June  i,  1896.J 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
845 
hand,  whereas  wo  cousuinod  twentj-oiie  ouuoes  of 
coffee  per  head  forly  years  ago,  we  now  consume 
but  eleven  ounces.  Coffee  receipts  are  on  the  de- 
C'ine,  and  so  als)  are  tiia  receipts  from  dried 
fruits,  iiot.vithstaiiding  raisins  produced  L'5, 000  more 
than  last  year.  All  this  iiiforuiation  is  interesting 
enough,  no  doubt.  But  information  is  a poor  sub- 
stitute for  cash — for  the  remissions  of  taxation 
which  grocers  and  other  retail  traders  had  a right 
to  expect.  It  was  hoped,  for  example,  that  the 
Government  would  have  swept  away  the  coffee  duty, 
ail'’  the  fragmentary'  duties  on  chicory,  cocoa,  and 
dried  fruits  ; or  would,  at  least,  have  reduced  the 
7.S  duty  on  raisins  and  figs  to  the  level  of  that  on 
currants,  admitting  all  kinds  of  dried  fruit  at  tls 
per  cwt.  It  was  hoped,  again,  that  the  additional 
i per  cent  on  the  Customs  charges  in  general 
would  have  been  remitted,  since  this  exaction  is 
irksome  to  those  actively  engaged  in  getting  goods 
out  of  bond.” 
The  Diuiu'T  I.mtout  or  Tea  to  Maxciiestek.— The 
quantity  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  sent  from  luuia 
and  Ceylon  direct  to  the  Manchester  market  was 
ib. 
CorFEE  AKi)  Cnicony. — Ib  is  necessary  iiiat  there 
should  be  frequent  plain  speaking  on  the  subject 
of  coffee  ad'dtc.'atioij,  and  that  something  tangible 
sbouiu  ro-iult.  The  Norfolk  county  analyst  has  just 
called  aitcnlion  to  the  subject.  Ho  says  : ‘‘  I have 
during  the  past  (juarter  asked  the  police  to  collect 
some  samples  of  mixed  coffee  ; that  is  to  say,  coffee 
which  has  a declaration  label  on  it  that  it  is  a 
mixture  of  coffee  and  chicory.  I have  long  had  a 
suspicion  that  in  this  county  some  very  extreme  mixtures 
were  offered  for  sale,  and  the  result  of  my  exami- 
nation proves  it  to  be  so,  but  tire  label  is  supposed  to 
protect  the  seller,  and  therefore  I cannot  issue  a cer- 
tificate for  prosecution.  Nevertheless  I think  it  is  a 
very  serious  matter  to  find  that  coffee  is  sold  with 
over  yo  per  cent  of  chicory.  Coffee,  like  tea,  con- 
tains ail  active  principle  which  is  really  mi  essential 
food,  whereas  chicory  contains  nothing  of  the  sort, 
and  I am  of  opinion  that  no  such  trading  as  this 
ought  to  be  allowed  in  your  county'.  There  is  still 
the  collection  of  samples  by  the  police,  each  man  in 
his  own  district,  and  I must  as  heretofore  prote.st 
that  by  such  an  arraiigemeirc  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  ascertain  the  acural  anrount  of  fraudulent  dealing 
which  goes  on  in  the  county.  The  perceiit.Hge  of 
adulteration  for  the  year  ending  25th  inst.  is  9'28, 
and  if  the  samples  of  coffee  were  included  it  would 
he  brought  np  to  about  12  per  cent.,  which  is  a high 
j:esult.” 
The  Decline  of  Coffee  Drinking. — The  Chan- 
cellor of  the  Exchequer  in  his  B;idget  speech  delivered 
himself  of  some  cpmions  on  produce  reg  irded  friun  the 
revenue  point  of  view.  He  believes  tea  is  killing 
coffee,  or  driving  coffee  out  of  the  market,  because 
it  is  cheaper,  req  iices  less  milk,  and  is  easier  for 
people  to  make.  VVdiereupon  the  Jhtilij  Telefiraph  says 
that  probably'  the  true  (Explanation  lies  in  tbo  last 
of  these  three  reasons.  Coffee  does  not  get  justice 
dona  to  its  uohie  possibilities.  Many  cooks  betray'  it 
by  being  too  idle  or  too  ignorant  to  elicit  its  true 
qualities,  and  there  is  hardly  a female  housekeeper 
or  mistress  of  a house  who  has  any  proper  and 
adequate  idea  of  the  importance — we  had  well-nigh 
written  the  dignity — of  the  berry.  Tea  lends  itself 
with  a fatal  facility  to  the  teapot  and  the  gossip- 
table.  Like  g.is,  it  is  so  desperately  handy.  Packed 
neatly  in  its  leaden  case,  and  preserving  its  aroma, 
it  is  only  too  easily  employed,  and  perhaps  is  the 
explanation  of  much  of  the  nervous  maladies  com- 
mon among  our  womankind.  The  machinery  of  tiie 
tea-table  is  elegant  and  amusing  w'ithout  being  ex- 
acting ; and  nobody  is  so  stupid  as  not  to  be  able  to 
“ make  a cup  of  tea.”  C >ffce,  unhappily,  ought  to  he 
roasted  and  ground,  ad  hoc,  for  the-  hour  of  using.  It 
ought  to  ho  conscientiously  concocted,  with  a knowledge 
of  what  is  good  and  what  is  bad  in  this  noble  drink;  and 
with  all  deference  to  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exche(]uer, 
milk  ought  never  to  mingle  with  the  true  and  per- 
fect cup  Mocha.  Coffee  is  the  natural  friend  and 
consort  i->f  tobacco,  which  is  another  reason  why  it  has 
not  being  favoured  by  the  fair  sex,  whose  verdict  is 
SO  powerful  in  regard  to  -coffee,  But,  as  the  impartial 
friend  of  woman  as  wel'  as  man,  we  dare  assert  that 
quite  as  much  might  he  udvauceci  in  favour  of  this 
infusion  a.-i  of  tea  by  way  of  a popular  beveiage.  It 
is  the  coffee-maker,  not  this  excellent  and  valuable 
gift  of  nature,  who  must  be  hliimed  for  the  victory, 
perhaps  only  temporary,  which  the  tea-leaf  has  gained 
over  the  delicious  berry.— 71,  and  ('.  Mail.  April  24. 
