104 
THE  TROPICAI 
ACtRICULTURIST. 
[Aug.  I,  1896. 
from  the  sap  and  the  quickly  grown  parts  of  a plant 
there.  In  Ceylon  it  muat  he  much  the  .same.  Be- 
fore Indian  tea  had  grown  to  its  present  great  dimen- 
sions as  a mercantile  commodity — in  the  days  when 
it  was  comparatively  small ; and  when  Ceylon  tea 
was  unknown — the  Dun  tea,  black  and  green,  sold 
very  well.  The  black  tea  brought  twenty  years  ago 
three  times  its  present  price.  And  green  tea  was  a 
nue  thing  in  its  day.  It  used  to  fetch  high  prices 
in  Calcutta  and  London,  for  the  finer  kinds,  cer- 
tafnly  ; while  all  classes  of  it  used  to  sell  well  at  the 
factory  to  Native  dealers,  for  the  Central  Asian  mar- 
ket. It  was  sold  usually  without  any  p icking  whatever 
— filled  into  the  dealers'  own  bags;  and  as  much  would 
be  got  for  low-class  variety,  so  given  them,  rough  and 
loose,  as  would  be  obtained  for  the  best  kind  of  black 
tea  now-a-days  in  the  Calcutta  mardcet,  packed  in  good 
lead-lined  cases,  and  sent  there  at  the  grower's  e.x- 
pense,  of  course.  This  is  correct.  Yes!  for  ‘Hyson 
skin,’  unpacked,  from  five  to  six  annas  a pound 
would  be  given ; and  a Dun  Orange  Pekoe  will  not 
bring  more  now  in  Calcutta,  in  those  time  Dun 
Orange  Pekoe  would  have  brought  its  rupee  a pound 
in  Calcutta. 
Considering  that  the  Dun  has  always  had,  speaking 
generally,  but,  on  the  whole,  we  tliink  correctly,  a 
Full  and  a free  supply  of  labour ; and  that  its  prices 
used  once  to  be  very  good,  the  disadvant.age  of 
climate  might  reasonably  not  have  been  held  as  a 
disqualification,  although  admitted  as  a drawback. 
But  the  days  of  high  prices  have  passed.  The  green 
tea  market  both  of  Central  Asia  and  of  England 
ceased  long  ago  (well  for  philanthropic  reason  that 
in  England,  any  how,  it  did ; as  the  article  was  too 
intensely  acrid  to  be  possibly  beneficial);  and  as  to 
black,  one  might  wonder  if  the  Dun  did  ever  stand  on 
an  eminence,  so  poor  has  been  its  place  for  long. 
But  the  tea  does  go  into  use,  nevertheless — all  of 
it : and  lately  it  has  been  well  inquired  for,  and  taken ; 
from  the  Bombay  side— a new  quarter. 
In  the  next  paper  I propose  10  treat  of  the  posi- 
tion and  prospects  of  Dehra  Dun  as  a tea  district  — 
Eii/jlinf/maii,  Cor. 
INDIAN  FORESTS  AND  TANNIN  EX- 
TRACTS. 
Our  Indian  Forests  .already  yield  a handsome 
income  to  the  State,  but  no  one  knows  better 
than  the  oHicers  who  work  them  that  their  full 
wealth  is  far  fi-om  being  developed.  Mr.  Rib- 
bentrop,  Insytector-Oeneral,  has  just  issucil  to 
all  Conservators  a short  letter  covering  an  inter- 
esting paper  by  Mr.  Fernandez  on  the  ])repara- 
tion  of  tannin  extracts,  an  industry  which  he 
recently  studied  during  a visit  to  Europe.  It 
a])pears  that  the  exyiort  of  myr.abolams  from 
India  has  hitherto  only  been  limited  by  thesu])- 
ply  and  that  an  ex tr.aord inary  development  of 
the  traile  in  cuteh  in  Bunna  has  taken  place. 
Though  cutch  is  very  expensive  it  is,  we  .are 
told,  largely  used  as  a tanning  substance,  its 
colour  being  extracteil  to  lit  it  for  this  purpose. 
Experiments  to  obtain  other  extracts  of  an  equal 
or  apjiroximate  value  from  sal  and  assiaria  barks 
have  not  been  successful,  and  so  gre.at  is  the 
trade  demand  that  spurious  substances  are  i)ut 
on  the  Burma  market.  Mr.  Ribbentrop  remarks: 
“ At  the  same  time  we  know  that  tannin  is 
largely  contained  in  the  fruits,  leaves,  bark  .and 
wood  of  many  of  our  Indian  trees  and  bushes, 
and  th.at  a forest  industry  of  great  potential 
value  is  only  waiting  for  rational  develo|iment.” 
But  the  cost  of  freight  comes  in,  as  the  r.aw 
m.aterial  can  only  be  exporteil  in  the  compact 
shape  of  galls  and  fruits.  Even  in  this  form  tlie 
t.annic  jiroperties  deteriorate,  and  it  h.as  become 
clear  that  if  tlie  tr.ade  is  to  .assume  its  jn-oper 
dimen.sions  extr.act  of  tannin  must  he  prepared 
in  the  forests  tliemselve.s.  Six  years  ago  Dr. 
