778 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  I,  1896. 
“ The  disparaging  reports,  which  have  of  late  been 
about  .■  regarding  the  iiuhealthiness  of  the  Wynaad, 
have  been  spi’ead  by  men  who  do  not  desire  to  see 
any  development  of  the  Tea  Industry  in  Wynaad, 
as  they  fear  if  large  openings  are  made  labor  will 
become  expensive.  In  this  they  are  mistaken,  as  we 
are  satisfied  there  is  ample  labor  to  be  hal  near  at 
hand  for  airy  amount  of  openings  at  same  labor 
rates." 
THE  LADYBIRD  BEETLES  FOR  GREEN 
BUG. 
Oliiya,  April  2. 
Dear  Sir, — I have  just  heard  from  Prof' 
Henry  Tryon,  of  Brishane,  wdtli  reference  to  my 
a]>i>lication  for  the  larva  of  the  ladybird  beetle, 
and  I enclose  for  your  perusal  his  letter,  which 
you  may  make  what  use  of  you  like,  as  it  was 
through  the  courtesy  of  your  Mr.  John  Ferguson 
tliat  I learnt  to  whom  to  apply  for  the  beetles. 
I am  writing  to  Prof.  Tryon  to  send  me  a con- 
signment of  the  Criiptoloimus  Montrougieri,  and 
I trust  that  success  will  attend  its  introduction. — 
Yours  faithfully,  GEO.  H.  GREEN. 
N.B. — Probably  by  the  time  they  arrive,  my 
brother  Mr.  E.  E.  Green  will  be  back  in  Ceylon 
and  able  to  take  charge  of  them. 
Letter  referred  to. 
Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  25th  October,  addressed 
to  Mr.  C.  A.  Bernays  of  this  city  has  been  referred 
to  me  on  my  return  from  a protracted  visit  to  New 
Guinea.  With  reference  to  your  application  for  pre- 
daceous beetles  that  you  may  test  their  efficacy  in 
coping  with  the  “ Green  Bug"  that  attacks  your 
coffee.  I may  mention  that  I could  only  obta,in 
here  but  few  of  either  Vedalia  Cardinalis  or  Novius 
Kwbeli  and  indeed  not  many  of  lihizobins  ventralis. 
There  is,  however,  a fourth  scymnid  beetle.  Crypto- 
Imnius  montrouf/ieri  whose  existence  and  predaceous 
habits  I first  directed  attention  a few  years  since, 
that  occurs  here  in  plenty.  This  I shall  be  able  to 
procure  for  you  in  a few  months’  time  and  will  do 
so  should  you  wish  it.  Cryptolremus  has  already 
been  introduced  to  Honolulu  by  my  friend  Albert 
Kcebele,  and  has  already  rendered  great  benefit  to 
planters  there  by  destroying  some  of  their  worst  pests. 
Whilst  apologising  for  not  being  able  to  at  once 
comply  with  your  wishes,  I am.  dear  sir,  faithfully 
Yom-g  Henry  Tryon,  Entomologist. 
THE  RE-EXPORT  OF  TEA. 
Colombo,  April  8. 
Dear  Sir, — There  are  a few  points  in  your  inter- 
esting article  under  the  above  heading  to  which  we 
would  like  to  reply.  The  figures  although 
encouraging  prove  conclusively  that  as  yet  Ceylon 
tea  has  no  real  share  in  any  of  the  great  markets 
beyond  those  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  Australia. 
Dealing  with  your  surmise  that  probably  some 
of  the  2,288,895  lb.  exported  to  Germany  found  its 
wav  into  Holland,— you  will  find  that  nearly  the 
whole  of  this  quantity  was  exported  to  Kunigsberg, 
clearly  indicating  its  destination  to  be  Russia.  Any 
supplies  reaching  Holland  through  Germany  would 
be^  sent  from  Hamburg  ; but  there  is  no  necessity 
for  tea  going  from  London  to  Holland  to  touch 
Germany,  for  there  is  a constant  regular  service  of 
steamers  between  London  and  Rotterdam;  and  you 
mav  take  it  that  all  the  tea  drawn  from  London 
reaches  Holland  in  this  way.  Tim  reason  of  Holland 
takinc  more  Indian  tea  than  Ceylon  is  explained 
hv  the  fact  that  the  largest  dealers  in  tea  there  will 
not  buy  Ceylon  and  is  a very  large  buyer  of  Indian; 
and  moreover  before  Ceylon  teas  makes  much  pro- 
rress  ill  this  and  the  German  markets,  some  im- 
nrovemeiit  must  be  made  in  the  general  make  and 
Htvle  of  the  leaf  of  medium  Ceylon  pekoes  and 
„pioo  souchong.  The  same  complaints  about  ap- 
Soaranco  are  made  both  in  the  States  and  Canada, 
and  many  American  firms  are  buying  Indians  today 
on  account  of  the  superiority  of  their  leaf  alone. 
Rough- leafed  teas,  however  good  in  liquor,  will  not 
be  taken  in  the  States  where  they  have  got  accus- 
tomed to  the  wiry  well  rolled  leaf  of  Japan  tea. 
