May  I,  1896.1 
niK  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
749 
COPKEE  lip  TO  DATE. 
We  have  befo.e  u'?  a be-ui  iful  exaiiiplc  of  the 
ingenuity  of  oiu-  Arne;  ooiisi'is.  It  is  cre'  -'roj.-  than 
the  wooden  inittn -g  f '.me  J the  world  over.  It  is  con- 
cocted, liiio  tne  H'>athen  Chinese  card  phiying, 
“with  intent  tn  deceive,”  and  it  would  no  doubt 
deceive  990  persons  out  of  every  1,000.  It  is  an  imi- 
tation coffee  bean,  and  its  uses  are  obvious. 
It  was  accompanied  by  the  following  thoroughly 
business-like  letter:— 
[copy.] 
“ The  Do.vling  ilanufacturing  Company,  sole  manu- 
facturers of  Conipres.^ed  Coffee  Compound,  No.  104, 
North  15th-atreet,  Philadelphia. 
‘‘To  the  Wholesale  Trade. 
“Dear  Sir, — Hjicwith  we  present  for  your  in.spec- 
tion  a sample  of  -uv  erffc-e  compound.  ' I contains 
not.  i'i.g  Jiat  h..  ---st  o'  p”,e  r'l.l  hc..dthful  ingredi- 
ents, ..ml  i^  mil'  o.!'-  n ,.io  h"!>n  shape. 
‘■lly  blcnditiu  it  11  a ; r.l  c ffie  bean  y u 
can  improve  it  nd  b ig  it  •■.  ilvo  the  reach  of 
tho.se  unable  to  .ui chase  it  the  present  high  price 
of  coffee. 
‘“.'.  8 sell  only  to  tb.’  trale  at  8 cents  per  pound, 
III  bairels  of  abi  lit  18.1  pou.uls,  F.O.B. 
‘‘Our  pioce.s.s  is  paterled. 
‘‘In  ordering  send  si  ni[,!eof  roast,  so  we  can  match 
your  goods. 
"Terms:  30  days,  2 off  10  davs. — Yours,  etc..  The 
Dowling  Manufacturing  Co.,  104,  North  15th-street, 
Phiiadelphia,  Pa.” 
It  is  a pity  that  so  touching  an  object-lesson  in 
A..mencan  honesty  should  have  come  our  way,  for  we 
fec-l  it  our  duty  to  bring  this  latest  fake  in  coffee, 
as  we  brought  that  of  le-lhiiig  exhausted  tea  leaves 
before  the  (.'ustoms  Hnuse  auttioi  itie.s  and  the  Iln.ard 
of  Trade.  They  m ty  cur.se  u.s  for  disturbing  their 
peaceful  alnmhers  for  any  purpose  other  than  tliat  of 
drawing  theii-  saiaric.s,  hut  as  we  like  coffee  pure,  we 
nope  these,  authoritier,  in  giatcful  memory  of  our 
many  previoiu  tips  to  them,  will  squelch  this  latest, 
move  m Yankee  smartness.— A’oorf  and  Sanitation, 
March  11th. 
- ^ 
OUR  LONDON  TEA  LETTER. 
[From  Oxir  Own  Correspondent.) 
March  0th,  1896. 
THE  LONDON  PUBLIC  SALES. 
There  has  been  some  inte*’esting  correspondence  on 
this  subject  in  I'he  Home  and  Colonial  of  21st  Feb. 
Mr.  F.  D.  Shillington  advocates  that  the  week’s  sales 
of  Ceylon  teas  |shonld  bo  spread  over  two  days  in- 
stead of  being  crowded  into  the  one  day  (Tuesday) 
as  has  .been.  He  suggests  that  Tuesdays  aiid 
Wednesdays  be  in  future  devoted  to  Ceylon  teas, 
and  Mondays  and  Thursdays  will  be  given  to  the 
Indian  instead  of  Mondays,  Wednesdays  and  Thurs- 
day.s  a^  hitherto.  This  is  a doubtless  a ni.atter 
calling  for  most  careful  consideration  from  all  in- 
terested and  most  competent  to  judge,  in  order 
that  all  be  arranged  for  the  best  interest  of  the 
producers  and  the  convenience  of  the  trade  if  any 
changes  are  desirable.  It  does  not  seem  unrea- 
sonable that  Ceylon,  with  her  rapidily  increasing 
trade  should  desire  more  time  for  her  weekly  offer- 
ings, but  it  may  not  be  to  the  interest  of  India  to 
submit  to  any  ciutailment.  How  is  the  fairest  ad- 
justment to  bo  arrived  at  ? Though  Thursday  is 
not  a full  day  so  far  Mr.  Shillington’s  proposal  of 
two  days  for  each  would  hardly  be  an  equitable  ar- 
rangement considering  the  present  claims  and  future 
outlook  of  Ceylon  and  India  respectively.  If  con- 
venient for  the  buyers  to  have  representatives  at 
two  sales  at  once,  (and  this  may  ultimately  have  to 
become  the  rule  not  the  exception),  it  might  suit 
to  make  Thursday  both  a Ceylon  and  Indian  day 
and  allow  Mondays  Tuesdays  and  Wednesdays  to  be 
occupied  as  at  present.  Friday  being  mail  day,  it  is 
doubtle.ss  well  to  have  it  and  likewise  Saturday  un- 
appropriated as  hitherto. 
