December i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
419 
Mr. Thos. Dickson sngg’ested that as a matter of fact 
the American Company was at present no more than 
a Syndicate, as wo term it in England, and that the 
actual Company was now being floated by that body. 
Mr. G-rinlinton remarked that Syndicates according to 
the English methods were not known in America ; but 
he fancied the first installation of the body was in 
reality of that nature. The extra shares to be given 
to the Company’s Agents on their subscribing and 
paying for others came from the promoters’ 20,000 
shares, for which they had stipulated. Of course, if the 
shares of the Company were not eventually subscribed 
for, it could not be floated, and all expenses for adver- 
tising, &c., which would be considerable, would be 
borne by Messrs. Wattson & Farr. 
A desultory conversation followed a vote of thanks to 
Mr. Grinlintou, during which a remark was made not at 
all complimentary to Mr. Pineo, upon which Mr. Griu- 
linton took up his defence, declaring that the gentleman 
in question had done everything in his power to forward 
the interests of Ceylon Tea, and that he deserved well 
of Ceylon planters. 
Mens. Rogivue having been requested to state his 
work and views in conueotion with Coy Ion Tea in Russia 
handed to the Chairman a written Report, a copy of 
which will, no doubt, bo sent to Ceylon by this mail. 
He said that he had been favored by his London 
Agents, Messrs. Malcolm, Kearton & Co., and others, 
with excellent introductions and bad everywhere been 
received with much consideration, but he had not 
had the advantages possessed by Mr. Grinliuton of 
addressing himself to dealers speaking hi.s own lan- 
guage, and he (Mr. R.) had also to encounter far 
stronger prejudices than are met with in America. He 
had interviewed many of the best wholesale firms in 
Moscow, St. Petersburgh, and Nijni, but one and all 
declared there was no demand for Ceylon Tea, and 
that what was now imported was obliged to be 
disposed of by blending. But when he came to inter- 
view retailers end consumers, he was told quite a dif- 
ferent story — that the tea was excellent and mode- 
rate in price — and a number of persons had re- 
quested him to sell them quantities of 20 and 
30 lb. for trial, It w.is evident that time would 
bo required to bring it before the consuming public, 
and therefore money. He should consult with the Com- 
mittee, after they had read and considered his report, 
and it would be then needful to determine what course 
should be pursued in the future. In Russia, as in this 
country, complaints as to the falling-off inthe quality of 
China were loud and genera], and he believed the 
present time was favourable for pushing the teas of 
Ceylon in that country. He bad tasted the tea prepared 
by the Russian people and it was so utterly flavorless 
that hecouid not understaud how they could be induced 
to drink it ; while the leaves, poor as they were, had to 
stand four or five successive waters ! 
From the above statements it is evident that in Russia, 
as in America, it is the whole.sale trade who oppose 
the iatroductiou and sale of your teas on their own 
merits, as they can make for more money by blending 
than bv selling them pure as they reach them. 
Mr. Grinlintou left Landontbis day for Brussels, pro- 
ceeding Metz, Venice, Florence and Rome to embark 
at Naples on the 25th on the P. & 0. steamer " Khedive," 
— Local "Times." j, 0. 
INDIA TEA NOTES; 
Dbhua Dun, Cot. llth. — We are still making tea, 
but the flu.shes are stunted owing to the cold nights. 
Ski.kng, Oct. 12th. — So far lots of leaf about, and 
the little rain just fallen may help us on to end of 
month. Cold weather is setting in fast. 
Noimi Lakimi'Ouk, Oct. 6th.— The end of Sept, was 
very dry and hot ; rain has, however, come at last — 1‘20 
having fallen during the last three days; from the 
look of the sky, we may expect more, and which shoul .f 
give us a good start for Got. Mosquito still out all 
over the district. Rainfall to date 1-14 18. 
