October t, 1890.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
299 
The professional gentleman who is proprietor 
of the Awisawella estate may be congratulated upon 
his foresight, for if he has but 3,000 of such 
productive trees as your correspondent names, he 
has BlSjOOO as an annual return. So let us hope 
he is a lawyer and that nutmegs will win him 
from the pursuit of that baneful following. 
Your correspondent “Peppercorn” once referred 
to nutmegs on a place not very far from the 
town of Kan dy. Can you rouse him to tell us 
the age and powers and profits of the trees? — not 
however such profits as are derived as seed-bearers, 
but counting the profits at the ordinary market 
rates of nutmegs ? 
MOSCHATA. 
the previous two years — thus your readers can 
compare the Calcutta local market with their own 
and dt&w their own inferences — true ones— not 
DISTORTB D. 
P. 8 . — I have not a file of the Observer to refer 
to. May I therefore ask what the Calcutta average 
price was about the 8th Jan. last, and also, if 
you have got the report, on 27 th Aug. last, I have 
seen no report since 12th Aug. 
[The average price given in Messrs. Watson, 
Sibthorp & Co.'s report of 7ih Jan., for the sales of 
2nd Jan., was As. 7-1, or about 9Jdperlb. The 
average given in their report of 2(ith Aug., for the 
sales of the 21st, was G as., or about lOd per lb. — 
Ed. T. ^.] 
LOCAL TEA SALES AVEllAGES. 
Sept. 3rd. 
Sib, — After a very strange fashion the editor of the 
“Times of Ceylon” under the above heading seeks 
to console local sellers by telling them that in getting 
41 cents per lb. for their tea at the local sales on 
the 27th ulto. they were very fortunate inasmuch 
that, compared with the local sale held on Jan. 
8th, they were taking all things into consideration 
better ofi by 11 cents ! 
The view thus given to his readers is an altogether 
distorted one — what are the true facts of the case ? 
On Jan. 8th sellers locally instead of receiving as 
they did 45 cents only ought to have received 58 
cents (a difference of 13 cents), this rate being the 
equivalent of the position of tea at that time, viz. : 
Reuter’s London average . . Is 
Demand rate of exchange . . Is 5 5-32d 
(These are the figures given by the local “Times !”) 
In the same way sellers locally on the 27th ult, 
instead of receiving 41 cents should have received 
but 40 cents or the equivalent of 
Reuter’s London average . . 10|d 
Demand rate of exchange . . Is 8 7-16d 
(Figures given by “ T. of C.”) 
60 at this latter sale the sellers actually got 1 cent 
per Ih. more than the quotations then current sanctioned 
as a “ set off” against the clear loss of 13 cents 
on 8th Jan. sale. 
The difference between the true value of Ceylon 
tea on the dates mentioned is no less than 18 cents 
and not 4 cents as has been insinuated, for, on 
8th Jan. local sellers were unfortunate by 13 cents 
27th Aug. local sellers were fortunate by 1 „ 
and this, and in no other way, can the 
difference (“ the little difference”) referred 
to by the editor of “ T. of C.” between the 
two sales be truly accounted for, viz. only . . 4 ,, 
18 cents 
In your issue of the 21st Aug., you give Messrs. 
Watson, Sibthorp & Co.’s report of the 12th idem, 
on the Calcutta local tea sales — we find there that 
at the sale held on 8th Aug., annas 6 and 8 pies 
was the average price obtained for 16,267 packages 
— six annas and eight pies equal 80 pies — and as 
there are in a rupee 192 pies against Ceylon cents 
100— it follows that if we half the 80 pies we get 
very close on the Ceylon valuation of sales in Cal- 
cutta. In the case referred to about 41^ cents in 
the true equivalent, for in every 4 annas in the 
Calcutta price an additional Ceylon cent must be 
added after the half has been arrived at, to make 
up for the difference between 192 pies and 200 half 
cents — 1 rupee. 
Tliese Calcutta reports (they should appear re- 
gularly) are most intekestino, giving as they do the 
prices current locally and at the same period for 
CEYLON TEA IN RUSSIA. 
LETTER PROM THE COMMISSIONER. 
Kandy, Sept. 4th, 
To the Editor, Tropical Agriculturiit, Colombo. 
Sir, — I beg to enclose copy of a letter received 
from Mr. Maurice Rogivue, Ceylon Tea Fund 
G immissioner to Russia giving interesting parti- 
culars regarding his mission. — I am, sir, yours 
faithfully. A, PHILIP, Secretary. 
St. Petersburg, 23rd July to 14th Aug. 1890. 
A. Philip, Esq.. Secretary of the Ceylon Planters 
Association, Kandy. 
Tea Fund. 
Dear Sir, — I wrote you last from London on the 14th 
July, and arrived here safely on the 11th and 23rd 
same month. 
Berlin. — Passing through that place, where I 
remained two days, 1 visited Messrs. a 
first class firm, who are willing to take up my agency 
for the sale of Ceylon Teas exclusively in Berlin, and 
with them I visited the two most important tea 
merchants of the place, viz. Messrs. — 
who are both prepared to taste and try our teas. 
Messrs. mj' agents in London, have therefore 
been instructed Dy me to send, as soon as possible, 
to Messrs. an assortment of tea samples, in 
small tin boxes, with prices of the different sorts 
and qualities, o. i. f. Hamburg and f. o. b. London. 
They will also do the same for Mr. — in 
Konigsberg (Prnssia), a good and active man, with 
whom I have also arranged to act as my agent there. 
Both firms might be able to seoure large orders for 
Ceylon Teas on their respective fields, and it is most 
important [that ^tbey sbonld receive samples with full 
particnlars as regards quality, flavour and prices. 
Samples should be selected in all grades, from the 
commonest pekoe souchong to the best broken and 
orange pekoe. 
St. PetebsbOhg.— From all the information I have 
been able to collect since my arrival here, 1 come 
already to the cunolusion that there is a great future 
for Ceylon tea in Russia, where it is already pretty 
well-known, to a very small extent it is true, but still 
appreciated for its purity and cleanliness of manufac- 
ture, and it is not quite true what I have heard in 
London, that our teas are found too strong and too 
dark in infusion, the generality of Russians like a 
somewhat strong tea and do not st all ohjeot to a 
dark reddish colour, but, what they do not like, at 
least in St. Petersburg, is the sweet raspberry taste 
given to Ceylon teas by the water of the Neva ! 
I bave already visited all the most important tea 
warehouses of this place, wbo'esale and retail — such as 
&c. all very large tea bouses, I have 
been very well received everywhere and every 
one of them have told me the same thing 
as above, but they are all desirous of see- 
ing and tasting my samples, whioh unfortunately 
bave not been cleared yet at the Customs. 
The steamer “ Viska” bringing them over from 
London arrived here only last Tuesday the 17/29th 
