July  i,  1896.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
13 
from  plucking  the  leaves.  In  China  the  gi'owcr  had 
sometimes  to  transport  the  plucked  leaves  many  days' 
journey  ^g|pre  they  could  be  manufactured  into  pro- 
perly prepircd  tea,  and  this  preparation  was  done 
by  the  slower  and  less  wholesome  process  of  hand 
labour.  The  public  should,  as  far  as  possible, 
buy  small  young  leaf  tea  of  high  (xuality.  Such 
tea  always  fetched  a higher  price  on  the  mar- 
ket, and  he  impressed  upon  his  hearers  the 
desirability  of  procuring  high-priced  teas  from  their 
grocers. 
The  Decline  of  the  China  Tea  Trade. — The 
Customs  returns  for  1894  show  that  in  1890  our  im- 
ports from  China  were  £4,830,850,  but  that  in  1894 
they  had  fallen  to  £3,543,362.  This  decrease  of 
£1,287,488  is  entirely  due  to  our  having  imported 
less  tea,  the  difference  in  value  between  that  im- 
ported in  the  above  years  being  £1,285,802. 
Jai’anese  Planting  Enterprise  in  Mexico. — It  is 
stated  that  a Japanese  Company  has  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  fertile  land  in  the  State  of  Chiapas, 
Mexico,  and  that  tea,  coffee,  tobacco,  and  any  tro- 
pical cultivation  likely  to  prove  profitable  will  be 
grown  there.  Japanese  labour  is  to  be  employed. 
San  Domingo  Coffee. — The  cultivation  of  coffee  as 
well  as  sugar  is  making  rapid  progress  in  San 
Domingo,  and  the  next  crop  promises  well. 
The  Sum.\tra  Tobacco  Industry. — A monograph 
upon  this  profitable  industry,  prepared  for  his  Govern- 
ment by  Mr.  E.  Spencer  Pratt,  the  United  States  Con- 
sul at  Singapore,  gives  the  profits  for  each  year  of  its 
existence  of  the  Deli  Maatschappy,  a Dutch  company 
formed  at  the  close  of  1869  for  the  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing the  growth  of  tobacco  on  the  east  coast  of  Su- 
matra. In  the  first  year,  1870,  the  profits  of  the  com- 
pany were  at  the  rate  of  20  per  cent,  on  the  capital 
invested.  In  each  succeeding  year  there  was  a steady 
and  important  increase,  until  in  1876  the  earnings 
reached  113  per  cent.  The  company  then  enlarged  its 
capital,  and  in  1877  only  about  22  per  cent,  was  realis- 
ed. The  previous  high  degree  of  prosperity  soon  re- 
turned, however,  and  in  1882  the  profits  slightly 
exceeded  100  per  cent.  Down  to  1886  the  average  re- 
turns continued  for  four  years  at  very  nearly  the  same 
rate,  falling  in  1887  to  45  per  cent.  In  1888  the  capi- 
tal was  doubled,  amounting  then  to  £335,000,  but 
even  upon  this  increased  sum  the  earnings  exceeded 
25  per  cent.  In  1889  they  were  nearly  80  per  cent., 
but  1890  was  a disastrous  season,  showing  a loss  of 
about  9 per  cent.  This  was  soon  recovered,  however, 
and  in  1891  profits  were  realised  of  30  per  cent.,  in 
1892  of  50  per  cent.,  and  in  1893  of  100  per  cent. 
The  -great  success  of  this  enterterprise  is  due  pri- 
ma  rily  to  the  excellent  quality  of  the  leaf  produced 
by  it,  which  is  extensively  used,  particularly  in  the 
United  States,  for  the  outer  “wrappers”  of  cigars. 
There  are  now  twenty-six  companies  and  about 
twenty-five  private  planters  engaged  in  this  industry 
in  Eastern  Sumatra.  The  total  production  of  the 
district  in  1893  was  160,000  bales,  of  which  the  Deli 
Maatschappy  grew  nearly  53,000  bales.  With  much 
difficulty  Mr.  Pratt  has  obtained  a supply  of  seed  of 
this  tobacco,  which  he  has  forwarded  to  a Florida 
planter  and  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at 
VVashington,  with  a view  to  its  cultivation  in  the 
United  States. — II.  and  C.  Mail,  May  1. 

TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
New  York,  April  16. 
Not  a ray  of  light  to  brighten  the  .situation,  unchanged 
from  a week  ago.  When  brokcr.s  issue  cireular.s  for 
China  once  every  three  or  four  niontbs,  there  is  little  to 
be  said  by  newspaper  reports  from  week  to  week.  Eow- 
grade  Japan  tirni  ; high  grades  steady  ; line  Formosa 
wanted  at  full  figure.';  low  grades' weak.  Greens  dull  and 
easy.  Ceylon  and  India  well  supported  and  in  fair  de- 
mand. 
Last  week  the  Montgomery  Auction  and  Commission 
Company  sold  11 '0S4  packages  teas  as  follows  : Moyune— 
400  Hyson,  5 to  O^c;  1,327  Young  Hyson,  6 to  24  e.:  582 
Imperial  .5/  to  17  e.;  G13  Gunpowder,  6 to  .30'c.  I'ingsuey 
— 1,821  Gunpowder,  lif  to  21j  c.  .)a.))an  117  pan-lired,  15 
to  10  e;  185  b.isket-fired,  Oj  to  Sje  120  sun-dried  capers, 
15c:  917  Congou  7j  to234  c;  121  India  and  orange  pekoe, 
101  to  2Uj  c.  Oolong — 890  Foochow,  8j  to  17c;  302|.Vmoy, 
8 "to  9J  c;  3,746  Formosa  12.ito31c. 
