26 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jul.Y  I,  1895. 
Lord  Justice  Lopes,  after  saving  that  the  case  had 
gone  quite  far  enough  in  holding  words  to  be  in- 
capable of  registration,  and  that  the  effect  of  the 
decision,  if  this  went  any  further,  would  be  to  evade 
tlie  Act,  gave  judgment  to  the  same  effect. 
Lord  Justice  Kay  concurred,  and  the  appeal  was 
dismissed  with  costs. — London  ('’or. 
LOCUNUT  PLANTING  IN  CEYLON. 
Coconut  planting  ai)pears  to  he  a tliriving  and 
promising  investment  in  Ceylon  just  now.  Tlie 
))rice  (in  silver)  lias  gone  up,  it  is  said,  lieyond  the 
most  sanguine  e.xpectation  of  those  interested,  and 
as  a result  the  cultivation  is  e.\( ending  lapidly. 
Capitalists  invest  tlieir  money  in  coconut  planta- 
tions witli  the  greatest  confidence,  ami  tlie  acre- 
age of  new  lands  that  will  he  ojiened  during  the 
next  planting  season  w ill  he  much  over  w hilt  it 
was  in  previous  years.  The  (question  that  suggests 
itself  is  whether  the  prese-nt  prices  will  keejiui),  or, 
if  they  should  come  down,  how  far  should  it  he  to 
appreciably  affect  the  indu.stry.  No  other  plant- 
ing product,  whether  native  or  English,  rice  or  tea, 
could  stand  just  at  [iresen  a fifty  per  cent  reduc- 
tion, hut  “ it  can  he  safely  said  that  coconuts 
would  suiwive  even  a much  greater  reiluction."’ 
The  price  may  come  ilown  through  over-production, 
hut  such  an  eventuality  as  over-])ioduction  is  not 
likely  to  occur  for,  jierhaps,  ten  years,  or  till  all 
the  young  plantations  which  exist  at  jiresent  come 
into  hearing ; it  may  go  down  through  a wan- 
ing of  the  demand,  hut  there  is  no  immediate  like- 
lihood of  another  product  rejilacing  the  coconut 
partially  or  wholly  ; in  fact,  the  held  for  coconut 
products  is  daily  extending.  It  is  admitted  that 
the  fall  of  exchange  lias  not  been  without  inffuence 
in  promoting  this  industry. — IvisJi  Xcivs,  April  20. 
I'LANTlNti  AND  I’UODDCE. 
I'l-.A  iMi'oin  AiioN  Dmia  I'  ro  Mam  uksti;i:. — J'hcre  is 
every  prospect  of  the  imi)ortation  of  lea  to  Ma'.ichestcr 
being  coiilimied.  'L’hc  trade  has  taken  up  tlie  question 
in  a very  satisfacloiy  manner,  giving  prompt  atteu- 
tion  to  the  samples,  which  have  been  and  arc  being 
got  ready  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Dp  to  the  iircseiit 
the  demand  for  the  teas  im|)ortcd  l)y  the  ss.  “ Lin- 
lithgow ” ha.s  been  greater  than  the  t'ustom  Mouse 
authorities  and  bonding  warehouse  could  at  once  cope 
with.  The  Customs  authorities  have  been  most  cour- 
teous, and  have  done  the  utmost  po.ssible  with 
the  staff  at  their  command,  which  will  certainly 
require  to  be  increased  in  order  to  deal  success- 
fully with  the  gross  weighing  and  taring  of  tea 
in  such  large  quantities  as  will  he  inqiorled  to 
Manchester  before  long.  Me  undcrstajid,  says  the 
Manchester  (InanUan,  that  although  some  Indian 
lea  is  usually  ready  at  the  gaixh  n by  the  begin- 
ning of  May.  ibis  would  not  be  suitable  forthe  Man- 
chester standard  of  taste,  the  first  tlushings  being 
frequently  poor  in  cup.  The  Manehestcr  demand  is  for 
sound  and  good  liquoring  tea  ; conse(piei\tly  it  will  not 
be  ))Ossiblc  to  obtain  a shipment  of  this  character 
earlier  than  the  end  of  -Tune,  to  arrive  early  in 
August,  and  arrangements  to  this  end  arc  being 
completed. 
Tun  Buduet  and  the  Tea  Duty. — Discussing  the 
Budget  the  iJailu  ('hronirle  says,  referring  to  the 
Tree  Breakfast  Table  : “ Every  penny  that  Sir 
William  Ilarcourt  can  spare  ought  unquestionably 
to  be  devoted  to  this  object!  The  last  Budget 
did  something  for  the  black-coated  proletariat. 