W.itt  recommended  that  exiicriments  should  be 
made  in  this  direction,  but  no  practical  method.s 
of  carrying  tlie  suggestion  into  effect  w'ere  made. 
This  is  the  case  as  put  by  the  Inspector-Ceneral, 
and  he  asks  Conserv.ators  and  the  otlicers  under 
them  to  t.ake  up  the  matter,  and  thus  open  out 
a new  industry  and  new  .source  of  forest  revenue. 
Mr.  Fernandez’  [).aper  is  of  course,  somewiiat 
technical  in  character,  but  he  shows  that  it  i-s 
po.ssiljle  to  utilise  the  enormous  quantities  of 
bark  and  wood  which  at  jn-esent  go  to  w.aste  in 
our  Indian  forests  and  to  convert  them  into 
tannin  extr.acts  for  ex])ort  to  Europe,  and  even 
for  use  in  this  country.  He  describes  the  various 
methods  in  vogue  on  the  Continent  and  gives  the 
palm  to  that  known  as  “ Villon’s  proce.ss. ” This 
is  explained  in  detail,  with  a drawing  of  the 
necessary  ai)paratus,  which  could  be  made  of 
wood,  bamboos  and  stout  cotton  drill,  if  metal 
and  wire  gauze  were  not  available.  Ho 
ailds  that  as  no  chemicals  are  rcquiroil  and  as 
the  entire  jirocess  is  within  the  com]trchension 
of  the  lowest  inlelligence,  the  method  is  specially 
adayited  foi  employment  in  our  forests,  however 
remote.  It  has  the  furllun'  ads'.inlage  (hat.  it 
would  .admirably  suit  cutch  manufacture.  Mr. 
Fernandez  .see.s  a great  opening  for  jn-ivate  enter- 
prise if  the  Forest  Department  lead  the  way  with 
experiments,  and  he  liolds  that  one  of  the  func- 
tions of  the  Dehra  School  should  be  to  analyse 
for  tannin  the  bark  and  wood  of  all  the  likely 
species  of  Indian  trees.  His  memorandum  is  one 
of  great  value,  and  copies  of  it  might  veil  be 
circulated  to  all  our  Chambers  of  Commerce. 
There  is  a fortune  ayiparently  for  anyone  who 
take.5  >qj  the  practical  suggestions  he  has  made 
for  the  manufactuie  in  India  of  tannic  extracts. 
— Pioneer,  .June  21. 
-o- 
THE  AMSTERDAM  MARKET. 
Our  Amsterdam  correspondent  write.s  on  .June  2nd 
Tlie  shipments  of  cinchona-bark  from  .Java  in  the  moiitli 
ending  May  ;Jlst,  as  declared  by  cablegram,  prove  to 
have  been  fairly  heavy.  The  following  are  the  tigures 
for  the  past  four  years 
1S9G  189.")  lS9i  1893 
Anister-  AnisCer-  A Ulster-  Amsl  or- 
dain. dam.  dam.  dam. 
11).  lb.  lb.  lb. 
Month  of  -May  703,000  402,7()0  1.00,000  711,000 
Jiinuary  l-.M:iy  31  3,200,000  2,879,700  3,238,000  3,241,000 
The  bark  to  be  offereil  on  dune  llth  amounts  to 
017,229  kilos,  containing  a total  e<(uivaleut  of  23,017 
kilos  sulphate  of  quinine,  or  an  aver.ige  of  o'Oj  jier 
ewt.—Chrniht  and  Vd/'i/pz/os-q  .June  0. 
c . 
The  Madi!a.s  Government  Cinchona  Fe.vn- 
T.VITON.S. — Planting  Opinion  of  .Tune  20th  says  : — 
We  are  glad  to  note  that  Mr.  W.  M.  Standen's 
appointment  as  Director  of  the  Madras  Cinclnuia 
Plantations  has  been  finally  gazetted.  Our  readers 
will  reinenibcr  our  prediction  to  that  effect  .some 
months  ago.  Mr.  D.  Hooper  has  been  appointed  as 
Government  Botanist,  a post  which,  unluckily,  is 
only  a temporary  one,  otherwise  much  real  benefit 
might  have  boon  derived  by  the  Planting  Industry 
during  Mr.  Hooper’s  tenure  of  office.  His  well-known 
sympathy  with  all  lines  of  practical  agricultural  re- 
search, .'.nd  his  unquestioned  attainments  as  a Chem- 
ical Analy.st,  fitted  him  pre-eminently  fur  his  post. 
The  so-called  experimental  gardens  at  Burliar  and 
Gmlalur  will,  we  trust,  bo  worked  with  some  little 
show  of  trying  to  attain  the  objects  for  which  they 
were  started.  But  as  long  as  they  remain  under 
the  direct  control  of  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Botanical  Gardens,  wo  much  fear  that  his  multifarious 
duties  of  koo))ing  uj)  a good  show  of  flowers  and 
inaintaining  the  grass  plots  round  Government  House 
in  a healthy  green  condition  will  effectually  prevent 
any  serious  work  in  these  gardens. 
