356 THE TROPICAL A-QRICOLTy RIST- [Novemeer 2, 1891. 
WORLD'S FAIR NOTES. 
The Great Industrial Minerals and Metals will 
Constitute an Important Feature of the 
Mines and Mining Exhibit at the 
Exposition. 
In uo othor departmenii of tiie World's Columbian 
Exposition, perhaps, will be seen a greater diversity of 
exhibits than iu that of Miueg and Mining, Not only 
will there bo a (!azz;ling array of diamonds, opala, 
eaieralds and other goms, sn i of the precious, icetab, 
buta mostexteuiive collection of iron, copper, lead and 
other ore-, and of their products; ol coa', graiiits, mar- 
ble, sandatoue and other building stone ; of soils, ealt; 
petrolenm, and, indee 1, of olmo.'^t everything, useful or 
beautiful, belonging to the mineral kingdom. How 
extennive the niinoral exhibits from other c, nutrias will 
be, it is yet too early to know, but the indications are 
that it will surpass any thst has heretofore been made. 
However that may be, there is no doubt that tlie miTieral 
resources and products, not only of tins couutry aa a 
whole, but of each'stute and tection, will be of the 
most complete and ropre.ientative desoriptioa. 
The coftl industry in the United Stales is of gigsntic 
proportions, involving the investment of many millions 
of capital aud the subsistence of many hundreds of 
thousands of people. According to ; eceut census bul- 
letins the ont-pnt of coal in 1839 nlone aggregated 
104,576,299 tons, the value of which at tbe mines vras 
$131,421,172. Fully two-thirds of the 3tatei3 and terri- 
tories are coal proJucing. But great ps is the annunl 
production of coal iu this country it is insigoificant in 
comparison wi'h the pjssibilitie?. Our coal resources 
are simply enormous. Vast areas of coal measureT, 
thousands of miles in extent, lie distributed betw€eu 
the Atlantic ar.d Pacific aud the northern and southern 
boundaries. Throughout the west aud south coil mining 
is rapidly incrtasing in importance. 
The exhibit of ooal at the Bsposition, of course, will 
be qualitative rather than quanlita;ive. Not only will 
the different varitties of coal, which the different locali- 
ties produce, be thown, but chemical analyses of each 
and the results of testi de'ermining economic value and 
adaptability to various uses. The coal resources of the 
different states and sections will be shown by ge logical 
m^p3 and drawings fhowing C0Dfi^urali':n, stratification, 
etc., which will render apparent the extent and 
accessibility of the coal beds and veins. For example, 
it will be shown that coal measures of varjing thick- 
ness underlie a great portion of the state of Texas — 
some 40 or 50 counties— aud that, although the eo.il 
production of Texas has thus far been comparatively 
small, the supply is prfiCtically lEexhiustihle, and th^it 
much of the coal is of excellent quality. Ohiof Skiff is 
enlisting the co-operation of Urga coid eschongos and 
corporations, and expects to hive a very extensive and 
complete exhibit. 
So Soo, as regards iron. Ttie most stienuona efforts 
will be made to have an exhibit worthy of that greit 
branch of industry. This country is now the firtt 
nation iu tbe wi rld in iron production, hcviug recently 
forged ahead of Great Britaiu, its only real competitor. 
Our production of pig iion now exceeds 10,000,000 tors 
annnally, or nearly four times whr.t it was ten years 
ago, and the productiou of stee' now asrgregat^s about 
5,000,000 tons a year, a grovi tn of nearly 300 per cent, 
in the decade. The developmi ut of the iron resources 
of the Southern states has been especislly great and 
rapid. The dispHy at the Esposiriou will be prepared 
and collected under the fullest appreoialion of the 
msgnitU'le and importance of the iron industry. There 
will be shown all tho many varieties of oreH, with full 
data as to Ihj location and extent of their bed.", the 
Bnilytis of esch ore, and, so far as possible the different 
prooeeses of treatment in the maiiufactaro of iron 
and ateel. 
