THE  TROPICAL  A(iRICULTURIST. 
33 
July  i, 
PLANTIXli  AND  PIV  »DUCE. 
Tiir  15i!F.\viN<i  OF  Tka.— Wc  liavo  ficiiui  iilly  called 
aUoiition  to  thn  if4iioniiico  displayed  in  brewing  tea 
and  the  indill'ereuce  shown  by  the  public  on  the  subject. 
Judging  by  the  concoction.s  served  at  the  average 
resturant  and  railway  station  bar  it  is  surprising  that 
tea  is  so  popular,  lor  it  is  no  rash  assertion  to  state 
that  a large  number  of  people  who  drink  so-called 
tea  have  not  the  smallest  idea  what  a really  good 
cup  of  tea  properly  made  is  like.  Owing  to  the  rapid- 
ity with  which  the  tea  is  made  and  served  in  refresh- 
ment rooms  all  the  ordinary  rules  for  brewing  tea 
are  set  at  defiance,  and  as  a result  some  liquid 
resembling  diluted  snuff  is  taken  into  the  system  under 
the  name  of  tea.  It  is  therefore  remarkable  that  the 
demand  for  tea  has  increased  so  muen  under  such  un- 
favourable conditions.  An  honest  endeavour  has  been 
made  by  some  refreshment  room  proprietors  to  improve 
the  methods  of  tea  brewing,  but  owing  to  the  indiffer- 
ence of  the  public  and  the  trouble  entailed  they  soon  fall 
back  on  the  old  system.  The  tea  trade  does  not 
appear  to  suffer  much  in  consequence,  although  who 
can  say  what  the  demand  would  be  like  if  the  deli- 
cate flavour  of  the  tea  were  preserved  in  making  the 
tea  ? Perhaps,  following  the  example  of  the  old  lady 
who  liked  her  gin  when  it  tasted  like  turpentine,  the 
palate  used  to  stewed  tea  would  despise  anything  less 
pungent. 
With  Coffee  it  is  Different.— It  is  not  so  with 
coffee.  The  demand  for  coffee  has  no  doubt  fallen 
during  the  past,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  making  it 
on  this  side  of  the  Channel.  On  this  subject  the  Grocer 
points  out  that  the  serious  decline  in  the  demand  for 
coffee  has  been  realised  by  all  members  of  the  trade, 
and  in  a severe  degree  by  those  gentlemen  whose 
dealings  are  mainly  in  this  commodity.  But  up  to 
the  present  the  efforts  of  the  deputation  of  mer- 
chants and  others  interested  to  iiuluce  the  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer  to  remove  or  reduce  the  duty  and 
to  facilitate  operations  in  bond  have  not  been  re- 
warded by  any  marked  degree  of  success.  On  the 
contrary,  the  pessimistic  dealer  persists  in  taking 
an  even  gloomier  view  of  the  situation.  It  is  worth 
while,  periiaps,  to  ask  if  there  be  not  some  reason 
for  the  change  in  the  public  taste.  The  Chancellor 
cf  the  Exchequer  put  it  down  to  the  inability  of 
the  ordinary  Englishwoman  to  make  a decent  cup 
of  coffee.  There  may  also  be  something  in  the  theory 
of  a professional  gentleman  who  writes  to  a daily 
contemporary.  This  gentleman’s  observations  and 
“ bitter  personal  experience,”  extending  over  half  a 
century,  have  led  him  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
true  cause  of  the  relatively  increased  preference  for 
tea  with  its  deleterious  constituent  tannin,  will 
uUimately  be  found  to  depend,  not  on  the  incom- 
petence ’of  the  English  housewife  in  making  cofl'ee, 
but  on  the  over-roasting  of  the  berry  by  the 
trade  coffee  roasters,  wiih  a view  to  impart  a 
deep  colour  and  apparent,  but  factitious, 
stiTiigth  to  the  infusion  when  made.  During 
his  process,  he  says,  an  empyreumatic  product  is 
generated,  which  causes  such  highly  roasted  coffee 
to  disagree  with  the  stomach,  and  renders  dyspeptic 
persons  unable  to  indulge  in  it,  in  consequence  of 
the  heartburn  and  flatulence  it  produces.  He  argues 
that  if  public  were  candidly  given  to  understand 
that  highly  roasted  coffees,  though  imparting  a deeper 
colour  to  the  decoction  or  infusion,  are  de  facto  less 
strong  with  a corresponding  loss  of  the  true  aroma, 
than  the  lightly  roasted  berry,  coffee  would  ere  long 
resume  its  place  as  one  of  the  national  beverages. 
The  consummation  is  one  devoutly  to  be  wished. 
But  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  was  near  the 
just  apportionment  of  blame  when  he  saddled  it 
upon  tne  shoulders  of  the  consumers— the  people  who 
try  to  “ make  a cup  of  coffee,”  and  only  succeed  in 
spoiling  one.  If  the  public  would  but  exercise  the 
cLe  and  skill  which  are  essential  in  making  a cup 
of  really  good,  fragrant  coffee,  the  results  achieved 
would  amply  repay  them,  and  we  should  probably 
soon  see  a revived  demand.  The  best  way  to  achieve 
this  end  is  to  educate  the  public  in  the  right  method 
of  preparing  coffee  for  the  table.  //.  and  C>  Jlail, 
May  15, 
PUBLIC  MEETINGS  HELD  IN  PRIVATE, 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Ifomr  and  (.'uloniaf  Mail. 
