282 
tHP. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October 1,1891 
A. Fired tjp, 
,Samplc Temp, of Time in 
No. Sirocco, drying. Remaita. 
1 210" 40 to 45 mts. Bright iiifusod leaf, pungent, 
flavoury, good ai'oma, fairly 
strong liquor. 
3 240'> 2b to 30 „ Bright infused leaf, malty 
liijuor and Havoury, fair aroma, 
good body and fair strength. 
3 290° 20 to 25 „ Infused leaf, same as No. 2, 
malty liquor, uiore body and 
strength, no flavour. 
B. Fired Orbinarv an'aV. 
1 200° 1 hour Infused leaf, bright but 
darker than A 1, liquor pungent, 
flavoury, good strength & body. 
8 2:W 30 mts. Infused leaf, same as No. l , 
but lighter, less body aud 
flavour, but more strength. 
3 260' 25 „ Infused leaf, same as No. 2, 
fair strength aud body, little or 
■no fiavour, aroma f^qual hi all. 
A. Wo. 1 ci'eamed slightly ; No. 2 good light mill;y cream ; 
No. 3 creamed thick and dai'ker than No. 1 and 2. 
B. No. 1 light cream; No. 2 same as No. 1, but darker; 
No. 3 thick dark cream. 
The above teas were fired on a fine sunshiny day, with 
the thermometer In the factory standing at 85°. 
THE LOOAL VS. THE LO^^DON MARKET 
FOR TEA. 
Central Provinco, Sept. 21st. 
SiE, — The question " Does it pay better to sell tea 
in the looal market than ship it to England ?" 
haa been so frequently asked amongst planters 
that the following facts may interest some of your 
leadeis. 
A, B and 0 are three different properties under 
my supervision. The tea leaf from all three is 
manufaolured on A aa if it a'l belonged to A. The 
tea is all carefully bulked aud packed twice a month 
in the slack season, and weekly, as a rule during the 
busy months. 
The breaks despatched veraged 4,54i lb. to A, 
3,6881b. to B, 2,819 lb. to , and consigned to the 
respective agents of the th ea properties. A's teas 
were shipped and the gross average of sales in 
London was 10'15d per lb. If we knock oif 2d ac- 
cording to the Planters' Thumb Nail Tea Price 
Table we have 8'15d at Is 6 11 32d the average rate 
of exchange at 3 ms., July 1890 to August 1891, 
which shows Id = 5'413o, x 8 15 = 41:'3Ga, for A's 
tea. B's tea sold in looal market at 47'03o. and 
O'a for 49'56o. average. — Youra truly, 
THE SUPERINTENDENT. 
Pepper-growing in Sdjiatka.— The cuUivatioi; of 
pepper in the Lampong disttieta (Southern Suma- 
tra) is constantly increasing. The output in 1890 
is estimated at 50,000 piculs (one picual equals 
133J lb ), and it is calculated that, at an avertigc 
price of 48s Gd per picul, over 125,000^ in cash 
has been received by the combined pepper growers 
for their produce. The Dutch Indian Government 
are also endeavouring to extend the pepper in- 
dustry in Bantam (Western Java). — Chemist and 
Druggist. 
TuE Dkcline of the Foocnow Tea Trade.— The 
Foochow Echo of 12th Sept says :— As further 
evidence of the depreseion in native trade here 
scores of shops and houses in the city and suburbs 
are noticed to be untenanted, many of them being 
offered for Bale at half the original cost. A well- 
informed native attributes this solely to the rapid 
decline to the Tea trade, pointing out that for 
the last three or four years it has, whiio f-iiling 
oil, been at the same time unprofitable, and thr.t 
those engaged in it have had no money to spend. 
This is cotilirmed by others, and so many wore 
connected with the trade one way and another 
that wo oau quite bjliovo it. The settlement next 
week (the 12th and 13th days of the 8th moon) 
will, it is said, not pass by without a great deal 
of trouble to very many, and those who are able 
to tide it over will have a disagreeable time to 
look forward to next settlement, the China New 
Year, unless gome great change oomei about in 
trade in the meantime. The once flourishing 
Foochow is at present in a very bad way. 
Wtnaad, — Coifee piomised to yield a bumper crop, 
but the planting community is growing despondent, 
as leaf disease is playing much havo", and berries 
drop largely ; nevertheless, the crop will not be as 
bad aa that of last year. But the planters would do 
well to keep a eharp lock-out on soitn well known 
Mops in the far south, who own so.me Paniars 
nominally for cultivation, but really for stealing 
coffee. These Mops know where to please and 
grease, and of course, pass off as Hasaraths and 
Khan Sahibs.— 3/. and T. Spectator. 
Ceylon Tea Fund. — As a Kaudy correspond- 
dent hinted last week, the Tea Fund Committee 
transacted some important busrnesa at its meeting 
on the 18th instant, as will be seen by the report 
of the proceedings on page 274. It is 
satisfactory to learn that Government is to grant 
a sum of R50,000 towards the represe ntation of 
Ceylon at the Chicago Expository, and that the 
Tea Fund has set aside E30,000 for the pushing of 
Ceylon tea there. We hops that this will lead to a 
large demand for cur teas in the States. What the 
purport of the letters from Messrs. W. Mackenz e 
and Sheiiff was, we can only guess ; and we hope 
tnat some means will be found of satisfying both 
parties in the Tea Kiosk controversy. 
It is understood that the Secretury of S;ate has 
ordore l an experiment to be made in India with the 
Lathyrus S'l/lvestri!!, or flat pea, a wild plant of the 
same order as Peas cr Vetches, but which has been 
discovered to be a valuable forage production, by 
sowing soma lands in Oudh and the North-West 
with the seed. Succulent fodder that will giov and 
thrive in poor soil nnd.T such coaditious as are now 
harassing some of our Southern districts would bo a 
boon to the impoverished tenants and starving cattle 
of the diatresKcd centre', the value of which it would 
be impossible to overrate. It is claimed for this new 
p'aut that it is especially suitable to a dry climate, 
as it can resist the most unusual dronght ; it re- 
quires no miunro, will grow on the eame soil year 
after year, aud wi'l flourish on waste stony land 
where nothing else will, and improves rather than 
deteiiorate the soil. It haa been successfully tried 
in Ireland, Germany, Australia and South Africa, and 
if all that is said of it is true, should soon become 
much sought after in this land of impoverished ten- 
antry ami undcrfeJ cattle. — Indian Agricultunst. 
A Californian paper says — " The liquid in which 
the State Board of Trade has so sucoesafuUy pre- 
served fruit for exhibition purposes ia prepared as 
follows: — Thirty gallons of filtered water areplaoed 
in a barrel end ; on the water is placed in a tin 
pan containing 25 cents worth of sulphur. The 
sulphur is set on fire, and the top of the barrel 
ia covered with a piece of oilskin, so as to retain 
the fumoB. When the Fulphur ceases to burn the 
covering ia removed, allowing the supply of oxygen 
in the barrel to be renewed, and after stirring the 
water the sulphur is again set on fire and the top 
of the barrel ia again covered. This operation is 
repefited until the sulphur will no longer burn, 
when the water ia ready for use. Not only are fresh 
fruits preserved in this water, but where decay haa 
set in it is completely checke;!, and withered fruits 
have their plumpneaa and colour restored. All the 
fruit in ' California on wheels ' haa been treated in 
this manner, and th'.re are jars of fruit in the 
rooraa of the Board that were prepared over a 
year ago, the fruit still appearing as if but plucke.l 
from the trc^." — Indian Agriculturist, Augj 29'h, 