Dooars, Daji Dim, Oct. 17th.— This season came in 
with a ruinously hot dry spring, but is finishing up 
with a miserably cold, wet Autumn. For the past four 
days and nights, it has rained inoessantly, and the 
weather has been so cold that coolies could do little 
for no work.— riaiUim’ Cazette, Oct, 2l8t, 
A NEW KIND OP “TEA.” 
We recently noticed the industry which has lately 
sprung up in Germany of manufacturing the leaves 
of the strawberry into a substitute for tea, but the 
people of Kent are going in for hops as a substitute.- 
They are of opinion that as hops make such capital 
beer the plant will make equally excellent tea, and 
they are hard at work elaborating a process for con- 
verting hops into fresh tea leaves. The object of this, 
they_ state, is not merely to get a new tea, but to 
furnish an article which will alter both the flavour 
and tho quality of the teas now in use. The fresh 
ininsion obtained from the dried flowers of the hop, in 
which fermentation plays no part, is an excellent 
drink quite free from alcohol. This beverage contains 
all the tonic, soothing and nutritive properties of the 
hop without any objectionable admixture; but the 
flavour would not bo acceptable to the palates of the 
nuBophisticated. However they may bo led to appre- 
ciate it gradually in the same way as beer or stout. 
The taste of the infusion could also easily be modified 
by the addition of sugar and cream. The hop growers 
of Kent also intend to use hops as a qualifier and im- 
prover of the common Indian and Chinese teas; 
Works have been started at Maidstone for drying and 
rolling tho leaves so as to reduce them to the appear- 
ance of ordinary teas which ate to be mixed with 
them. The leaves are also to be powdered and mixed 
with coffee or cocon.—Madras Mail, Got. 26th. 
CACAO STEALING ON ASGIRIA ESTATE. 
In the Police Oouet of Matale. 
No. 5,G03. F. G. .Jokim of the Asgiria estate, com* 
plainant, vs, Sangen of Asgiria estate, defendant. 
In this case the accused who was employed as anight 
watcher on the Asgiria estate was charged with stealing 
a quantity of cacao pods by the complainant, who is 
the day w.atcher. 
It transpired in evidence that when complainant went 
to relieve the accused early in the morning of the 
2bth instant he missed him, but soon after heard a 
noise in the cacao field saying “Don’t fear, no one will 
come here.” Complainant went in that direction with 
another man and seized the accused in the act of stealing 
cacao pods, when two others whom he was unable to 
identify ran away from the cacao bushes. Complainant 
reported the facts to Mr. Booth, the superintendent, 
who directed the prosecution. The evidence called 
for the prosecution fully supported the charge, and the 
accused was found guilty and sentenced to six months’ 
rigorous imprisonment. 
This same acoused was a short lime ago charged 
with causing hurt to a watchman who was ordered to 
watch in his stead by Bengasami kanakapulle on a 
certain night as the accused had failed to attend to 
bia duty In defence he urged that the substitute 
was stealing coffee for the kanakapulle and that ha 
struck him as the former threatened to injure him 
The Magistrate then considered him to be an iniured 
innocent and let him off with a nominal fine. It is 
now evident that he calculated too much on the favor- 
able impression he had made on the Magistrate in 
the former case. 
A HoBB\ iron CorNTBY SCHOOLMASTBE.S.— On 
Saturday afternoon, 27th ult., Mr. T. W. Oailvie 
Demonstrator of Natural History, Aberdeen Uuive°rsity 
deliveied n lectiue to the members of the Aberdeen 
blanch of theEudcational Institute of Scotlaud, on “The 
her ihsat.on of Plants.’’ Mr. Ogilvie, in opening his 
ectnre, said, country teachers had an excellent oppor- 
tunity of working out tho flora and fauna of their res- 
pective chstricts, but ho had observed with regret the 
extreme infrequeucy with which those opportunities were 
cho,seu the subject of his lecture 
in the hope that he might induce some to lake up such 
antidote to the rnimf with 
which country teachers who and not a hobby, must 
bo afflicted.-Curdencrs’ Ohmiick. ' 