Sir, — The  tea  investing  public  is  greatly  indebted 
to  you  for  calling  attention  to  the  e-xclusiou  of  re- 
porters from  the  meetings  of  some  companies.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  new  measure  now  before  Parlia- 
ment dealiug  with  joint  stock  companies  provides 
for  the  admission  of  reporters  to  all  shareholders’ 
meetings. 
I can  instance  my  contention  that  the  accounts  of 
shareholders’  meetings  are  inadequate  from  your 
own  columns.  In  the  report  of  one  of  the  tea  com- 
panies ymu  published  last  week,  a company  which 
does  not  admit  reporters,  there  was  so  much  of  the 
proceedings  omitted  that  you  might  as  well  have 
contented  yourself  with  reprinting  the  report  of  the 
directors. 
While  your  rexiort,  Avhich  I presume  was  contributed, 
gives  the  chairman’s  platitudes  in  extenuation  of  poor 
results,  and  a eulogy  of  colleagues,  some  trenciiant 
critical  remarks  of  one  or  two  shareholders  do  not 
appear.  The  observations  of  one  speaker,  as  reported, 
convey  a wrong  impression,  moreover,  for  when  the 
speaker  ciiticisod  the  management  on  the  subject  of 
the  salary  and  commission  paid,  and  intimated  that 
the  holding  of  appointments  by  the  managing  direc- 
tor of  a similar  kind  in  otlu-r  concerns  might  bo 
detrimental  to  the  x)arttcular  company  to  which  the 
speaker  referred,  your  report  left  the  pith  and  gist 
of  the  speaker's  remark  m doubt.  Another  speaker 
also  mentioned  that  if  ho  attempted  any  review  of 
the  direction,  the  difficulty  would  be  where  to  begin 
and  where  to  stop.  He  also  said  if  he  were  to  at- 
tempt such  a task  he  would  not  comp.are  the  results 
with  those  of  agricultural  holdings  at  home,  but  would 
ask  how  it  was  that  neighbouring  gardens  with  in- 
ferior natural  advantages  gave  a iirofit  of  £8  per 
acre,  while  the  company  under  criticism  only  showed 
half  as  much.  A neighboiuing  concern  gave  a profit 
of  5d  to  6d  per  lb.,  while  the  other  company  gave 
but  ,3d  to  3 id.  All  this  seems  to  me  fair  and  use- 
ful comment,  and  should,  wdth  other  kindred  ob- 
servations of  a critical  nature,  be  duly  rexiorted. 
If  shareholders  took  more  real  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  concern  in  which  their  money  is  invested, 
they  would  agitato  for  mord"  publicity. — 1 am,  sir. 
Another  Shaueholdek. 
[Our  correspondent,  we  fear,  expects  too  much. 
When  our  own  reporters  are  refused  admission  to 
meetings  w'e  have  to  rely  upon  accounts  of  the  pro- 
ceedings kindly  supplied  by  friends  who,  like  our 
correspondent,  believe  that  publicity  is  beneficial  to 
all  concerned.  We  cannot  under  the  circumstances 
complain  if  these  reports  are  not  as  full  and  com- 
plete as  they  otherwise  would  be.  They  do  not  eman- 
ate from  official  sources,  and  they  are  intended  to  bo 
impartial,  and  to  convey  a correct  account  of  tlm 
Xiroccedings.  Even  if  our  own  reporters  w’ere  ad- 
mitted in  each  case  it  does  not  follow  that  we  could 
give  a rexiort  of  every  word  said.  Life  is  short,  our 
space  is  limited,  and  some  shareholders  are  very 
inquisitive  and  sometimes  long-winded.  Wo  agree 
with  our  correspondent  that  pnblicity  on  all  vital 
points  is  desirable.  Were  we  permitted  to  report  the 
Xiroceedings  of  all  tea  companies  we  trust  that  “Another 
Shareholder”  would  have  no  cause  for  comxilaint 
that  justifiable  criticism  is  not  duly  chronicled. — Er>. 
n.  (C  a cb  C.  Mail,  May  15. 
THE  CmiONELLA-OIL  A\YAKD. 
Messrs.  Green  and  French,  the  two  brokers  to 
whom  the  citronella-oil  dispute  was  referred  back 
by  the  judges,  in  order  that  they  might  take  the 
question  of  quality  into  consideration,  have  given  their 
award  to  the  effect  that  the  oil  (which,  it  will  be 
remembered,  consisted  of  55  per  cent,  of  kerosene, 
35  per  cent,  of  citronella  oil,  and  10  per  cent,  of 
oil  of  lemon)  is  citronella  oil,  and  that  the  buyer  is 
bound  to  accept  and  pay  for  it  according  to  con- 
tract. They  tendered  their  award  to  Mr.  Domeier, 
together  with  a claim  for  34  guineas  for  fees.  We 
understand  that  Mr.  Domeier  has  refused  to  aceexit 
the  award  or  to  pay  the  fees,  and  also  declined  to 
