June  i,  1896.]  THE  'I  ROPlC  AL  AGRICULTURIST.  825 
We  confess  to  that  fault  ourselves,  and  not  until 
repeated  tests  were  made  did  we  find  our  prejudice 
disappearing.  British-grown  teas  are  made  by 
machinery  and  not  by  hand,  and  therefore  it  is 
claimed  the  leaf  cells  are  more  broken,  and  their 
contents  more  susceptible  to  the  iuhuence  of  boiling 
water  than  tea  manipulated  by  the  hand  or 
foot.  This  simply  ineaiis  that  care  must  taken  to 
properly  infuse  tiie  leaf.  An  even  teaspoonful  of  a 
straight  Ceylon  or  Indian  tea,  infused  for 
three  minutes,  is  sufficient  to  make  four  teacup- 
fuls of  a delicious  and  fragrant  beverage  to  such  as 
drink  tea  without  tiimmiu’s.'’ 
At  the  Chicago  Pair,  the  Madison  Square  Garden 
and  other  food  e.\hibits,  we  have  been  impressed 
with  the  fine  quality  and  i^alate-tickling  character 
of  the  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  served,  and  invariably 
wondered  why  we  could  not  secure  like  results  at 
home.  We  have  discovered  that  the  fault  was  with 
our  method  rather  than  with  the  leaf. 
There  are  fancy,  fine,  choice,  good,  indifferent 
and  bad  qualities  of  British-grown  tea,  as  there 
aie  of  China  and  Japan  sorts.  The  British-grown 
teas  lend  themselves  admirably  to  blending,  and 
probably  the  bulk  consumed  in  this  country  are 
used  for  tnat  purpose.  Wc  have  yet  to  learn 
the  economy  and  desirability  of  using  the  better 
grades  straight  and  without  the  “ tt-Kin’s,”  which 
tend  to  rob  the  tea  of  its  delightful  aroma. 
We  suggest  that  American  Grocer  readers  test  this 
matter  f jr  themselves  ; draw  Ceylon  and  Indian  tea 
and  become  satisfied  in  their  own  mind  as  to  their 
possessing  body  and  fine  flavor  at  less  relative  cost 
to  thecDusumer  than  other  teas. 
A satisfactory  article  can  be  purchased  from  18 
to  45  cents  ; the  finer  the  tea  the  higher  the  price, 
just  as  with  other  teas.  A very  fancy  Formosa 
commands  75  cents,  and  a very  fancy  Ceylon  or 
India  quite  as  much,  but  one  pound  of  Ceylon  will  go 
as  tar  as  two  or  three  of  the  China  sort. 
It  is  evident  that  a great  future  is  opening  for 
Ceydon  and  India  tea  in  this  coiiutry.  Having 
more  body  and  more  pronounced  flavor  than  the 
delicate  tea  of  China  oi  Japan,  they  will  grow  in 
favour  with  those  who  now  use  beer  or  coffee  at 
every  meal.  The  testimony  of  some  of  our  best  retail 
groces  is  that  consumers  soon  acquire  a taste  for 
these  teas,  it  being,  to  some  e.xtent,  an  acquired  taste, 
owing  to  American  consumers  having  become  ad- 
dicted to  the  use  of  other  kinds. 
If  those  interested  will  address  a request  for 
samples  of  Mr.  It.  Blechyuden,  Iloom  41,  No.  183 
Front  street,  we  have  no  doubt  he  will  take  pleasure 
in  having  the  same  forwarded.  Althongh  not  a 
dealer  himself,  he  is  the  accredited  agent  here  of  the 
Indian  Tea  Association,  representing  the  tea  in- 
dustry, and  ready  to  advance  its  interests  in  any 
way  that  is  practicable. — Amencan  Grocer,  March  25 
^ 
LOCUSTS  AND  COFFEE  BLOSSOM. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Central  African  Tlanter. 
Dear  Sir, — I would  like  to  know  what  other  planters 
have  observed  in  regard  to  locusts  and  their  periodi- 
c.il  visits  during  our  blossoming  season  and  give  the 
following  as  my  own. 
On  the  5th,  (5th,  and  7th  October,  we  had  ITO, 
2’25  and  '50  inches  of  rain,  making  a total  of  4T2 
inches  wdricu  brought  out  a blossom  (our  best  and 
largest  for  the  season)  averaging  on  good  coffee  2J 
cwt.  per  acre,  which  opened  during  the  night  of  the 
15th  October. 
About  noon  on  the  same  day  a cloud  of  locusts 
came  along  and  settled  upon  the  greai.er  part  of  the 
blossom  devouring  the  flower  so  quickly  that  there 
was  no  time  to  drive  them  off,  moreover  any  at- 
tempt made  was  useless.  The  result  'was  in  half-an- 
hour  not  a flower  was  to  be  seen  e.xcept  where  no 
locusts  had  lighted.  Not  only  was  the  flower  eaten 
off  but  in  many  instances  the  greater  part  of  the 
newly  formed  berries,  which  of  course  resulted  in  a 
total  failure  of  the  blossom  attacked. 
