THE  TROPICAL  AGRICUI/FUKIST. 
^OCT.  1,  1895. 
2156 
be  his  true  title  to  fame  he  has  certainly  an  in- 
ventive turn  of  mind,  and  has  succeeded  in  getting 
himself  his  ideas,  and  his  waves  much  talked  about  in 
the  locality. 
A New  Tea  Company.— Under  the  title  of  the 
Tiugri  Tea  Company.  Limited,  a company  has  been 
registered  by  Collyer,  Bristow  & Go.,  4,  Bedford 
Row,  W.C.,  with  a capital  of  400,070  in  10  shares. 
Object,  to  acquire  the  business  of  te.a,  coffee,  and 
cinchona  planters  and  cultivators,  as  hitherto  o.u’ried 
on  by  the  Tingri  Tea  Company,  Limited,  in  the 
province  of  Assam,  in  accordance  with  an  agree- 
ment expressed  to  be  made  between  the  said  Tingri 
Tea  Company,  Limited,  and  G.  G.  Anderson  (the 
liquidator  thereof)  of  the  one  part  and  W.  Ground- 
water, on  behalf  of  this  company,  of  the  other  part, 
and  to  carry  on  and  extend  the  same.—//,  and  C. 
Moiii 
CAMPHOR  IN  FORMOSA. 
Camphor. — The  actual  quantity  of  this  valuable  pro- 
duct shipped  from  Tamsui  was  larger  in  1894  than 
in  1893  by  about  1,000  cwt.,  but  the  average  price 
obtained  in  Hong  Kong  was  less  per  picul  of  133J 
lb.  by  TOO  Haikwan  tael  for  the  same  period.  This 
and  exchange  account  for  the  fall  in  total  value 
from  .416,836  to  490,149.  There  were  unusual  fluctu- 
ations of  price  during  the  year.  The  quotations  in 
Hong  Kong  during  the  June  quarter  touched  a 
lower  level  th  in  for  many  years  previously,  while 
for  the  latter  six  months  of  the  year  prices  re- 
covered themselves  partly  owing  to  the  disturbed 
state  of  tne  producing  districts  which  threatened  the 
supply,  and  partly  in  consequence  of  the  war  and  an 
anticipated  blockade. — Comutar  Heoorl  for  1891. 
OOLONG  TEA  IN  FORMOSA. 
Oolong  Tea  is  both  the  cause  and  the  condition  of 
the  commercial  prosperity,  not  only  of  North  Formo.sa, 
but  in  great  measure  of  the  neighbouring  mainland 
port  of  Amoy.  And  whereas  not  many  years  ago 
Tamsui  might  have  been  regarded  almost  as  a 
dependency  of  the  former  port,  it  is  a question 
whether  the  rela'ive  position  would  not  soon  be 
reversed  were  the  normal  political  status  of  Formosa 
to  remain  unchanged.  The  total  export  for  the  year 
under  review  was  very  nearly  18,300,000  lb.,  valued 
at  4480,566,  against  •20,017,000  lb.,  valued  at  4730,590 
in  1893.  In  mere  bulk  this  is  a falling  off  of  some 
1,700,000  lb.  Nevertheless  the  true  Formosa  crop 
was  probably  larger  than  in  1893,  and  the  smaller 
figures  are  due  to  a satisfactory  cause,  the  decrease, 
namely,  in  the  import  of  inferior  teas  from  the 
mainland  for  mixing  with  the  island-grown  leaf. 
As  much  as  60,000  half-chests,  or  2,580,000  lb.,  it 
is  estimated  (though  this  may  perhaps  be  too 
high)  sliould  be  deducted  from  the  export  of 
1893  on  this  account.  The  firm  stand  made  in 
1894  by  the  foreign  buyers  in  declining  to  accept  te.as 
containing  more  than  a certain  percentage  of  dust 
had  a good  effect.  The  great  feature  of  the  tea 
season  of  the  year  under  review  was  the  settlement 
of  nearly  half  the  entire  crop  in  Tamsui  itself.  Such 
a proportion  has  never  been  achieved  before.  The 
figures  are  for  1891,  purchased  in  Tamsui  206,000 
half-chests : in  Amoy,  2'20,000.*  For  the  previous 
year  the  totals  were,  bought  in  Tamsui,  160,0;X) ; in 
Amoy,  305,000  half-chests.  The  standard  of  the  crop, 
taken  all  round,  was  decide  lly  satisfactory,  and 
showed  more  c ireful  preparation  Oy  tlie  Chinese  than 
the  crop  of  1893.  Tne  autumn  pickings  were  much 
better  than  any  autumn  teas  for  some  seasons.  Dollar 
prices  were  naturally  high,  owing  to  low  exchange, 
and  the  country  growers  m.ide  money.  So  also  did 
the  native  packers.  And  I m ly  add  that  it  is 
understood  that  the  foreign  firms  eiigiged  in  this 
branch  of  commerce  have  no  reason  to  bo  dissatisfied. 
Many  n.ative  tea  buyers  closed  their  lioiigs  and  re. 
turned  to  the  miinlinl  when  tir;  w ir  u.th  ■Japin 
* Oilier  figures  wliicli  i have  seen  show  an  even  closer 
approach  to  absolute  equality. 
commenced,  a step  which  made  matters  considerably 
easier  for  the  foreigners  who  remained  and  did 
business.  The  export  of  I'ouchoiiy  Tea  for  Chinese, 
in  the  buying  of  whicli  only  native  firms  take  part, 
increased  by  about  ■nUfiOOlb.—'Coimdar  Ileport  for  1S91. 
