526 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
I,  i8g6. 
TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
New  York,  Dec.  11,  IS!),*). 
This  market  seems  to  be  surfeited  with  trash, 
which  sells  all  the  way  from  G@llc  a pound,  while 
low-grade  teas,  from  12'S)25c,  are  in  great  supply. 
Recently  a line  of  choice  Formosa  sold  at  G2o. 
This  class  of  teas,  however,  has  a limited  sale, 
whereas,  were  the  American  public  educated  to  ap- 
preciate flavor  and  to  drink  tea  on  its  merits  rather 
than  from  habit,  we  would  have  the  bulk  of  the  im- 
portations high  instead  of  low-grade.  The  general 
drift  of  the  market  is  in  buyers’  favor.  Formosa 
Oolongs  are  well  held,  but  country  Greens  continue 
weak,  as  do  low-grade  Blacks.  Dealers  report  a 
growing  demand  for  Ceylon  and  India  sorts.  A line 
of  flue  Congous  was  sold  at  55c. 
Today  at  noon  the  Montgomery  Auction  and  Com- 
mission Company  will  sell  9,226  packages,  viz.:  1,641 
half-chests  Moyune,  including  some  very  attractive 
Chops;  4,001  boxes  Pingsuey,  new  season’s  227  half- 
chests Japan,  new  season’s;  51  half-chests  Japan, 
basket-fired  and  sun-dried,  Jievv  season’s  ; 209  half- 
chests and  boxes  Congou,  new  crop ; 25  boxes  Capers, 
new  crop;  28  packages  India,  Java  and  Pekoe;  664 
half-chest  and  boxes  Amoy,  new  season's ; :-i70  half- 
chests Foochow  ; 2,010  half-chests  and  boxes  P’or- 
mosa,  new  season’s,  and  including  an  invoice  of 
the  well-known  “ Black  Bear  ” Chop. — American 
Grocer. 
PLANTING  AND  PIIODL’CE. 
The  Supply  of  Tea  .vnd  the  Market.— Now  that 
public  sales  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  have  ceased 
for  the  year,  the  last  auctions  previous  to  January 
2 having  been  held  on  19th  Dec.  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  quantities  brought  forward  were  large;  but  the 
demand  was  good,  nevertheless,  and  prices  were  not 
afiected  by  the  unusually  big  supplies.  From  the 
beginning  of  June  to  date  the  increase  in  the  quantity 
of  Indian  tea  offered  in  London  has  been  58,864 
packages,  and  of  Ceylon  54,287  packages,  the  ship- 
ments fi  om  Calcutta  during  the  same  period  having 
been  7,6-40,000  lb.  greater  than  in  the  corresponding 
portion  of  1894. 
The  New  Fashion. — As  we  mentioned  some  weeks 
since,"  a singular  fashion  is  becoming  popular  in  Eng- 
land.' It  is  the  habit  of  smoking  cigarettes  composed 
of  tea  in  place  of  tobacco.  Some  ladies  have  con- 
ceived a passion  for  this  new  luxury.  There  are  al- 
ready in  London  special  shops  where  tea  cigarettes 
are  sold,  and  there  is  talk  of  a club,  the  members  of 
which  are  leaders  of  fashion,  and  who  smoke  nothing 
but  these  tea  cigarettes.  mi  <■  n • n c 
Indian  Tea  in  America. — The  following  advertise- 
ment is  taken  from  the  ir«r  Cr>/  of  December  14, 
1895,  published  in  New  York  : “ There  is  no  doubt 
whatever  that  India  mid  Ceylon  teas  are  the  best 
in  the  world.  The  difficulty  in  this  country  has 
always  been  the  prices.  Hitherto  it  has  been  almost 
impossible  to  get  a pound  of  good  India  and  Ceylon 
mixture  under  1 dol.  Many,  therefore,  have  had  to 
buv  the  cheaper  and  commoner  teas,  owing  to  their 
inability  to  pay  the  price  asked.  Now,  however, 
guaranteed  pure  India  and  Ceylon  mixtures  can  le 
loucht  from  us  at  prices  within  the  reach  of  every- 
body Read  the  following  e.xtract  from  a letter 
lust  received  : ‘ I have  compared  your  India  and  Cey- 
lon mixtures  with  those  of  seven  other  wholesale 
firms  with  whom  I have  been  dealing,  and  must, 
without  hesitation,  give  yours  the  palm.  It  is  more 
nun-ent,  and  has  that  rich  flavour  only  to  be  seen 
111  the  finest  teas  of  these  particular  grades.  I am 
ordering  100  lb.  mid  you  can  look  for  larger  orders 
in  the^  future.’  Auxiliary  Blend,  60c.  Ihis  is  a 
mixture  of  India  and  Ceylon  teas  of  tjie  choicest 
and  best  of  grades.  Memorial  Mixture,  oO  cents.  A 
mixture  of  same  teas,  unrivalled  for  quality  and 
^eapness  combined.  In  one  pound  or  half-pound 
nackages.  These  teas  can  be  bought  through  our 
officci^s  all  over  the  United  States.  If  you  have 
any  difficulty  in  procuring  Rieiii,  to  irado 
Secretary,  120  to  124,  W.  Fourteenth  Street,  New 
• r ]l 
Mouiia  Maintains  its  Reputation. — It  having  been 
alleged  that  Alocha  coffee  is  not  all  that  poets  and 
coffee  drinkers  have  painted  it.  and  that  it  is  some- 
times mixed  with  Java  and  Singapore  descriptions 
at  Aden,  there  has  been  some  stir  on  the  subject 
in  the  latter  port.  The  Aden  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce issued  a circular  denying  the  accuracy 
of  tne  reports.  It  appears  that  in  the  course  of 
tiie  ijresent  year  1 790  bags  of  coffee  have  been  re- 
ceived at  Aden  from  Bombay,  Singapore,  Java,  and 
the  Mai:! bar  coast.  A detailed  statement  of  these 
imports  is  given  in  the  circular,  on  the  authority  of 
the  Assistant  Political  Resident  at  Aden,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel W.  B.  Ferris,  in  which  it  is  shown 
that  1.2u9  bags  have  been  exported  and  581  bags 
still  remain  in  bond.  Thus  the  vihole  of  the 
imports  are  accounted  for.  Colonel  Ferris 
ad:is  that  as  the  imported  coffee  is  kept  under 
lock  and  key  by  the  Customs  Department,  and  is  ex- 
ported under  the  eyes  of  the  Customs  officers,  it  is 
“hardly  possible  ’’  that  any  of  it  can  have  been  used 
for  admixture  with  the  superior  Mocha  or  Ilarra.r. 
