THE TROPICAU AQRIOULTURIST. [September ,i. 1891. 
CAOAO; JAVA GOING AHEAD P 
A oorreepoDdent writes : — 
" In case you may not have s-en it I enclose a 
Special oacao report, suited for the Weft Indian mail, 
for your perueal and return. You will notice how Ceylon 
kinda stand out iu the price list, but I hear from 
home that Javas are to run ua very cloee for both 
quality and cure." 
From the report, which is dated August 4tb, 
we quote as follows: — 
liEwjs & NoYEs' Special Cocoa Report fob the 
West Indies &o. 
London, 14, Mincing Lane, Aug. 4lh, 1891. 
Tho official figures of tlie United Kingdom and France 
for the lirst six raontha of the year shew a steady enJ 
satisfactory increase in the consumption of the article. 
Other Emopean oounlries, and the United Stales, although 
oflScial data are not available, seem to be moving in the 
right direction, judging from the out-put of their manu- 
faoturers. 
So far as supplies are concerned, advices point to 
satisfactory crops from Trinidad, Grenada, and other 
West India filanda, although the shipments from the 
former pluce are short for the first six months of this 
year. Guayaquil will undoubtedly furnish less than last 
year, that crop having been exceptioaiUy heavy. Bahia 
promises a full crop. The quantity of African shipped 
is continually increasing and owing to the finaucial 
crises in Portugal, which has hitherto received the bulk 
of the crop, it will be largely diverted to this country. 
The increase in the French stock seems chiefly due to 
the quantity cf British West India sent there, whence 
having prevented orders coming to this market, to eom- 
pets with our marufacturers, a large proportion is ulti- 
mately sent here to be disposed of, this being the chief 
consuming country for West India kinds. We are of 
opinion that were the whole of the Trinidad, Grenada. 
&e. shipped to Europe, sent to this port, instead of being 
divided as at present, a much higher range of prices 
would be obtained for shippers account. The excep- 
tionally h'gh prices paid for Ceylon Cocoa, which have ex- 
isted so loiig, are largely attributable to the fact that 
the crop is almost entirely sent to this market where ic 
creates keen competition from all consuming countries as 
■well as our own manufacturers. 
The stock in France notwithstanding the short ship- 
ments from Trinidad and Guayaquil to date is 1,7U0 
tons larger than lat't year, the reduction of 300 tons in 
the United Kingdom stocks making the excess for the 
two countries 1,400 tone. The advance of 2s to 3s in 
prices during the early part of the season in Trinidad, 
Grenada and similar kinds, was largely due to specu- 
lative buying, but the fact that stocks shew no diminu- 
tion, and that future supplies are unlikely to fall off, 
have had the t fleet of causing the improvemuts to be 
lost. With repard to prices of Guayaquil, thei increased 
demand especially for Arriba, and the shorter supply, 
have caused prices to advance rapidly, and they are now 
relatively much above the prices cf other descriptions. 
1891 
1890 
1889 
1888 
1887 
Tons. 
Tons, 
Tons. 
Tons, 
Tons. 
Consumption in 
U. K. first 
G months 
5,370 
4,780 
4,340 
4,410 
3,900 
Consumption in 
France first 
6 months 
6,910 
6,710 
4,500 
5,900 
6,070 
Stock in U. K. 30th 
June 
5,280 
5,610 
6,860 
6,170 
4,970 
Stock in France 
30th June 
12,110 
10,410 
9,040 
9,780 
6,800 
Comparative prices : — 
1891 1890 
18:9 
1888 
18^7 
per cwt. per cwt. per cwt. per cwt. per cwt 
S. S. S. S. 8. S. S. B. S. S. 
Trinidad 
Good Bed 66 to 70 65 to 69 Go to 70 70 to 75 80 to 84 
Grenada 
Good 59 to 83 60 to 63 6d 59 to 64 60 to 66 69 to 73 
Cjylon Good 
Ued 119 to 125 fi5tol05 86 to 96 90 t> 95 POtolCO 
Guaj aqiiil 
Arribi 90 to 97 6d 80 to 85 75 to SO ;0 to 78 75 to £0 
l'RUNii\a Catao. — There is an article on thi.s 
B bjpot in tho Trinidad Agricultural llccord which 
wo have marked for iho Tropical Agriculturist. 
Tho concluding j aragraph runs thus : — " Good 
m.xioia for the cultivator are, — 'prune little, but 
prune often ; prune carefully, but prune with de- 
cision. Prwne for leftyes and a orqp must oome,' " 
LONDON TEA SALE PRICES AND 
THE RATE OF EXCHANGE. 
