838 
TMF TROP?OAL AOmCULTURIST. 
[June i, 1891, 
tlie reeiilt of Dr. Bisen’s appeal on behalf of the big 
trees which wo have formerly mentioned. It secures 
from settlement as a perpetual preserve the districts 
of the big trees on King’s Kiver and the Big Kern ; 
Mount Whitney (15,000l’t.) and its glcier.s ; the Tehitipee 
Yosemite on King’s Bivor ; the Grand Canyon of 
the South Fork and its cascades; the stupendous 
cliffs of the Keru ; the extinct v-dcanoes; and the 
Shagoopa Falls. Auothrr tract of hig trees in the Fresno 
district, containing the forest giant known as “ General 
Grant, ’’ has also been reserved. 
Visitors to the piotura galleries of 1-he Indian and 
Colonial Exhibitions may remember some river views 
in British Guiana in which a curions pink flower, not 
unlike a lily, was seen growing on the rocks in the 
middle of rivers and rapids. 'This peculiar plant has 
not been studied bv hot mists, and its affinities are 
obscure. It belongs to the order of Podostemacere, 
and is a kind of water weed. In general it grows 
under water, where beds of the plant can be seen, but 
in the dry season, when the river shrinks in its bed 
the plant is e.xposed, and takes advantage of the 
opiportunity to flower and fruit. It adlieres to the rock 
by a disc-iike root, as sea weeds do, and holds its 
ground in the midst of the moat violent rapids. 
Happily, Dr. Goeb 1 has gone to Demerara to 
study the plant from a botanical poiat of view. 
— Qlohe, 
THE IxVCEEASED CONSUMPTION OF TEA. 
Although we must await the publication of the 
Board of Trade returns before it will be possible 
to accurately gauge the full effect of the late 
reduction of the duty on tea consumed within the 
United Kingdona, a forecast given by the Londou 
Times renders it possible at least to conclude 
that that reduction has had the result of largely 
.stimulating the use of tea of all growths. The 
figures as quoted by our London Correspondent 
evidence a remarkable and abnormal increase '^ithu- 
the limited time during which the reduction has 
as yet been in operation. It is quite impossible, 
of course, to assign this increase to any natural 
growth nf popuhition ; for were it open to us to 
do this, a similar incre e would h.ive been notice- 
a''de io the reinrns if previous yeais. As no other 
camre hat is discernible can be assigned, it is a 
fair a d u questionable inf'renoe that it is 
to tlie 1 'Werel duty that must be traced the 
veiy great extension of the quantity of tea re- 
moved from the bonding warehouses for home use. 
We share to a considerable extent in the dilii- 
cuhy felt by our Correspondent of realising 
that the mere lowering of the price of tea by 
twopence per pound can have induced the 
lavish use of the article to the extent indicated 
by the figures. As we know (hat the poorer 
classes in England drink their tea extremely weak, 
the amount of the leaf which each individual 
consumes must be relatively exceedingly small. 
We should say that the outside difference to such 
consumers can hardly exceed fourpence per month 
or, one penny per week. 8uch a trifling amount 
of saving one, would hardly expect to account 
for the great change shown by the returns. A 
working man who drinks beer would hardly permit 
of 30 small an item of saving affeoting his con- 
sumption of that liquid, and yet it must be 
concluded that on the article of tea, this very limited 
economy has had the efioot v/hioh 7'he Times has 
demonstrated to us. The fact augurs strongly for the 
nxpeotation that a further reduction in the tea duty will 
oven yet more — and possibly in a similar ratio to that 
further reduction- increase the use of tea among 
the working population at homo. 
Wo must all look forward with interest to 
those more comifioto returns which will determine 
the much-argued question, It will bo within 
the memory of our readers hew very diverse were 
the opinions expressed when the lowering of the 
tea duty was at fiist discussed. Many very com- 
petent authorities — among whom we may include 
Mr. J. L. Khand — were of opinion that the reduc- 
tion would tell more favourably upon the consump- 
tion of the cheaper China teas than upon that of 
the teas of Ceylon and India. Other authorities no 
doubt equally competent took a precisely opposite 
view. It must under any condition, remain 
an open question as to whether the stimulated 
consumption has been due to the masses drinking 
their tea stronger, or whether the number of 
drinkers has been increased. No return that can 
be prepared could, we should say, ever clear up 
this point. The fact of inoreasid consumption, 
however, remains, and on this point alone we may 
well congratulate ourselves. 
AN AGKICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR CEYLON. 
We learn that the Government Agent for the 
Western Province has made a proposal which may 
result in the formation of an Agricultural or Agri- 
Horticultural Society to embrace the whole island. 
His suggestion is that the Central Committee 
established in Colombo in connection with the 
Imperial Institute, together with the several local 
Provincial and District Committees sboul be 
formed into a “ Ceylon Agricultural Society,” 
and make their first Show or Exhibition in 
Colombo, utilizing the specimens now being col- 
lected for the Imperial Institute in London. This, 
we consider, is a happy thought, provided Dr. 
Trimeii agrees that the collection now coming 
in, will lake no barm from (he detention and 
exhibition of the various articles in Colombo, 
we suppose about the month of August next. 
We scarcely think there can be any serious 
objection, and no doubt it would tend to put Agents, 
Assislant Agents and District Committees generally 
on the qui vive when they learned that their collec- 
tions were to be brought under the notice of the 
Governor, Executive Council and general public 
in a Colombo Siow, before being sent on to 
London. So good an opportunity of com- 
paring the products and industries of the diSerent 
revenue districts will probably never before 
have been presented, and the Show ought to be 
a thoroughly good and represenlative one, worthy 
of the ‘-first year” we may say of a new Governor. 
It is quite time, too, on general grounds that 
Colombo had another Agri-Horticultural Ex- 
hibition. 
Then as. regards a permanent body to supervise and 
be responsible for periodical Exhibitions throughout 
the island, we daresay that no better arrangement 
could be made than to take advantage of the existing 
Committees for the Imperial Institute. The 
Chairmen of the Chamber of Commerce and 
Planters’ Assooiation with leading native gentlemen 
are already on the Central body, while each 
local Committee, is presided over by Agent 
or Assistant Agent, assisted by representative 
planting and native agricultural authorities. Such 
a Society or Association ought to be able to 
arrange for a regular series of Shows of Agricul- 
tural and Horticultural produce at the capitals of 
the different provinces. We question it one could 
be arrranged annually in each province— making 
altogether nine in the year throughout the 
island ? We should; say that three a year ought 
to be sufficient! — say, Colombo, Anuradhapurn 
and Battioaloa one year; Kandy, Jaffna and 
Ratnapura another; and Galle, Kurunegala and 
Badulla a third year and so on. Of course jf 