I W'atched  the  result  most  carefully  and  after  about 
three  weeks  the  wood  upon  which  this  identical 
blossom  was  (and  it  onli/)  began  to  turn  black  and 
die  off 
It  might  be  attributed  to  drought  but  it,  in  my 
opinion,  ciannot  be,  as  there  was  plenty  of  moisture 
in  the  soil ! only  the  wood  on  which  that  identical 
blossom  was  died  and  this  also  in  moist,  low,  damp 
places,  in  shade  and  out  of  shade. 
My  firm  belief  is  the  wood  was  poisoned  by  the 
locusts  when  they  found  coffee  blossom  disagreed 
wdth  them.— Yours,  etc.,  Henry  Brown. 
Dunraven,  Mlauje,  24th  Jan.,  189P. 
[We  know  of  one  case  in  which  a Planter  attri- 
buted the  failure  of  blossom  to  locusts  and  there  is 
no  doubt  they  do  a lot  of  harm  to  young  coffee 
shoots  by  nipping  them  off  and  eating  them  half 
through.  We  would  hardly  think  however  they 
ntaliciousl/j  poisoned  the  young  wood  but  rather  that 
they  injured  it  iii  their  endeavours  to  eat  it. — Ed. 
C.A.  P.  \ 
- 
WILL  COFFEE  FAY? 
'To  the  Editor  of  the  Central  African  Tlanter. 
Dear  Sir, — I have  not  yet  received  my  copy  of  the  C. 
A.  P.  No.  (5  as  I am  on  the  river,  but  I am  told  that 
there  is  a question  as  to  what  I have  based  my  average 
crop  on  for  the  whole  of  our  plantations. 
I cannot  give  my  figure  .still  1 go  back  to  my  estate,  but 
sufficient  to  say  that  I based  my  calcula  ions  on  export 
of  coffee,  acreage  in  bearing  and  length  of  time  of 
acreage  in  bearing. 
_ I shall  be  glad  to  find  that  my  average  is  too  small 
if  any  one  wifi  be  good  enough  to  try  the  calculation 
and  publish  it  in  the  C.  A.  P. 
We  cannot  base  the  prosperity  of  our  coffee  industry 
on  any  particular  plantation  or  special  crop,  or  on 
maiden  crop,  but  on  the  output  compared  with  the 
acreage  in  bearing  and  taking  an  average  for  a period 
of  years.  I do  not  think  our  extension  of  acreage  is 
founded  on  the  basis  of  paying  results  in  the  pasL  but 
of  a conviction  that  ive  are  methodically  wrong  and  that 
when  we  find  out  our  errors,  we  possess  in  our  exten- 
sions, a good  thing? 
We  all  say  coffee  is  paying,  but  where  are  the  exports 
to  show  it  ? Imports  abnormally  exceed  our  exports 
Yours  faithfully,  A.  C.  Simpson! 
— Central  Atiican  Tlanter,  March. 
THE  CITilOXELLA-OIL  DISPUTE. 
Another  chapter  of  the  Treatt-Domeier  citronella- 
oil  dispute  has  been  concluded  this  week.  As  ive 
mentioned  in  our  issue  of  March  21,  Messrs.  Domeier 
& Co.  were  the  purchasers  of  a second  parcel  of 
citronella  oil  from  Mr.  R.  C.  Treatt,  in  addition  to 
the  one  previously  commented  upon.  The  arbitra- 
tors appointed  under  the  rules  of  the  London  Pro- 
duce-Brokers’ Association  have  decided  that  .Messrs 
Domeier  A Co.  must  accept  and  pay  for  tho  first  par! 
cel  tendered,  although  the  oil  was  admittedly  adul- 
terated to  the  extent  of  about  42  per  cent,  and  a 
Judge  in  Chambers  has  ruled  that  a dispute  must  be 
submitted  to  arbitration,  according  to  the  conditions 
of  the  contract,  before  recourse  can  be  h cl  to  the  law 
of  the  laud.  Under  these  circumstances  tbs  evolution 
of  the  dispute  concerning  the  second  parcel  of  oil 
(the  first,  we  understand,  having  been  accepted  and 
paid  for,  is  considered  as  a terminatecl  transaction)  has 
been  awaited  with  much  interest  in  Minciu"  Lane 
circles.  The  arbitrators  were  Mr.  W.  W Green  (of 
Uio  firm  Brookes  & Green),  for  41  r.  Treatt,  and  1\H 
French  (of  French  & Pluckuett),  for  Messrs.  Domei°r 
iV'  Co  , and  the  case  was  heard  on  Tuesday,  the  nro 
caedings  occupying  two  hours.  Both  parties  to  the 
dispute  were  represented  by  their  legal  advisers  and 
among  those  present  at  the  hearing  were  Messrs  C 
and  C.  J.  Uniney  and  Edward  Horner,  who  eave 
evidence  for  Mr.  Domeier,  and  a representative  of 
Messrs.  S.  Figgs  A'  Co.,  the  brokers  who  sold  the 
citronella  oil.  The  fact  that  the  parcel  was  adulter- 
ated by  the  same  means,  and  to  almost  the  same  ex' 
tent,  as  the  first,  was  not  deiuel.  and  Mr.  Treatt  re- 
lied exclusively  upon  the  ciu’cdf  eniyffcu- principle  which 
