§44 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRicui/ruRisr. 
(June  i,  1896. 
this  result  is,  of  course,  doubtful,  but  its  inevitability 
would  seem,  none  the  less,  to  foreshadow  the  toudeucy 
of  prices,  and  the  ulciinate  ending  of  another  futile 
effort  to  corner  a natural  product.— Oi/  Paint  and  JJt  uy 
Reporter. 

TEA  AND  COFFEE. 
Ceylon  planters  are  jubilant  at  the  Chancellor  of 
the  E.'tchequer’s  statement  in  submitting  the  bud- 
get which  states  that  tea  is  expelling  coifee  from 
the  market.  No  doubt  the  Indian  and  Ceylon  kinds 
are  rapidly  replacing  those  grown  in  China,  but 
it  is  not  quite  so  clear  that  all  this  satisfaction 
can  bo  showed  l)y  those  who  are  interested  in  the 
production  of  coffee.  The  important  point  it  .seems 
to  us  is  that  tea  can  be  prepared  quickly  by  the 
most  ignorant  of  workman’s  wives,  while  the  pre- 
paration of  coifee  as  a beverage  is  a more  elabo- 
rate and  more  protracted  business.  Even  when 
purchased  ready  ground  the  the  making  of  thee  Ifee 
and  its  percolation  tbreugh  the  receiver  of  a pro- 
perly constructed  coifee  pot  requires  more  care  tnan 
the  mere  pouring  of  boihug  water  ou  tea  does.  Coffee 
also  demands  the  consumption  of  more  milk  than  is 
available  in  the  poorer  classes  of  households,  whereas 
tea,  with  a little  sugar,  and  little  or  no  milk,  is  still  a 
popular  drink.  Still  acknowledging  the  greater  con- 
venience of  tea  as  a beverage  lor  the  masses,  coifee, 
especially  if  its  use  by  the  po  rer  classes  can  be 
simplified  and  populaiiscr  to  a greatei’ degree  thm 
at  present,  should  always  command  so  large  a 
market  that  capital  need  not  hesitate  to  invest  in 
the  production  of  coffee  in  the  Straits  or  other  suit- 
able field  for  its  cultivation.— E.  Presf,  Apiil  dB. 
COFFEE  NOTES. 
From  tlie  state  of  Espiiilo  Santo  there  were 
exported  last  year  21,0-0,617  hilo.s  (4lU,(i93  hag.s) 
of  collee,  or  r,o0U,0(tU  kilos  more  than  in  ISlM. 
The  otlicial  value  of  the  collee  exported  last  yeai 
was  31,528,00;  frOOO. 
The  Diarin  Pfipvlar  of  SAo  I’aulo  has  had  two 
branches  from  collee  trees  ot  UibeirAo  Freto  on 
exliihition  in  its  ollice.  Each  branch  .show-.s  21 
clusters  {rorxfn.s)  of  fruit,  all  well  filled  and  finely 
developed.  Tliis  eertaiiily  does  not  confirm  the 
recent  reports  of  a greatly  diminished  crop. 
It  is  reported  from  the  city  of  Mexico  that  the 
representative  of  a syndicate  ot  I.iiglish  capitaii.sts 
has  recently  pnrcliased  .fonjOnu  acres  of  eofiee  land 
on  tlie  isthmus  ol  Tehuantepec,  and  Lliat  the  tract 
will  he  planted  in  collee  trees.  American  capital- 
ists have  investcal  several  Imiidred  thoiisaml  dol- 
lars in  collee  lands  on  the  isthmus  within  tlie  past 
few  months.  — Rio  Aca'.S’,  March  24. 
TEA  MAHKET. 
The  Tea  market  wears  a firm  aspect,  Indian  tea 
coming  in  for  chief  notice,  and  the  advance  on  the 
lower  “rados  since  the  commencement  of  the  month 
is  ove^  5 per  cent.  Ceylon  tea  shows  some  im- 
provement, both  in  quality  and  price,  for  the  lower 
grades.  China  growth  is  out  of  favour  for  want  of 
suitable  supplies. — . (i»d  Erepreeis,  April  24. 
MAWKKT  FDD  TEA  SHAUFy. 
Thursday  Evening,  Apri.  2.3rd,  18s)(>. 
There  ha«  ticcn  continued  strong  buying  of  all  the 
more  prominent  Indian  Tea  Smues,  aim  lUe  *•  Official 
records  advances— in  some  cases  more  tUan 
one  diuiiig  the  week— in  three  or  f.  nr  of  the  issues  i.;- 
cliided  in  its  column-.  In  most  cases  there  is  scarcity 
of  stock,  holders  preferring  to  bold  .m  and  await  receijit 
of  tae  final  dividends,  shortly  to  be  announced. 
Miu.iiig  Erne  Marko.  Eu-  the  produce  m.aks  au 
advance,  vviih  a scarcity  of  supplies  of  Indians  ana  no 
excessive  over-supply  of  Ceylons. 
Quoted  Sh.vkes. — Bast  India  and  Cayloii  Ordinaiy 
have  been  luxeii  at  114.  Nothing  in  Piefs. 
(ijoYoEN  Shares. — C.'i'.l*.  Co.  Oidm  .ry  li.ive  changed 
hands  at  bui,  witii  more  w^nUid,  auJ  tlic  Profs.  atlTij. 
Eastern  Produce  sliares  have  been  t-iken,  we  uuder- 
stiuid,  at  5.1,  cum  final  3.1  per  ceiu.  div.  jii.-t  announced. 
