THE  TROPICAE  AORTCHi/IURTST. 
<'•39 
M \Rcri  2,  i8q6.] 
Tuk  Tonaoomue  Estates  Co.  of  Ceveun,  Ltd. 
— We  congratulate  the  shareholder.^  of  this  Com- 
pany on  the  interim  dividend  of  4 per  cent 
declared  making  9 per  cent  for  the  year. 
The  fact  of  the  Directors  being  able  to  make 
such  a recommendation  and  to  carry  forward 
11054 T2,  besides  placing  K2,000  to  the  credit  of 
the  “ extension  account”  shows  the  Company  to 
be  in  a nourishing  condition. 
Coffee  Cultivatiox  in  (Queensland.— The 
Australian  Agriculturist,  (Brisbane)  of  Feb.  1 
says  : — In  the  course  of  a report  presented  to 
the  council,  Mr.  Soutter,  manager  of  the  Ac- 
climatisation Society,  stated  that  there  were 
numerous  applications  for  coffee  reeeiveil  from 
all  parts,  many  of  which  were  totally  unsuited 
to  its  cultivation.  Correspondents  resitling  where 
the  conditions  were  unfavourable  had  been  re- 
))lied  to,  warning  them  against  incurring  uu- 
nece.ssary  labour  and  expense  in  attempting  the 
cultivation  of  coffee. 
“ Royal  Gardens,  Kew.” — The  Bulletin  of  Mis- 
cellaneous Information  for  January  has  the  following 
contents : — Root  Diseases  caused  by  the  Fungi ; Great 
Frost  for  1895;  Lsppett  Tea;  Decades  Keweuses  : 
XXIII. — XXV ; Date  Cultivation  in  Antigua  ; Mis- 
cellaneous Notes. — Visitors  during  1895;  Botanical 
Magazine ; Index  Kewensis  ; Palm  House  Terrace  ; 
Geranium  wallichianum  as  a dye  plant  ; Recent  Pre- 
sentations to  the  Herbarium  ; Coloured  Figures  of 
Phmgi  ; Robert,  Basse,  and  de  Chastillon’s  Recncil 
de  Plantes ; Ipecacuanha  in  Southern  India.  The 
paper  on  “ Leppett  Tea”  is  reproduced  else- 
where. 
A Duty  on  Tea  in  the  United  States.— 
The  Awerii'an  Grocer  of  Jan.  29  .says:— This 
we  have  always  favoured  as  a.  source  of  re\- 
enue  that  would  tend  to  improve  Hie  (|uality 
ot  the  imports  and  would  not  be  felt  by  con- 
sumers. .\  tiix  on  te.a  and  cotfee  makes  all 
the  peo]ile  supporters  of  the  geueial  govern- 
ment with  less  inconvenience  than  any  other 
tax  it  imposes,  with  the  exception  of  a duty 
on  sugar.  A duty  on  tea  and  eotfee  w'ould 
yield  between  twenty  and  thirty  millions,  and 
)iart,  if  not  the  most  of  it,  would  be  paid  by 
the  pioducers.  We  have,  however,  little  hope 
of  such  a duty  being  levied,,  because,  as  a dis- 
tinguished Senator  lemarked,  “It  might  be 
wise  as  a business  measure,  but  it  wouhl  be 
bad  politics.”  Neither  jiarty  in  Congress  will 
be  willing  to  be  charged  with  destroying  “a 
free  breakfast  talde,”  and  with  a Presidential 
contest  near  at  hand,  it  is  very  doubtful  if  a 
measure  taxing  tea  and  coflee  could  be  made  law. 
Burma  Rice-Crop  Prospects,  ].S')5-9S. — The  De- 
partment of  Land  Records  and  AgiicuP.ure,  Burma, 
has  is^jued  the  following  summary  of  the  District 
Otttcers’  reports  on  the  rice-crop  pi-ospects  on  the 
iilst  .lanuary  189t>  in  the  14  chi<  f rice-producing 
districts  of  Lower  Bui'ma; — The  area  under  paddy 
cultivation  is  now  reported  as  4,970,528  acres  or  5,327 
acres  less  tVian  the  area  reported  last  month.  The 
areas  i-eported  from  Akyab  Kyaukpyn,  Prome, 
Henzada,  and  Tavoy  are  unchanged.  There  is  a large 
decrease  (20,708  acres)  reported  from  Pegu.  A consi- 
derable increase  in  Thongwa,  and  smaller  increases 
in  Thsrrawaddy  and  Thaton  ; in  other  districts  the 
changes  are  unimportant.  The  anna  estimates  in 
Akyab  and  Amherst  are  now  reported  as 
14  and  15  respectively  against  15  and  10 
respectively  last  month  ; in  other  districts  the 
estinutes  given  last  month  are  unchanged.  It  is 
stated  that  the  grain  in  some  parts  of  Akj  ab  is 
inferior  and  in  parts  of  Amherst  it  is  threshing  out 
light,  honce  the  decie.tses  in  the  estimates  for  those 
districts.  It  is  now  estimated  that  there  will  be 
available  for  export  1,545,000  tons  of  cargo,  rice, 
eq^uivaleut  to  20,180,000  cwt.  of  white  rice. 