Today  at  noon  tlie  Alontgomcry  Auction  and  Commis- 
sion Company  will  sell  6,.503  pack, ages,  viz : 1.506  half-chests 
Moyune,  including  attractive  chops;  1,419  half-chests  and 
boxes  Pingsuey,  new  se.a.son’s  ; 1091  half-chests  and  boxes 
Congou,  comprising  all  grades  ; 20  boxes  Foochow  pekoe; 
97  package.'  India  Java  iuid  Ceylon  pekoe  ; 100  half-cliost.s 
Foochow  ; 2,270  lialf-chest.s  and  boxes  Formosa,  all  new 
season’s  and  comprising  a large  offering  of  high  grades. — 
American  Grocer,  April  15. 

TEA  IN  AUSTRALIA. 
Friday  Evening,  May  1. 
Tea.— A model', itc  business  lias  been  done  in  Chin.a 
tea,  sales  he  ng  reported  of  120  hilf-che.sts  common 
congou  ,at  4,jd,  459  lialf-che.sts  panyong  at  5d  to  5L1, 
170  half  chests  p.inyong  : t up  to  6j-d,  5:0  half-chests 
kooloo  at  44d  to  7.jd,  350  quarter-chesls  buds  <at  5d, 
and  100  linlf-chests  buds  at  4:}d.  Of  Cey'on  teas,  300 
p.ackages  have  been  sold  at  7d  to  Sd,  and  20  chesis 
at  lid.  At  the  auction  sale  on  Tnesd.iy  184  chests  and 
106  h.alf-chcsts  Ceylon  were  offered.  The  prices  realised 
and  bid  showed  no  chance  in  the  m irket,  late  rates 
being  maintained,  but  the  sales  mule  amounted  only 
to  42  chests  and  78  half-chests  at  Sd  to  9^d  for  broken 
.and  orange  pekoe,  7d  per  pekoe,  6jd  for  pekoe  souchong, 
and  4,d  for  souchong.— AMsG'afasfan. 
GREAT  WLSTERN  TEA  COMPANY  OF 
CEYLON,  LTD. 
A general  meeting  of  the  Great  We.8tern  Tea 
Company  of  Ceylon,  Ltd.,  wa.s  held  at  noon 
today  in  the  ollice  of  Messrs.  J.  M.  Roberlson 
e'fc  Co.,  the  Agents  and  Secretaries.  Mr.  John 
Tilly  presided  and  present  were  Mes.srs.  F.  W, 
Bois  (also  representing  Mr.  H.  Bois  and  Messrs. 
J.  M.  Robertson  Co.),  Charles  Cantlay  (also 
repre.senting  Mis.  Tliomas  Mackie),  Thomas 
Mackie,  E.  Vaiidersp.-ir  (representing  Mr.  Ceorue 
Yanderspar),  W.  Moir,  and  C.  Ryan  (also  repre- 
senting Mrs.  Margaret  Ryan.) 
Notice  calling  the  meeting  having  been  read 
and  minutes  of  previous  nieetiug  read  and  con- 
firmed the  Chairman  submitted 
THE  REPORT. 
It  is  in  the  following  terms  : — 
The  Directors  submit  their  annual  Report  aiid 
accounts  for  the  season  ending  31st  March,  1896 
which  may  be  considered  satisfactory  : — ’ 
The  yield  of  tea  during  this  period  has  been  438  425 
lb,  which  is  66,192  lb.  over  the  amount  secured  for 
the  previous  season ; and  38,425  lb.  in  excess  of  the 
estimate.  The  cost  f.  o.  b.  in  Colombo  is  29'78  cents 
per  lb.  including  3 27  cents  per  lb.  on  manuring. 
There  has  also  been  unusually  large  expenditure  for 
additional  line  accommodation  as  foreshadowed  in  the 
original  prospectus  of  the  Company. 
After  estimating  the  unsold  tea  at  a safe  valuation 
the  amount  realized  for  this  iiroduct  is  R246  664-13' 
which  is  equal  to  56'26  cents  per  lb.,  shewing  a nett 
.profit  on  the  cultivation  of  about  26 j cents  per  lb. 
An  interim  dividend  of  8 per  cent  for  the  half-year 
ending  .30th  September,  was  paid  in  November  1895  - 
and  after  providing  for  this,  and  writing  off  the 
usual  amount  for  depreciation,  the  sum  still  available 
is  R6S, 517.89.  Y^our  Directors  propose  to  place  RlOOOO 
to  Reserve  Fund,  to  pay  a final  dividend  of  10  ’ per 
cent,  making  18  per  cent  for  . the  year,  and  carry  for- 
ward R117'89  to  next  account  •' 
The  prospects  for  the  season  1896-97,  are  favoiirabln 
and  the  crop  is  estimated  at  4 10,0001b. 
Mr.  Dunbar  and  Mr.  Henry  Bois  having  left  the 
island  and  resigned  their  seat.s  on  the  Boai-rl  nf 
Directors,  Mr.  .lohn  Tilly  and  Mr.  F.  W.  Bois  were 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancies. 
In  terms  of  the  articles  of  Association,  Mr.  Thomas 
Mackie  retires  by  rotation  : but,  being  eligible  offers 
himself  for  re-election.  ’ 
It  will  also  be  necessary  to  appoint  an  Auditor  for 
the  new  year. 
The  Chaikm.VN  said  The  rejiort.s  and  the  ac- 
counts have  been  in  your  hands  since  1st  May 
so  tliat  you  have  had  time  to  peruse  them,  and 
I suppose  we  will  follow  the  rule  of  taking’  them 
