April  i,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
71! 
seated  bv  them,  each  permit  covering  hve 
of  tea.  The  so-called  tea  is  chopped  . 
in  tubs,  partially  dried,  mixed  with  rice  wate^^^'J 
packed  tightly  in  cylinders  of 
Lout  two-thirds  of  tSl8 
nrofit  is  75  per  cent.!  Mr.  de  Rosthorn,  who  tells 
L all«this,  is  confident  that  Indian  tea  could  not 
compete  with  this  rubbish  in  point  of 
but  Le  question  is.  If  Tibetans  were  once  to  be, 
come  acquainted  with  the  superior  Indian  article, 
would  they  not  prefer  it  ? The  Chinese  could  easi^ 
be  pacified  by  the  proceeds  of  an  impoit  duty. 
Sunday  Tiniest,  March  1st. 
BRITAIN  IN  AFRICA. 
Last  night  ;Tnesday  March  3rd)  Mr  ^ott 
Elliott  read  a paper  before  the  i^ociety  » / ^ ■ 
on  “ En"lish  East  Africa  and  Lntish  Cential 
Africa,”  Sir  J.  Cricliton  Rrowiie  occupying  the 
chair.  The  speaker  said  the  various  districts  or 
Africa  were  essentially  distinct-a  fact  which 
had  to  be  borne  in  mind.  Elevation  was  a gi  eat 
factor  in  this  connection.  The  Zambesi  and  bhiie 
valleys,  as  well  as  much  of  the  pHin  round 
Nyassa,  were  below  the  altitude  of  3,000  ft.  Here 
woods  were  valuable  native  products,  such  as 
die  rubber-vine,  kula  wood  (a  new  dye),  and 
*he  oil  palm.  The  cocoauut  palm  was  also  a 
promising  nrodiict.  Some  plantations,  such  as 
Central  Africa  lit  for  colonisation  liad  not  yet 
been  tested. 
Suggestions  were  made  by  Mr.  Elliott  as  to 
the  future.  'I’he  first  essential  was  the  mainte- 
nance of  our  national  policy  of  non-interference 
with  planters  and  settlers  ; the  next  to  avoid 
mouoiiolies  or  concessions,  wliatever  the  name 
under  which  they  were  disguised  ; that  the  ad- 
ministrator should  not  be  made  a mere  telegrapli 
cleik  ; and  t!iat  for  subordinates  in  adminstra- 
tion  properly-trained  men  should  be  appointed. 
A railway  was  most  urgently  required  in  British 
Central  Africa. 
Fur  our  own  country,  at  present  it  seemed  to 
tlie  autlior  that  there  were  three  requisites  of 
paramount  importance.  First,  an  outlet  for  our 
congested  capital  and  overflowing  population  ; 
secondly,  new  markets  ; and  thirdly,  that  all  our 
imiiorts  of  food  and  raw  material  should  be 
derived  from  countries  directly  under  our  own. 
All  these  requisites  were  fulfilled  by  parts  of  our 
African  possessions. — Financial  Post,  March  4. 
BETEOSFECT  OF  THE  PAST  TEA.  SEASON. 
The  final  tea  auction  has  been  held,  and  the  sea- 
son 1895-90,  as  far  as  Calcutta  is  concerned,  is  vir- 
tually closed.  A retrospect,  says  Capital,  is  not 
pleasant  contemplation  ; there  can  be  only  one  verdict, 
it  has  been  a failure.  Poor  outturn,  poor  quality. 
pruiiiisi«*H  . , nlimate  Is  Deen  a laiiure.  jroor  ouiuiim,  poor  quality, 
sugar,  could  be  carried  ” nvti’  ^sud  still  poorer  prices,  the  previous  season  was  so 
an^  cotton  was  also  produced.  Other ‘‘sure  aitL  ,.  ,,R  . T 
cles  of  commerce  were  sesame  rice,  the  ground  nut, 
andcastoroil.  Ofunprovenplantswerethecocoa-tree, 
which  liad  been  a great  success  in  the  German 
Cameroons,  while  caoutchoucs  had  also  heed  sug- 
gested, but  these  plants  take  long  to  mature. 
Vanilla  has  so  far  been  profitalde  in  German 
East  Africa.  In  English  East  Africa  the  natura 
products  were  similar.  Gunp  copal  and  oichilla 
may  be  also  expected.  Ostrich  featliers  might 
also  be  exported,  and  a few  ostrich  farms  might 
be  made  in  the  district.  The  clove  ti^e  was 
suitable  to  Hie  district.  Tlie  lower  distiicts  of 
Emdish  East  Africa  were,  however,  not  very 
mo”ni.siim,  and  only  the  coconut  ))alm  and  cloves 
could  be  safely  recommended  by  the  author. 