'The  other  proposal  of  suggestion  is,  as  in  Calcutta, 
to  have  “ an  offseason,  to  cease  holding  any  public 
auction  of  Indian  teas  for  some  weeks  about  June 
to  give  ‘ the  market’  a period  of  rest,  and  to  agree 
to  a date  upon  which  the  first  sales  of  new  crop 
shall  be  held  in  London,”  and  is  called  attention  to 
by  Mr.  Herbeit  S.  Parker  of  Messrs.  Wm.  Jas.  and 
Hy.  Thompson  as  “ likely  to  be  made  to  importers 
and  then  brokers  by  some  of  the  Loudon  buyers.” 
Tills  seetna  a most  reasonable  proposal  and  a sim- 
pler affair  than  the  other.  It  would  also  give  more 
time  for  Ceylon  produce  which  comes  in  more  all  the 
j’ear  round  than  the  Indian  ; and  most  will  readily 
assent  to  Mr.  Piuker’s  concluding  remark, — “ that  the 
small  intermittent  sales  during  June,  attended  by 
unwilling  buyers,  are  not  altogether  conducive  to  the 
interests  of  producers.” 
GOVEUNMENT  ST.VnSTICS  OF  TEA  CULTIVATION. 
Mr.  O’Conor’s  note  on  this  subject  is  most  inter- 
esting. I will  only  notice  one  point  especially 
referred  to,  that  is  the  fact  of  the  quantity  of  tea  pro- 
duced having  increased  during  the  10  years  under 
review  (1S93-91)  in  a much  greater  ratio  than  the 
aren  nmh-r  cultivation. 
Thi  -i  would  seem  difficult  to  -iccount  for.  Of  course 
young  to-  lines  not  bear  nt  all  the  first  \ear,  and 
very  little  foi  sever-l  years,  in  fact  conie-s  i'lUo  bear- 
ing niMch  more  slowly  than  mosi  allow  for  in  their 
estimates  owing  to  scarcity  of  hilmur.  .■:ii, kn&ss.  un- 
fa voii;i  hie  weather,  and  the  like,  but  this  lells  almost 
all  the  Ollier  way;  the  siiuie  mny  he  said  of  the 
altered  style  of  plucking  which  I understand  has  be- 
come more  select  and  sparing  year  after  year.  It 
would  also  seem  to  me,  judging  from  the  districts 
with  which  I have  the  more  intimate  acquaintance, 
that  the  extensions  of  recent  years  must  have  been 
very  fully  e.stimated — nothing  more  likely  when  not 
actually  surveyed  by  a reliable  professional  (as  was 
very  common  in  the  early  days  of  tea) — but  this 
would  likewise  operate  all  in  the  opposite  direction 
if  it  were  so.  It  would  therefore  appear  entirely 
due  to  the  young  planting  in  the  decade  previous 
to  1885  coming  into  full  bearing  during  that  under 
review.  This  can  hardly  be  the  only  cause  though 
those  who  extended  in  duller  times  are  now'  reaping 
the  benefit,  and  large  extensions  made  during  the  last 
three  years  will  likely  come  into  bearing — for  less 
remunerative  markets  w'bere  over-production  is  once 
more  the  cry  ! Perhaps  some  of  your  readers,  Mr. 
Editor,  will  kindly  clear  upjhe  point  referred  to. 
One  encouraging  feature  however  is,  the  increase 
of  consumption  in  markets  outside  the  United 
Xingdoiii.  This  consumption  in  all  amounted  to 
38  428,157  lb.  last  year  against  29,453,539  lb.  in  1894, 
19.300,000  lb.  in  1892,  13,400,000  lb.  in  1890.— 7ndia« 
Planters’  Ga?:ette,  March  28. 
THE  FIRST  SUGAR  MILL  AT  HAN- 
WELLA. 
flanwella,  April  7. 
'Ihe  sugar  mill  recently  got  down  by  Mr.  G.  E. 
Ainarasekara  through  Messrs.  Walker  Sons  & Co.  of 
Colombo,  has  been  now  put  up  in  position  and  is 
w'orked  hy  means  of  a pair  of  bullocks.  It  is 
capable  of  pressing  three  cart  loads  of  sugarcanes 
a day.  'The  juice  thus  pressed  out  is  strained  into 
three  large  copper  vats  which  are  fixed  to  an  oven 
having  a chimney  twenty-five  feet  high  at  one 
end,  and  boiled  into  a consistency',  removing 
all  the  scum,  and  poured  into  a w'ooden  box 
with  large  ladles,  where  it  is  left  to  be  hardened. 
When  it  is  quite  firm,  it  is  cut  with  spades  and 
removed  in  buckets  to  another  ivooden  box,  and 
left  there  till  the  sugar  is  separated  from  the 
ti’eacle,  when  the  sugar  is  gathered  and  dried,  and 
put  into  bags  for  the  market,  and  the  treacle  is 
poured  into  casks. 
The  tea  estates  at  Hanwella  and  the  neigh- 
boui'ing  districts  supply  us  with  all  the  tea  we  re- 
quire for  our  daily  use,  and  cheap  sugar  was  what 
we  were  badly  in  want  of,  which  too  has  now  been 
placed  within  our  easy  reach  by  Messrs.  G.  E.  Amara- 
sekara  and  D.  J.  Ainarasekara  Mudaliyar,  whom  we 
have  also  to  thank  sincerely  for  the  introduction 
of  new  implements  in  our  midst,  for  giving  employ- 
ment to  the  poor  labourers,  and  also  opening  a 
market  for  the  sugarcane  growers  in  this  district 
in  the  way  of  encouragement,  we  wish  Messrs. 
Amarasekara  all  success  and  good  speed  in  their 
new  enterprise.  X Villageji. 