It  left  the  great  mass  of  the  ))eople  who  live 
on  small  weekly  wages  exactly  where  they  were, 
with  their  tea,  tlieir  coffee,  their  cocoa, 
their  currents,  their  liquor,  their  tobacco 
highly  taxed.  We  say  nothing  for  the  mo- 
jneiit  about  the  liquor.  Let  us  look  at  the 
the  U&t.  Iitke  tea. 
is  a lea  duty  of  Id  in  the  pound,  which  brings  in 
nearly  three  and  a half  millions  a year.  This  tea 
duty  has  to  be  collected,  and  so  the  tea  must  be 
sampled,  repacked,  and  handled  many  times  before 
the  Customs  are  satisfied,  and  liy  the  time  the  jiound 
of  tea  has  had  the  Mincing  Lane  j^i'ofiti  and  the 
middleman's  profit,  and  the  retailer's  profit  added 
oil  to  its  original  cost,  plus  the  increment  of  duty 
and  Customs  expenses,  which  is  reckoned  in  each 
time,  the  consumer  will  be  taxed  not  Id,  but  Hd  in  the 
pound.  The  same  process  is  true  of  all  dutiable  articles, 
and  we  believe  that  in  the  case  of  dried  fruits,  which 
bring  in  a revenue  of  about  fl,000  a day,  the  ult  - 
mate  cost  of  collection  to  the  consumer  is  excessive. 
It  is  really  monstrous  that  the  poor  consumer 
should  be  taxed  to  this  tune  for  his  everyday  needs.” 
.Jav.y  Tea. — Java  planters  have  given  their  attention 
lately  to  improving  their  methojs  of  manufactuie, 
and  it  is  not  w'itliout  its  effect.  In  its  reference 
to  last  week’s  sales  of  Java  tea  the  rrodnre  Market 
Itecicw  says : ■■  Owing  to  the  great  improvement 
which  has  been  effected  in  the  manufacture  of  these 
teas  if  late,  chiefly  through  the  use  of  Indian  seed, 
many  of  the  Java  gardens  are  now'  producing  tea 
of  ready  excellent  quality,  the  liquor  being  in  many 
instances  quite  free  from  that  disagreeable  flavour 
which  was  formerly  characteristic  of  these  growths. 
At  the  pre.senc  moment  there  can  bo  no  doubt  that 
many  of  the  Java  teas  now  in  the  market  are  dis- 
tinctly better  value  than  any  other  descriptions  at 
similar  prices,  and  grocers  have  not  been  slow  to 
appreciate  this  improvement,  as  they  have  lately 
been  large  buyers  of  these  kinds.” — Jl.  and  V.  Mail, 
May  3. 
TEA-CUOWINI;  IN  EENCAJ.. 
To  the  planter  who  lias  the  “overproduction’’ 
fear  alreaily  u))on  him,  the  history  of  tliegrowtli 
of  the  tea  industry  in  Bengal  alone  during  the 
I'iist  yciir  cannot  he  )deasant  reading,  though  it 
will  undoubtedly  hiing  joy  to  the  hearts  of  all 
who  are  not  iiessiinists.  linring  last  year  there 
were  421  gardens  under  tea  cultivation,  an  in- 
crease ol  only  one  on  the  inevious  year's 
lignres  ; hut  in  the  a\erage  under  cultivation 
there  was  a considerable  increase,  the  lignres 
rising  from  !):•!, uim)  acres  in  the  previous  year  to 
110,0(1(1,  and  the  outturn  being  imucased  by  a 
million  pounds.  'I'lie  average  outturn  per  acre, 
however,  has  fallen  from  too  Hi.  in  IS!  12  to  .'fJO 
in  bS!l”.  A cui'ious  featunv  of  the  returns  is 
the  great  increase  in  the  number  of  temporary 
labourers  employed  in  garden  ; and  the  equal 
falling  off'  of  permanent  labour. — Madras  Times. 
II  (NASI  I El!  I.\  rihX  niMlMNY,  LIMITED. 
'I'lie  hdlowing  accounts  are  now  presented  to 
Shareholders  v iz  : — 
Balance  Sheet  slifvviiig  l lie  liiiaiicial  pd.sition  nf  (he  ('(Uii- 
pany  on  .Ust  Dcccinhcr.  IS'.O. 
I’l'ofit  aii((  iioss  Acciaint,  for  crop  IsiM. 
It  will  he  .seen  from  Llic  1*1(11110101  boss  Account  that 
the  weight  of  Tea  sold  in  boiidon  during  the  year  amounted 
to  111.:  (his  included  about  !l,uuo  lli.’  of  tea  made 
from  houglit  leaf.  Tlie  avi'rage  selling  inicc  wa.s  7.3(id  per 
11).,  and  the  proceeds  amounted  to  ,CS,-U3  Is  3d  including 
that  sold  in  Ceylon. 
The  crop  of  Cardamoms  reiilized  a.>r>  (is  id, 
(!oco:i  weighing  ewt  17-3-tO  was  sold  for  c C2  ISs  7d  the 
average  price  being  13/o  per  cvvt. 
The  total  receipts  from  sides  of  produce  thus  amounted 
to  .ES.SriO  IDs  lid. 
'I'he  total  cxpiuidituri'  for  (he  year  in  Ceylon  and  l.on- 
don  was  C7,M3  7s  !)d  so  (liat  a proHt  is  shewn  on  crop 
ISIU  of  tl,Ui7  lis3d. 
It  i.s  proposed  to  jqvpropriate  (lie  ;d)ove  jn-otit  as  follows 
To  the  payment  of  Dividend  of  ( 
for  the  year  ■ - - cyi)i)  ._>  ^ 
To  the  reduction  of  i^u-'peitse  .Vccount  103  0 !) 
#:l,407  12  2 
