2S 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[July  i,  1896. 
Lor.ri  Stanley  of  ALPr.ia.EY  said  be  did  not  wish 
to  bo  understood  as  showing  any  want  of  courtesy  or 
respect  to  the  noble  earl  who  bad  just  replied,  but 
he  di-^  objeet  to  have  an  answer  on  a matter  of  agri- 
culture by  the  Board  of  Trade. 
The  Bl.uujuts  of  Sai.isuuky. — On  the  quesUon  of 
the  distribution  of  duties,  I would  like  to  (>oint  out 
to  my  noble  friend  that  undoubtedly  a question  of 
buying  and  selling  is  a matter  for  the  Board  of  Trade 
and  not  a matter  of  agriculture.  The  buying  and  sell- 
ing of  corn  is  not  an  agricultural  act. 
The  motion  was  by  leave  withdrawn. — Liondou  lintcs, 
May  2, 
e — 
THE  ROASTING  OF  COFFEE. 
TO  THE  EDITOir  OF  THE  “ STANDARD.” 
Six', — With  reference  to  the  statement  made  by  tne 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  in  his  recent  Budget, 
to  the  effect  that  the  annual  decrease  in  the  con- 
sumption of  coffee,  audits  increasing  disfavour  w'lth 
the  public,  arises  more  or  less  from  the  inability  of 
an  ordinary  Englishwoman  to  make  a decent  cup 
thereof,  it  maybe  well  to  note  that  p'rofessional  ob- 
servation (and' bitter  personal  experience),  extending 
over  half  a century,  has  led  ms  to  the  conclusion 
that  tile  true  cause  of  the  relatively  increased  pre- 
ference for  tea,  with  its  deleterious  constituent,  tannin, 
will  ultimately  be  found  to  depend,  not  on  the  in- 
competence of  the  English  houc.ewife  to  properly 
make  coffee,  but  on  the  over-roasting  of  the  berry  by 
the  trade  coffee  roasters,  with  a view  to  impart  a 
deep  colour,  and  apparent,  but  factitious,  strength  to 
the  infusion  when  made. 
During  the  process  an  ompyreumatic  product  is  gene- 
rated, which  causes  such  highly-roasted  coffee  to  dis- 
agreeewith  the  stomach,  and  renders  dyspeptic  persons 
unable  to  indulge  in  it,  in  consoqucnco  of  the  heart- 
burn and  flatulence  it  produces.  If  the  public  were 
candidly  given  to  understand  that  highly-roasted 
coffees,  though  imparting  a deeper  colour  to  the  de- 
coction or  infusion,  arc  dc  facto  less  strong,  with  a 
corresponding  loss  of  the  true  aroma,  than  tho  lightly- 
roated  berry,  coffeo  would  ere  long  resume  its  place 
as  one  of  the  national  beverages,  and  tho  public  and 
tho  Exchequer  bo  alike  benefited. 
I am,  sir,  yo’ur  obedient  servant. 
May  1.  PnvsiciAK. 
THE  CARBOLIC  CURE  FOR  LEAF  DISEASE. 
Sir, — I notice  in  your  issue  of  ilth  May,  in  a letter 
from  a Queensland  correspondent,  an  account  of  the 
carbolic  cure  for  loaf  disease.  This  so-called  remedy 
was  started  as  long  ago  as  ISSl  by  a Mr.  Storch  of 
Fiji  and  attracted  some  at'.cntion  in  Ceylon,  but  did 
not  meet  with  all  the  success  that  was  claimed  for 
it.  That  there  is  something  in  it,  I am  inclined  to 
believe  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  to  what 
extent  it  has  been  tried  in  India.  In  theory  the 
vapour  arising  from  tho  acid  is  supposed  to  kill  the 
spores,  and  prevent  their  germinating.  I will  give 
you  my  experience  of  it  in  1893-91.  The  first  year 
i experimented  with  an  acre  of  coffee,  lightly  shaded, 
that  had  in  previous  years  come  in  for  a strong  dose 
of  the  disease  yearly.  I started  the  process  in  July 
and  charged  30  tins  placed  C trees  apart,  with  a 
solution  containing  10  per  cent,  of  Calvert's  No.  5 
Carbolic  Acid,  charging  them  about  every  10  days 
with  a 5 per  cent,  solution.  The  tins  holding  about  A 
a ihnt  each  were  protected  from  the  rain  by  an 
nmbrella-liko  cover  soldered  on  about  2 inches  above 
the  tin.  I kept  this  up  till  February  and  conducted 
this  first  experiment  personally.  During  this  time 
most  other  parts  of  the  estate  had  leaf  disease  during 
some  months  of  tho  year  badly,  tho  experimcsital 
acre  alone  keening  remarkably  clear  though  not 
entirely  so  from  it,  but  tho  very  alight  attack  it  did 
have  (puclfly  disappeared  with  tho  result  that  th.at 
acre  gave  about  ]">  ewt  of  crop  tho  follovviiif'  year. 
I was  so  ]ileascd  with  the  re.snlt  of  the  oxperimont 
that  tho  following  year  I tried  it  over  23  aon  s,  but 
whether  from  tho  trues  hoaring  heavily  tin's  yo.ir 
(averaging  8 ewt.  per  acre.)  or  ; o--' ■ ;i->r  ri'aron  tho 
result  was  disappointing  and  certainly  did  not  keep 
off  the  disease  except  from  trees  under  shade.  I 
then  gave  up  the  treatment.  The  cost  for  about  8 
months  including  the  outlay  on  tins  was  under  RIO 
per  acre. 
