702 
the  tropical  agriculturist. 
[April  i,  1896. 
IMPORTS  OF  COFFEE  TO  THE  U.  S.  A. 
IN  1895. 
The  total  imports  of  coffee  in  1895  were  612,318,319 
pounds,  valued  at  ^>96,512,370,  or  an  average  of  15'02 
cent  per  pound.  The  total  movement  was  as  fol- 
lows : — 
Imports 
Exports 
Net  imports  or  consumption 
Less  lost  in  roasting  15  per  cent 
Pounds. 
642,318,319 
8,190,476 
634,127,843 
95,119,176 
Roasted  coffee  consumed  . . 539,008,667 
1 lb.  coffee  makes  2 gallons  in- 
fusion, making  gallons  con- 
^ sumed  as  beverage  . . 1,078,017,3.34 
Gallons  coffee  per  capita  . . 15.4 
Beer  consumed  per  capita  . . 16.8 
Coffee  and  beer  are  the  popular  beverages.  The  sup- 
ply of  coffee  came  from  the  following  countries  as  fol- 
low's : — 
Pounds. 
Brazil 
426,559,035 
Other  South  American  countries 
73,484,884 
Central  America 
52,320,272 
iSIexico 
36,961,939 
West  Indies 
18,532,745 
East  Indies 
16,166,002 
United  Kingdom 
4,203,826 
Netherlands 
4.033,274 
Germany 
2,739,813 
Other  parts  Asia  and  Oceanica 
2,228  255 
France 
1 870,717 
Africa 
34,616 
All  other  countries 
3,180,941 
Total 
642.318,319 
-^Amerkun  Chxcer,  Feb.  19. 
<> — 
TEA  ASSORTMENT  AND  BULKING. 
As  the  season  for  manufacture  i^  again  approach- 
ing, at  the  risk  of  wearying  our  readers,  we  pui- 
pose  reviewing  (with  reg.ard  to  assortment  and  pack- 
ing) Messrs.  Stenning,  Inskipp  & Co.’s  annual  cir- 
cular, which  is  always  most  interesting  reading,  more 
especially  to  young  Managers.  Unfortunately,  Agents 
do  not,  as  a rule,  send  these  to  their  gardens  ; and 
Managers  miss  valuable  information,  more  especially 
in  these  days  of  cutting  things  fine.  With  regard 
to  assortment,  we  should  say,  the  advice  is  sound  that 
recommends  only  four  grades  of  tea — Broken  Pekoe, 
Pekoe,  Pekoe  Souchong  and  Broken  mixed.  It  is  un- 
fortunately the  tendency  of  young  managers,  to  run  to 
making  six  or  seven  grades,  many  of  them  with  a 
view  to  getting  into  the  “ Honor  ” list,  and  to 
such  an  extent  has  this  been  carried  within  the  last 
few  years,  that  the  work  the  Calcutta  Brokers  have 
had  to  do  is  simply  appalling  and  cannot  but  indirectly 
act  against  the  interests  of  good  prices.  It  is  true 
that  sampling  breaks  are  supposed  to  consist  of  at 
least  50  quarter,  30  half,  or  20  full  chests  ; but,  many 
are  sent  below  this,  and  brokers  for  their  own  credit, 
are  compelled  to  sample  or  run  the  risk  of  having  it 
thrown  at  their  heads  that  they  have  “ chucked  the 
t3a  away.”  It  would  be  well  then,  if  our  agency 
houses  would  insist  on  Managers  adhering  strictly  to 
the  rules  laid  dow  n with  regard  to  the  size  of  breaks  ; 
business  would  be  facilitated  in  every  way,  and  the  hard- 
worked  broker  would  have  a little  more  breathing  time. 
As  it  is,  the  sampling  work  connected  with  Indian  tea 
has  increased  so  much  of  late  years,  that  it  is  no 
wonder  the  strain  has  been  almost  too  great  for 
many  of  those  engaged  in  it. 
Loss  in  weight  has  come  very  much  to  the  front, 
and  as  yet  but  little  effort  has  been  made  to  cope 
with  it.  We  see  no  reason  why  the  matter,  if 
vigorously  tackled,  could  not  be  checked.  Let  the 
Agents  insist  upon  receiving  the  tea  as  per  bill  of 
laRng  and  pilfering  will  soon  stop.  The  River  Com- 
panies, since  they  were  unable  to  get  the  law  altered 
removing  them  from  responsibility,  are  very  parti- 
cular as  to  the  bill  of  lading,  and  if  so  much  as  a 
box  is  stained  with  mud,  it  is  carefully 
remarked  upon  on  the  margin  ; so  that  if  the  Agents 
in  Calcutta,  were  as  particular  on  their  part  in 
taking  delivery  there  would  not  be  so  many  com- 
plaints of  shortage  in  weight.  With  regard  to  com- 
plaints from  home  of  shortage,  we  think  that  this 
very  often  arises  from  want  of  knowledge  on  the 
part  of  the  manager  of  the  garden,  and  we  venture 
to  insert  Messrs.  Stenning,  Inskipp  & Co.’s  remarks 
thereon  in  full : — “ Loss  in.  Weitflit. — As  this  occasion- 
ally gives  rise  to  much  dissatisfaction,  we  offer  the 
following  suggestions;  that  the  gross  weight  of  the 
packages  should  be  a few  ounces,  say,  four  or  five, 
ohove  an  even  number  of  pounds,  and  that  the  empty 
package  complete  with  lead,  nails,  bands,  etc.,  be 
to  a like  extent  helow  an  even  number  of  pounds. 
