December i, 1891.] THE TROPICAL AQRI0ULTUR5ST. 
in some insUnces be increased if gre^iter care were ex 
eroised in buying. There are a large numlier of grooecs 
iu country villages who ate content to rely upon the 
judgment of the wholesale dealers in the important towns 
for the rielection of the teas they supply their customf-rs, 
and of course the intormediata profit reluces the 
net return to the small grocer. At the same time 
it must not be forgotten that daring recent yeara 
mitnT retailers have shown a partiality for the sale 
of packet tesa, which, while it reli' ves them of all 
trouble oi weighiug up and puckmtf, also the risk of 
storing tea in proximity to other artioles which might 
injure loose tea, it encourages the «ale of piickct ti aa 
direct from London at loiver prices. Tesa which 
maybe of good value are in many inS'anoes entirely 
unauitab'e for the water in the d'strict in which they 
are made into liquor. Itia, therefore, desira'^le that 
country grocers should study these mait rs more than 
they do, and proynnt the trade slipping away from 
them ; they oan still obtain a good price lor their teas, 
and if they study quality and the effect of the water 
in their particular dist icta thfy should increase their 
trade. The co sumption of tea last year was no less 
than 12'8 per cent more than in the previous one, and 
this increase is going on year by year, if not in the 
same proportion, still in a marked degree. Thus the 
trade has gone into a ver> important one, and if re- 
tailers would direct their attention to buying really 
desirable teas of good quality, and ascertain the wantH 
of their ouslomers better, they would have no ocoa- 
sion to reyret the time "ul attention given. The 
recult, bo'h in towns and vill 'g' 3, would inevitably lie 
a sstisf icrory increase io their tales, with a reafonahle 
profit, considering this age of keen competilioa. — 
H.nnd C.Mail, Oct. 9th. 
THE CEYLON TEA BOOM 
Sweet, in the eyes of the Ceylo i pi nter. are the 
u»e« ot advertiBt'meut. The energe'io A.'iFoeiutiou to 
which he has confided his interests has eh wa during 
the past few moQth« a most remarkable fer- 
tility "f re>ource in compelling public atten ion in 
Bu'ope and elsewhere to the virtues of Oeyioi tsa. 
Not only have the advertisement eolumtis of tuo London 
Presa rang the praises of this or that itard n, but 
at the sale of produce in iVIincing L^dp, the prices of 
certain selected aamplss have been forced up t o ab or- 
mal amonnts. The 'i'e.i Kiosk schemo of which much 
was expected has indee d proved a partial, if not a 
coraplfrte failure,* but it illufltrates the restltss activity 
with which those who are oonoerued in the development 
of Ceyioii as a tea planting district are pushing the 
interest of the Colony. Ano'h -r iugeniou; "notion" — to 
use an Amerioauisra for which there is no British 
equiviilent — is ascribed to a Mr. ElwooJ May. Presi- 
dent ot an A"sociation known a? the "Ueylon Planters' 
American Company." Mr. May has arranged wi'li a 
Trana-Atlantio advertising Agent, " to Hecure 50,000 
dollars worth of advertising iu the American Press in 
return for 100,000 dels, of the Comp&ny's stook." 
By this arrannement, it is sugg' sted that the editors 
and proprietors of some of the most influential 
American newspapers will be personally into estod in 
the success of the Company, and may be induced to 
support it with the pulf oblique, the puff direct, 
and the other ingenious iuiprov. ments oj Mr. Sheri- 
dan's list which are known to American jour alism. 
Since, however, tho proposed expeu' ituro iu this 
diteotioD amounts, it is said, to about oue-rhird of 
the Company's stock, it is difficult to understand 
how the Asaooiation in quisiion can be oxptcted 
to he ieBl thereby. This qnes ion does not, of course, 
affeot tho tjpic .1 plftiitor, who has all to guin by the 
advertisement of his wares. The Ooylon Planters' 
American Ovimpany, may or may not 'wither ;" Ceylon 
lea will uurlo.ibtedly bo " moro and more." It is not to 
I o expected mo-eovar that 8ucl\ an excellent oppor- 
tunity as thit itfordid by th) <'hicago Esh bitinn 
shculd be overlooltud by the Ansooiation. Some H30 0 
havii silnady been voted from the T-a Fund lor the 
* Which is news to us iu Oeylon. — Ed T.A. 
purpose of pushing the interests of Coylon produce in 
the great nhow of 1893. and now it is ar nounced that 
Sir Arthur Haveh ck's Governmert has ad ed a further 
grar^t of R50,000. By the aid of thia vote and judicouB 
advertising on the p»rt of the "American Company," 
it Ih exproted that Oeylon tea will obteiu a firm footing 
in the United States. This is one of the few markets 
ia which neither Indian nor Ceylon pro<iuce has 
h8 yet made encouraging progress. In any case, the 
Ceylon Tea Pr^ntHra' Aoaiiciatiou deserves to suoced. 
