TFIE  TROPICA! 
AGRICULTURIST, 
[Dec.  2,  1^95. 
3''^4 
Tokyo,  aud  a third  cause  of  astouishtiient  is  the 
cheapness  of  house  rent.  lie  suggests  that  it  might 
bo  prOtitablo  to  orgaiiizc  a society  for  the  emigra- 
tion of  carpenters,  plasterers,  aud  other  artizaiis 
from  Japan. 
o- 
TEA  l’ROS?i:CTS  IN  IISDIA. 
A Correspt>mleiit  writes  to  the  Enf/fixhruaii : — 
“ My  iuivice.s from  the  tea-iiroi’.ucing  districis  .are 
anything  but  (dieerfnl.  There  i.s  now  a com- 
pl.aint  of  want  of  rain,  anil  the  night.s  are  too 
colli.  The  consequence  is  that  the  prospects  for 
October  (generally  a favourable  montli)  are  very 
poor,  ami  all  circumstance.s  point  to  an  early, 
and  I .should  say,  for  producers,  a disastrous 
close  to  the  season.  The  point  I wish  to  dwell 
on  forcibly  is  that  the  total  croj)  of  tea  for  i80b 
will  of  a certainty^  be  much  less  than  tiiat  anti- 
cipated by  the  Indian  Tea  Association.  Tliis  is 
no  alarmist’s  prediction.  1 liave  no  ulterior  reason 
to  induco  my  writing  on  so  important  a subjimt, 
and  I give  you  uy  nan.e  as  a guarantee  o!  good 
i'aitb.  I aui  a larec  proiiucer  ,n\.se!i,  aud  my 
only  Impe  is  i1m.i  tivCLcr  piices  \A11  eonq  e.isaio 
in  some  degivc  for  a short  crop.  ’ 
THE  PUEI’AR.VTI  OF  CAMl  HGR 
In  auswer  to  liir  o iqaiiy  on  our  hchaif,  Mr. 
U.  Purler  has  ro'-eiced  tlie  following  .second  repiy 
from  friends  in  China  : — i 
Your  enquiry  about  tiie  manufacture  of  Camphor, 
I was  totally  unable  to  answer  till  the  other  day, 
when  I met'  a very  good  fellow  from  P’orinosa.  I 
give  his  information,  iu  case  it  may  bo  of  use.  The 
Camphor  troos  grow  in  the  hills,  none  on  the  plains. 
They  are  more  abnucbuit  in  the  noithern  porCon  of 
Formosa.  Some  of  the  tree-s  are  very  largo,  5 to  li 
feet  in  girth,  and  proportionately  tall.  Tlie  larger 
trees  give  a be' ter  yield  of  Camphor.  The  Camphor 
is  obtained  as  follows : — The  roots  of  the  trees  are 
exposed,  and  with  a kind  of  axe  pieces  abnit  the 
size  of  a man's  hand  ^Bometimes  twice  that  size)  are 
cut  from  the  external  layers  of  the  root.  Some  of 
the  pieces  may  be  an  inch  thick,  some  half  an  iiicli, 
all  include  bark,  aud  a thin  slice  of  the  woody  mat- 
ter. The  pieces  of  Camphor  root  are  put  into  a 
large,  somewhat  shallow  iron  pot.  The  pot  is  covered 
wit'll  a jar.  a little  w.aler  is  put  along  with  the  wool. 
Fire  is  apuHed,  and  Hie  c mphor  distils,  being  caught 
on  the  sid'es  of  the  jui.  'IhJ  w.wkm-.n  li-.'o  in  r .mps, 
and  for  e.ich  set  of  camp.,  there  ia  a centre  1 .stove. 
TiiO  inauagcment  of  fh.’  m uiufacturc  is  all  in  t!m 
hands  of  f iCigners.  ij'crnierly  rho  iJandarius  tried 
to  inauiige  it,  nr.  1 s/.'  caiiiphor  to  the  foreign- 
ers. but  n pbui  >11.^  not  succeed.  The  number  of 
treo^  is  very  they  are  not  planted,  but 
purely  s.df-.m.vn.  Tuo  i. cm  already  sliced,  generally, 
hut  not  always,  die.” 
TEA  FOK  TIBET. 
Mr.  A.  do  Rosthorn’s  pamphlet  on  the  Tea 
Cultivation  in  Western  Ssuch'uan  and  tlie  Tea 
Trade  with  Tibet  via  i:  chieulu  is  very  interesting 
and  instructive,  aud  iu  the  compass  of  41  pa  es 
gives  much  practical  and  valuable  information  about 
the  Tea  trade  between  China  and  Tibet.  The  in- 
formation has  been  acquired  by  Mr.  de  Eosthorn 
partly  I'V  personal  ooserv.ition  and  enquiry  and 
part  y from  official  records.  Mr.  de  Rosthorn  shews, 
Ui  a some  of  us  - knew  already,  that  of  the  so-called 
Tea  0Xpoi‘teJ  from  Ciiin.t  via  Tachienln  into  Tiiiot, 
a la’re^  proportion  — .tbout  65  per  cent  — is  not  tea 
but  the  leaves  of  wild  trees,  “brushwood.”  He  give.s 
an  acoiuiit  of  the  maiiufacturo  of  this  “tea,  tells 
us  how  much  i.s  exposed,  gives  the  revenue  derived 
from  it  the  cost  when  laid  down  in  Tibet,  and  other 
parucuiars  intere.stiiig  to  the  Indian  te.x  grower. 
