March L 1902.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 5&? 
Apropos of pearls it is to be noted that M. 
Raphael Dubois, a French naturalist, asserts that 
iiU large pearls are nothing but sarcoi)hagi, in the 
centie ot which rest the dead bodies of small marine 
worms. "If weexamine in the month of August 
molluscs that at certain points along the coast 
ire always full of pearls, we shall be surprised 
not to find any, or vr-ry rare specimens. 
But if we find no pearls, 
we discover, on the other hand, if we 
observe the mollusc attentively, numerous 
small reddish yellow points in the precise 
spot where pearls usually form. They are pro- 
duced by tiny young distomes about one lialf 
millemetre [one-liftietli of an inch] in diameter, 
jast about to become encysted. Their encystment 
takes place in an extremely curious manner. In 
the beginning we see tiie surface of the distome 
sprinkled with tiny grains of carbonate of lime ; 
these granulations grow and take the form of 
crystals, which group and interlace in different 
patterns, ending by forming a continuous cal- 
carious envelope around the creature's body, which 
can still be distinguished by its yellow tint. The 
calcareous shell takes on polish and lustre, and afc 
this moment the nucleus of the young pearl is seen 
only as a little black point, which soon disappears. 
The pearl now has a beautiful lustre, and it con- 
tinues to grow in contact v/ith the membranous pouc 
that surrounds the calcareous cyst. We may 
cause the parasite to reappear by decalcifying the 
young pearls with hydrochloric acid ; we shall 
then see that there is no doubt at all regarding 
the nature of tlie nucleus. It appears from our 
observation that the Distomuin mar^qaritarum 
becomes encysted in the Mytilus edulis toward 
the month of August, and that it so remains 
until the following summer. At the beginning of 
this season the ])earl loses its polish, decays, and 
falls to pieces. Tiiere may remain only a gelatin- 
ous mass, corresponding no doubt to the gelatin- 
ous pearls noticed by M Diguet in the Meleaijrina 
margaritifera. The parasite then resumes its 
active life, reproduces its kind, and the young 
distomes become in their turn encysted, forming 
new pearls. There are pearls that escape their 
physiological fate, and may grow to larger size 
because their distomes are dead, killed by another 
parasite, or because they are sterile. The rrost 
beautiful pearl is nothing but the brilliant sarco- 
phagus of a worm." — Straits Tijnes, Jan. 24. 
TIIE TEA TRADE AND INDUSTRY. 
Mr Joseph Walker, a well-known authority, 
writes as follows iu the Grocers' Review : — 
In consequence of the South African War, and tha 
creatly increased normal expenditure of the country, 
the declaration of tUe Budget has come to have an 
interest previously unknown to dealers in tea of the 
present generation. The nnsettlement caused by the 
dislocation of the finances of the country may be a 
feature iu the trade for some year-. It may, therefore, 
not be out of place to refer to the undeairability, even 
from a commercial standpoint, of buying too far ahead. 
It is not sufficiently well known that Indian and Ceylon 
teas, especially of the cheaper and medium classes 
have not the same keeping properties as the tea that 
our fathers used. Congo tea still remains good twelve 
months after arrival, but most Indian and Ceylon teas 
are flat long before that period is reached, and lack the 
piquancy so much enjoyed by tea drinkers. No intelli- 
gent tea house would run the risk of ruining a trade 
by sending out a well-known brand which was depre- 
ciated by age, and it behoves the grocer to be awarOj 
jx these daya of Budget speculation, that he does not 
go too far, and lose by one poliey any advantage 
he may have gained by another stroke in hii 
business affairs. 
The year immediately under review has been notice- 
able for the variation which has taken place in the 
price of common tea. The low prices ef the spring 
were brought about by several causes. They were 
partly the result of the very high pilces which the 
lowest grades reached in 1899, which induced tht 
planters to send over a superabundance of commoa 
tea. A great weight of this class of tea was placed 
upon the market at a time when the finances of tha 
whole trade were stretched to their utmost limits 
with operations in view of the approaching Budget, 
and the price fell to a lower point than it had erer 
reached before. The result of these low prices was 
the re-introduction in some quarters of a shilling canis- 
ter, which had been abolished at the time of the in- 
creased duty of 1900. This must be regarded as a 
mistaken policy as the combining circumstances which 
produced the low prices were exceptional, resulted im 
heavy losses to the growers and had no solid 
foundation in the world of commerce. The preseat 
season has seen a great change in this respect. Com- 
mon tea is comparatively scarce, and the prices ara 
much above those ruling in the spring. 
The total import this year is estimated at several 
million pounds under the consumption, and we may, 
therefore, conclude that the basis ot value which has 
been established will be maintained for the present, 
if, indeed a further rise does Bot take place after tha 
holidays. While "tea for price" has advanced, the 
medium and better grades are cheap and the quality 
good. Teas with body and richness have been obtain- 
able at moderate prices and there has been a good 
selection of heavy liquoring broken teas. Darjeelings 
still maintain their high prices, the scientific blender 
finding nothing that will exactly take their place. 
Viewed as a whole, the crop this year may be said to 
be of a satisfactory character. There is one point ia 
which the trade seems to be undergoing a change, 
and in my opinion a change for the better. Tha 
grocer is willing to sell tea much smaller in leaf than 
formerly, As long as it is not "dirty," that is, laden 
with powdery dust, tie seldom complains, however 
small in reason it is made. This is all to bis advan* 
tage as it enables the blender to use tea which would 
not otherwise assimiliate in leaf, and allows a good 
proportion of thick, rich broken tea, and manipulation 
by machinery leaves all the blend a uniform size. 
It is to be hoped that the day is not far distant 
when "tip" and "style" may be less valued by the 
average grocer than at present, as there is not one 
householder in a thousand who regard these properties 
if only the tea in the tea cup is pleasing to the palate. 
In maintaining the trade iu a healthy sonditiou itii 
the cup that will tell. 
PLANTING PROGRESS IN PENANG. 
Paddy harvest is in full swing in the Provinte, 
and the crop as a rule an exceptionally good one. 
Coconuts are short, but the high price in some 
measure compensates for that. The Para rubber 
on Bertani Estate, the planting of which was 
commenced four years ago, look sturdy, and the 
first field, planted twelve apart, now cover th« 
ground and require little or no further expense 
before they come into bearing. Bagan Tuan 
Kechil is being rapidly transformed into a villags 
of bricks and mortar, which shows that a big fire 
is not an unmixed eyil. — Penang GaseUe, Jan. 24. 
TEA IN AMERICA. 
New York, Jan. 8. 
Invoice trading light ; jobbing demand slow, 
Frices are well sustained , especially fer (greens, 