— (Calcutta Englishman. 
» 
THE CULTIVATION OF PEARL SHELL 
AND PEARLS. 
The Commissioner of Fisheries, Mr. W. Saville-Kent 
F.L S., etc., who has been occupied duriug the past ftw 
weeks in \nvestigitiog the fish and fishsries m tters of 
the Northern district, returns eoutu stoppmrf at varion, 
coastal port , by thia mornin ''s (Sa urday'si b lats 
Prom the Wallesley Islands f ap, in he extreme, 
sou h weyc of the Gulf of Carpi ntaria, the Commis- 
sioner reports the indioa'ions of motlior-of-pearl shell 
in such qu .ntitioH aa to justify anticipation of an ^-x- 
tensivu and pr. Stable Shilling being establi-hi-d there 
in the near future. Specimens gattjeied on the west 
s-lnre of Swetr's Island more especially, were so fre.sh 
as to have portions of thi living flnh still adherent to 
theua, showing that they must have grown in the near 
vicinity and indica'i'ig the jrubability of an extensive 
bed in the channel between Bentiuck and Sweer.< Islands. 
Traces of giod shell were alto obtained in the neigh- 
bourhool of the Norman River bar, and Mr. Savilie- 
IC nt is of the opinion that the greater part ot the 
Guif will ultimately prove a very profitable fishing 
grouud. 
Amo'ig thn more interesting items that we have 
to chronicle in a^sooi t on with Mr. Kent's preseut 
Bojouru in Thursday Island U his report concern- 
ing the highly fietiafaotory condi ioa or those pearl 
shells laid down in the experimeutal nursery some 
two years since which have survived the onslaughts 
of the nor'-west gaies sn i marauding natives. Ttieso 
have not only increased iu size to an unexpected 
extent, but are also propagating, many young shells 
being- n< w adherent to the old ones. Stimulated by 
the Rucce-8 that has attended the experiments at 
Vivien Point, at'empts have been made at several of 
the shel ing stati ms to bring in aod cultivate the 
shell in like raauner. At Wai- Weer, where the most 
gratifying results have been acuomplialied, Mr. 
Saville-Kent reports that the shell laid down hag 
grown much more rapidly than in the Guvernment 
nursery, insomuch so that many of the shells which 
measured only four inches in diamater when first 
imported a little over a year a^o, row mea^ure as 
much as ten. Under such favorable conditions there 
can be but little doul>t, as maintained by Mr. F. 
Summers, the experienced manager of the Wa -Weer 
Station, that peral shell needs but > ighteen months 
or two years to grow to malcetable value. 
In association with his periodical visits to Thursday 
Island within tho past three yenrs and establishment of 
npeirl-shell nursery, Mr. Saville-Kent has devoted s me 
altontion to the phenomena of pearl produoiion. His 
experiments connected with this oi ject have u timately 
resulted iu his obtaining such couirol over ttje natural 
constructive cap .ciiies of the sheh-fi^i a.s to c*use it by 
methods of artificial treatment to prodnee what are 
to nil intents and purposes pearls of intrinsic com- 
mercial value. On sucu speoimcu that has been sub- 
mitted to our insp.'ctiou, while continuous with ita 
Khnlly matrix after iho manner of a peorl " bli-ter," 
possesses a spheroidal symmetry and lusrrg that could 
be scarcely excelled and is, we are informed, of solid 
pearl mutter throughout. 'The prospects dud poton- 
talities that; are rendered possible bv these n>eful ex- 
periments can scarcely be ovorestirantod, and may 
lead to new and profitable devid ipme ts of tho pearl 
and poarl eho 1 industry iu assooi.itiun more eepiseiaily 
with tho leasing of snituble areas for the culti- 