Wo  have  also  a very  suggestive  reference  to  tiie 
political  question  which  may  be  ii^olved  in  the 
Freatment  of  the  Tea  trade  with  Tidet  by  the 
Cbin«se  GoveranaonG— Oriental  List, 
TEA  BULKING  ON  ESTATES. 
As  is  well-known,  it  has  for  years  past  been  the 
practice  to  bulk  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas  at  the  gar- 
dens before  they  are  despatched  to  the  markets,  or 
to  bu'-k  them  in  London  if  it  has  not  been  done 
at  the  gardens.  This  has  been  -lone  to  eecure 
regular  aud  uniform  quality.  Serious  complaints 
have  reached  u.s,  however,  that  some  importers 
are  neglecting  this  practice.  They  are  bringing 
teas  on  to  the  English  market  which  arc  not  bulked, 
and  are  taking  the  risk  of  being  detected.  When 
tho  irregular  cliaiactcr  of  the  tea  iu  the  cliests  is 
discovei-eu,  and  a claim  is  made,  it  is  quietly  allowed, 
aud  the  matter  treated  as  accidental.  If  the  non- 
bulking is  not  detected,  then  the  cost  of  the  process 
is  saved  and  goes  into  the  pockets  of  the  importer 
The  omission,  however,  if  persisted  in,  must  lower 
the  confidence  in  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas — a confi- 
dence which  has  naturally  tended  to  enhance  their 
liopulanty,  and  has  contributed  to  the  growth  m 
consumption  which  has  been  such  a marked 
feature  of  the  tea  trade  for  some  years  past  Suoii  a 
policy,  moreover,  is  dangerous.  T1  e greed  of  tim 
China  lien,  v\hicli  led  to  tlie  (inter: on: ti  u of  Ch;i  e-.c 
tea,  i”.l  the  consequent  f.illing  oil  iu  the  dei.caiid, 
ought  to  oe  remembered  oy  n.li  but  t ic  most  in  .ilfcr- 
ent  or  careless  among  the  importers.  Tnere  is  little 
doubt  tuut  similar  cGuuuct  on  tho  pet  of  those  inter- 
ested in  Indian  aud  Ceylon  imports  will  lead  ■ o a 
like  result.  Occc’otth?  confilence  ol  the  trade  and 
the  public  be  shake;',  it  will  not  be  easily  roin.'itated, 
and  tno  contiuu.uice  ot  these  nou-bcilkiiig  tricks  wiil 
do  an  amou'ut  of  damage  to  the  trade  which  cannot 
be  readily  estimated.  At  present  the  evil  has  not 
grown  strong,  but,  unless  checked,  and  that  speedily, 
disaster  is  not  far  off.  We  hope  the  London 
Wliolosalc  Tea-dealers’  Association,  which  has  ren- 
dered .such  practical  service  in  the  past,  will  take  this 
matter  up,  and  use  its  great  influence  to  put  a stop 
to  it  before  our  immense  and  still-growing  trade  iu 
Indian  and  Ceylon  teas  ia  seriously  damaged. 
— London  Grocer. 
I’AKTNEK  AVANTED  FOR  LIBERIAN 
COFFEE. 
An  advertiser  in  oui  advertising  columns,  hailing 
from  Sumatra,  who  has  £5,000  of  his  own,  seek.s  ror 
a practical  coffee-planting  partner  willing  to  fur- 
nish £2,500  with  the  riglit  of  participating  in 
one-third  the  returns.  The  notice  is  a tlioroughiy 
genuine  one. 
“LADY  BIRDS.” 
On  ■ I,  Jiid-  n rc.rie.spon(iei;t  sugg>.sts  tl.ai  ii.  :c;  i 
of  niii,%.Ing  lui  ilier  trial  of  the  importation  oi 
tlie.se  iittlo  insects  from  California,  a direct  f .1- 
deavour  should  be  made  to  obtain  some  of  the 
Australi.in  variety.  The  success  attainea  by 
the  late  IVofes^or  Riley  in  liis  introductiun  01 
this  in.sect  in  relieving  tlie  fruit-growers  of 
California  from  a great  pest  wliicli  threat- 
ened the  distinction  of  their  orange-groves, 
should  induce  us  to  persevere  in  the  same 
direction.  That  victory  has  been  deserbed 
as  the  “ most  lirilliant”  acliieved  by  the  Frofes- 
sor  during  his  career.  We  liave  in  this  a special 
encoiiiagement  to  tiirther  effort  in  tlie  same  direc- 
tion. ^Ve  fear  the  death  of  tlie  “lady-birds”  during 
their  journey  outward  to  Ceylon  that  we  pre- 
viously reported,  is  not  to  he  accountcil  for  by  tlie 
fact  that  all  air  was  e.xcluded  from  tliem.  We 
are  ourselves  aware  of  the  tenacity  of  insect 
life  under  sucii  exclusion  to  which  a recent 
correspondence  bore  testimony.  Its  vitality  ii.ider 
circumstances  even  more  likely  to  produce  death, 
lias  been  repeatedly  evidenced,  aud  we  believe 
tlie  cause  of  failure  must  be  sought  in  some 
