Jan.  I,  1896.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
487 
^oiirosponiJenc^ 
To  the  Editor. 
A PRACTICAL  QUESTION  ABOUT  TEA 
SEED:  ITS  GERMINATION  AND  GROWTH. 
Dec.  12. 
Dear  Sir,— I avouM  l»e  much  obligeil  if  yon 
or  some  of  your  readers  would  inform  me  liow 
it  is  that  a large  percentage  of  seeds  wliieli  tnrn 
out  sound  in  Colombo,  and  even  on  the  estate 
when  tested  in  water,  never  come  to  any 
thing ; many  of  the  seeds  turn  mouldy  on  the 
out.side  after  being  in  the  germinating  beds  a 
few  days. 
Is  this  due  to  any  defect  in  the  mode  of  ger- 
minating or  not  ? And  would  a greater  percentage 
turn  out  good  if  the  seeds  were  spread  out  each 
on  the  ground  and  covered  with  light  earth,  in 
preference  to  the  general  metliod  of  germinating 
layer  above  layer  Avith  earth  betAvecn  ? The  above 
applies  largely  to  Indian  tea  .seed. — Yours  faith- 
fa, Iv,  ‘ ENQUIRER.’ 
[We  shall  hope  to  have  the  opinion  of  the 
Acting  Director  of  the  Botanic  Gardens  and  of  some 
old  planters  on  the  ffuestion  raiserl?— Ed.  T.A.~\ 
A CACAO  PLANTATION  YIELDING  19i  CWT. 
OF  CROP  PER  ACRE  IN  FERNANDO  PO. 
Dec.  13. 
Dear  Sir,— It  may  interest  Mr.  James  H» 
Barber  Avhose  letter  I notice  in  the  Observer  of 
11th  to  knoAv  that  I have  seen  in  the  island  of 
Fernando  Po  (W.  coast  of  Africa)  a cocoa  plan- 
tation of  nearly  200  acres  giving  19^  (nineteen 
and  half)*  cwt.  an  acre.  To  ascertain  this,  I 
have  surveyerl  the  plantation  and  examined 
the  books. 
This  plantation,  like  several  others,  Avas  on  the 
■seaside  and  had  no  shade,  the  Foreebero  trees 
being  from  5 to  8 years  of  age  and  at  about  9 
feet  apart.  The  Aveeding  of  young  field.s,  or 
rather  a kind  of  sickling,  Avas  done  about  4 
times  a year  Avith  machetes,  light  straight  knives 
about  2 feet  long,  the  cocoa  plants  receiving  an 
extra  hand-Aveeding  of  about  3 feet  diameter. 
Tlie  fields,  from  three  years,  hswl  sucli  a dense 
foliage  that  it  Avas  only  necessary  to  cut  doAvn 
twice  a year  the  scanty  shed<ly. 
May  I suggest  that  it  might  be  interesting  to 
Planters  and  give  a fair  idea  of  the  ,Arofits  to 
be  derived  from  the  cultivation  of  the  main  pro- 
ducts, if  in  your  yearly  Table  of  Exports  you 
added  the  approximate  acreage  in  tearing  and 
the  average  Colombo  price.  Of  course  account 
Avould  have  to  be  taken  in  the  computation  of 
the  acreage,  of  the  small  holdings  not  mentioned 
in  the  district  tables  of  estates  of  your  valuable 
Directory. — Yours  truly,  A.  V.  D.  P. 
THE  COLOMBO  AND  LONDON  TEA 
MARKETS  HOW  THEY  ACT  AND 
RE  ACT  ON  EACH  OTHER. 
Callander  Estate,  Dec.  13^  189o. 
Sir,— Having  read  Mr.  A.  H.  Thompson’s  reply 
to  “ Upcountry,”  I Avish  to  ask  him  two  q)iestions. 
I have  no  intention  of  referring  to  the  subject 
* Why  not  20  cwt.  at  once,  most  planters  will  re- 
mark; but  let  it  b«  observed  that  our  correspondent 
verified  the  return. — Ed.  T.A. 
raised  by  “ Upcountry,”  which  is  invidious,  and 
I suspect  only  half  believed  by  himself.  Mr. 
Thompson  says : “ Local  teas  and  reports  are 
basefl  noAV-a-days  on  local  prices  and  demand, 
and  liave  noAv-a-days  very  little  to  do  Avith  the 
home  market.” 
