G72 
THE TROPICAL 
AGPJCULTURIST. I April 1, 1902. 
CEYLON TEA IN NEW ZEALAND. 
FRESH DEVELOPMENTS. 
After several months' touring not only in 
Ceylon but in India— Delhi and the North 
generally, as well as in Assam— Mr. M. S. 
Ridley, of Messrs. Ridley and Sons, Christ- 
church, wentbaclc toNewZealandhy theOrient 
Pacific steamer "Orizaba," which sailed on 
10th March, Mr. Ridley came to spy oufc th« 
land, as it were, — largely in reference to 
Ceylon tea the future of which in New Zea- 
land, as in Australia, he regards as holding a 
bright prospect. Our visitor, planters will be 
interested to learn, went back— one of th» first 
to establish direct business, most tea for 
New Zealand being bought in the Australian 
market -having established a business con- 
nection with Colombo where his teas will be 
piirchased and sent out to his firm in Kew Zea- 
land. We have further the satisfaction of stat- 
ing that Mr. Kidley intends to start a 
thoroughly Oriental Tea Kiosk at Sunmer — 
seven miles from Christchurch, and the fashion- 
able watering place of the neighbourhood — 
where New Zealanders will doubtless be more 
largely attracted to the article than hitherto. 
Mr. Ridley has already occupied part of the 
site and operations will be begun on his 
return. Later on, when our visitor returns 
to Ceylon after or before his approaching 
trip to Japan and the United States, it is 
probable that two (or more ?) native girls will 
be secured to be employed at the tea kiosk 
— to add the finish of it. Mr. Ridley has 
been most charmed with our Sanatarium, 
so much so that the coming addition to 
the attraction of Sumner, N.Z., is to be 
named, appropriately, the " ' Nuwara Eliya ' 
Ceylon Tea Kiosk"! 
PEARLS AND PEARL FISHERIES. 
DR. LYSTEK JAMESON'S LECTURE. 
Tlie third of the series of lectures arranged by 
the Derby Technical College Coiinniitee was held 
in the Lecture Theatre on Friday evening. There 
was again a large attendance and the patronage 
given to the lectures by the local public must 
be a source of niucli satisfaction to the manage- 
ment conuiiittee. Indeed, there is every 
reason to believe that the recent prediction of 
Councillor .1 E Paissell as to tlie success and 
popularity of the present series of lectures will 
be more than fulfilled. The subject selected on 
Friday night was " Pearls and Pear! Fishing," 
the lecture being delivered by Dr H L Jameson, 
M.A., a men)ber of the College staff, who is 
recognised as a great authority on the subject. 
Colonel A Buchanan, J.P , presided, and he 
remarked that his duty of introducing to the 
;).udience Dr Jameson was a very pleasant one. 
The lecturer, having «fient a considerable time 
in the Australian Pearl fisheries, was in a position 
t,o speaiv from a jiractical acqiuontanee with the 
subject. Tlie chairman was glad to see so many 
ladies present, who, naturally cnou;:h, were very 
much iutcrestcd in pearls and he hoped they, 
liH well as tlie gentlemen present, would spend 
an interesting and pleasant evening. Dr H L 
Jameson, wlio had a- very cordial reception, 
began by giving a brief survey of the pearls, in 
which he showed that they were highly prized, 
in tlie remotest days of which we have any 
written reeord, among the ancient people of 
India, China, Palestine and Egypt. He mentioned 
the extravagant emission for pearls which existed 
during the later epochs of the Roman Empire, and 
quoted instances of the wearing of pearls by 
primitive and barbarous natives in Polynesia 
and Papua, and by the Indians discovered by 
Columbus in Central America. Mother-of-pearl', 
which is the shell of the larger species of pearl 
oyster, is an important ot'ect of commerce, 
thousands of tons, ranging in value from £3 to 
£200 per ton being imported into England annually. 
Indeed, in some localities pearls are quite a by- 
product, the motiier-of-pearl being the main 
object of the fishery. After an account of the 
internal economy of the pearl oysters, die 
lecturer dealt with their habits and mode of 
reproduction, referred to the possibilities of 
Britisii river pearl fisheries if intelligently 
developed, and drew attention to the fact that 
the pearl oyster is computed to produce about 
twelve million eggs annually. Lantern slides, 
exhibiting pearls of various sizes and values, 
were next shown, together with microphotographs 
of their structure, while some of the most valuable 
pearls on record were mentioned, among them 
one purchased by the then living Shah 
of Persia from the traveller Tavemior, sup- 
posed to be worth £60,000. Dr Jameson then ex- 
hibited lantern slides and specimens illustrating 
the most important species of pearl oysters ; and 
went on to describe the methods of fishing adopted 
for the several kinds of shell in different parts of 
the world, dealing especially with the Australian 
and New Guinea fisheries, of which he has con- 
siderable experience. The last part of the lecture 
dealt with the future of the pearl and mother-of- 
pearl fisheries. Dr Jameson explained that most 
of the pearl beds are in a sadly depleted condition, 
and that there is considerable danger of a decrease 
in the supply and increase in the cost of mother-ct- 
pearl. He referred to the probable effect of the 
exclusion of alieri labour from the Australian 
fisheries, and said that we might expect a serious 
falling-o£f in the supply of the most useful kinds 
of shell as the result. The only escape from the 
difficulty would be the application of intelligence 
and scientific skill, and the artificial cultivation of 
the pearl and mother-of-pearl oysters on lines 
somewhat siinilar to those adopted for the edible 
oyster in Europe. He described the various ex- 
periments that had been made in this direction 
from tune to time, and referred to the researches 
of Professor Comba, in Italy, both ^in pearl 
shell cultivation and in artificial pearl production. 
The lecturer believes that both the cultivation of 
the oysters and the artificial production of pearls 
are among the commercial developments of the 
rear future, and that they will revolutionise the 
trade in these commodities and mean colossal for- 
tunes to the lucky individuals who are firso in the 
field. — Derby Express, Feb. 15. 
UvAKELLiE Tea Company.— A dividend of 
7 per cent is in these times to be counted a 
very good result indeed. A substantial 
amount has also been carried forward to the 
reserve account. 
