Dec.  1,  1896,] 
4.^7 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
this  evenly  amongst  the  six  films  of  brokers  it  gives 
an  average  of  nearly  five  millions  to  each,  whicli 
meant  handling,  lotting,  sampling,  &c.,  of  about  62,500 
packages.  We  feel  certain  that  were  business  divided 
as  we  suggest  this  quantity  would  be  considerably 
increased,  and  we  commend  the  matter  to  the  Indian 
Tea  Association  and  Chamber  of  Commerce,  feeling 
sure  that  it  will  receive  the  attention  it  deserves." 
Pabaguayan  Tea. — Apropos  the  fact  that  as  we 
announced  some  months  since,  n.ate  or  Paraguyan 
tea  is  advertised  in  London,  the  Vail  Nall  Gazette  is 
quite  fervent.  It  says : “ Shall  we  import  our  tea 
from  South  America  instead  of  India  and  China  V 
Shall  we  grow  it  ourselves  ? Shall  we  suck  it 
up  like  a straw  drink  through  a bonibilla? 
It  mate  tea  is  introduced  to  this  country  we  may 
do  any  or  all  of  these,  and  there  are  those  who  are 
trying  to  introduce  it.  It  is  the  drink  of  the  Para- 
guayans and  the  Brazilians,  and  of  the  Europeans 
who  dwell  in  their  midst,  and  there  is  not  wanting 
evidence  in  its  favour— the  evidence  of  medical 
science,  the  evidence  of  travellers,  the  evidence  of 
those  at  home  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  try 
it.  Those  who  speak  with  authority  on  such  subjects 
declare  that  it  contains  a nitrogenous  principle  which 
is  both  nourishing  and  sustaining;  that  it  does  not 
tax  the  digestive  powers  ; that  it  contains  more  theine 
than  tea  itself  and  less  tannin  ; that,  for  many  other 
reasons,  it  should  fi»ht  tea  and  coffee  on  their  own 
ground  and  win  easily.  Let  the  capitalist  scent  a new 
industry,  the  tea-growing  East  look  to  its  laurels,  and 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  think  of  transferring 
the  Customs  duty.”  The  increasing  favour  of  tea 
with  the  consumer  and  the  importance  of  the  Indian 
and  Ceylon  tea  industry  have  developed  some  fanci- 
ful views  as  to  the  possibility  of  a rival  product,  but 
we  do  not  think  this  competition  will  come  in  the  form 
of  Paraguayan  tea.  Up  till  now  the  shares  of  Indian 
and  Ceylon  tea  companies  have  not  shown  signs  of 
weakness,  nor  are  the  public,  so  far  as  we  can  gather, 
showing  any  keen  desire  to  be  nourished  and  sus- 
tained by  mate,  either  with  or  without  the  bonibilla. 
Only  a Modest  Suggestion. — We  sympathise 
with  the  editor  of  our  Calcutta  contemporary  Capital, 
who  mentions  that  a Calcutta  journal  has  published 
a list  of  Calcutta  tea  compianies  taken  from  Capital 
without  acknowledgment.  We  know  something  of 
the  feeling  called  into  play  by  that  kind  of  thing, 
and  have  borne  with  fortitude  a long  series  of  offen- 
ces with  but  an  occasional  remonstrance.  Articles, 
tables  of  statistics,  and  paragraphs  appearing  in 
these. columns  are  not  only  sometimes  inserted  in 
other  journals  without  acknowledgment,  but  they 
come  back  from  the  East  to  the  West  and  quoted 
from  the  journals  which,  shall  we  say,  purloined 
them,  they  again  appear  in  this  country  with  all 
the  coy  graces  of  a first  appearance.  That  accidents 
will  happen  in  well  regulated  Press  circles  we  have 
a proof  only  this  week.  In  our  issue  of  September 
18  we  gave  an  extract  from  a magazine  called 
Colonia,  in  which  Mr.  Elphinstone  had  written  on  tea 
planting  in  Ceylon.  We  prefaced  this  with  some 
remarks  of  our  own  on  the  attraction  of  tea  planting. 
Our  contemporary  the  Indian  Planters'  Gazette  repro- 
duces the  entire  article  and  quotes  our  com- 
ments, we  feel  sure,  in  absolute  good  faith, 
ir ova.  ihe  Ceylon  Independent.  We  make  no  complaint 
against  either  of  the  journals  named,  who  are, 
no  doubt,  not  intentional  sinners,  and  usually 
give  credit  where  it  is  due.  We  merely  take  this 
opportunity  of  suggesting  that  in  cases  where  ex- 
tiacts  from  our  columns  are  made  the  source 
should,  when  the  printer  has  the  necessary  type,  be 
quoted.  If  this  is  not  acceptable  the  name  of  this 
journal  being  long,  there  is  a really  admirable  way 
of  meeting  the  occasion  by  adding  the  letters  H. 
and  C.  M.,  which  is  mysterious  to  the  uninitiated 
and  does  not  necessarily  mean  anything  at  all. 