Tliis  is  one  of  the  chief  arguments  used  by 
all  Colombo  brokers  to  induce  proprietors  or  their 
agents  to  sell  in  Colombo.  But  I Avouhl  ask  Mr. 
Thompson  and  his  l»rother-brokers, 
1st. — How  is  it  that  tlie  local  market  rises  or 
falls  witli  the  London  market  ? “ Market  up”  or 
“ market  down  ” in  the  Aveekly  re,iort  from  the 
Lane,  is  tlie  almost  sure  signal  for  a sympathetic 
rise  or  fall  in  the  Colombo  market. 
2nd. — What  does  Mr.  Thompson  say  to  this  ? 
About  two  months  ago  (Avhen  the  lirst  severe 
drop  occurred  in  Colombo)  valuations  Avere  re- 
ceived by  Avire,  by  certain  buyers,  of  samples  of 
teas  (my  OAvn  amongst  them)  sent  home  for  that 
purpose,  AA'hich  led  them  to  believe  that  they 
had  been  given  too  high  a price  for  them.  The  im- 
mediate consequence  Avas  a fall  of  from  Id  to  2d 
l»cr  jiound  for  higli  groAvn  teas.  I by  no  means 
attribute  the  Avhole  fall  since  then  to  that,  as  I 
am  painfully  aAvare  that  the  late  Aveather  has 
not  been  conducive  to  good  manufacture,  but 
(,hat  Avas  the  cause  of  tlie  first  fall  (acknoAvledged 
by  brokers),  and  I do  know  this,  that  this  Avas 
in  my  case  on  teas  valued  by  my  brokers 
as  highly  as  those  Avhich  fetched  3d  per  lb. 
higlier  average  the  montli  previous. 
If  local  prices  have  so  little  to  do  Avitli  Mincing 
Lane,  Avhat  reason  had  those  buyers  in  send- 
ing samples  of  certain  teas  to  London  for 
valuations,  and  Avhy  Avas  the  adverse  report 
followed  so  immediately  by  a drop  in  prices  ? 
I acknowledge  that  the  arrival  of  a large  order 
from  Australia  gives  a temporary  lift  to  local 
prices,  and  tliat  these  may  even  be  for  some 
period  id  a lb.  higher  than  in  London  ; but  ex- 
perience jiroves  that  the  Colombo  market  is  ruled 
very  considei'ably  by  the  reports  from  the  I^ane. 
If  it  is  not  affected  by  the  Lane  and  if  it  is 
usually  higher  (as  asserted),  hoAv  is  it  that  there 
are  so  many  speculators  on  our  market,  who 
buy  to  resell  in  the  London  market?  1 have 
not  heard  that  any  of  them  hai’^e  gone  “ stony 
broke  ” yet. 
Apologizing  for  the  length  of  this  letter, — Yours 
faithfully,  GEO.  H.  GREEN. 
REPLY  TO  “ENQUIRER”  TEA  SEED: 
ITS  GERMINATION  AND  GROWTH  : NO.  I. 
Sir, — I liave  this  year  germinated  and  planted 
out  12  maunds  of  tea  seed  Avith  not  more  than 
2 per  cent  failures.  The  .seed  was  germinated 
in  the  usual  Avay  between  layers  of  river  sand  in 
a dark  room,  and  planted  out  Avhen  about  an 
inch  sprung.  Moukliness  is  the  result  of  the 
death  of  the  germ,  probably  caused  by  the  drying 
up  of  the  essential  oil.  Water  is  no  sure  test  of 
ood  fresh  seed.  A seed  may  sink  and  yet  be 
efunct,  may  float  and  yet  groAv.  “ Seed  spread 
out  on  the  ground  and  coveied  Avith  light  earth” 
ought  to  germinate  all  right,  but  river  sand  is 
preferable  to  earth. — Yours,  &c.,  S. 
No.  II.— INDIAN  TEA  SEED  : THE 
TESTING  OF  SEED  IN  ANSWER  TO 
“ EN<iUIRER.” 
Dear  Sir,— The  Avater  test  in  itself  is  not  a 
safe  one  to  be  guided  by  in  determining  the 
percentage  of  good  or  bad  seedj  as  perfectly 
rotten  seed  Avill  sink. 
