702 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1891 . 
prospectus whatever had been printed, that the 
association was in fact quite of a private character, 
and that details could not be conmiunioatod to me. 
It was not yet decided whether any public sub- 
scription would be sought. If it was eventually 
decided to do this, it would only be for the sake 
of obtaining a quotation on the Stock Exchange, 
But although my inquiries in this quarter had so 
little of success, it reached me from another that 
the venture was mainly in the hands of Messrs. 
Brooks & Bousfield, and the properties with which 
the Company will deal were mentioned to me ; 
but I was requested not to publish either the 
names of these or of their proprietors, as to do 
BO, it was thought, might be harmful and might 
give offence. Most likely the names published 
in asoeiation with the registration of the Company 
will afford you the clue which it is forbidden to 
me to give you. — London Cor, 

TEA INFUSION. 
{From a Correspondent.) 
I spent some minutes testing tbe boiling of 
water. In these busy times no olio could afford 
to wait long enough for the Japanese rtiVeZ stage re- 
ferred to by Sir IBdwiu Arnold. S‘,i!l for one’s own 
edification, enlightenment, and it may be gratification, 
I would suggest tbe testing of tt-is Japanese sty.e of 
making tea with honorable “old Imt water.” There 
may be something iu it — who knows ? It is a fact that 
the “ G. O. M.” doss not c.are to drink tea unless it is 
prepared for him hy Mrs. W, E. G.. and jet the old man 
is very partial to tea. Cun it be that Mrs. Gladstone 
has got some secret, or does she adopt the Jap’s plan f 
If BO she should be asked to it pro bono publico. 
I have no doubt she would if she ware only asked. 
Then why not ask her in Oeylon’.s name, send- 
ing her 100 copies of the tea Ijeaflcts ? IVe all 
know that we prefer tea made by some few 
people to all the tea we are offered by others. So 
there is an art in the process, and Mrs. G. I have 
no doubt would readily grant us every assistance. 
It is worth trying for. 
The Tea Leaflet published at your office, I fancy, will 
have helped to check the baneful practices of taking a 
second brew and allowing the tea to draw more than 5 
minutes. If so it will have done some grod and helped 
on consumption in the U. K. and elsewhere, although 
the number of consumers may not have very consider- 
ably increasc'd. But in the long luu delicb. usly made 
tea MUST increase the number of consumers very ocn- 
siderably throughout the world. Atteution all round 
seems now being given to tea — .»eo p ige 28 top para, 
in the TroA J, 2Sth Jan. 1S91. “ Over tbo Tea Cups” 
is Dr. Holmes’s new work, and it ought to be good com- 
ing from the author of the “ Autocrat ot the Break- 
fast. Table ” ; but I suppose it will have very little to say 
about tea itself 'i 
Cou.sideriug that Sir Edwin Arnold took theE''gliB’u 
belt as a tea drinker while he was iu Japan lately 
by drill king about, 80 Japanese cups of tea daily, 1 think 
the Ceylon Tc-a Fund made a mistako in not presenting 
1dm widi a small box of Ceylon’s choicest leaf whi n 
he passed through Colombo a week or two ago. 
But Ceylon tea is rushing nhoi'd .so rt adily in tlie 
world’s favor just now that it exemplifies the clJ saying 
“good wine requires no bush.” 
You should of'taiu from Calcutta cno or two eleclro- 
plated ISr.iiyal Tea Hulkies. They cost but very little 
and beat the egg-shaped tea leaf ilippei'S hoUow. ]^y tbe 
aid of thesG sulkies everyone run make tea to her or 
liis liking and without trouble. 'TLo lower portion is of 
fine gauz.'j wire and far better than cliiua ware. 
All you wiiiit then i', one of Mcasr,». 
Am-rican kelll' S big enough lor tea inakiiig ])urj) 03 cs, 
(J the fiiifst quality of tliin sheet iron, — the water boils 
riipuilii , — oval shaped lid at hack and liandio jn front 
there is no danger of acahiing one’s hands by the uluam 
issuing from the lid. 
