704 
THf:  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[April  i,  1896. 
It  is  not  customary  for  the  Government  to  re- 
quire imported  goods  to  conform  to  any  given  stan- 
dard of  quality  or  purity.  Generally  speaking,  an 
importer  must  settle  with  his  own  conscience  and 
the  consuming  public  when  he  imports  a very  poor 
grade  of  an  article,  or  an  article  which  is  not  en- 
tirely what  it  seems.  The  Government  tests  vine- 
gar and  alcoholic  liquors,  but  not  in  the  interest 
of  the  public  health  or  the  public  purse ; it  is  only 
in  the  interest  of  the  national  revenue ; the  duty 
to  be  assessed  is  based  upon  the  amount  of  acid 
or  proof  spirits  there  are  in  the  commercial 
vinegar  and  liquor.  In  like  manner  sugars  used 
to  be  inspected  because  the  amount  of  duty  de- 
S ended  on  the  saccharine  strength.  In  the  case  of 
rugs  and  teas  standard  of  quality  is  insisted  upon. 
Of  teas  it  is  only  required  that  they  shall  not  be 
fraudulent  or  injurious  to  health,  and  drugs,  as  to 
which  the  consumer  has  no  possible  means  of  as- 
certainihg  their  purity,  are  required  to  conform  to 
the  standards  of  strength  and  purity  established  by 
the  drug  trade  and  recorded  in  tUe  standard  pharma- 
copia.  The  Government  does  not  attempt  to  fix  a 
standard,  but  it  accepts  the  one  fixed  by  the  trade, 
and  undertakes  to  exclude  articles  which  according 
to  that  standard  are  fraudulent  or  injurious. 
The  establishment  of  a tea  standard,  therefore,  by 
the  Government  would  be  quite  without  precedent.  It 
certainly  could  not  be  done  without  legislation,  and 
Congress  would  be  reluctant  to  authorize  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  to  define  the  quality  of  tea  that 
should  be  admitted  to  the  country.  If  the  tea  trade 
could  agree  on  a standard,  as  other  trades  agree  on 
standards  of  the  goods  they  deal  in,  it  is  not  un- 
likely that  Congress  would  adopt  such  a standard 
and  prohibit  the  importation  of  teas  below  it. 
We  have  already  pointed  out  why  a discrimi- 
nating duty  against  teas  brought  hither  from  the 
ports  of  Europe  would  not  serve  to  keep  out 
the  teas  of  India  and  Ceylon,  and  also  that  the 
teas  of  India  and  Ceylon  ought  not  to  be  ex- 
cluded in  the  interest  of  the  teas  of  China.  A duty 
on  all  tea,  while  it  is  desirable  as  a revenue  tax,  will 
not  be  agreed  to  by  this  Congress,  and  it  is  not  at 
all  certain  that  it  would  keep  out  the  rubbish  if  it 
were  imposed.  It  is  a fair  question  whether  the  im- 
position of  a tax  would  not  drive  the  importers  of  the 
very  worst  teas  to  see  if  they  could  not  partly  offset 
the  tax  by  finding  a still  cheaper  article  to  be  sold  as 
tea.  The  discovery  of  cheap  substitutes  and  imitations 
is  usually  stimulated  by  an  advance  in  the  price  of 
the  article  imitated.  But,  if  the  tax  promised  to  be 
efficient,  it  is  at  present  impracticable. 
In  regard  to  chemical  adulteration  there  ought,  of 
course,  to  be  something  more  specific  than  the  lan- 
guage pf  the  statute.  The  mixture  of  tea  with  deli- 
terious  substances  is  not  prohibited.  It  is  provided 
that  there  must  not  be  so  great  an  admixture  as  to 
render  the  tea  unfit  for  use.  It  is  left  to  the  judge- 
ment of  the  examiner  and  the  arbitration  cammittee 
to  determine  what  amount  of  adulteration  is  in- 
If  the  trade  can  discover  any  means  whereby  dealers 
in  tea  can  be  compelled  to  desist  from  giving  away  chro- 
mes and  croexery  that  would  be  an  advantage,  for 
it  would  result  in  their  selling  real  and  better  tea. 
That  this  can  be  readily  accomplished  we  are  not 
confident.  So  large  a portion  of  the  public  is  in- 
different to  what  it  eats  and  drinks,  provided  that 
with  what  it  buys  it  gets  a coloured  picture  or  a 
butter  plate  without  paying  for  it,  that  the  prize 
nackag^  of  imitation  tea  people  seem  to  have  founded 
Sieir  business  on — a fundamental  weakness  of  human 
nature  If  the  customers  knew  enough  to  go  with- 
out their  prizes,  the  dealers  could  afford  to  supply 
better  tea  than  that  now  offered  without  advanc- 
'ne  their  prices.  The  simple  patrons  of  these 
places  may  suppose  that  the  dealers  give  things 
awav  but  they  do  not.  They  take  out  of  the  qua- 
litv  ^ot  the  tea  all  that  the  pictures  and  the  crock- 
irv  are  worth.  But  s*  long  as  a great  many 
fionle  would  rather  buy  unwholesome  imitations  of 
La  and  have  somethiag  given  to  them  than  to  buy 
; good  quality  of  tea,  it  is  going  to  be  very  difficult 
tn^deal  with  the  men  who  supply  them  with  what 
they  are  willing  to  give  their  money  for. 