.As  I stated  in  my  letter  of  the  8th  January,  if  a 
c'.iliiii  cure  could  be  obtained  for  leaf  disease,  it 
wauld  make  coffee  cullivaliou  eomparativcly  easy, 
and  ensure  crops  without  such  a lavish  expenditure 
in  manure  as  is  now  necessary,  and  I undcstand  it 
has  been  combated  succes-sfully  in  certain  instances  by 
other  methods.— Planter  of  20  Years'  Exi’erience. 
— riantiny  Opinion,  May  23. 
BROKERS  AND  ARBITRATION. 
The  recent  judicial  decision  in  the  case  of  Domier 
V-  Treatt  has  caused  much  searching  of  heart  among 
tho  members  of  the  General  Produce  Brokers’  Asso- 
ciation of  Louden.  At  present  all  drugs  changing 
hands  in  Mincing  Lane  are  bought  and  sold  subject  to 
certain  stringent  conditions  framed  by  the  Brokers’ 
Association  in  the  interest  of  its  members.  Theo- 
retically, it  is,  of  course,  open  to  a buyer  and  seller 
to  make  a contract  subject  to  any  conditions  upon 
which  they  may  be  able  to  agree,  but  in  practice  there 
is  no  esca^ja  from  the  one  official  contract-form.  It 
is  fair  to  say  that,  upon  the  whole,  the  system  works 
well,  except  for  a single,  but  most  important  clause, 
which  refers  to  tho  settlement  of  disputes.  Under 
that  clause  all  disputes  must  be  referred  to  arbitra- 
tion in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  Association, 
each  party  appointing  an  arbitrator,  who  must  be  a 
broker  and  a member  of  the  Association.  If  the  ar- 
bitrators disagree,  they  select  another  broker  as 
umpire.  There  is  an  appeal  fi'om  this  fir.st  set  of 
arbitrators  to  tho  committee  of  tho  Association  ; but 
in  no  case  is  it  possible,  under  the  rules  to  appoint 
as  an  arbitrator  a non-broker,  however  impartial  and 
experienced.  It  has  hitherto  been  quietly  a.ssumed 
that  this  Miucing  Lane  Court  of  Arbitrators  coustitutes 
a kind  of  legal  Impcrium  in  Inipcrio,  equal  to  any  re- 
gular court  of  justice.  Baron  Pollock  and  Mr.  Justice 
Day  have  somewhat  rudely  dispelled  this  delusion,  and 
tho  brokers  now  desire  to  re-cast  their  contract-rules 
so  as  to  prevent  future  reversals  at  law  of  their  deci- 
sio.is.  With  that  object  in  view  tlie  Association  has 
issued  tho  following  circular- letter  to  its  members  : — 
Oener.u.  ProDi'CE  Brokers’  Associ.vno.\  of  London. 
Established  1876. 
B Staircase, 
Commercial  Sale  Booms, 
Monday,  27th  .April  1896. 
Dear  Sirs, 
It  having  become  nece.ssary  to  alter  Buie  VII.  (the  rule 
governing  tiie  arbitration-clause  in  tac  contracts)  on  tlie 
back  ot  tlie  Contract  Eornis  i.s.sueil  liy  Uii.s  As.sociation, 
so  as  to  conform  witli  present  requirements,  on  beh.ilf 
of  the  Committee  I beg  to  liand  yon  proof  copy,  show- 
ing the  alterations  whicli  are  proposed,  and  I shall  be 
glad  if  you  will  give  the  same  your  cavoiul  attention 
and  perusal. 
Should  you  have  any  suggestion  to  make,  plo.v.so  let 
me  h ive  it  within  seven  days  as  tlie  ConiniilLee  propose 
to  call  a General  Meeting  to  coniiriii  tlic  new  fovni. 
(Signed)  B.  J.  lld.sstcK, 
tSi'civtari/. 
So  far  as  we  can  make,  out  the  only  important  alter- 
ation whicli  it  is  proposed  to  make  in  tlic  uiles  is 
to  substitute  words  to  the  effect  that  the  decision 
of  the  arbitrators  ‘‘shall  bo  irrevocable,  and  it,  and 
the  award  to  be  made  in  pursuance  tliercof,  shall  be 
ciiforcible  under  the  provisions  of  tho  Arbitration  Act 
1889,”  for  the  present  wording,  ‘‘Any  aw.ird  . . .’ 
shall  bo  absolutely  final  and  binding  on  b . tb  parties, 
and  this  submission  and  sncli  reference  shall  he  subject 
to  the  provisions  of  the  Arbitration  Act,  1S,S9.”  What 
the  produce- brokers  can  hope  to  gain  by  substitut- 
ing a declaration  of  irrevocability  for  one  of  absolute 
finality  we  fail  to  luidciBland.  'Tlie  law  leiiiains,  no 
matter  what  solemnity  of  a ■-icveralioii  tlio  brokers 
Jiiay  resort  to,  and  the  law,  as  was  shown  in  tin' 
citronclla  oil  c.iso,  is  by  no  iiie.uia  favoiiralile  to  the 
occult  inlliiciicos  that  notoriously  pervade  the  air 
of  Mincing  Lane  arbitration  room.s.  Tlie  pro/io.-ied 