BLAATING PRODUCTS; 
Coffee — Cacao — Cinchona. 
{From the Annual Report of the Badulla Planters' 
Association, held IJfth Feb. 1801.) 
Cofee . — Your Committee congratulate you upon the 
improved appearance of coffee in the districts. Seasons 
have been more favourable for this cultivaticn ot late, 
crops are good aud prices for the old staple ate all that 
can be desired. 
Tea . — Tea now fast becoming our leading product 
is making most satisfactory progrets in all the districts 
comprising your A-sociatiou : at the present time more 
than 10,000 acres are under this cultivation and a largo 
area is being planted up yearly. The exports of tea 
from Badulia, Madulsima, Hewa Eliya and Monaragala 
districts for 1891 are estimated at 2,000,0001b. This 
is a good yield confcidt ring thatso large a proportion of the 
acreage is only rece ntly planted and is not yet in bearing. 
Tea cultivation in the Badulla district promises to be 
exceediogly remunerative in the future, and your Com- 
mittee congratulate you upon this. 
Cinchona . — This product, your Committee regret to 
say remains in the dull and depressed condition re- 
ported last j ear. No improvement in prices has taken 
place. Tlie exports trom the Badulla and Madulsima 
districts for 1891 will be about 2,000,0001b., a lower 
total than for some years past. Statistics for cinchona 
birk are more favourable, but the depressed market, 
your Committeo believe, is owing in a great measure 
to the fear of iuci eased supplies trom Java. No great 
fluccuaiious iu prices have occurred during the past 
year, the unit ranging from Igd to Ifd. Your Committee 
are, however, hopeful thatwi'. ha steady falling off in 
exp ji ts from Ceylon some improvement in prices will 
take place during i£91. 
Cacao . — Your Committee are pleased to report the 
continued success'ul cullivatiou of cacao both in 
Monaragala and iu other parts of the district. The 
past season has been very favourable, and there has 
betu very little helopcltls: in fact where shade has 
been used from the first there is rione to be seen. As 
the trees get oldi r tbe blossoms set more favourably 
and crop increases. Prospects for the coming year 
are very good and v/ith the price at I15s per cwt. there 
is no doubt that cacao is a product second to none. 
The acreage under this cultivation is from five to six 
hundred acres. 
^ 
BASK AMD DEUG EEPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, Feb. 12th. 
Cinchona. — At Tuesday’s auctions a very moderate 
quantity of bark was offered, the catalogues compris- 
ing only 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon cinchona 887 ol which 825 were sold 
East Indian cinchona. 
. 1,440 
do 
1,183 
do 
Java cinchona 
... 39 
do 
32 
do 
South American 
cinchona . . 
.. 582 
do 
39 
do 
Total 
2,928 
do 
2,079 
do 
The assortment of 
bark 
was 
rather 
poor, 
cia ly that of Ceylon cinchona, but Succirubras from 
India were well represented, and included one parcel of 
not le s than 20 tons weight from the Wentworth plan- 
tation. It was generally expected that prices would rule 
lower, quinine having been greatly depressed during the 
week, and it was said that several holders of Indian 
and Ceylon bark had given instructions to sell at any 
price. The prices realised were somewhat irregular, but 
decidedly easier all round, and the unit cannot be placed 
at a higher average tlian Gd per lb. 
The following are the quantities purchased by the 
prirclpal buyers;— 
Lbs. 
Agents for the lirunswick factory .... 157,49-3 
Agents for the Mannheim and Amsterdam works 112,294 
Messrs. Ilow'ards & Hons 43,0l5 
Agents for the French, American, &c., works .... 30,682 
Agents for the Auerbach factory 27,484 
Agents for the Fi-inkforC o/M. and Stuttgart works 23,905 
Mr. Thomas Whiffeu •••• 2,440 
Sundry druggists and spectators .... 39,780 
Total quantity sold ... 466,093 
Bought iu or withdrawn ... ... 148,673 
Total quantity sold ... - 614,766 
