May  I,  1896.J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
747 
LIBERIAN  COFFEE. 
The  African  republic  is  looked  to  for  a coffee 
crop  of  50,000  piculs  this  year,  against  30,(X)0  piculs 
produced  in  1895. — American  (J rover,  March  11. 
IS  THE  LANTANA  A FRIEND  OR  AN 
ENEMY  ? 
SiE, — The  Lantana  is  an  abomination,  we  shall  all 
agee  in  that,  but  I am  strongly  of  opinion  that  it  is  an 
abomination  that  we  shall  have  to  put  up  with,  and  in 
many  cases,  ought  to  encourage,  We  have  no  suffi- 
cient, experience  to  come  to  a decided  opinion,  but  I 
fancy  I see  in  the  Lantana  “ the  way  out  ” of  more 
difficultie.s  than  one,  notably  as  a means  of  taking 
possession  of  the  soil  to  begin  with,  and  protecting 
the  young  plants  afterwards.  I hope  no  Forest 
Officers  will  waste  money  trying  to  exterminate  this 
shrub,  except  by  the  legitimate  method  of  inserting 
young  plants  which  will  eventually  kill  it  out  by  their 
cover.  Velleda. 
— Indian  Forester  March. 
THE  INDIAN  TEA  ASSOCIATION 
(LONDON). 
FORTUEU  ISTElilM  llErORT  OF  TUB  .AMERICAN  AND 
FOREIGN  TEA  COMMITTEE. 
The  following  is  the  Committee’s  interim  report 
on  its  operations  since  the  issue  of  the  general  re- 
port on  July  last : 
In  response  to  the  circular,  issued  by  the  direction 
of  the  Committee  on  September  25  last,  request- 
ing that  subscriptions  to  this  fund  for  the  past 
season  should  be  based  on  the  scale  of  four  annas 
per  acre,  and  half  anna  per  maund  of  tea,  a total 
sum  of  R88, 879-7-0  has  been  subscribed,  representing 
a production  of  77  million  pounds  of  tea;  this  in- 
cludes a generous  contribution  from  the  Central 
Travancore  Planters’  Association  of  Southern  India, 
Mr.  Blechynden,  the  representative  of  the  Asso- 
ciation in  America,  has,  under  the  direction  and 
supervision  of  your  Committee,  continued  to  display 
much  energy  aud  ability  in  calling  attention  to  the 
teas  of  India  by  advertisements,  paragraphs  in 
newspapers,  supplying  tea  free  as  a beverage  in  places 
of  iDublic  resort,  &c..  and  has  also  arranged  in  con- 
junction with  the  Ceylon  Commissioner  to  co-operate 
with  private  firms  and  others  engaged  in  selling 
British-grown  teas  by  granting  subsidies  to  their 
advertisements,  and  other  similar  measures. 
With  reference  to  the  disposal  of  the  fund  collec- 
ted, the  Committee  have  to  report  that  they  have 
spent,  or  authorised  to  be  spent,  up  till  the  end  of 
June  next,  the  sum  of  £5,900,  which  is  niade  up 
approximately  as  follows : — Salaries,  travelling,  ser- 
vants, office,  &c.,  £l,300newspaper  articles,  i‘500 
advertising  £700  ; food  shows,  tea  demonstrations,  &c. 
£800;  subsidies,  £2,000;  total  £5,300. 
The  results  of  the  various  efforts  made  to  obtain 
a footing  in  the  markets  of  America  are  shown  in 
the  valuable  statistics  published  by  Messrs.  Gow, 
Wilson,  and  Stanton.  From  these  figures  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  increase  in  consumption  is  satisfac- 
tory. The  total  quantity  of  British-grown  tea  taken 
by  the  United  States  and  Canada  during  the  last 
six  years  has  been : 1895,  9,283,1441b : 1894,  5,379,5421b; 
1893,  4,211,0751b;  1892,  3,208,6551b;  1891,2,635,772; 
1890,  2,364,1521b. 
Of  this  quantity  the  amount  of  Indian  tea  used 
was  as  follows; — Re-exports,  U.K.  to  U.B.A.,  1895: 
198,6191b ; re-exports,  U.K.  to  Canada,  821,19511d  ; 
transhipments,  U'K-  to  U.S.A.,  1,549,5011b  ; tranship- 
ments, U.K.  to  Canada,  750,280;  direct  exports, 
Calcutta  to  North  America,  l,134.43;21b ; total 
5,154,0271b.  Re-exports, to  U.K.  U.S.A.,  1894  ;708, 9211b  ; 
re-exports,  U,K.  to  Canada,  711,2841b  ; transhipments, 
U.K.  to  U.S.A.,  768,4041b  ; transhipments,  U.K-  to 
Canada,  127,6211b  ; direct  exports,  Calcutta  to  North 
America,  551.750  lb. ; total,  2.867,980  lb.  Re-exports, 
y.K,  to  U,S.A.,  1893 : 848,302  ib, ; le-expoits,  U.fi, 
to  Canada,  648,271  lb. ; transliipments,  U.K.  to  U.S.A. 
