
dress given. Possibly a good many of these 
have left the island ; but a certain proportion 
must be, like Mr. Micawber, waiting for some- 
thing to turn up and perhaps therefore we 
should put the result as follows :— 
European Tea, Gacaco Cardamom 
&c. planters in Ceylon ._ 1,261 
,, Out of billets (say) 39 
1,300 
On Coconut and Cinnamon 
plantations 25 
1,325 
Connected with Ceylon, but out of 
the island just now 235 
1,560 
CHEAP AND ADULTERATED TEAS IN 
AUSTRALIA. 
(From the I" Melbourne Age.") 
The letters recently published in our columns 
about Cheap Teas have claimed special attention 
since the issue of the Queensland Health Com- 
missioner's report. Amongst other equally start- 
ling facts menacing the health of the community, 
the report states that thirty chests of tea had 
been seized which was found to be so badly 
adulterated that it was ordered to be destroyed 
or immediately exported. The system of adul- 
teration adopted, according to the official report 
was to mix magnetic oxide of iron with tea dust 
and sand, rolled by means of starch into 
little pellets of various sizes in imitation of 
genuine tea. The special class of the adulterated 
35 
tea, unfortunately, is not mentioned in Dr. Ham's 
report, but one of the best Engli.sh authorities 
points out that these ferruginous particles are 
found more often in capers and what are termed 
in the trade "buds." It is almost unnecessary 
to state that the black irregular pellets found in 
tea and attracted by a magnet are not metallic 
iron. The chemical composition, experts admit, 
vary. They all contain magnetic oxide of iron, 
and many of them, in addition, phosphate of 
iron, titanate of iron, quartz and mica, with a 
little sand. These are the substances used mostly 
in tea adulteration, and the fact that a very 
recent examination in Queesland proves that teas 
so treated are shipped to these States may to 
some extent explain the poverty of the quality 
of our cheap teas. 
The public is wholly blameless for the adulte- 
ration complained of. The demand of late years 
has been for cheap teas, and importers here and 
their buyers abroad have had to supply this 
want. A caretul examination of imports will 
show tnat with the reduction in cost there has 
in the majority ot instances been a sacrifice of 
quality. 
One writer ascribes the fault to the introduction 
of blending and packing teas. Here to a certain 
extent there may be some justification for the 
charge, out it really applies only in instances 
where the amateur blender tries to follow in the 
steps of the expert. Our large blenders and 
packers have registered brands, and it is to their 
interest to keep up the standard of the teas so 
supplied to the public. To ensure this involves 
a heavy outlay of capital, not only for warehouses 
and machinery, but for the purchase of large 
parcels of teas for bulking and blending purposes, 
as well as the employment of experts. 
It has long been recognised that the Victorian 
Tea Act, which is nov? incorporated in the Cus- 
toms Act of 1900, is far too liberal. For instance, 
in order that teas should be deemed to be '• mixed 
with other substances," it is necessary that there 
should be evidence of some foreign substance 
being mixed with them. Dirty teas, mixed with 
broken leaves, stalks, tea seeds, or even decayed 
leaves, would not come within the category of 
' foreign substances." J'urther, teas not having 
proper strength or quality cannot be excluded 
unless it is shown that they have been artificially 
deprived of these properties. It is in this latter 
direction our law wants revision, so as to bring 
up the standard of quality in our imports. Such 
a proposal, it need hardly be said, would ira-. 
mediately create an outcry from those who make, 
a handsome profit even at existing low retail 
prices. There is little doubt that if something 
were attempted in the direction indicated the 
bulk of the trade and the public generally would 
be largely benefitted. Further, it would prevent 
the reshipment to this State of the rubbish con- 
demned in Great Britain, as well as in the other 
States. 
» 
COFFEE CULTIVATION IN SPAIN. 
The cnltivation of coffee for commercial parpoaea 
is about to be undertaken for the first time in the 
province of Malaga, at the little village of Oampa- 
nillas, some five miles from the capital. Don Gairco 
Lopez, a merchant of Malaga will, accordinK to CoqsqI 
Bidgeley, begin by setting out from twenty thonsftcd 
to fifty thousand cofiee plants on his plantation 
there. Aa long aa Cuba and Porto Bico were Spanish 
poaseasiona, the cuUivation of coffee in the peninanla 
