October i, 1891.] THP TROPICAL AGRiCULTURIST. 285 
' |-£3,833,372 
2 1 
4,674,531 
( 2 1 
1 and 5 per 
\ cent, ad- 
3,472,864 
(_ ditional 
1 10 
5,G8V91 
1 G 
5,126,317 
1 0 
5,802,086 
5,450,698 
1 5 
1 0 
4,554,475 
0 G 
2,5S9,817 
0 4 
3,416,802 
which the 
revenue has 
In 1835 the duties in force stood as follows: — 
Kate Keveuue 
per lb, realised, 
s. d. 
1835.— Bohea 1 6 j 
Congou Twankay, I 
Hyson skin, Orange | 
Pekoe and Campoi 2 
S o u c h o n g, F 1 o w e r y 
I'elioe, Hyson, Young 
Hyson, Gunpowder, Im- 
perial and other sorts 
nneuumerated 3 
These diiferent ratfs of duty were abolished in 1836, 
when th9 r.ite was made unifoim. The changes then 
and Bubsfautntly made have been ; — 
1836.— All sorts of Tea 
1S40 
1853 „ 
13fl-5 
l'55-6 
1857-8 „ 
1863-4 ,, 
18b5-a ., 
180O-1 
The extent of the loss 
sustained by the reduction in duty of 2d. a lb,, 
when compared with the preceding yen's receipt ) 
is not so great as had been anticipated, the increase of 
coi'sumption having been very marked. The gross 
revenue from tea in 1889-90 was £■! 490.695. Lsat year 
it was £3,416,802, an actual lo^s of £1,073,893. The 
effect of the reduction of duty upon consumption has 
been as follows : — The quantity of tea on which duty 
wa? paid in 1889-90 waf; 179,620,000 lb. In the sear 
under review the auantity has turned cut to be 
202,633,000 lb., an incr'ease of 23,013,COO lb. Thus the 
RCtuai groES quantity chared for duty increased by 12-8 
per cent. But this result does not (ijive the true state 
of the case. The Budget statement wna made on April 
17th ; but the reduction in duty did not actually take 
place until May 1st. Early in January a large section 
of the tea trade appeared to have formed the idea that 
some portion of the surpla whioh it was known would 
be at tha disposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
would be devoted to a reduction of the rate of duty. 
This anticipation soon began to inflaence the quantities 
taken out of bond (or consumption. Thus iu January 
the clearances fur duty showed a decrease, ag com- 
pared with the correepondicg month of 1889, of 
913, .'i51 lb., in February of l,129,8371b.i in March of 
3,9.'57,086 lb., and in April of 10,010,461 lb. Altogether 
the decrease in th quantity on which duty was raid 
amounted,for the first four months of 1890 to 16,040„9351b. 
To this extent dealers uppiied the public wants out of 
tlieir duty-paid stocks which were depleted in n cor- 
responding degree. When the lower rate of duty came 
into force on May 1st the exhausted stocks were 
quickly filled up, the clearances in Mav, 1890, amount- 
ing to no less than £83,095,2Ulb. against 16,527,1621b, 
in May, 1889, im increase which more than made 
good the depletion in duly-paid stocks above men- 
tioned. But this replenishment ofsiocks fell entirely 
within the tinauoial year 1890-91, while the revenue 
of the preceding year had suffered to the extent re- 
presented by Bix million lb. of tea held back from 
duty. For the sake of clearness we give a comparative 
table showing the quantities of tea taken out of bond 
in the moutJis of January, February and March in 
1888, 1889, and 1890 
1888. 
1889, 
lb. 
17,114,f.27 
lb. 
January 16,750,669 
February 1.5,251,685 l.li429,'410 
March l'l,7y0,345 14,996,038 
Total of three 
months 40,796,199 
lo,895,8V3 
April 
46,!;40 075 
14,768,871 
1890. 
lb, 
16,201,076 
13,299,573 
11,038,952 
40,539,601 
4,728,410 
1890 
compared 
with 1889. 
lb. 