CnTiONELiiA  UiL,  if  (subjected  to  a certain  pro- 
cess, will  yield  palma  rosa  or  geranium  oil. — Oil 
Paint  and  Drug  Pi,eporter,  Feb.  3. 
Coconut  De.siccatino  Mill.s. — It  is  reported 
ill  a contemporary  that  the  linn  of  Messrs. 
Vavasseur  & Co.,  who  already  jiossess  an  e.x 
tensive  establishment  in  Colombo,  are  opening 
out  a branch  establishment  in  the  Chilaw  Dis- 
trict near  Madampe  for  desiccating  nuts.  By 
this  addition  they  will  be  in  a position  to 
tap  the  chief  coconut  districts  of  the  North- 
Western  Province.  Six  desiccators  are  to  be 
erected,  and  the  whole  establishment  is  expected 
to  be  in  full  swing  by  the  end  of  Alarch. 
The  Indian  Tea  Chop.— Commenting  on  a 
circular  issued  by  the  Inrlian  Tea  A.ssociation, 
the  Pioneer  says  :— The  new  trade  wdth  Australia 
and  New'  Zealand  is  shown  to  have  made  up  the 
w'ay  it  lost  iu  the  jirevious  season.  In  that  year 
tile  shipments  were  a million  pounds  iveight  less 
than  in  1894,  but  in  the  ten  months  ending  on 
January  31st  they  had  sprung  to  over  0,18.5,000  lb., 
or  000,000  11).  more  than  in  1894  even.  America^ 
too,  is  taking  far  more  tea  from  this  countrj-  and 
the  progress  lately  has  been  most  marked.  Two 
years  ago  less  than  a (juarter  of  a million  of 
pounds  were  sent  to  tlanada  and  the  States  : 
now  over  a million  pounds  have  been  shipped  in 
ten  months.  This  means  that  the  popularity  of 
our  teas  is  increasing  and  there  may  be  a great 
future  before  this  branch  of  the  trade.  If  a good 
hold  is  obtained  over  the  markets  of  the  United 
States  the-  annual  shi]mients  will  go  up  by  leaps 
and  hounds.  Great  Britain  is,  of  course,  the 
greatest  consumer  of  Indian  teas  and  the  clearances 
tip  to  .lanuary  31st  have  been  nearly  117  million 
poiimls  as  .against  less  than  1U9  miiiion  in  1894 
and  a little  ovei-  ins  million  in  189(1.  These 
ligurcs  speak  for  them.selves,  and  in  .spite  of  the 
competition  of  Ceylon,  Indian  gardens  .seem  to 
have  a prosperous  future  before  them. 
The  Colomdo  AIaricet  for  South  Indian 
Planters.— In  an  article  on  this  subject.  Plant- 
ing Opinion  of  Feb.  29  says  It  is'  curious  to 
note  the  gre.at  di.slike  in  Ceylon  to  the  extension 
of  the  blending  bu.sine.ss,  and  the  fear  that  it 
might  injure  the  name  of  Ceylon  tea  in  foreign 
markets.  Considering  the  fate  that  has  more 
than  once  hefallen  pure  unadulterated  Ceylon  tea 
iu  foreign  ports,  being  pronounced  unfit  for 
hum, an  consumption,  the  fears  are  .slightly  over- 
drawn. We  thoroughly  agree  with  t\ie/ Ceylon 
Observer  and  the  Madras  ' Mail  that  with' the 
ever-incre.asing  diiect  shipments  from  Ceylon,  the 
lirosperity  of  ('olombo  would  be  immensely  aug- 
mented were  the  obnoxious  iluty  removed  ai”d 
every  facility  ollered  for  blending.  Ceylon  tea, 
good  as  it  is,  is  not  yet  perfect  and  a judicious 
admi.xtnre  of  the  stronger  li(|uoring  Irnlian  article 
wouhl  go  far  to  increase  the  consumption  of  bothe 
But  <as  matters  are  at  present  Indian  teas  ar. 
shipped  direct  to  foreign  countries  and  have  to 
stand  or  fall  by  their  own  merits.  Generally 
t])e.aking  they  are  now  not  equal  as  drinking 
teas  to  the  pure  Ceylon,  so  that  in  sending  to 
she  (jolombo  market  the  style  of  manufacture 
thould  be  somewhat  changed.  'The  great  strength 
so  which  so  much  attention  is  paid  in  London, 
may  be  in  jiart  disregarded  in  studying  the  re- 
quirements of  the  nearer  m.arket.  ‘The  liquors 
should  be  thick  however,  and  the  Broken  Pekoes 
es])ecially  leafy  and  tijipy.  Some  of  our  Nilgiri 
friends  who  excel  in  the  manufacture  of  hand- 
.some  and  tine-tlavoured  drinking  teas,  micht  send 
a few  trial  breaks  with  advantage. 