In  weighing  here,  i.e.,  in  London,  the  gross  weight 
is  reduced  to  the  even  number  of  pounds,  whilst 
the  fare  is  increased  to  an  even  number  of  pounds. 
With  regard  to  garden  bulked  teas  it  is  impera- 
tively necessary  to  put  an  equal  quantity  into 
each  package  of  the  break,  and  the  quantity 
should  be  four  or  five  ounces  over  the  desired  weight 
of  contents,  viz.,  if  the  packages  are  invoiced  to 
contain  100  lb.  tea  each,  not  less  than  100  lb.  4 oz. 
should  be  weighed  in  ; test  ]jackages  weighing  here 
a fraction  under  100  lb.  are  reckoned  as  99  lb.  only, 
or  a loss  of  1 Ih.  on  eacli  cliest  of  the  break.  Draft 
of  1 lb.  per  package  on  all  jjackages  grossing  28  lb. 
and  upwards  is  allowed  to  tlie  buyers.  When  a gross 
of  129  lb.  is  exceeded,  there  is  an  additional  change 
of  5d  per  chest  up  to  159  lb-  Marks  on  Chests. — 
Nothing  is  wanted  or  is  of  any  service  here  beyond 
1st,  garden  mark  ; 2nd,  description  of  tea ; 3rd,  garden 
numbers.  Gross  tare  and  net  are  not  of  the  least 
use  and  should  be  discontinued.” 
Reading  between  the  lines  here,  there  is  a great 
deal  of  useful  information  of  which  a great  many 
planters  rrray  be  quite  ignorant.  At  the  same  time, 
we  think  that  there  is  one  point  that  might  be  made 
more  clear,  for  instance,  with  regard  to  this  ques- 
tion of  factory  bulkiirg  ; these  Brokers  say  that  a 
uniform  quantity  of  tea  should  be  put  in,  and  the 
gross  should  have  a few  ounces  over  an  even  number 
of  pounds,  etc.  This  would  lead  one  to  suppose  that 
a record  of  gross,  tare  and  net  in  the  invoice  was 
necessary  ; wliilst,  further  on.  with  regard  to  marks  on 
the  boxes,  they  say  tliat  gross,  tare  and  net  should 
be  discontinued.  'The  two  statements  are  quite  contra- 
dictory, and  we  fail  to  see  how  putting  it  on  the  boxes  is 
a matter  of  any  moment  ; if  it  is  necessary  to  keep  a 
record  of  it,  one  would  have  thought  it  was  the 
simplest  way.  One  thing  is  certain,  packages  marked 
with  it  are  taken  for  the  American  market;  in  fact, 
if  you  wish  to  sell  your  tea  in  America,  it  is  imperative. 
We  believe  that  Messrs.  McLeod  A Co.  last  year 
suggested  to  the  Indian  Tea  Association,  that  it 
might  he  enough  if  the  gross,  tare  and  net  were 
recorded  in  the  invoice,  but  what  the  result  of  this 
represen. ation  came  to,  we  never  heard.  We  trust 
that  our  drawing  attention  to  this  ambiguity  may  be 
sufficient  to  bring  an  authoritative  deliverance  on  the 
point  from  the  Brokers,  to  whose  circular  we  arc 
indebted  for  so  much  useful  information,  and  which 
we  hope  our  young  planters  will  read,  learn,  and 
digest,  for  we  have  been  told  that  attention  to  these 
little  details  effects  a saving  of  one  to  two  per  cent, 
on  gardens  deli^eii  g satisfactorily  '‘■Factory  bulked 
teas.” — Indian  Planters'  Gazette,  March  14. 
A New  Cacao  Dkieu. — The  Director  of  Public 
Gardens  and  plantations  in  .):imaica,  Mr,  W. 
Faw'cett,  states  tliat  having  found  a dilUculiy  in 
meeting  with  a satisfactory  dryer  for  caciio  bciins, 
he  has  been  in  correspondence  ami  pcr.-onul  com- 
nmnictilion  with  Me.ssis.  dolm  Guidon  A Co  , 
London,  wlio  liave  designed  a (.'iicau  Dryei',  " liich 
eilects  the  regular  lucscnliuion  to  llic  hcnietl  tiir 
of  all  parts  of  the  surface  of  tlie  beaus,  iind  is 
an  improvement  in  tliis  resiiect  to  the  machines 
now  in  use,— 77iC  Sugarcane,  March  -. 
I 