913,551 
1,129,837 
3,957,086 
6,000,474 
10,04fl',4Gl 
Total of four 
moutha 6^,092,022 
61,308,946 46,268,011 16,040;935 
The effect of the redaction of dnty upon con- 
suiiiption cannot, therefore, be 6een until allowance 
has been made for these deferred duty payments. 
In this case the duty payments do not represent 
the normal conditions of clearance for home con- 
sumption, which can only be arrived at by deducting 
the 6,f)0G0,474 lb, from the clearances of 1890-91, and 
adding them to the duty clearances of 1889-90. But 
taking the eleven months since May Ist, 1890, dnring 
which the lower rate of duty waa actually in forci^, 
to Blarch 31st, 1891, the quantity of tea cleared for 
home use am' nnted to 197,305,000 lb. From this must 
be deducted the estimated " held back " tea of Janu- 
nry, February, March and April, amounting to 
16,000,900 lb., whioh gives the normal clearance 
for home consumption for the eleven mouths as 
181,905,000 lb. Comparing this amount with the quan- 
tity cleared for dutv in the same eleven months of 
1889-90, viz. : 164,852,000 1b. (fo which latter total we 
roust first add six million lb. properly belonging to the 
consumption of January, February and March, but 
only cleared in May), we have the following re- 
sult :— 
lb. 
May 1889 to March 1890 inclusive 170,852,000 
May 1890 to March 1891 inclusive 181,905,000 
Increase in 1890-91 11,053,000 
being an increase of consumption at the rate of 6 5 pa 
cent. The subjoined figures show the consumption per 
head of the population : — 
lb. per head. 
1886- 87 ... ... 4-92 
1887- 88 ... „. 4-97 
1888- 89 ... .. 4-94 
1889 00 ... ... 4-91 
1890-91 ... ... 5-14 
The calculation for the last two years shows the 
effect of the change of duty, due ai owance being mado 
for the " held hack " tea. The actusil quantities of tea 
en which duty wag received for 1889-90 and 1890-91 
would show a consumption of 4 75 1b. and 5 30 1b. 
respectively per heid of the population. The process 
of consumption of Indian and Ceylon teas in sub- 
stitution for China and other teas still progresses, the 
percentages for the past year being 70 9 to 29 1 respec 
lively, as Rfrsinst 68-3 to 31"7 respectively in 1880 90 
— //, and C\ MaiV. 
_ ^ 
EGGS AS FOOD, 
Eggs, at average prices, are among the cheapest 
and most nutritious articles of diet. Like milk, an 
egg is a complete food in itself, con'a'niug everything 
uecees'iry for the deve'opment of a perfect anima', as 
is manifest from the fact that a chick is formed 
from it. It seems a mystery how muscles, bones, 
feathers, and everything that a chick requires for 
it's development are made from the jolk and white 
of an egg-; but f uoh is the fa'.t, audit shows hew 
complete a food an <gg is. It is also easily 
digested, if not damaged in co-diing. Indeed, there 
is no more concentrated and nourishing food than 
egss. The albumen, oil and saline matter are, as 
is milk, in the right proportion for sustaining animal 
life. Two or three boiled eggs, with the addition 
ol a slice or two of toast, will make a breakfast sutWcient 
for a man, and good enough for a king. 
According to Dr. ]5dward Smith, in his treatise 
on '•Food,' an egg weighing an cuure and three 
quarterscontaits 120graius of carbon asd 17ip grains 
of nitrogen, or 12'25 per cent of carbon and two per 
cent of nitrogen. The value of one pound of o?gs as 
food for sust lining the active forces of the body is 
to the value of one pound of lean beef as 15Si to OOOO. 
As a flesh producer, one poun<l of eggs is about 
equal to one pound of beef. 
A hen may be considered to consume one bushel 
of corn yeai-ly, and to lay 10 dozen or 15 pounds of 
eggs. This is equivalent to sayiug that three and 
one tenth pounds of corn will produce, when fed to 
a hen, five -sixths of a pound of eggs ; but tivo sixtljs 
of a pound ot pork rcqua-ciS about five pounds of 
