May  1,  1896.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
745 
there  is  as  much  of  delight  to  the  senses  in  a cup 
of  hot,  fragrant  tea  as  in  glass  of  Madeira,  sherry, 
rich  old  Burgundy  or  a well  seasoned  Sauterne.  A 
tax  would  tend  to  improve  the  character  of  the  im- 
ports and  would  give  the  Government  ten  millions  of 
revenue,  so  distributed  as  to  be  felt  by  no  one.  If 
the  tax  be  ten  cents  per  pound  it  means  that  each 
cup  of  tea  is  taxed  one-third  of  one  mill-  Let  us 
have  a duty  on  tea  and  coffee,  with  an  additional 
tax  on  beer,  as  a measui’e  of  revenue  onl}’. — Ame- 
rican Gi'ocer,  Feb.  2G. 
THE  A>SSIMILATION  OF  NITROGEN  BY 
TEA-PLANTS. 
Deau  Sir, — In  his  note  on  “ Assimilation  of  Nitro- 
gen through  the  Agency  of  the  Boot  Tubercles  in  cer- 
tain Papilionaceft!  ” published  as  an  enclosure  to  Mr. 
G.  W.  C.  Cock’s  letter  on  pages  5 and  (1  of  the  Janu- 
ary number  of  the  Indian  i'orestcr,  Mr.  Cock  recom- 
mends the  planting  of  Saw  [Alhizsia  stiindaUi)  or  the 
Sensitive  plant  {Mimosa pudica)  in  tea  gardens  for  the 
fixation  and  storing  of  nitrogen  the  nodules  of  its 
roots  for  the  use  of  the  Tea  plants.  Both  the  Saw 
and  the  Sensitive  plant  belong  to  the  sub-Order 
Miniosew.  As  far  as  I have  read  the  recent 
literature  on  this  important  subject  of  assimilation 
of  the  free  nitrogen  of  the  air  in  the  root  tubercles 
of  plants.  I have  not  come  across  any  writer  who 
claims  this  precious  property  for  the  roots  of  any 
other  plants  than  those  of  the  Papilionacece.  I am 
therefore  led  to  ask  you,  Mr.  Editor,  to  kindly  state 
for  the  infoi'ination  of  your  readers  in  your  next 
number  of  the  Forester  whether  all  or  any  of  the 
plants  of  the  sub-Order  Mimosese  also  possess  this 
inestimable  proj)erty  of  fixing  the  free  nitrogen  of  the 
air  in  their  roots.  M.  R. 
Note.- — Our  correspondent's  question  is  practically 
answered  in  Ur.  Watt’s  paper  published  at  page  343 
of  our  Vol.  XXI  ; we  regret  we  cafi  give  him  no 
further  information. — Indian  Forester,  March. 
MARKET  FOR  TEA  SHARES. 
There  is  still  a large  amount  of  inquiry  for  Tea 
Companies’  Shares,  and  again  the  “ official  list  ” 
shows,  during  the  week  just  closed,  a large  number 
of  advances  in  quotations,  while  many  of  the  Money 
Market  Reports  in  the  daily  Press  make  pointed 
references  to  these  investments. 
The  Financial  Times  again  makes  some  special 
reference,  in  its  leaderettes  to  the  progress  made  in 
the  opening  of  fresh  channels  of  consumption  for 
Indian  and  Ceylon  tea. 
Mincing  Lane,  with  rather  more  limited  offerings, 
keeps  steady,  but  without  any  very  noted  advance 
in  values.  The  estimate  of  immediately-expected 
supplies  continues  to  be  decreased.  Indians  have 
pretty  well  come  to  an  end,  and  the  March  exports 
from  Ceylon  now  look  like  being  reduced  in 
quantity. 
Fresh  Issues. — Dimbula  Valley  Ordinary  have 
changed  hands  at  1-16  under  par,  while  the  Prefs, 
have  again  being  placed  freely  at  6. 
Ceveon  Shares.— C.  T.  P.  Co.  Ordinary  are  said  to 
have  changed  hands  as  high  as  27g,  and  the  Prefs. 
have  been  taken  at  17J. — II.  d-  C.  Mail,  March  20. 
TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
New  York,  March  11. 
At  the  last  auction  sale  the  market  was  very  well  sup- 
ported on  high  grade  Formosas,  but  low  grade  sold  off 
and  ruled  weak.  Other  description^  are  steady  and 
without  change  with  demand  light. 
Last  Wednesday  the  Montgomery  Auction  and  Com- 
mission Company  sold  at  auction  8,779  packages  teas  as 
follows  ; — Moyune — .oO  Hyson  6^  to  fije  ; .547  Young 
Hyson  7 to  20c;  215  Imperial  12  to  16)c;  174  Gun- 
powder 12  to  25ic.  Ping  Suey — 13  Young  Hyson 
9ic  ; 451  Imperial  8 to  13c ; 1,654  Gunpowder  to 
24c.  Japan — 70  Pan  Fired  to  12c;  25  Capers 
16c  ; 593  Congou  8g  to  16c ; 180  India  and  O.  Pekoe 
11|  to  214c.  Oolong — 2,352  Foochow  8i  to  20c  ; 2,463 
F'ormosa  13J  to  46c.  High  grade  Formosas  were 
well  supported  and  higher,  while  low  grade  blacks 
went  off. 
