304 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST. [November 2, 1891 
Phylloxera. — M. Kommier has asceitained that 
a sohition of bisulphide of carbon, in the i^io- 
nortion of O, 4 gramme, to a litre of water, suffices to 
kill the Phylloxera as well as their eggs. — Gardeners' 
Chronicle. , . ,, 
Protection in France. — The horticulturists ot 
Angers have x^i'otested energetically against the pro- 
tective duties proposed to be laid on plants entering 
France from foreign countries. The imports of trees, 
shrubs and plants into France amounted in value in 
1890 to 1,685,900 francs, 1,200,000 francs of which 
went to Belgium, while the value of these exported 
amounted to 2,875,000 francs. French liortioulture, 
sav the protestors, needs no ijrotcction, and demands 
none Some few French firms, ten in number, have 
entered into competition with the Belgium and the 
English but with little success, and hence they demand 
m-otection. Is it; just, ask the signatoris of Angers, 
that a small number of establishments shall be ad- 
vantaged at the expense of the large majority? But 
this is precisely what Protection does all the world 
q^qt: —Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Consumption of Coffee and Tea in the 
United States.— It is time Mr. Elwood May com- 
menced bis crusade in favour of tea in earnest, 
for the figures for 1890 91 are by no means 
encouraging- The per capita consumption was only 
132 lb against 1'49 in 1887, a material decrease ; 
and the American Grocer, from which we quote 
two interesting articles, states that cheapness is 
not increasing consumption. The total consump- 
tion was less than 83^ millions of pounds, and 
there was a slight decrease on the previous year. 
The figuras for coffee are very different : 8 24 lb 
T)er capita, the total being 519i millions of pounds. 
But rnost melancholy and alarming is the contrast 
«i tViPi enormous alcoholic drink bill of the United 
States The money cost is about »900,00u,000, 
aeainst only 1150,000 for tea and coffee. There 
is much room for further temperance efforts 
in the United States, and but little hope, we 
suspect for the advocates of prohibition. 
^ ' IMPORTS OF TEA. 
The imports for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 
1891 were almost abreast of those for the year pre- 
PPdiAff as the following ofacial statement shows : 
Yesr ending Imports. 
Jane 30- Pounds. Dollars. 
IRQI ..83,453,339 13,828,993 16'5 
1890 ..83,886,829 12,317,493 14 6 
The valae "of the tea trade is less than one-seventh 
th-ik of the coffee trade, and both combined about 
K>nlh the liquor trade, and one-fourth the beer 
^'!!ine8r For beer the United States pays at retail 
2^07 896167 annually, as against an estimated retail 
* J«f tea and coffee of $150,000,100. Whisky costs 
fv! Pountrv. at retail price, «395,233,029, ihe con- 
Smption iul890 re.chi^g 87 829,562 gallons. 
All but 1 057,415 pounds of tea imported were con- 
med in the United States, representing a per capita 
?^^^rf of 1-32 pounds, as against 1'33 pounds in 1890 , 
i 28 pounds in 1889, 1-40 pounds in 1888, 1-49 pounds 
• 1887 1*37 ill l^'i'Jeutly cheap tea is not 
inducing a freer use of iho leaf. 
'"^ COFFEE IMPOETS IN THE UNITED STATES. 
The imnorts of coffee into the United States for 
n,« fiRcal year ending June 30th, us reported by the 
United States Bureau of Statistics, compare with 
the previous year as follows:- ^^^^^^^ 
Imports Value cost per 
Pounds. Dollars. pound. 
Cents. 
ift<)i ... 519,.528,432 96,123,777 18.5 
lOTO 499;i59,l20 78,267,432 15,6 
The fiaures show an increased importation of 
9ri'i69'.12 pounds and an averego cost of 3.1 cents 
Zt pound above tho average for the preceding year. 
Th« United States coffee bill last year was nearly 
o',ehun<lre'/ ■nnUioxs, of which Bra/.il gets throe-fourths. 
Planters have been getting two prices lor their product 
and growing rich remarkably fast. Taking the Go- 
vernment return, the only one showing the total 
imports at all poicts, and we have the following 
statement showing the consumption: — 
Year ending June 30th, 1891, Pounds. 
Imports ... ... 519,528,432 
Exports ... ... 8,486,973 
Net ipiports or consumption... 511,041,459 
This reprfseols a per capita consumption of 8-24 
pouiids against 9 61 pounds in 18S5, a year of low 
priced coffee, the average import cost beicg 81 cents. 
The following table shows the net impurte, value 
and per capita imports of population for the ten years 
ending June 30th, 1891 :— 
Net Per 
Imports. Value. Capita 
Year— Pounds. Dollars. Populat'n. 
1882 435,579,289 42 815,027 8'30 
1S83 478507,125 38,155,251 8-91 
1884 508,632,863 46,955,394 9-26 
1885 539,264,356 43,389,270 9-el 
1886 537,211,781 40,145,304 9-36 
1887 500,819,-587 53,416,200 8-53 
1888 408,562,775 58,670,737 6 8l 
1889 561,132,100 72,139,897 9-l6 
1890 490,161,900 76,750,979 7-83 
1891 511,041,459 94,628,119 8'24 
The above is an iuter6.sting study. From 1884 to 
1887 there was an era of overpruduction, larger im- 
ports, low prices and increasing cousumption. This 
was followed by a period of poor crops, high prices 
and decreasing consumption. High prices have stimu- 
lated production and it now looks as if in two or three 
years more we would reach the point where supply 
would again overleap demand. 
Ceylon Teas. — The quantity of Ceylon teas 
brought forward during the week has again amounted 
to over 20,000 packages, but the market has im- 
proved, and a large business has been done in the 
country. At this t'me last year such a supply as 
this would inevitably have depieseed the market 
considerably, but the consumption has increased so 
rapidly, that even this large quantity is not too 
much, if actually sufficient, for requirements. 
Prices have again been higher for every grade, this 
being well exemplified by common teas, which are 
to :}J dearer than a fortnight since, and all other 
grndes have participated proportionately in the 
advance. The late improvement in quality has 
been maintained, and Ceylon is by far the cheapeet 
tea on offer. — Produce Blarhet's Eevieio, Sept. 5th. 
Essence of Coffee. — In the annual report of 
the Glasgow Sanitary Inspector (Mr. Peter Fyfe), 
issued lest week, the following item occurs : — 
'• Essence of coffee is a manufactured article .of 
diet which I deemed it advisable to inquire into 
this year. It is much advertised by the vendors, 
and is, I believe, largely purchased by the public. 
I 'took three samples of this essence, as manufac- 
tured by the three principal makers, and sent them 
to the public analyst. As it appears to me to possess 
public interest, I give here the results of his analysis 
in each case : — 
1 
2 
3 
Per 
Per 
Per 
cent. 
cent. 
cent. 
Caffeine 
00-i2 
00-18 
00-15 
Cane Sugar 
41-00 
33-85 
56-95 
Fruit sugar and other orga- 
nic matter ... ... 
]9-03 
2&-03 
11-22 
Mineral matter in ash 
1-52 
1-42 
1-32 
Water 
34-62 
35-52 
30 36 
100-00 
100-00 
100-00 
His notes attached to the certifioates show that 
the caffeine in the samples is very low — in No. 3 
absurdly low — and the analysis of the best one 
shows that 98^ per cent, of this concoction is water 
and sugar.— fZ/e/iiist aiid Dnif/gist, Sept. 12th. 
