May 2, 1892.1 THP tropical AGRICULTURIST. 
NOTES ON PKODUUE AND FINANCE. 
The Pboddce Clearing House. — Elsewhere wo 
give a report of the pr< ceedings held at the aunual 
general meeting of the LondoQ Produce Clearing 
House. This organisation has become a very im- 
portant factor in Mincing Lane, and one which it is 
impossible for the most conservative of the frater- 
nity in the Lane to ignore. The fact that as Iaro;e 
ft quantity as 112,000 chests of Indian "type" tea 
passed through the books of the company during the 
year is remarkable, while in the report special re- 
ference is made to the increased dealings in Indian 
tea. A more important matter, however, is that the 
operations in this "future market" are likely in coarse 
of time to exercise cousiderable influence on the 
actual market on the spot for Indian teas, and it will be 
for producers to consider in what way they can, in their 
own interests, beat utilise the organisation. To show 
that it might not be altogether without its uses let us 
only imagine that last spring, when prices for Souchong 
were pence per lb. over what they now are, that some 
prodncers had seen fit to sell their product of that 
grade forward, under the Clearing House contracts!, 
and an easy calculation will show to what extent they 
might have gained thereby. Whether, however, 
planters use or do not use this organisation, there is no 
doubt, as already montioued, that the dealers through 
this company will have widely. exteu iing influences 
upon the market. It ig a sign of the times to find con- 
servative Mincing Lane at last waking np to new 
methods of doing busiue-e, long familiar to our neigh- 
bours beyond the se4. 
Last Week's Tea Sales,— The supply of Indian tea 
brought forward still coniiets principally of oom- 
moa grades of much inferior quality to those of- 
fered a few weeks ago (saya the Produce Mar- 
kets' Review), while prices have bean irregular, 
and oooasioually lower, for the less desirable parce^^. 
Unless there ia a much stronger demand for these 
grades, current rates can hardly be maintained, 
notwithstanding their present low prices. On the 
other hand, tons of goof useful quality are scarce, 
and are eagerly sought aftar at higher prices. This 
has been particularly noticeable in the past week's 
public Bales, more especially for whole-leaf kinda, 
which showed considerable advance from the lowest 
point. Broken Pekoes have shared in the upward 
movement, but to a smaller extent, while the fineot 
grades continue to bo actively competed for at 
prices showing s further rise. The enquiry, in fact, 
during the past season has been for tea with 
quality, which proves that the demand merely for 
price is declining. Importers would .do well to note 
this, and insteid of fijodiug the market with tea 
of undesirable character, they should turn their 
attention to procuring a larger proportion of good 
medium and fine descriptions, in doing wbioh their 
interests would undoubtedly bo better served. If, 
however, they persist in the present course, which will 
largely augment the supply in the coming season, 
coupled with a proliable import of nearly 80,000,090 lb. 
from Ceylon, they must be prepared to face the lowest 
prices yet recorded. At the public sales 32,623 pack- 
eges were broujjht forward, and the bidding was brisk 
for ell good grades, but the common sorts wore compa- 
ratively neglected. The Ceylon sales, in acoordanoe 
with the reports from Ceylon as to the quantity expor- 
ted, have again baan rather sm.^ller than was generally 
anticip.ited by the home trade, and prices have been 
full maintained, nud in most cases have exoeedei 
the J,>nuiiry quotations. The quality has been 
fairly good, but perfect cscelleuca in this respaot 
is hardly to be oxpocLed until rather liter on 
iu the ceason. Strong efforts are evidently to bo 
mado not only by merchants and dealers, but also 
by rcprcsuiitrtlivDH seat direct from the island, to push 
Ceylon teas at the forlhoomiug Chicago Exhibition ; 
and when tho anccesa which utionilel the cltorts made 
attlijliito Oiiloiiiil Kxhibitiou to bring Ceylon teas 
into general fjvour i.s cousiilerod, it io hardly to bo 
double 1 that a groat striiU-. will also bo niado by 
these nuaus iu the United States. This question, 
although not of immediato iniportauco, must ultimately 
101 
have a strong bearing upon the fntare prioe of tea 
iu general. 