This  is  a question  worthy  of  planters'  consideration  : 
for  there  is  no  market  in  which  leaf  is  not  an  im- 
portant point.  To  turn  to  the  figures  of  America 
upon  which  you  lay  special  stress,  we  find  from 
the  American  Customs  returns  that  rather  over  80 
million  pounds  of  Japan  and  China  tea  were  im- 
ported as  against  four  of  Indian  and  Ceylon.  Taking 
the  figures  of  Messrs.  Gow,  Wilson  A Stanton  as  re- 
ported by  you,  viz  : 1,423,573  of  Ceylon,  this  leaves 
24  million  pounds  of  Indian,  which  is  far  more  in 
accordance  with  what  our  own  experience  would 
lead  us  to  imagine  were  the  relative  proportions  of  the 
consumption  of  the  two  grades.  Reducing  the  domestic 
averages  down  to  ounces  per  capita  for  comparison 
this  gives  Coffee  144 
Japan  and  China  tea  20 
India  and  Ceylon  1 
proviug  what  a large  field  is  offered  in  this  one 
market  alone  for  Ceylon  tea,  and  how  small  the 
progress  at  present  made.  AVe  have  no  official  Cus- 
toms returns  before  us  of  Canadian  Imports,  but  we 
know  many  firms  there  who  are  using  four  chests 
of  Indian  to  one  of  Ceylon— again  entirely  owing 
to  the  superiority  of  the  leaf  of  the  Indian.  To  get 
areal  share  in  these  markets,  it  is  essential  that  more 
tea  should  be  sold  locally  of  a suitable  character,  and 
the  grades  chiefly  required  are  as  follows : — Good 
leafed  low  grown  teas,  and  as  an  example  of  leaf  and 
general  style,  we  would  quote  Vogan,  the  manufacture 
of  which  does  great  credit  to  the  manager  of  the 
estate.  Well  made  pekoe  souchongs  and  pekoes  with 
Ceylon  flavor,  and  under  this  heading  such  teas  as 
Glasgows,  Glentilts,  Glassaughs,  Brownlows,  Tien- 
tsins,  High  Forests,  may  be  quoted  as  examples. 
Wiry  leafed  orange  pekoes  such  as  Dunbars,  Agra 
Ouvah,  Ottery,  Stamford  Hill,  for  which  grades  the 
local  market  is  by  far  the  best.  Dusts  of  all  kinds 
and  good  leafed  broken  pekoe  free  from  dust. 
Why  so  much  prejudice  against  printing  locally 
shou'd  exist  amongst  planters,  we  cannot  understand, 
and  wo  return  to  this  point  again  at  a time,  when 
London  prices  may  emphasize  what  we  have  pre- 
viously written  upon  this  point. 
From  the  London  Circulars  of  March  20th  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  great  bulk  of  low  grown  pekoe 
sou  realized  from  4Jd  to  5Id  per  lb.  and  for  Ceylon 
flavored  grades  of  the  same  description — fine  liquor- 
ing teas — 5Jd  and  in  a very  few  instances  7.44. low  grown 
pks.  5id  to  G.jd.  Ceylon  flavored  pekoes  7jd  to  8id;  and 
those  prices  rule  in  face  of  favorable  re-export  re- 
turns and  a strong  home  statistical  position.  What 
prices  would  have  ruled  had  not  a large  proportion  of 
last  year’s  increase  been  sent  to  other  markets?  Each 
year,  what  is  taking  place  now  in  London  occurs, 
dealers  naturally  refusing  to  hold  stock  in  anticipation 
of  the  large  exports  of  the  next  few  months.  It  is 
generally  estimated  that  there  .will  be  a further 
increase  in  the  exports  this  year  < of  10  per  cent 
and  we  feel  sure  that  planters  will  at  no  very 
distant  date  have  to  face  even  lower  prices  than 
those  at  present  ruling,  if  what  we  advocate  is  not 
adopted,  which  is  the  only  true  method  of  forcing 
Ceylon  Tea  into  Colonial  and  Foreign  Markets.  Of 
about  20  million  pounds  sold  last  year  in  Colombo, 
a proportion  of  which  was  unsuitable  for  any  market 
outside  Great  Britain,  and  only  there  at  a very  low 
price,  12,200,000  lb.  were  exported  direct  to  countries 
other  than  England,  and  a further  large  quantity  was 
transhipped  at  London  and  sent  without  being  landed, 
to  America,  the  Colonies  and  the  Continent.  It  is 
at  this  increasing  trade  that  the  Dock  Compam’’s 
unwise  circular  as  to  overside  charges  is  directed.  'The 
existing  high  London  charges  have  already  removed 
from  London  to  Hamburg,  the  great  bulk  of  the  China 
tea  for  distribution  in  Germany,  Holland  etc.,  and 
if  persisted  ill,  the  tea  now  going  in  English  bottoms 
to  London  for  transhipment,  will  go  in  the  ex- 
cellent German  or  other  foreign  steamers  at  the 
disposal  of  merchants  and  the  transhipments  will 
take  place  at  Hamburg  or  Antwerp  instead  of,  as 
hitherto,  London,  The  present  Loudon  rates  on  tea 