Official  statistics,  furnished  by  the  Assistant  Resident 
and  appended  to  the  circular,  indicate  that  the  im- 
ported bean  is  sent  to  Zanzibar,  Mokalla,  Muscat  and 
other  minor  neighbouring  ports,  where  it  is  understood 
to  be  used  fot  local  consumption,  its  relative  cheapness 
being  regarded  as  sui'ticient  compensation  for  its  infe- 
rior quality'. 
Plaxtini;  on  the  Nioeh  Coast. — A report  presented 
to  the  Government  from  Sir  C.  MacDonald  refers  to 
experiments  made  in  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Old 
Calabar,  including  the  cultivation  of  the  tea  plant. 
The  curator  says  : “ The  growth  that  the  coffee  plants 
fiist  planted  in  the  gardens  have  made  has  been 
excellent.  I heso  trees,  that  are  only  twentyseven 
months  old  from  the  time  of  putting  in  the  seed, 
average  a little  over  6 feet  high,  with  a fine  and  well- 
formed  head,  have  all  flowered,  and  would  have 
borne  a fair  crop  had  they  been  allowed  to  do  so. 
For  experiment  I left  one  of  the  Arabian  coffee 
trees  to  seed,  and  have  just  lately  gathered  a few 
berries.  Another  large  undertaking  in  connection 
with  the  Department  has  been  the  laying  out  of  an 
orchard  to  the  exient  of  about  ten  acres.  There  are 
at  piesent  over  800  varieties  of  plants  under  cultiva- 
tion in  the  gardens,  and  a number  of  varieties  of 
useful  seeds  liave  recently  been  planted,  including 
mahogany  fSwietenia  mahogani)  and  sisal  hemp 
(Aga\e  rigida).  Also  I brought  one  with  me  from 
Enghiiid  a valuable  consignment  of  economic  and 
ornamciitel  plants,  most  of  them  arriving  in  good 
condition.  Among  these  are  nutmegs,  Para  rubber, 
tea,  and  cascurilla  (Croton  cascarilla) — introductions 
that,  in  my  opinion,  will  in  time  prove  of  value  to  the 
country.  ’’ — II.  C.  Maii,  Dec.  27. 
« 
Tk.\  in  .\n  Oi.I)  Cofkkk  Disriticr.— It  is  quite 
ulieeriiig  (u  liear,  from  tui  experienced  iilaiitiiig 
lisitor  tu  the  district,  so  satisfactory  an  account 
of  tea  oil  a great  number  of  old  Matale  East 
coffee  estates.  What  will  former  residents  like 
Mr.  Stewart  Jolly  and  “Old  Colonist”  say  to 
Midlands,  for  instance,  being  quite  a jiicture  in 
tea,  and  Nichoioyri,  Cottaratciine,  Dangkande, 
iS:c. , being  ecjually  vigorou.s — not  to  go  farther 
afield  Ihit  there  is  room  for  improvement  in 
communications : when  we  hear  of  the  waste  of 
labour,  delay'  in  transport,  of  a \'.A.  liaiing  to 
swim  a river  in  order  to  get  on,  and  all  for  the 
want  of  a bridge  estimated  to  cost  a few  hundred 
rupees  1 AA’liat  are  Ihe  proprietors  about,  if  the 
District  Committee  and  “ Peter  Donaldson”  of 
Matale  fame  cannot  be  got  at  V We  should  say 
lliat  a week  > loss  to  the  estates  concerned  in 
wet  weather  would  ]ia_y  for  the  bridge,  so  it 
better  be  put  uji  foilhwith  and  if  a jiattern  is 
wanted,  there  is  iioor  C.  (,1.  Burnett’s  bridge  on 
the  .Maiia.galla  side,  of  which  he  used  to  be  so 
proud  ten  ycius  ago,  and  we  suppose  still  a, 
meinenbo  of  his  engineering  skill? 
