154 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  i,  1896. 
to  the  genus  Guazuma,  as  stated  in  the  report.  The 
point  is,  that  that  there  are  no  other  kinds  of  cacao 
growing  wild  which  come  under  Gauzuma  2>olijhotrija, 
or  any  species  allied  to  it.  As  information  of  this 
kind  ultimately  finds  its  way  into  text-books,  and 
becomes  incorporated  into  the  literature  of  cacao, 
the  Director  thought  it  desirable  to  draw  your  at- 
tention to  it,  in  order  that  the  readers  of  the 
may  be  placed  in  possession  of  the  further  facts  re- 
cently obtained  from  Mexico. 
D.  Mobris,  Assistant  Director. 
Kew,  20th  June,  1896. 
— Journal  of  the  hiociety  of  Arts,  June  26. 
■ -• 
THE  YATIYANTOTA  AND  WE  OYA 
TEA  COMPANIES. 
Proposed  Amai.gamation. 
At  present  negotiations  are  in  progress  for  the 
amalgamation  of  the  two  tvell-known  Ceylon  Tea 
Companies — the  Yatiyantota  and  We  Ova.  The 
subject  is  under  the  consideration  of  the  Directors 
of  the  respective  Companies,  and  in  due  course 
any  scheme  of  amalgamation  which  may  be 
approved  by  them  w'lll  be  submitted^  to  the 
shareholders.  Of  course,  until  this  is  done, 
nothing  can  be  decided,  but  we  learn,  that  it  is 
proposed  that  the  amalgamation  should  take 
place  as  from  1st  .January  next,  which  is  the 
end  of  the  financial  year  ot  both  tlie  Companies 
concerned. 
THE  APPLE-TAINTED  TEA  QUESTION. 
The  London  correspondent  of  our  contem- 
porary says:—  . , , ^ , 
The  Tea  and  Produce  Committee  of  the  Ceylon 
Association  in  London  ivill  meet  on  Monday  next 
to  go  into  the  matter  of  the  claims  for  tea  tainted  by 
apples  that  I recently  made  mention  of,  and  to  con- 
sider a letter  from  Messrs.  Anderson  Anderson  & Co. 
Already  warning  has  been  sent  to  Ceylon  to 
avoid  ships  laden  with  the  pippins  we  so  greatly  ap- 
preciate here,  and  the  attitude  that  Messrs.  Ander- 
son Anderson  & Co.,  take  up  make  this  the  more 
advisable.  I hear  they  state  that  it  is  a mistake 
to  think  that  the  tea  entered  for  wharves  was 
delivered  from  the  ship  over-.side  direct  into  barges. 
They  say  it  was  landed  and  lay  for  a time  in  the 
shed  with  the  rest.  That  exactly  the  same  pre- 
cautions were  taken  by  the  “Cuzco”  and  the 
“ Anstral  ” to  protect  the  tea  from  damage  as  have 
been  taken  always  both  before  and  since  tlie  com- 
plained of  cargo.  And  they  claim  that  except  in  the 
case  of  the  two  above-named  ships  no  suggestion 
of  damage  has  been  made.  They  say  that 
on  every  occasion  up  to  now  the  tea  and  apples 
have  been  stowed  in  special  liolds  wdtli  •watertight 
bulks  between  them.  They  make  the  admission 
that  one  of  the  passengers  per  the  “ Austral  ” 
sent  to  the  ship  with  her'baggage  a box  containing 
about  a dozen  apples.  This  was  placed  in  one  of 
the  holds  with  the  rest  of  the  passenger’s  baggage, 
not  being  recognised  as  containing  apples.  They 
say  it  is  impossible  for  a dozen  apples  to  have 
tained  several  thousand  packages  of  tea.  But  if 
one  passenger  sent  a dozen  apples  which  were 
not  recognised,  might  not  fifty  passengers  have 
wished  to  bring  home  as  presents  more  or  less 
of  the  fruit  and  their  cases  also  have  been  passed 
into  the  passengers’  baggage  hold?  But  whether 
one  or  fifty  passengers  had  fruit  on  board  Messrs. 
Anderson  Anderson  & Co. , consider  that  having 
regard  to  the  terms  of  their  bill  of  lading  the 
ship  would  not  be  liable.  The  matter  is,  of 
course,  in  the  hands  of  their  lawyers,  and  it 
remains  to  be  seen  wliat  stand  tliey  will  take 
when  the  matter  lias  been  handled  by  the  Tea 
and  Produce  Committee. 
IMPKOVED  CEYLON  TEA. 
[from  an  occasional  CHICAGO  CORRESPONDENT.] 