NEW  MARKETS  EUR  'J’EA,  AND  THE 
NECESSARY  FENDS. 
The  following  letter  has  been  addressed  by  thti 
members  of  the  American  and  Foreign  Tea"  Com- 
mittee of  the  Indian  Tea  Association  to  those  com- 
panies and  firms  who  have  hitherto  neglected  to  sup- 
port the  efforts  made  to  open  up  new  markets : — 
The  ludian  Tea  Association  (London), 
14,  Saint  Mary  Axe,  E.C. 
April  11th,  I89ti 
Dear  Sir, — At  the  request  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee we  beg  to  invite  the  special  attention  of  your 
board  to  the  claims  of  the  American  Market  Fund 
to  your  support,  and  to  the  following  facts  and 
liguies. 
We  believe  that  our  efforts  to  introduce  Indian  tea 
into  America  have  already  pav’ d the  w-ay  to  relieve 
the  London  market  of  a large  (|uantity  of  tea,  which 
would  otherwise  have  been  thrown  upon  it  with  the 
effect  of  lowering  the  prices  of  all  discriptions,  in- 
cluding that  class  of  tea  for  which  at  present  there 
may  be  no  demand  in  .Vnieiica.  The  figiues  published 
show  that  the  consumption  of  Indian  tea  in  North 
America  has  increased  duniig  the  past  year  by  over 
‘2,250,U0U  il).  or  80  per  cent  over  the  previous  year. 
Outside  markets  took  38,000,000  lb.  of  the  1895 
Indian  and  Ceylou  crop,  or  an  increase  of  9,000,000 
lb.  over  the  previous  year,  and  this  expansion  is 
douotless  largely  duo  to  the  efforts  m.ade  by  the 
Indian  and  Ceylon  Associations  to  open  new  markets 
in  different  paits  of  the  world,  and  wha.  the  position 
of  the  Ijoudon  tea  niu-ket  would  have  been  had 
it  not  been  relieved  of  these  extra  9,000,000  lb.  your 
beard  can  easily  i mag. ne. 
If  a leading  company  like  yours  refuses  to  join  in  the 
efforts  being  made,  advantage  is  taken  of  tlio  fact  by 
others,  who  then  follow  suit,  and  therefore  we  are  very 
anxious  that  your  Ijoard  sh  uld  support  the  work, 
is  being  which  done  in  the  interests  of  .the  whole 
indu.slry. 
We  will  thank  you  to  bring  this  matter  at  the 
earliest  opportimiiy  before  your  board,  and  trust 
your  reply  will  be  a favourab'e  one.— We  are,  dear 
sir,  yours  faithfully, 
Arthur  Bryans,  itoREiur  I^yele,  R.  G.  .Shaw,  A.  G 
Stanton,  .1.  N.  Stuart,  W.  H Veuner. 
ivlcmbers  of  ihe  American  and  Foreign  Tea  Com- 
mit tee. 
Ernest  Tye,  Secretaiy.— 77.  loiff  C.  J/u 77,  April  24. 
Santana. —A  ijlanting  coiTespoiulent  write.s 
A .great  outcry  i.s  being  made  by  .some  of  tbo 
sub-deputy  Eorester.s  of  India  against  this  useful 
and  beautiful  pi.aiit  - the  greate.st  curse,  they 
say,  “ever  imported  into  India  worse  than  the 
tliistle  or  rabbil.s  in  Australia I And  they  re- 
peat tlie  uld  yarn  about  “the  lirst  plant  bein'c 
brought  out  ill  a Flowerpot,  30  j'ears  ago.”  It 
would  lie  dillieult  for  even  a Eoresteris  assistant  to 
write  greater  nonsense  than  the  above.  I liave 
known  tlie  Lantana  in  this  garden  of  India  for 
well-mgh  40  years  and  then  it  ivas  fully  as 
lu.xuriaut  on  tlie  hills  .around  Kandy  as  it  is 
now.  Moreover  very  close  observation  leads 
me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  has  done  more  to 
icuoialc  jlie  Kandyan  hills  than  all  the  imported 
or  Municipal  manures.  Aly  only  regret  is  to  see 
it  dying  out  in  the  unequal  straggle  with  that 
more  doubtful  aiul  less  beautiful  interloper,  the 
Suiillower.  The  Greviilea  i.s  another  plant  which 
is  doing  splendid  work  in  renovating  our  hill 
side8, 