It  is  worth  while  for  the  tea  trade  to  see  if  they 
cannot  agree  on  some  method  of  checking  the  im- 
portation of  trashy  teas.  The  movement  to  pro- 
vide consumers  with  better  grades  of  tea  deserves 
every  encouragement. — Journal  of  Commerce  Bulletin, 
February  25th. 
USES  OF  THE  LEMON. 
Doctors  say,  that  lemons  rid  the  system  of  humours 
and  bile  and  leave  no  ill  effect,  and  that  weak  de- 
bilitated people  oftentimes  may  be  greatly  benefitted 
by  a free  use  of  them.  Lemon  juice  should  be  diluted 
with  water,  or  sweetened  sufficiently,  so  that  it  wilt 
not  produce  a drawing  or  burning  sensation  in  the 
throat.  Cleat  lemon  juice  is  very  irritating;  the 
powerful  acid  of  the  juice  will  cause  inflammation  if 
the  use  of  it  is  continued  any  length  of  time, 
A bilious  attack  may  be  soon  overcome  by  taking 
the  juice  of  one  or  two  lemons  in  a goblet  of  water 
before  ret  ring  and  in  the  morning  before  rising. 
Where  taken  on  an  empty  stomach  the  lemon  has  an 
opportunity  to  work  on  the  system.  Continue  the  use 
of  them  for  several  weeks. 
Lemons  are  an  excellent  remedy  in  pulmonary  dis- 
eases. When  used  for  lung  trouble,  from  six  to  nine 
a day  should  be  used.  More  juice  is  obtained  from 
lemons  by  boiling  them.  Put  the  lemons  into  cold 
water  and  bring  slowly  to  a boil.  Boil  slowly  until 
they  begin  to  soften ; remove  from  the  water  and  when 
cold  enough  to  handle,  squeeze  until  all  the  juice  is 
exti'acted,  strain  and  add  enough  loaf  or  crushed 
sugar  to  make  it  palatable,  being  careful  not  to  make 
it  too  sweet.  Add  about  twice  as  much  water  as 
there  is  juice.  This  preparation  may  be  made  every 
morning,  or  enough  may  be  prepared  one  day  to 
last  three  or  four  days,  but  it  must  be  kept  in  cool 
place. 
Lemon  juice  sweetened  with  loaf  or  crushed  sugar 
will  relieve  a cough.  For  feverishness  and  an  unnatural 
thirst  often  a lemon  by  rolling  on  a hard  surface,  cut 
off  the  top,  add  sugar  and  work  it  down  into  the  lemon 
with  a fork,  then  suck  it  slowly. 
During  the  warm  months  a sense  of  coolness,  com- 
fort, and  invigoration  can  be  produced  by  a free  use 
of  lemonade.  For  six  large  glasses  of  lemonade  use 
six  large,  juicy  lemons ; roll  on  a hard  surface,  so 
that  the  juice  can  be  easily  extracted.  Peel  and  slice. 
Add  sufficient  sugar  to  sweeten  and  stir  it  well  into 
the  juice  before  adding  the  water. 
Hot  lemonade  will  break  up  a cold  if  taken  at  the 
start.  Make  it  the  same  as  cold  lemonade,  only  use 
boiling  water,  and  use  about  half  as  much  sugar. 
A piece  of  lemon  or  stale  bread  moistened  with 
lemon  juice  bound  on  a corn  will  cure  it.  Renew 
night  and  morning.  The  first  application  will  pro- 
duce soreness,  but  if  treatment  is  persisted  in  for  a 
reasonable  length  of  time  a cure  will  be  effected. 
The  discomfort  caused  by  sore  and  tender  feet  may 
be  lessened,  if  not  entirely  cured,  by  applying  slices 
of  lemons  on  the  feet.  To  cure  chilblains,  take  a 
piece  of  lemon,  sprinkle  fine  salt  over  it,  and  rub  the 
feet  well.  Repeat  if  necessary. 
Lemon  juice  will  relieve  roughness  and  vegetable 
stains  on  the  hands.  After  having  the  hands  in  hot 
soap  suds  rub  them  with  a piece  of  lemon.  This 
will  prevent  chapping  and  make  the  hands  soft  and 
white. — Rural  Californian, 
CITRONELLA  OIL  AND  ITS  ADUL- 
TERANTS. 
BY  JOHN  C.  UMNEY,  F.C.S. 
Ill  the  leading  article  on  “ A Citronella-oil  Arbitration,’" 
wliich  appears  in  the  last  issue  of  tlie  Chemist  and  Drug- 
gist easy  phy.sical  tests  ;yre  .set  out  for  the  detection  of 
kerosene  in  citronella  oil.  The  exertions  of  Messrs. 
.Schiinmel  to  check  the  adulteration  of  citronella  oil  have 
unfortunately  only  been  successful  up  to  a certain  point 
—namely,  in  causing  the  natives  to  cease  the  admixture 
of  their  oil  with  kerosene,  and  to  look  about  for  some 
other  substance  which  is  not  so  easily  detected,  and  at 
tile  .same  time  almost  equally  cheap.  I have  recently  had 
the  opportunity  of  examining  several  siunples  of  citron- 
ella oil  which  contain  no  kerosene,  but  whose  charac- 