352,961.;  transhipments,  U.K.  to  Canada,  154,713  1b.; 
direct  exports,  Calcutta  to  North  America,  187,798  lb.; 
total,  2,228,045  lb.  Re-exports,  U.K.  to  U.S.A.,  1892 : 
600,216  lb. ; re-exports,  U.K  to  Canada,  789,065  lb. ; 
transhipments,  U.K.  to  U.S.A. , 121,958  lb. ; tranship- 
ments, U.K.  to  Canada,  25,187  lb. ; direct  exports,  Cal- 
cutta to  North  America,  81.862  lb. ; total,  1,618,288  lb. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  the  teas  of  India  and 
Ceylon  have  now  obtained  a footing  in  Western 
markets,  and  that  the  ordinary  trade  organisations 
and  commercial  rivalry  of  keen  business  men  may 
be  left  to  push  British-grown  teas  into  consumption. 
The  committee  are  strongly  opposed  to  this  view 
for,  having  regard  to  the  very  large  extensions  which 
are  coming  into  bearing  both  in  India  and  Ceylon, 
they  are  of  opinion  that  it  would  bo  a grave  error 
to  leave,  at  present,  entirely  unaided  the  extension  of 
consumption  in  the  United  States.  It  is,  therefore, 
essential,  in  their  opinion,  that  there  should  be  a 
levy  for  the  season  of  1896,  on  the  same  basis  as 
in  the  iiast  year,  and  that  immediate  steps  should 
bo  taken  to  collect  subscriptions. 
Should  the  whole  of  the  fund  thus  raised  not  bo 
spent  in  America,  the  committee  would  be  prepared 
to  support  efforts  to  extend  new  markets  in  Russia, 
South  Africa,  aud  other  places. 
The  committee  have  much  pleasure  in  testifying 
their  satisfaction  with  the  work  done  by  Mr.  Blechyn- 
den during  the  period  under  review. 
ABSTRACT  OF  PROCEEDINGS  OF  A MEETING  OF  THE 
general  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION, 
HELD  ON  TUESDAY  LAST. 
The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  were  read  and 
confirmed.  A letter  was  received  from  Mr.  George 
Williamson  regretting  his  inability  to  attend,  and  ask- 
ing to  be  allowed  to  resign  the  office  of  vice-chairman, 
owing  to  ill-health.  The  secretary  was  requested  in 
reply  to  express  the  regret  of  the  General  Committee, 
and  to  ask  Mr.  Williamson  to  allow  his  resignation  to 
stand  over  until  the  annual  meeting.  A letter  from 
Mr.  D.  M.  Stewart  was  read  in  support  of  the  move- 
ment for  a further  levy  to  continue  the  work  in  America. 
The  chairman,  ii^resenting  the  interim  report  of  the 
American  and  Foreign  Tea  Committee,  which  was 
taken  as  read,  said  he  thought  that  the  meeting  would 
generally  agree  that  theCommitte  was  working  on  the 
right  lines.  Mr.  Blechynden  had  altered  very  con- 
siderably his  plan  of  operations,  which  in  place  of  con- 
sisting. as  formerly,  of  native  servants  and  food 
shows,  was  now  chiefly  carried  on  by  means  of  adver- 
tisements and  assistants  given  to  firms  engaged  in 
pushing  Indian  tea,  although  he  still  occasionally 
made  use  of  food  shows.  Mr.  Rabau  wislied  toknow 
of  what  basis  the  subsidies  were  given.  The  chair- 
man stated  that  Mr.  Blechynden  gave  a sum  equal  to 
one-third,  or  in  some  cases  one-half,  of  the  amount  the 
firm  was  prepared  to  spend  for  advertising  in  order  to  in- 
crease their  advertisement  fund.  Mr.  Roberts  wished  to 
know  if  the  amount  of  the  proposed  levy  was  to  be 
the  same  as  last  year.  The  chairman  said  the  com- 
mittee recommended  a levy  on  the  same  basis  as 
last  year.  Mr.  Bryans  said  he  had  hesitated  to  re- 
commend a continuance  of  the  work  in  America,  be- 
cause he  was  the  only  member  of  the  committee 
actually  interested  in  spending  more  money  in  push- 
ing the  tea  in  America,  although  he  thought  it  would 
be  a great  mistake  to  leave  off  just  now.  Since  the 
report  was  printed  he  had  received  a letter  from  his 
New  York  Agents,  which  he  asked  permission  to  read 
to  the  meeting  : “ In  regard  to  work  which  has  been 
done  by  the  Indian  Tea  Association  in  working  up 
this  market,  I le-arn  from  Mr.  Blechynden  that  there 
is  a great  probability  of  his  being  retired  in  May 
aud,  should  this  be  the  case,  it  would  be  a matter 
of  regret  for  the  India  business,  as  Mr.  Mackenzie  has 
being  telling  us  that  a further  large  sum  of  some 
thousand  pounds  has  been  voted  by  the  Ceylon  Com- 
mittee for  the  continuation  of  pushing  their  teas  on 
this  market It  has  taken  Mr.  Blechynden 
years  to  find  the  best  means  to  use,  and  now  that 
success  has  rewarded  his  efforts  it  would  be  a pity 
to  send  some  new  man  to  begin  at  the  beginning 
From  tbia  lettcc  it  waa  quite  evident  th^t 
