Feb. 1, 1902 ] 
fHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
561 
IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OP AGRICUL- 
TURE FOR THE WEST INDIES : 
HINTS FOR SCHOOL GARDENS. 
This is the second Primer issued by the- 
Government Department ; the first w;is drawn 
up by Mr Watts and called "Nature Teaching." 
The present pamphlet is intended for the use 
of the Village School Teacher, and from it he 
can set his pupils to work in the garden 
allotted to the school, or if space is too 
limited, he is to start the children, using 
flower-pots and old packing cases or portions 
of kerosine tins, for " box and pot cultiva- 
tion." Full directions follow as to prepara- 
tion of soil, the sowing of seed, and care 
of seedlings. The next chapter is on the 
garden — the laying out, preparation of thesoil, 
seed-beds, raising seedlings, thinning and 
transplanting, care of plants and propaga- 
tion by layering. Chapter III. is devoted 
to the subject of manuring — compost heaps 
and manuring experiments, but in no case 
to theories. It is all for the practical work 
of a garden and any school teacher with 
this guide in hand could give a valuable 
series of lessons to school children in their 
allotted gardening hours, thus implanting a 
taste for making vegetable or fruit gardens 
around their own homes. Every direction 
is delightfully clear and complete. Mr. W. G. 
Freeman, Mr Morris's Technical Assistant, is 
the writer of the pamphlet, 
*- 
INDIAN TEA CROP :— 1902, 
THE NEED OF CAREFUL "PLUCKING.', 
(Circular.) 
To all Members of the Association. 
Deak Sirs,— I am directed by my Committee to 
send you a copy of the following resolution which 
was passed unanimously at a meeting held this day : — 
" That this Committee, viewing with grave concern 
the disastrous results that would follow a large crop 
of tea in 1902, would strongly urge upon producers 
the necessity of restricting outturn as much as possible 
by a system of more careful plucking or otherwise, and 
to avoid more especially the production of coarse tea 
■which did so much harm to the industry in season 1900," 
The above resolution having been unanimously 
accepted by my Committee, i am desired to give you 
their reasons for the conclusions arrived at, which 
are shortly as follows:— 
In their opinion the experience of the past two 
seasons has conclusively proved— 
(a) That the coarse plucking resorted to in 1901 
resulting in a plethora of common undesirable tea 
being forced on an already over-supplied market, led 
to a lower level of prices than has hitherto been 
known. Pekoe souchongs were sold as low as 3|d, 
a price which must have been well under the cost of 
production. 
(6) That, per contra, the more careful plucking 
resorted to in 1901, combined with climatic influences, 
restricted the output to such moderate limits that the 
market immediately responded, thus showing that the 
price of tea is controlled by supply, which control is 
entirely in the hands of the growers themselves. 
Messrs. Thomas Camberlege & Moss, in their Cir- 
cular of the 3rd inst., make the following statement : — 
" Of the 187,000,0001b. and 145,000,0001b. respectively 
produced in India and Ceylon during season 19C0-I90I, 
the last 12,000,000 lb. from the former country and 
the last 8,000,000 lb. from the latter were at a moderate 
estimate the actual cause of an aggregate loss to 
Importers of over £1,000,000 sterling ; this, on the 
face of it, is an absurd situation, and it is not to be 
doubted that by individual or collective action some 
means will be found to prevent its recufrence." 
It is, therefore, abundantly clear that it would be a 
disastrous policy to revert to the system of coarse 
plucking resorted to in 1900. It would mean that the 
end of 1902 would see the industry again in a posi- 
tion of great depression equal to, or worse than that 
at the end of 1900. 
The position of Indian tea has not, for some years, 
been as strong as it is now, and this is owing to the 
certainty of a shortage as compared with the 1900 crop 
of from 10 to 12 million pounds. The shortages from 
Ceylon, China and Japan, also of considerable extent, 
further tend to strengthen the Indian position, and 
it is with the object of warning those who are directly 
connected with the industry that my Committee 
think it desirable that every member should care- 
fully consider the position in framing his estimates 
for the coming season. One Indian Company whose 
estimates for the coming season were placed at 
5,000,000 lbs has out them down to 4,400,000 lb. and if 
this policy is adopted by all producers the result will 
be a far-ieaching benefit to ail concerned.. 
With a falling-off of at least 10 million lb in supplies 
of Indian tea during the coming season, with home 
deliveries here increasing in the same proportion 
as they have done during the past twelve months, and 
with the natural increase of demand from abroad, it 
is obvious that Importers have now an opportunity 
such as ihey may not have again for years of putting 
the industry once more on a sound and profitable 
basis. 
An appeal to the same effect as the above is being 
issued by the Committee of the Ceylon Association to 
all Ceylon tea growers. Seeing how loyally these 
responded to a similar appeal in the past season, 
and seeing the direct and tangible benefit that both 
Ceylon and India derived therefrom it is confidently 
anticipated that the Growers in both countries will 
again loyally respond and so remove the reproach 
that tea planters are incapable of concerted action for 
the common weal. — Yours faithfully, Bbnest Tye, 
Secretary. 
14, St. Mary Axe, E.C., 7th January, 1902. 
WHEN COFFEE IS GOOD. 
There are various ways of making coffee, and 
many places for the consumption of it. Few, it 
will be admitted can really make good coffee, but 
very often coffee bub indifferently made may taste 
like nectar. Take for example the time when 
one is almost completely overcome with thirst, 
or when one is particularly hungry, Then coffee 
is at its best. The following " poem " is from 
Planting Opinion :— 
The man wot keeps a early coffee-stall 
And sells good stuff, and always is perlite. 
Is wot I call the neighbour of us all, 
And well I know the truth of wot I write. 
You 'aven't got no baccy, and the dawn. 
Though late is 'ardly showing up at all, 
W'y all your bloomin' pleasures would be gawn 
If 'twasn't for the early coffee stall. 
And 'im wot keeps it — wot a lot 'eknowa 
From them as do not get it second 'and! 
Wot nice illumination, 'ints 'e throws 
On little things you could not understand I 
A egg, a cup of coffee, and a slice, 
A chat which i'm w'en things is goin' slow : 
My brother, take and 'ark to my advice — 
These are as good as aught that you may know. 
I talk impartial, as a family man. 
That do not walk nocturnal now at all ; 
Find me a chap more useful if you can 
Than 'im as keeps a early coffee-stall, 
