668 • YHE YftblPiett mPtmsVrmW, [September i. 1891. 
A. S. Gr. p. The Cinnamon fi'om the Goluapokuna 
Estate has long topped the market; and the ex- 
planation of the demand for it having continued, 
while the trade generally was averse from the first 
qualities of Spice, is that it has been a favourite 
in Spain, and that a large buyer always laid in a 
heavy stock for the Spanish Market. Taking ad- 
vantage of the fall in prices, another, generally 
small buyer, wished to possess himself of a large 
quantity of the finely prepared spice. The old buyer 
—fearing that the effect of such a purchase would 
be that he would be undersold, and that his con- 
stituents would have their favourite spice at less 
than the price which they had always been ready to 
pay— thus resulting in a loss to himself on the large 
stocks we had already secrued at advanced prices 
— entered keenly into the competition. Hence the 
realisation of old prices. Whatever the cause, the 
result is satisfactory to the proprietors of Golua- 
pokuna. At least, they have fared better than the 
owners of other Estates whose spice found no 
buyers. 
It is very clear that the principal buyers have set 
their faces against the more expensive makes of 
Cinnamon, and that the manufacturers of the finer 
qualities must be prepared to accept even lowes rates 
than had obtained during the past few years. But 
how is this change to be accounted for? It has 
been said, and no doubt with truth, that consumers 
have probably found that the coarser qualities would 
serve sufficiently well for most purposes ; but how 
has this feeling been brought about ? Chiefly, we 
think, through the direct importations of the coar- 
sest qualities into the Continental markets, since 
the opening of the Suez Canal. So long as the Cape 
route was inevitable. London maintained its supre- 
macy as the emporium of the world, without question. 
It doubtless holds the same position yet ; but with 
this difference — that other centres attract a far larger 
volume of trade than they had hitherto done. Thus, 
even so late as 1883-84 of 1,796,372 lb. of cinnamon 
in Bales exported hence, no less than 1,. 510,879 lb. 
reached London, the remainder or less than one-sixth, 
having been distributed throughout the world. Last 
year, of 1,894,514 lb. fexported, only 1,084,837 lb. 
found their way to London, the rest, or nearly a half, 
having been shipped direct to other markets, chiefly 
Continental. This year, up to date, of 779,848 lb. 
shipped, 442,093 went to the United Kingdom, the 
rest, or nearly a half, having gone to other ports. 
Now, the effect of this redistribution of produce 
has been to place within the reach of consumers 
the coarser qualities of bark at the cheapest rates 
at which Continental Firms established here could 
supply them. London Buyers would thus be at a 
disadvantage ; and the really finer quality of spice 
— which is all ship^jed to the United Kingdom, and 
which they secure for their constituents elsewhere 
— is not held to be sufficient to explain the difference 
in price between purchases on the spot, and purchases 
through London. We believe it is the demanii for 
lower prices from their consituents which has led 
to the drop which we are now considering, and 
which has compelled London Firms to advise their 
Ceylon Principals to devote themselves chiefly to 
medium makes at a reduced cost of manufacture. 
And this view of the influence of the shifting of 
markets, as explaining both the fall in price and 
the slack demand for all qualities, is confirmed by 
the good statistical position of Cinnamon in London 
whicli Agents report. If the shipments are not dis- 
posed of as fast as they arrive, there should be 
an accumulation of stocks — assuming the imports 
to icmain the same — instead of favourable stocks 
as at present reported. It is greatly to be feared 
that the advice, at least as regards reduced rates, 
will fall on deaf ears, as Cinnamon Planters, depend- 
ing as tlicy do on men of a particular caste to 
harvest their ))ark, do not find themselves strong 
enough to combine to reduce rates. The only remedy 
we can see is to ship the liest qualities to the chief 
Continontii/l markets. Who will inaugurate a (Jiirna- 
ijiou Fund Committee, on the lines of the Tea Fund 
Committee ?— Lociil " Examiner." 