Today  at  noon  the  Montgomery  Auction  and  Com- 
mission Company  will  sell  9,602  packages,  viz.,  1,716 
half-chests  Moyune,  including  “ Choicest  ” Moyune 
Chops  ; 2,785  boxes  Pingsuey ; 32  half-chests  Japan, 
basket-fired  and  sun-dried  ; 1,183  half-chests  Congou, 
including  some  particularly  choice  lines  ; 102  packages 
India,  Java,  Ceylon  and  Pekoe  ; 50  half-chests  Amoy  ; 
1,037  half-chests  Foochow,  new  season’s  ; 2,647  half- 
chests and  boxes  Formosa,  all  new  season’s  and  compris- 
ing some  choice  teas. — American  Grocer. 
• 
THE  TEA  MARKET 
remains  juuch  as  before,  with  more  than  the  lower 
qualities  available  than  can  be  readily  disposed  of. 
The  free  imports  from  Ceylon  are  generally  dis- 
appointing, whereas  it  is  to  that  country  good 
quality  was  looked  for  to  meet  the  demand  at  a 
time  when  standard  teas  are  at  the  lowest  ebb. 
All  “ stand  out  ” teas  are  readily  competed  for — 
an  encouragement  to  intending  operators  in  China. 
Deliveries,  both  for  home  consumption  and  export, 
give  highly  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  increasing  use 
of  tea. — London  and  China  Express.  March  20. 
PLANriNG  AND  PRODUCE. 
Produce  and  Adulteration. — The  twenty-fourth 
annual  report  of  the  Local  Government  Board  on 
the  adulteration  of  food  samples  for  1894-95  has  just 
been  issued.  So  far  as  the  reference  to  tea  is  con- 
cerned, it  is  not  at  all  disturbing  to  the  public  mind. 
Five  hundred  and  tw'elve  samples  of  tea  were  taken, 
and  one  was  condemned  because  it  contained  an  ex- 
cessive quantity  of  mineral  matter  (including  minute 
particles  of  glass,  straw,  ivoody  fibre,  etc.,  suggestive 
of  shops  sweeping)  Four  samples,  although  passed 
by  the  analyst,  were  found  to  be  impregnated  with 
lead.  In  one  case  legal  proceedings  were  taken  against 
a person  for  refusing  to  sell  a sample  of  tea  to  an 
inspector,  and  a fine  of  J!'2  was  indicted.  Of  1,724 
samples  of  coffee  examined,  ISO  (or  10'4  per  cent) 
w'ere  condemned.  There  is  an  element  of  satisfaction 
in  this  when  it  is  remembered  that  for  the  ten  years 
after  the  passing  of  the  Act  of  1875  the  average 
percentage  of  adulterated  coffee  was  eighteen.  Legal 
proceedings  were  taken  in  126  cases,  and  112  penalties 
were  imposed,  amounting  in  all  to  nearly  TllO.  Of 
sugar,  397  samples  were  analysed,  and  twenty-nine 
were  condemned.  Most  of  these  were  beet  sugar 
coloured  to  imitate  Demerara  sugar,  but  four  samples 
contained  small  proportions  of  mineral  matter.  Small 
fines  were  inflicted  in  nine  cases. 
Tea  V.  Tobacco. — When  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea 
planters  set  about  the  capture  of  the  American  tea 
market  they  did  not  contemplate  that  the  demand 
for  tea  would  be  increased  owing  to  the  new  use 
for  it  as  a substitute  for  tobacco.  It  appears  from 
American  papers  that  the  craze  for  smoking  cigarettes 
made  of  tea  is  rapidly  spreading  among  women  in 
the  United  States.  To  make  the  tea  cigarette  one 
takes  a grade  of  green  tea  which  has  but  little  dust, 
being  composed  of  unbroken  leaf,  and  dampens  it 
caieiully,  just  enough  to  permit  the  leaves  to  be  un- 
rolled without  being  broken,  and  so  to  be  left  pliable 
and  capable  of  being  stuffed  in  the  paper  cylinder 
while  the  dampness  is  not  sufficient  to  stain  the 
paper.  The  cigarettes  are  laid  aside  for  a few  days, 
and  are  then  ready  to  be  smoked.  The  feeling  of  a 
tea  cigarette  in  the  mouth,  says  an  American  con- 
temporary, is  peculiar.  The  taste  is  not  so  dis- 
agreeable as  might  be  supposed,  but  the  effect  on  the 
tyro  is  a sense  of  dizziness  and  a disposition  co  take 
hold  of  something  or  to  sit  down.  If  the  beginner 
leaves  off  then,  that  settles  it ; she  will  not  try  tea 
cigarettes  again.  If,  however,  the  smoker  sit  down  an 
try  a second  cigarette,  inhaling  it  deeply,  then  the 
dizziness  passes,  and  is  succeeded  by  one  of  intense 
exhilaration.  This  stage  lasts  as  long  as  the  smoking 
