February i, 1892-] 
THE TROPICAL AQPilOULTURIST. 
market in the spriug aud tho real lesson which the 
preseui distress should teaoh us ia that it is hopeless 
to expect a paying price if we over-supply the market 
with an iudiflereut article. No one who has heen con- 
tent with moderate crops of really good lea had cause 
to complain of result j.— I am, Sir, yours, &t'.. 
Vis Unita FonxiOR. 
BULKED TEA. 
(From the Qrocer.) 
Our readers are aware of the immense importatioca 
of teas from India and Oeylou, and of these a large 
proportion either is or ought to be bulked in Loudon ; 
for although the bulking operation when properly per- 
formed at the garden where the tea is grown is desir- 
able, it has been found by experience that in many 
cases tho machinery and other means for bulking abroad 
are imperfect. On arrival in England the chests have 
been found irregular in quality, thus reuderiug the mixing 
here absolutely necessary. This is a matter of regret 
because the exposure of the tea in a damp climate like 
oura must depreciate the value, particularly to grocers, 
who have to hold stocka either at their shops or in 
the large bonded warehouses. There is, however, 
another evil to which attention should be directed : 
it arises from the impatience manifested by im- 
porters to place their teas upon tiie market before 
they are ready for sale. Thus it sometimes happens 
that a parcel of tea is sent up from the dooks to an 
np-town bonded werebouse, and, when bulked, eamplea 
are sent out and the tea sold ; but shortly afterwards 
some packages — usually known by the naoae of " misa- 
ing packages " — are found, which belong to tho same 
conBignment, aud are fcr warded to London, being then 
mixed with some of the chests remainiug in bond. 
One condition regulation public sale provides that 
missing packages up to a small percentage of the 
parcel, i£ equal in quality to the bulk, must be taken 
by a buyer ; but the fact of the tea being bulked 
ia an evidence of variation in quality, and unless 
tho whole of the tea is properly mixed we failed to 
see how it could have been fairly represented by the 
sample upon which it was sold. In fact, this condi- 
tion respecting missing packages can only apply to 
teas bulked abroad, or those from gardens • where 
the quality is so regular that the bulking process is 
rendered unnecessary. This subject is of special im- 
portance to grocers who regulate their blends upon 
the samples of the first chests of a parcel they receive, 
and any variation in the quality of the missing packages 
may make a material dilferenoe in the blend and do 
them great injury with their cnstomerc, who are quick 
in deteoting any variation in the liquor of a tea. 
Although in some oases the quality may be really 
better than that of tho parcel, if there is a difference, 
and it is detected by the consumer, unfavourable con- 
clusions are too frequently drawn which can only pre- 
judice tho trade. All missing packages of bulked tea 
should be sold separately, not palmed off on the 
buyer of tho parcel; and considering the num- 
ber of complaints which have been made of 
tho variation in quality, this principle should 
bo adopted. We understand the Loudon Wholesale 
Teadealers' Association have this matter under 
oomidoration, and we hope they will lose no time 
in bringing about a substantial reform in the 
direction indicated. It would save wholesale dealers 
tho annoyance and vexation of numerous complaints, 
aud would be an act of justice to grocers generally. 
~H. and C. Mail. 
«» 
COCONUT AND CINNAMON CULTURE 
IN (JJiYLOiN IN 1891. 
Coconuts. 
The year that has just closed has been an ex- 
ceptionally favorable one, as regards rainfall, for 
coconut cultivation, the more especially in the 
cocouut- growing districts in the southern and wes- 
tern portions of Iho island where tho rainfall has 
boon abnormally high. As can be readily understood, 
water la an important fftctgit in the oiUtlvatiou of ft 
product whose fruits are always carrying several gallons 
of liquid and whoso leaves, being constantly moved 
by every gust of wind, favor rapid evaporation from 
their surface. But as in most things, there can be 
too much even of a good thing like water, and 
reports from the inland districts say, that with a 
lesser rainfall and more sun the i^rospects of crop 
for this year would have been better. Not that they 
are by any means such as to cause grumbling, but 
they are not as good as they might have been. 
This can be readily understood, for the soils in tho 
inland districts are mainly clayey, and the persistent 
rainfall has so sodden them that tho short intervals 
of sunshine have not more than warmed the surface, 
and thus the circulation of air through the soil, so 
necessary for the vigorous growth of vegetation, has 
been possible only to a limited depth. 
It may be remembered that the year 1890 was 
distinguished for a drought extending from June to 
October, and which was felt severely along the 
coast from Jaela, 12 miles from tho capital, to the 
North of the island and on to Batticaloa on the 
East coast. Its severity was felt moat in the districts 
north of Negombo, increasing as we go further 
north, till in Jaffna not only coconut trees but even 
the hardier palmyra palms succumbed to it, and many 
plantations at Batticaloa were said to have lost a 
good number of their well-established coconut trees. 
Its effects were as a matter of course felt during 
1891 in diminished crops and in nuts of abnormally 
suall sisie ; but the severe "wintering" the palms 
received have helped them to realize to the full the 
beneficial effects of the wet year we have just passed 
through, in bright prospects of crop during 1892. 
During the first six months of 1891 the prices of nuts 
were such as to cheer the hearts of coconut planters. 
There was great activity in the trade and the enquiry 
for nuts was brisk. Ia July-Augnat the demand 
ceased suddenly and the drop of prices was fully US per 
thousand. As can be imagined, this caused much loss 
both to buyers and sellers and the market was for a time 
greatly disturbed. Prices have not risen since, and 
were R4 or 5 less per thousand at the end of 1891 than 
they were daring the same period of the year previous. 
Though tlie desiccating of coconuts is not an in- 
dustry that st'irted into life during the past year, 
yet it deserves notice owing to tho large number of 
nuts it consumes. The oldest establishment ia at 
Colombo, where Messrs. Vavasseur & Co. are said to 
have aet up over half.a-dozen of Brown's patent 
desiccators and where the daily consumption of nuts 
must be about 20 or 25 thousand. The mills at 
Veyangoda are oonstaatly expanding, and the daily 
consumption of nuts there is said to average between 
10 and 15 thousand. The enterprising Akbar Brothers 
started a deeiccnting mill at Negombo, but ceaspd 
working it after a very short while, for reasons 
which must be best known to themselves. Sin- 
halcsQ gentlemen of equal energy and enterprise, 
tl.o Pieris Brothers of Grondpass, have estab- 
lished a factory for the same purpose at Kelani, so 
coconut planters have not, like tea planters, to 
fear over-production just yet. A letter appeared in 
our columns a few mouths ago from a merchant in 
London expresBing grave fears that the desicoating 
of nuts is already being overdone and that a promis- 
ing industry was likely to be ruined. It is generally 
believed that the letter had emanated from an ia- 
terested party who was anxious to reap as much of 
the profits of this industry as he could himself. The 
rumours outside are that deaiooated coconut sells at 
Rl per lb. in Europe. A thousand coconuts aro reported 
to yield about 350 lb. ot desiccated stuff, and a thou- 
sand cuts sell for between R30 and K35, so that tho 
difference between E35 and R350, after deducting ooet 
of production, packing, transport, interest on capital 
and other etceteras, represents profit. From these 
figures it will be seen that if they are reliable it will 
take some time to render the industry unremunerative 
through over-production. But it is said the demand 
ia limited. This is a serious drawback with a product 
that will no*; keep longer than 3 months. In spite 
of it being packed in air-tight cases precisely like 
tesi the stuff is eaid to becomg raucid after tbi^t 