Tub Exchange BaQBBAB.— The silver probleca and 
the ups and downs, chieilf downs, in the ratei of 
exchange between this country and the Far East 
have become too burdensome. It is no wonder, 
therefore, that in India business men are becoming 
restive on the subject. The position of a businesa 
man in India is a trying one, A decline in exchange 
tends in the first instance to stimulate the buyer o£ 
imported goods, because he feels that with every fall in 
the gold equivalent of rupee prices there ia the less 
probability of hia being able to buy later on at 
lower rupee prices ; in other words, he is the mora 
disposed to think that prices in the silver carrency, 
with which he alone has to do, have in commercial 
parhvnce, "touched bottom." But the Tory feet of a 
decline which is purely arbitrary, as it is due to con- 
ditions absolutely outside the ciroumstanoes of the 
trade in which he is engaged, and is quite inoalou- 
lable, makes him doubtful aa to whether a reverse 
moremont may not ensue, and mark hia purohaaea 
relatively dear. No wonder, then, that the fall in 
exchanges has become the chief topic in busineaa 
circles in Indi*, for, with either a falling tendency 
of exchange such os has been now practically con- 
tiauoua since October, 1890, or a rising tendency 
of exchange such aa was experienced from May, 1889, 
to September, 1890, the importer and exporter alike 
are equally uncertain how to act. However aconrata 
may be their calculations, of demand and supply in 
regard to the commodities in which they deal, how- 
ever shrewd their forecisla of the seasons, they are 
still as likely to find their operations end in loss aa if 
they were mere gamblors. 
A Supposed RiG' — There is talk of a French rig in 
coffee. Its homo is in H^vre. Neither Kew York, 
London, nor Hamburg isi mplioafced ia tho busine, bt 
Antwerp is stid to have an interest in it- — H. and G' 
Mail, Feb. 19. 
AN EX-CEYLON PLANTER IN 
AUSTRALIA. 
LIFE OP A "JACKAEOO" — PADDOCKS AND SHEEP-RUNS 
— IN THE INTERIOK — MILDURA — SUNDAY OBSERVANCE 
— A DAY AND A HALF OF WORK. 
Feb. 16th. 
I have several items to write about, and will likely 
enclose papers which you may be pleased to publish. 
I am here living on a station in N. S. Wales. Tha 
fife of a " jackaroo " or gentleman apprentice, or 
what you call in Ceylon a "creeper," is a pleasant 
mixture of pleasure and pain, of rough jobs and 
glorious riding over the flat grass paddocks. A 
"paddock" is a field, but a very large field. Soma 
are 2,000 acres others are 8,000 acres. Sheep-runa 
go from 30,000 acres to 300,000 acres, and the gazing 
power of the land is very finely adjusted since uni- 
versal fencing took the place of shepharding in days 
gone by. Mobs are placed in paddocks, and the num- 
ber of sheep per ao.xe, or the number of acres per 
sheep, is nicely arranged. The breeding and select- 
ing is so easily managed in paddocks, and fewer men 
are necessary. Formerly shephards lost their sheep 
like little Bo-peep and didn't know where to find 
them. Rams and cows and lambs were all mixed up ; 
and what wfis worse, neighbours found their sheep 
getting mixed. Now everything ia orderly and me- 
thodical. I am not, as you will be sure, capable of 
explaining the management of a sheep-run after a 
week's experience, but a short sketchy description of 
the scenes and scenery might interest your readers. 
After finding that Slelbourne did not exactly wel- 
come me, in fact the times were bo hard that new 
comers seeking emi^loymeut ^-ere not likely to be 
wolconiod when those already ou the spot were 
finding it a dil'ficult thing to live, I journeyed into 
" tho interior," as a Ceylon conductor would say, 
and found myself across the Murray, niy old friend 
at MiUlura, and speeding across Now Booth Wales, 
across a flat, liot. dry. plain. I arrived at Donili- 
quiu ami ovculually fguuil the stivtigu which was 