Prom the local " Times " we quote the followiDg!— 
At the request of a correspondent, we have com- 
piled a table showing the weekly averages obtained 
for Ceylon tea this year and last year, together with 
the rates of exchange ruling at esch period. The 
table will bear very close and careful examination, as 
many curious facts can be elucidated from it. For 
instunce, it is plain that the lower rate of exchange 
which has ruled this year has almost entirely com- 
pensated for the fall which has taken place in the 
tea average: — 
London Tea Sale Aveegeb and Exohanoe. 
1890. 1891. 
St; t 
January 
I 
« 
s 
b u 
1^ 
s. d. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
3rd 
1 0 
llf 
1 
4 15-16 
loth 
nj 
1 
5 1-8 
17th 
m 
11^ 
1 
5 7-lC 
24th 
\\\ 
Uk 
111 
1 
5 6-16 
31st 
111 
1 
5 5-16 
February 
7th 
11 
11 
1 
5 3-32 
14th 
lOJ 
W} 
1 
4 13-16 
21st 
lOi 
1 
il 
28th 
m 
lOi 
1 
5 
March 
7th 
10 
9| 
io| 
1 
5 3-32 
14th 
10 
1 
4 15-16 
2l3t 
10 
io| 
4 29-33 
28th 
IPi 
io| 
1 
4 31-32 
April 
4th 
lOi 
lOi 
1 
5 1-32 
nth 
I8th 
lOi 
1 
25th 
10| 
lOJ 
1 
5 23-32 
January 
O 0) 
o 
2nd 
9th 
16th 
23rd 
30th 
6lh 
13th 
^Oth 
27th 
4 th 
nth 
18th 
26 th 
1st 
8ih 
15th 
22nd 
May 
10 lOi 
10 ir| 
lOi 10* 
m m 
10^ 10 
June 
10} lOi 
loi loi 
11 Hi 
10 J 11 
July 
lOJ lOf 
lOf 10^ 
10| lOf 
lui It'i 
August 
lOj: lUi 
lOi lOi 
lOj lOi 
lOi lOJ 
1 5-8 
1 5 5-8 
I 5 7-8 
1 5 1.5-16 
1 5 29-32 
1 6 
1 6 5-16 
1 61 
1 6 3-8 
1 6.5-16 
1 6 17-32 
1 7 3-1 G 
1 71-8 
1 n 
1 7 9-16 
1 7 13-16 
1 8 13-16 
9th 
leth 
23rd 
30th 
6th 
13th 
20tli 
27th 
5th 
12th 
19th 
2dth 
10th 
17th 
24th 
30th 
7th 
14th 
28th 
4'h 
nth 
18th 
25th 
2nd 
9th 
16th 
23rd 
30th 
7th 
14th 
21st 
lt| m 1 6 7-18 
n* n| 1 6 7-16 
i;| 1 0 16 5-16 
10 10 16 3-16 
February 
1 0\ 1 
1 04 1 
1 01 1 
lis 
March 
m 11 
111 11 
0| 1 
0| 1 
0 1 
Ul 1 
1 
1 
5 78 
5 9-16 
6} 
5 
5 1-8 
5-16 
11 loa 1 h\ 
lOi lOf 1 5 1-16 
April 
lOJ lOi 1 5 1-16 
iPi lOi 1 5 
ll'S 11 1 4 L3-lfi 
lOi 10| 1 4 1.3-lG 
May 
16 1 5 
9i 1 4 7-8 
10\ 
n 
9.} 1 il 
June 
9i 9i 
9i ^ 
9* 9| 
9i 
July 
1 4 27-.32 
1 4 27-3^ 
1 4 29-32 
1 5i 
n 
9i 
9 
91 1 
" 1 
9i 
5 5-8 
5 5-8 
5 9-16 
1 5 15-32 
1 5i 
August 
8i 9 1 
9 9 1 
9i n 1 
5 5-16 
5 5-16 
5 3-16 
TEA TOPICS. 
The report of the Committee of the London "Whole- 
sale Teadealers' Association, which will be found in 
another column, is, sccorcling to the Grocer, of im- 
portance to grocers, as a glance at the subjects dealt 
with during the paet year will prove. In the first 
place, the attempt made by the Cuatoms authorities 
to have tea weighed to the half-pound, instead of the 
pound, was encoessfully resisted by the prompt and 
energetic action of the Committee, who must have 
experienced great trouble and given much Inbcur in 
conu( ctiou with the various public meetings which 
were convened at the time the subicct was under 
consideration. If the Customs had gained their 
point, it wonld have entailed a serious loss to grocers 
for, taking chostf, half-chests, and boxes of tea 
as averaging 50 lb. each with a loss of hiilf- 
pound on the gross, and a further loss on the tare, 
making a pound in each package, it would have 
omounted to 2 per cent in all which our readers 
cfin ill afford to lose in these days of extreme comr 
pttitloa. Another importa^t subject is tiie iniprope'? 