.♦ 
TOBACCO  IN  FIJI. 
Mr.  Sutherland,  the  local  manager  of  the  Nadroga 
Tobacco  Company,  has  been  in  town  for  the  last  day 
or  two.  He  i-eporfcs  h iviug  harvested  twenty  acres 
of  tobacco,  which  is  no  .v  in  the  drying  houses.  Some 
60  acres  more  are  also  in  a forward  state,  and  will 
soon  be  ready  for  cutting.  The  growth  of  the  to- 
bacco, we  are  glad  to  learn,  is  quits  up  to  expecta- 
tions, and  le.aves  little  to  be  desired -with  re.spe’ct 
thereto.— Ft'/i  Times,  July  31. 

TEA  AND  TARIFFS  IN  PER.SIA. 
Some  light  is  thrown  on  the  revolution  in  the  tea 
trade  which  has  recently  occurred  in  Persi«  by  the 
following  extracts  from  the  report  for  the  financial 
year  1894  95  on  the  trade  of  Khorassan  by  Consul 
liingler  Thomson : — 
The  customs  regulations  as  they  affect  British  trade 
are  as  follows : — Persian  and  Afghan  goods  are  charged 
a duty  of  5 per  cent,  ad  valorem.  The  importation 
of  European  and  Anglo-Indian  goods  is  forbidden, 
except  pepper,  ginger,  and  some  other  drugs  (3 
gold  r per  pond,  33lb) : black  tea  (25  paper 
r per  poud) ; green  tea  (14r  40c,  paper,  and 
6r,  paper,  per  poud,  according  to  quality). 
Green  teas  destined  for  Transcaspia  aud  Bok- 
hara may  be  sent  in  tramifc  by  Bitoum,  Biku,  or 
Ozanada,  either  to  Ashkabad  or  to  Bokhara,  where 
the  above  duty  must  be  piid.  Now  it  is  this  last 
apparently  simple  clause  which  is  to  cause  a revolution 
in  trade  here.  In  the  first  place,  the  natives  of 
Russian  Central  Asia  drink  nmie  but  green  tea,  afid 
up  till  now  all  of  it  has  pissed  through  either 
Afghanistan  or  Persia.  Bit  the  dues  in  Afghinistin 
being  very  heavy,  and  the  country  sometimes 
disturbed,  that  route  is  not  popular,  and  the  great 
bulk  of  the  green  tea  (either  C.iinese  or  Indian)  has 
been  brought  from  Bombay  via  Bandar  Abb  is  to 
iMeshel,  and  then  sent  on  to  Russian  territory. 
In  Persia,  if  the  tea  belongs  to  a British  or 
R issian  subject,  only  5 per  cent,  ad  valorem 
is  paid  on  it;  and,  until  the  now  regulations 
were  introduced,  2j  per  cent  only  was  paid  on  the 
Russian  frontier,  and  2J  par  cent  more  if  it  was 
despatched  to  Bokh  ira.  Tlien  if  it  entered  Turkistan 
14r  per  poud  was  levied  on  it.  If  the  tea  is  the 
property  of  a Persian  subject,  the  duty  is  nearly 
10  per  cent  in  Persia.  The  Chinese  green  tea  is 
superior  to  the  Indian,  and  costs  about  double  as 
much,  and  therefore  little  or  none  of  the  Indian 
green  tea  entered  Turkistan.  But  under  the  now 
regulations,  the  tea  is  to  be  taxed  5 to  10  per  cent 
in  Persia,  and  6r  or  14r  49e  (paper),  according  to 
quality,  on  the  Russian  frontier,  an  1 nothing  in 
Turkistan.  In  other  words,  the  tei  for  Transcaspia 
aud  Bokhara,  which  comes  by  this  route,  is  to  be  taxed 
something  like  50  per  cent.  The  Russians,  however, 
have  hit  upon  a very  clever  plan,  whereby  the 
whole  of  the  duty  hitherto  paid  in  Persia,  say  at 
least  48,000,  will  be  swept  into  their  pockets,  after 
bein^  multiplied  by  about  ten  (of  course  much  de- 
pends upon  exchange),  and  yet  the  price  of  Indian 
reen  tea  in  Transcaspia  and  Bjkiiir.i  (.vucro  it  is 
runk)  will  only  be  very  slightly  raised.  Too  Chinese 
green  tea  will  become,  it  is  true,  nearly  50  per  cent 
dearer  in  Bokhara  ; but  in  'L'urkistan  it  will  become 
considerably  cheaper,  and  tlie  Indian  green  te.i  so 
much  cheiper  tint  nowit  will  probably  find  a sale 
in  Turkist  in. 
HOW  IT  IS  WORXEI). 
It  has  bean  managed  in  this  wiy  : Up  till  January 
bait,  all  tea,  black  or  green,  arriving  at  Bl.ick  Sea 
ports,  paid  a duty  of  21r  (gold)  p'r  pout(3'i  lb).  The 
gold  rouble  is  an  imigini.y  [li  ice  of  money.  The 
only  gold  coins  in  Hunii  are  half  imporiiis,  a. id 
these  are  e(pial  to  5r  (gold)  eacii.  At  the  present 
moment  41  sterling  is  worth  about  9r  3U  (pap«r), 