• -0 — 
XOTICS ON I'RODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Tka Companies and Invbstoks.— We reproduce 
Mr. 11. Ktrn.stiHw'H vjiiuablo btutiatical txllo of Indian 
t«a coDipauics, and we recommend invaetors lo siu ly ■ 
it. If there are hotter iuvCBtmeuts .than well i.elected 
ten companie.'!, we have not hed the good fortune 
to meet with them. It is useful, however, to know 
something about tbe pr.st aad present of the various 
gardens bcfjre making a felection, aud if further 
informatio.-i than that given in this table is desired 
It IS not difficult to procur-c-, aud it is worth taking a littlo 
troublo about. 
Japan Tea.— In hia rep jrt of the trace of Hiogo 
and Osaki for the past year Mr. Consul Easke 
states that, owing to the incessant rains having forced 
the growth of ihTleaf, tbo quiility of tho fir.st crop 
proved di-appoiuting, and nad it Eot been f,,r the 
effect which the matkc-d acvance in ti.vcr laj on 
cxchauge (higher ratta preventing later teas from 
being laid down as cheaply), there can be little doubt 
that the seajoa would have proved an unsatisfactory 
one to shipptrd. As supplies increased piicoi gradu- 
ally decline d, nntil they showed a drop of Irom tao 
to three doUsrs oq the earlier prices piid for the 
better de-criptions of leaf, and one dollar !or rjommoa 
to medium grades, the Ia!t:;r being throughout the 
2e;vfoa most in request. The second crop was more 
satisfari'ory in quaii',y than the first, and (owardi 
the middle of July tome slight concfS:.ions oa the 
part of ho'dera, coupled with encouraging advices 
from the consuming markets, led 1o con-sidtrablo 
business, the lower grades a;ain meeting with most 
enquiry. Increased firmness on the pirt of sellers 
fo'lowed, supplies beingalEo withheld with a view to for- 
cing up price?, and as the season progressed a marked 
deterioratioa bo'.h in the quauiity and quality 
beoimo noticeable. A decline tf 50 per cent in Suez 
freights materially assisted the J.ipiiiesa in main- 
tainiog values, notwithstanding the high ra'ea of 
exchange then ruling, and buaiuess continued oa 
about the same basis until the end of September, 
hojdera taking advantage of every opportuniiy to 
laise prices until they reached such a point as to 
render further buying unremuner.itive, especially in 
view of the inferior selection and paucity oi stocks, 
which by this time had dwindled down to some 
270,000 lb. The financial crisis in Europe, in the fall 
of the ytar, put a sudden stop to business in the 
United Stf'.tes of America, the effects of which was 
quickly felt on this side, and the season was vir- 
tually closed by the end of Oelober, although, as 
usual, a few desultory purchases couticued to he 
mftde, amouuting to some 530,000 lb. The total 
business for the season was 21,639,431 lb. that for 1889 
having been 18,245,735 lb. 
Last Week's Tea Market.— The Grocer says:— 
At last we are beginning to see a little more day- 
light. The total estimated out-turn from India is 
now reduced to 108,000,000 lb. Shipments from China 
have lately been on a very small scale, and instead 
of being 4,000,000 lb. in excess, is now brought down 
on a par with last season's, owing to the falling off 
in the export from Foochow. The news from China 
is getting more serious, and latest private telegrams 
say that civil war is imminent. The supply of com- 
mon tea from China is likely to be very small, and 
already the terminal market is reflecting the opinion 
of those who ought to know by a rise of 2 to 3 points; 
spot has been done at 5 ll-16d, and May at 5|d., 
while Indians are also much stronger. Privately there is 
no demand, and the public auctions of 17,400 packages 
showed panic prices. China teas offer most wonderful 
value, yet dealers say that if they buy them they 
('o not grt tho retailers to take them, and exporters 
do net take any qu-.ntity. Importers cauno; go oa 
taking such ruinous losses, aud, we believe, many 
w j. hold o2 their teas for a better market — at 
present there ia none. The public sales of Indian tea 
have agJii been oa a scale of magciLude, having been 
even heavier than previously, and uuprecedentedly 
large, reaching 37,320 packages ; but a greater portion 
than preferred consisted of the poorer qualities, which 
cause! the demand to drsg somewhat, as it the trade 
we.e over-.5uppl!ed with these, and, although tbe bulk 
was disposed of, prices here aud there again' ruled 
slightly in favourofthebujer. Forthe smaller proportion 
of the finer and more useful grades, however, there 
was a decidedly firmer tone, and they were taken 
off with greater readiness at full to slightly higher 