In  Britisli  Central  Africa,  at  the  levels  between 
oOO  ft.  and  3,000  ft.,  there  wa,s  a tlinving  and 
flourishing  community.  The  coflee  frem  here  ob- 
tained the  highest  price  in  the  London  maikct, 
and  suitable  coflee  ground  existe.l  for  tlie  sup- 
1, Iv  of  the  wliole  of  the  civilised  world.  lobacco, 
quinine,  tumeric,  ginger,  and  liemp  grew  in  a 
satisfactory  manner.  Indigo  was  tlie  most  pio- 
mising  plant  yet  untricl,  but  new  fibre  plants 
wLe  to  be  avoided.  Tlie  ivory  trade  in  Uganda 
would  become  quite  insignificant  in  another  five 
years,  while  there  was  no  proof  of  go  d or  odier 
Lluable  minerals,  and  the  iron  could  hardly  bear 
to  be  exported.  Coflee  was  found  in  a half  wild 
comlition,  growing  near  the  \ictoria  and  up 
some  of  the  valleys.  Wheat  and  rice  had  been 
successfully  grown  l,y  Europeans.  Cotton  was  in- 
digenous, and  should  be  quite  saiisfactoiy.  The 
unfortunate  point  about  the  country  was  its 
distance  from  the  coast,  and  the  author  considered 
that  a railway  of  ().")7  miles  in  length  implied 
a cost  of  T323  to  run  a tram  from  Nyanza  to 
the  coast.  Hence  the  cost  of  transport  would 
have  a bad  effect  on  agricultural  development. 
exactly  the  reverse  in  every  direction  that  the  in- 
dustry, as  represented  by  present  quotations  for  tea 
stock,  has  received  a heavy  blow.  The  drop  has 
been  too  accentuated.  Although  a season  such  as 
that  of  1894  i.=i  not  likely  to  recur  for  some  time, 
yet  1895  must  for  the  same  reason  not  be  taken  as 
representing  the  future  of  the  industry.  It  is  to  the 
weather  we  must  ascribe  both  the  previous  good  for- 
tune and  the  present  misfortune.  1895  was  unusu- 
ally capricious  as  regards  rainfall,  and  even  in  those 
districts  that  can  point  to  a full  supply  it  was  so 
fitful  that  they  were  not  able  to  reap  the  benefit. 
Continuous  periods  of  drought  followed  by  abnormal 
downfalls  spell  failure  both  to  ouitnrii  and  quality, 
and  when,  as  in  Assam,  the  crop  is  mainly  gathered 
after  the  rains  have  fairly  set  in,  an  early  cessation, 
as  in  1895,  means  all  but  disaster.  There  can  be 
but  one  opinion — the  quality  has  been  poor,  or,  to 
use  the  words  of  the  brokers,  common,  an  average 
of  two  to  three  annas  worse  than  that  of  the  previous 
year  has  been  general,  proving  conclusively  that  the 
same  climatic  influence  has  pervaded  all  tea  districts, 
and  it  is  hard  upon  the  interest  that  for  one  bad 
year  tea  stock  shculd  depreciate  to  the  extent  of  fifty 
per  cent.  Notwithstanding  the  outcry  as  to  the 
heavy  extensions  of  late  years  the  increase  in  the  crop 
for  the  past  three  years  has  barely  exceeded  six 
per  cent  per  annum,  which  is  surely  not  excessive, 
considering  the  amount  of  the  crop,  and  compares 
favourably  with  the  increase  from  Gelyon,  which  has 
been  a far  more  potent  factor  in  depreciating  prices. 
India  does  not  seem  to  be  awake  to  the  efforts  that 
Ceylon  is  making  at  home  and  elsewhere  to  push 
its  leas.  In  Mincing  liane  itself  India  more  than 
holds  its  own,  but  it  is  when  the  tea  reaches  the 
trade  that  Ceylon  is  to  the  front ; every  planter 
that  gots  home  from  Ceylon  seems  to  consider  it 
a pride  as  a duty  to  push  the  produce  of  the 
Island.  It  also  possesses  an  advantage.  All  tea 
from  the  Island  is  known  as  Ceylon,  there  is 
no  diversity  when  asking  for  the  tea.  This  is 
not  so  with  India.  The  trade  is  confused  with  Dar- 
jeeling, Assam,  Dooars,  etc.  There  has  been  the 
nave  a ua,v.  i • • i 'i  usual  shuffling  of  the  cards  with  managers;  it  is  be- 
Tbis  prohibitive  cost  could  be  demimslieo,  ijei-  coming  painfully  evident  that  the  sins  'of  climate, 
baps  by  one-half,  through  water  transport,  ^ agency,  etc.  are  being  visited  too  frequently  on  the 
bv^tlie  Ka<rera  and  Tanganyika  or  by  the  Nile  ; nianagers,  and  these  constant  changes  are  detri- 
but  that  was  a question  of  the  future.  _ mental  in  the  extreme  to  all  interested.  It  must  be 
A 1 five  5 01)0  ft  was  according  to  !Sirdohn  Kirk,  a source  of  more  anxiety  to  the  nianagers  than  to 
r.f  trr.'nVc-d  Africa  wlievc  Europeans  any  one  vvith  a bad  season  in  the  past  over  which 
cruir^rmanentl^^^  area  in  British  be  has  no  control;  it  robs  him  of  any  commissioa 