Now  Dimijula  Id’s  have  changed  hands  at  19  and 
at  19.4. — //.  A-  ( Mall,  April  24. 
PEANTINd  AND  PKOIilTE. 
The  Sinews  of  War. — M’e  print  elsewhere  an  ap- 
peal alula  remonstrance  addressed  by  those,  members 
of  the  Indian  Tc-a  Association,  London,  who  consti- 
tute the  commiUee  charged  with  the  work  of  deve- 
loping new  m arkets  for  Indian  tea  to  those  couijjanies 
and  firms  w'lio  have  b(dd  aloof  from  helping  the  cause. 
It  IS  usually  very  dilfiauilt  to  peiMia  'e  tlie  various 
members  of  an  indusiry  tl;at  something  more  than 
moial  support  is  required.  We  take  it  that 
ttiere  are  not  two  opinions  as  to  the  necessity 
for  opening  up  and  developing  Uew  niarkt-ts. 
but  it  would  seem  that,  although  this  is  admitted 
as  a general  proposition,  there  i.s  an  absence  of  that 
practical  support  which  is  necessary  if  the  work  is  to 
be  carried  ou  effectively.  There  is  no  lack  of  a ceitain 
sort  of  fervour  on  the  subject  biiv  theie  is  a want  of 
inoiievi  I’ciliaps  some  of  those  c ncenia  wiio  liavc 
hitherto  smiled  “ a sickly  sort  of  smile"  when  new 
markets  are  mentioned  will  ho  induced  to  abandon 
their  lukewarm  policy  and  “ come  down  handsome,” 
If  in  these  days  of  comparative  )nosperity  tlie.ie  is  an 
insufficiency  of  funds,  tlie  outlook  is  not  encouraging. 
Now  is  the  time  when  money  well  spent  will  be  of 
real  service.  It  is  the  duty  of  those  wlio  will  benefit 
by  the  increased  consumption  of  Indian  tea  abroad 
to  siiare  in  the  initial  expense,  or  if  thej'  do  not 
take  a liand  iliey  should,  as  a matter  of  course, 
state  plainly  why  they  do  not.  Wc  hope  the  appeal 
will  draw  forth  a suiipl)'  of  the  needful,  or,  at  least, 
lead  to  an  explanation  of  the  reason  why. 
Not  a Eheakfast  Tahlk  Eitdgf.t. — The  Pnidget  was 
not  CiilciilateU  to  please  everybody,  and  the  Grocer 
is  not  satisfied  with  it.  It  say.s:  “From  the  point 
of  view  of  that  immense  body  of  law-abiding  and 
hard-working  citiTiens,  the  retail  sliopkeepers,  whe- 
ther grocers  or  what  not,  the  Eudget  is  empliatieal- 
iy  a bad  one,  a most  disappointing  one.  Wo  hear 
such  expressions  as  ‘a  wonderful  year,’  and  we 
have  the  Chaiiccllor  of  the  I'lxcliequer  boasting  of 
his  mammoth  surplus  He  has  bandied  the  largest  sur- 
plus on  j ccord,  beating  liy  half  a million  the  Lowe  and 
Gladstone  surpluses  of  six  millions  eacii.  Hut  what 
has  been  done  with  it?  The  I owe  year  was  mat  in 
which  we  drank  off  the  Alabama  claim,  as  Eoril  Derby 
said,  and  that  year  m.iy  be  left  out  of  the  comparison. 
With  the  stcoiid  example  of  a six-million  siuqdus 
this  week's  Hudgot  will  not  bear  coiiipai  isoii, 
from  tlio  grocers’  standpoint,  for  a single 
moment.  Sir  Stafford  Nortlicotc  took  a 
penny  off  the  income-tax,  took  off  the  sugar  duty 
and  aided  local  taxation.  All  these  were  direct  and 
substantial  helps  to  the  grocer,  putting  money  straight 
into  his  cash-box.  What  does  Sir  Michael  Hicks 
Beach  do  for  the  retailer  of  any  Itind  '!  Alisolutely 
nothing.  The  four  and  twenty  blackbirds  wiiieh  ought 
to  have  begun  to  sing  when  his  financial  pie  was  opened 
have  all  flown  awav^ — most  of  them  to  sea,  and  the 
remainder  into  the  fa;mers’  fi ‘ids ! The  Budget 
statement  itself  is  not  without  interest;  what  we  com- 
plain of  is  the  inisapplicatiou  of  she  surplus.  The 
Groc'T  is  iilcased,  of  conr.se,  to  learn  that  in  the  Cus- 
toms lieveau-iea  hsis  produced  f:5.7  b),(lU0,  or  .tT2o,i.KiO 
more  than  wa.i  estimated.  The  Chancellor  commented 
on  the  increased  ooniumptioa,  lU.nOO,  OJIb.  of  tea, 
and  I'oni  .rlted  that  our  trade  in  ti'a  is  oeing  rajiidJy 
tran.-.fened  from  Chiiuv  to  India  ami  Ceylon.  In  1B7;') 
no  le.ss  than  122  OOrHlObi  b ot  tea  cimc  ironi  China; 
in  1895  aooiu  3i,0Jd,i).)l)lb  ; in  1875  23,220.0001b 
came  t.om  Indi-.  and  Ceylon;  last  year  Uio  figure 
vv.is  lOO.UOO.UOOlb.  Then  the  loco.t  reccip  s in- 
creased by  .115,500,  for  vve  consumod  last  V'Oar 
twice  as  luucn  cocoa  per  head  as  wo  did  twenty 
years  ago — ten  ounces  instead  of  five.  On  the  other 