We  would  not  mention  this  trifling  matter  if  it  were 
not  for  the  short  and  simple  fact  that  we  write 
mainly  for  our  own  readers,  and  although  it  is 
kind  and  attentive  on  the  part  of  other  journals 
in  Timbuctoo  and  elsewhere  to  honour  ua  by  re- 
i producing  the  gems  we  set,  it  occurs  to  our  mind 
in  moments  of  depression  that  it  is  not  so  condu- 
cive to  our  welfare  as  they  fondly  imagine.  It  is 
an  age  of  self-denial  and  hair  shirts.  Keluctantly, 
therefore,  we  surrender  the  pleasure  of  seeing  our 
pet  paragraphs  reproduced  without  acknowledg- 
ment, and  bay  to  those  who  do  not  quote  us  ; 
if  you  find  it  necessary  to  the  happiness  of  your- 
self and  your  readers  to  use  any  extracts  from  this 
journal  print  the  name  somehow,  if  only  in  initials 
and  comparative  happiness  will  be  our  portion. 
Not  Too  ;N:uch  Adulteration,  But  Quite 
Enough. — The  report  of  the  Local  Government 
Board  on  the  adulteration  of  produce  is  always 
pleasant  reading  in  the  far-awa}'  home  of  the  grower 
of  produce.  It  proves  that  the  watchful  eye 
of  authority  is  guarding  his  interests  and  that  if 
the  guardian  dozes  sometimes  he  wakes  up  at 
times  and  convicts  the  offenders.  There  were  for 
the  year  4,093  cases  cf  adulterated  samjiles  and 
2,313  convictions.  Of  tea  the  Commissioners 
of  Customs  reported  to  the  Board  that  the 
analyst  to  the  Commissioners  had  analysed 
646  samples,  and  573  of  those  samples  were 
considered  satisfactory.  The  remaining  73  samples 
were  reported  to  the  Board,  and  were  dis- 
posed of  as  under:  10  samples  (425  packages) 
were  admitted  to  home  consumption  ; 59  samples 
(1,524  packages)  were  restricted  to  exportation  owing 
to  the  presence  of  exhausted  leaves  and  admixture 
with  other  substances  ; and  4 sample  (4  packages) 
were  destroyed  as  being  decomposed  and  unfit  for 
human  food.  These,  we  take  it  for  granted,  all 
came  from  China.  Of  the  2,046  samples  of  coffee 
examined,  204  or  10  per  cent  were  condemned.  In  141 
of  these  cases  the  proportion  of  added  chicory 
was  at  least  40  per  cent,  a few  of  the  samples 
being  almost  entirely  chicory,  though  one  was  sold 
at  the  rate  of  Is  6d  per  pound.  There  were  135  pro- 
secutions, and  in  119  coses  penalties  were  imposed 
amounting  in  all  to  £157  17s,  only  8 of  them  being 
of  £5  and  upwards.  Out  of  855  samples  of  ginger 
61  were  adulterated;  of  182  samples  of  cocoa  36  were  con- 
demned ; 353  samples  of  sugar  were  examined,  and 
only  6 were  found  to  be  adulterated.  There  were  1,599 
samples  of  pepper  analysed,  but  only  8 were  adulterated. 
This  contrasts  favourably  with  the  report  of  a few 
years  ago,  when  pepper  was  found  to  be  extensively 
adulterated.  Fines  were  inflicted  in  two  cases  of 
pepper. 
The  Latest  Fibre. — Sir  H.  .Tohnstou,  Her  Majesty’s 
Commissioner  in  the  British  Central  Africa  Protec- 
torate, mentions  a plant  indigenous  to  that  part  of 
the  globe  which  may  have  a future  of  great  utility 
before  it.  An  English  firm  recently  gave  their  at- 
tention to  the  valuable  fibres  produced  by  three  species 
of  liliaceous  plants  of  the  genus  Sanseviera.  The 
Sanseviera  grows  in  great  quantities  on  all  the  barren, 
stony  ground  of  the  Protectorate,  at  low  levels,  es- 
pecially on  the  rocky  islands  in  Lake  Nyassa.  A 
machine  has  been  invented  which  is  able  to  turn  out 
enormous  quantities  of  fibres  from  this  plant  in  a 
very  short  space  of  time,  and  it  would  seem  as  if 
the  barren  ground  of  the  Protectorate  would  prove 
to  be  of  almost  equal  value  to  the  rich  coffee  pro- 
ducing tracts,  since  this  fibre  is  worth  neaily  ,k40  per 
ton.  Moreover,  the  Sanseviera  is  of  most  easy  pro- 
pagation, requires  little  or  no  attention,  and  in  three 
years  from  the  time  of  planting  is  ready  to  reduce 
to  fibre.  The  fibre  has  long  been  used  by  the  natives 
of  Africa  and  India  for  making  bowstrings,  and  has 
been  called  bowstring  hemp. 
THE  TEA  MARKET. 
In  the  Tea  market  business  is  active  at  steady 
prices.  The  record  deliveries  for  October  should 
strengthen  importers’  position,  especially  as  the 
strain  of  large  imports  (Indiiui)  begins  to  abate.  It 
is  evident  increased  production,  at  any  rate  for 
season  1896-7,  will  not  be  more  than  to  meet  the 
universal  increasing  consumption.  Of  China  Tea  a 
further,  though  slight,  easing  in  prices  has  not 
altered  the  general  position.  Ceylon  Tea  is  firm  with 
moderate  imports. — L.  and  C.  Express,  Nov.  13. 