We  have  been  favored  with  something  entirely  new 
and  different  in  the  tea  line.  While  it  is  a Ceylon 
tea,  it  is  so  entirely  unlike  all  other  Ceylon  teas 
that  no  comparison  should  be  made.  Lovers  of  good 
teas  are  indebted  to  Messrs.  Franklin  MacVea^  & 
Co.,  Chicago,  for  this  article.  The  way  they  be- 
came possessed  of  it  was  in  the  following  manner : 
For  years  they  realized  that  Ceylon  grew  a very 
grand  tea,  and  beginning  wiih  the  close  of  the  World’s 
Fair  they  commenced  corresponding  with  leading 
growers  of  teas  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  with  the 
aim  of  getting  them  to  prepare  or  cure  a tea  that 
would  be  suitable  to  the  American  trade. 
In  the  past,  Ceylon’s  trade  had  been  from  the 
British  Isles  and  Australia.  These  countries  use 
five  times  the  quantity  of  tea  per  person  that  is 
used  by  the  American  people — in  fact,  these  coun- 
tries use  tea  the  same  as  we  use  coffee,  and  their 
aim  has  always  been  to  get  a tea  to  take  the  place 
of  coffee  ; consequentlj',  they  prepare  a fermented  tea, 
and  the  greater  the  fermentation  the  better  they 
like  it,  as  it  makes  a tea  very  heavy  and  malty  ; but 
this  very  taste,  we  found,  was  disliked  by  all  American 
tea-drinkers.  We  are  very  partial  to  a light,  flavory, 
delicate  tea. 
Samples  were  sent  to  Ceylon  of  the  very  higher 
grade  of  Foi'mosa  Oolongs,  China,  Greens  and  Japans, 
to  show  what  kinds  of  teas  were  liked  in  America. 
This  was  back  in  the  fall  of  1894.  The  Ceylon  fac- 
tors commenced  and  made  a great  many  experiments, 
but  not  until  two  years  afterwards  were  they  able  to 
cuie  a tea  that  had  all  the  fine  aroma  left  in  it,  and 
did  not  possess  that  malty,  bitter  taste  that  goes 
■with  a tea  prepared  for  the  English  market.  To  get 
the  beautiful  bouquet  that  this  tea  has,  it  must  be 
grown  in  the  mouutain  district,  as  a high  altitude  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  grow  this  kind  of  a tea. 
There  is  something  very  different  in  this  tea  from 
all  other  teas.  Some  people,  the  first  time  they 
drink  it,  do  not  like  it  on  account  of  its  being  so 
unlike  the  tea  they  have  been  using  for  years ; the 
second  time  they  drink  it  they  do  not  dislike  it,  but 
the  third  time  is  the  charm.  It  has  a delicious 
bouquet  and  mellowness  that  no  other  tea  possesses, 
and  after  it  is  drank  a few  times,  one  becomes  a 
lover  of  it  in  a greater  degree  than  of  any  tea  that 
has  ever  been  before  the  public. 
It  is  a wonderfully  economical  tea  also,  as  not 
over  01  e-half  the  usual  quantity  is  necessary  ; if 
you  use  a teaspoonful  to  a cup  of  other  teas  only 
use  a half  tea  spoonful  of  this  tea. 
To  briefly  summarize : This  wonderful  tea  is 
grown  and  specially  prepared  for  (he  American 
trade.  It  is  the  only  unfermented  Ceylon  tea  on 
the  market.  It  steeps  a beautiful  bright-colored 
liquor,  and  has  great  fragrance.  It  is  not  malty  and 
bitter,  as  all  Ceylon  and  India  teas  are.  Bruno. 
[We  publish  the  above  as  a matter  of  trade  news. 
Many  believe  that  the  tea  of  the  future  is  to  come 
from  Ceylon  and  India.  We  have  tested  the  above 
tea  and  find  it  of  fine  flavor,  light  liquor  and  nearly 
free  from  the  pronounced  sweetish  taste  character- 
istic of  most  of  the  Ceylon  and  India  tea.  It  is 
claimed,  and  upon  a sound  basis,  that  frequent  use 
of  these  teas  will  overcome  that  prejudice  which 
first  comes  to  (he  user  of  Ceylon  and  India  tea, 
and  that  the  user  will  become  wedded  to  it  and 
never  go  back  to  his  old  favorite.  We  are  not  yet 
a convert  from  the  use  of  fancy  Formosa,  but  we 
know  others  that  are.  Investigators  can  probably 
secure  a sample  of  the  tea  described  by  “ Bruno,” 
by  addressing  Franklin  MaeVeagh  it  Co.,  Chicago, 
and  mentioning  this  article. — Ed.] — American  Grocer, 
June  10. 
“The  Agricueturae  Ledger.”— From  the 
Government  of  India  we  have  received  Nos.  18 
and  20  of  1895  and  No.s.  5,  6 and  7 of  1890  of 
this  valuable  publication.  No.  5 of  189(5  contains 
a rejirint  of  Mr.  David  Hooper’s  note  on  camphor 
leaf  oil  (whicli  we  printed  some  time  ago),  and 
an  introduction  by  the  editor,  Dr.  George  Watt, 
which  we  give  elsewhere. 