The Okange Blossom ia one of the most delicate 
of flowera ; its very mission is of a tender nature, 
and yet its great helpmate in exportation is the 
potato. Since ihe exportation of the flowers from 
California has become a large trade, it has been 
found that the best method of prceerviug the 
orange blosEom is to pu'ih the stem into a potato. 
This method might be employed for flowers In 
table deooration, but if considered more artistic, the 
potato should be hidden from the vulgar gaze. 
—Port -of -Spa ill Gazette. 
Eaelx Tea Dbinking is thus noticed in the 
American Grocer; — 
In the early days of New England, tea and oofTea 
checked the use of alcoholic drinks. Weeden, in hia 
economic history of New England, in alludiug to tea, 
gays that "in this little Chinese leaf was fo'lded Ihe 
gem which enlarged into American ii rlppendence." 
As early as May, 1714, ooe Edward Mill, Sadbury 
street, Boston, advertised, "very fine grren tea, the 
best for. color and taste." la 1718 the historians at 
Lynn state tliat it was " iittlc used." When the lair 
dames went for a gosfip anit ciricking, each carried 
her own tea cup— very small— «iih saucer and spoon. 
The following old English letter shows thnt tea drink- 
iog was a matter of comment as late as 1740. " Thov 
are not much esteemed no>v that will not treat high 
and gossip about. Tea has tow become the darling 
of our women. Alaio.st every little trnd'^sman's wife 
must sit sipping tea for an hour or more in a morning, 
aud it may be a^r.ia m Vr.c aft- rnoou, if fhey cm crct 
it and nothing v. ill p'.exac them to tip it out of but 
chiuaware, if Ihey can get it. 1 boy talk of bestowing 
30 or 40 shillings upon a tea equipage, as they CiU il. 
There is the silver .=!p,ou°, silver iongs, snd many 
other trinkets tiiat I c iDLOt name." 
Tea-parties gradnally established themselves after 
this. It is related of a bachelor tutor at Hiiivird, that 
when his hoatess asked him if he woul 1 have ten 
strong or weak, he answered : " btrom/ ct tht; tea, 
atrong of the sugar, and strong of tha cream." 
Timber foe. Tea Estates.— On this subject Mr. Le 
Mesurier has the following remarks in his ollieial 
diary for 1890 :— 
Government must, I think, supply the wood, or 
the tea enterprise would be seriously cripple! in many 
places ; and the best method to adopt, is I think ^lj to 
have central depots to supply estates that are at a dis- 
tance from any Government fore&t, aod to issue firewood 
at rates that will give a good profit, sufficienS that is, 
to cover all expeusesot cutlinjj, transport, supervision 
&o. and a royalty ff say Rl per yard. (2) To survey 
all the Crown ft rests, borckring estates, into timall 
blocks of say, five acres each ; to calculate the value of 
all the firewood— z. e,,a!l the timber that is not fit for 
timber purposes— in each block, say lil ptr cubic foot, 
and to sell the right to cut this fiiewood Bt the estima- 
ted value to such estitet. in the neigbboucLojd as wish 
to take it, no estate being allowed more ihan ( ne block 
at a time, t.nd only a cevtHin acre'>ge per aunum propor- 
tionate to the extent of its own cultivated acreage; 
each block to be completely cleareJ of nil but the 
timber trees, which should be carefully marked by the 
Forest Department and left untouohed (exes ptby them- 
selves, should they require timber), befece any new 
block is taken up ; and as each block is cleared it 
should bereplantsd by I ho Fc rest Departu;ent. Any 
infringement of the conditions of tbe permit to cut to 
ba liable to acanceliation of the permitand a refusal 
to allow any more to be cut Government wou'd thus 
get the value of the wood and the planter his firewood 
with the smallo't amount of iiitnrference, whicli is th« 
great thing to aim at in this n atter ; r.ud there wtuld 
be little danger of cheating. The withdra-A-al of a per- 
mit would be tuch a se.'ious imaita- to him th t the 
planter would tnke care tbut the conditions of the 
lioensa were carofu ly observed. Tbo Idocks being 
replanted by the Forest Departmeiit a? soon as they 
were cleared would provide year by year a reserve of 
wood to replace what was taken away. 
