596 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [March  i,  1897. 
exports  ran  into  six  figures  on  four  occasions, 
and  on  every  one  of  these,  tlie  exports  were 
more  than  double  those  for  1896,  and  almost 
treble ! So  that  in  that  direction  too,  there  is 
little  ground  for  satisfaction.  Of  I’oonac  an 
average  quantity  was  ex])orted  in  1896,  tjiough  less 
than  for  the  previous  six  year.s,  in  natural  correspon- 
dence with  the  diminished  outturn  of  oil.  But  we 
never  lament  a falliiig-ofl'in  poonac  exports,  as  the 
more  of  it  we  retain  for  feeding  stock  and  for 
manure,  the  better.  The  Coir  business — whether 
in  rope,  yarn  or  fibre — was  an  average  one,  and 
from  all  accounts  the  trade  in  tliese  articles  has 
been  overdone,  and  the  profits  desirable  from 
them  are  not  very  dazzling.  Altogether,  Coco- 
nuts have  not  shown  up  as  well  last  year  as  the 
year  before  ; and  the  slack  demand  for  oil  in 
European  and  American  markets  must  tell  to 
some  extent  on  business  this  year,  until  a brisker 
demand  springs  up,  and  Indian  competition 
begins  to  tell. 
^ 
FBODUCE  AND  PLANTING. 
Tea  in  the  United  States. — The  difficulties  of 
pushing  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  successfully  in  the 
United  States  are  well-known.  It  requires  plenty  of 
pluck  and  perseverance.  The  following  letter  fi  om  the 
Philadelphia  correspondent  of  the  (Irorer  is  of  inter- 
est as  showing  the  state  of  the  tea  trade.  Writing 
of  that  portion  of  the  city  where  the  relics  of  the 
Revolutionary  period  most  abound,  the  correspondent 
says  : *■  In  this  section  of  the  city  are  many  tea 
importers  and  jobbers,  some  being  the  laigest  in  the 
ITiited  States.  One  firm  reports  sales  in  a private 
waj'  of  88,000  half-chests  in  ninety  days,  an  excep- 
tionally large  distribution  for  a firm  in  this  country 
where  tea  is  not  in  popular  favour.  Most  of  this  tea 
was  sold  by  travellers  v/ho  go  as  far  west  as  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  This  house  does  not  speak  enthu- 
siastically of  the  prospects  of  Ceylon  and  Indian  teas, 
because  their  davour  is  so  different  from  the  green 
tea  and  Oolongs  in  favour  here  for  125  years.  On 
the  other  hand,  I found  those  who  think  that  Ceylon 
and  Indian  teas  are  the  teas  of  the  future.  They  are 
certainly  very  much  in  evidence  at  the  Food  Show' 
now  being  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Philadelphia 
Retail  Grocers’  Association.  I found  that  the  main  ex  - 
hibit was  by  the  Ceylon  and  Indian  tea  interests,  A 
very  large  space  has  been  fitted  as  a tropical  tea  garden 
wherein  maidens  passably  fair  invite  you  to  tarry  and 
Blip.  You  are  served,  as  you  elect,  with  a cup  of  hot 
or  cold  tea,  together  with  a biscuit.  Upon  conversing 
with  the  manager,  I found  him  quite  an  enthusiastic 
American  advocate  of  Ceylon  tea.  lie  states  that  the 
reatest  drawback  is  that  consumers  are  not  careful  in 
rewing,  as  they  use  ns  great  a quantity  of  Ceylon  or 
Indian  tea  as  of  the  China  or  .Japan  sorts,  and  the  re- 
sult is  a very  heavy-bodied  liquor,  sweetish  and  with 
too  much  tannin.  It  is  to  overcome  this  fault  that  de- 
monstrations in  the  proper  use  of  Ceylon  and  Indian 
tea  are  given.  Tetley’s  teas  were  represented  in  a 
separate  pavilion,  where  consumers  could  also  obtain  a 
cup  of  the  delicious  beverage,  and  go  away  provided 
with  a beautiful  lithogi-aphed  hrochure,  somewhat 
humorous  in  character,  but  of  a kind  to  provoke  the 
recipient  to  carry  it  home  and  preserve  it  for  amuse- 
ment and  reference.” 
What  the  Americans  Drink. — “ The  Americans  are 
not  given  to  tea-drinking.  They  go  in  for  coffee  and 
beer,  using  both  very  freely — about  nine  pounds  of 
coffee  and  sixteen  gallons  of  beer  ;;/’)•  capita, 
while  of  tea  they  use  about  one  and  i tiuid  pounds. 
It  is  seldom  I have  found  a cup  of  tea  decently 
brewed,  except  when  made  to  order  in  some  first-class 
hotel  or  famous  restaurant.  Certainly,  70,0tX),0t)()  con- 
sumers, with  tastes  varying  greatly,  offer  a fair  field 
for  the  push,  pluck,  and  persistency  of  the  Ceylon  and 
Indian  tea  people.  Everywhore  I find  photographs 
of  scones  in  the  tea-gardens  of  Ceylon,  and  others 
illustrating  methods  of  manufacture.-  All  of  this  is 
calculated  to  make  a bigger  demand  for  machine- 
made  tea.  I was  also  presented  with  a private  state- 
ment of  the  position  of  tea,  pia pared  by  one  of  the 
oldest  linns  of  brokers  in  the  land.  It  shows  an 
estimated  supply  for  the  season  of  1896  and  1897  of 
82,350,0001b.  against  105,300,5811b  ; in  1895-96.  The 
supply  is  made  up  as  follows  : — Green  tea  M,000,0001b  ; 
Japan,  40,000,0001b  ; Formosa  Oolong,  16,000,0001b; 
Amoy  Oolong,  1,250,0001b ; Foochow  Oolong, 
3,600,0001b;  Congou,  7,.500,0001b ; total,  82,350,000.” 
Brazili.-in  Coit'EE. — An  important  sale  of  Brazilian 
coffee  on  spot  took  place  at  Hamburg  on  Thursday 
week,  24,000  bags,  mostly  Santos,  lying  in  steamer 
now’  in  port,  being  disposed  of  by  the  banking  house 
of  L.  Behrius  and  Sons.  O'he  buyers  were  local 
firms.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  coffee  was 
a consignment  made  by  the  Brazilan  Government, 
in  place  of  bills  in  discharge  of  amount  required 
for  payment  of  interest  on  Brazilian  bonds.  The 
coffee  was  consigned  to  Messrs.  Rothschild  in  Lon- 
don, who  had  it  sold  in  Hamburg. 
Coffee  in  1896.— In  the  coffee  market  values 
receded  from  77s  to  62s  in  August  for 
ordinary  Colombian,  while  middling  sorts  of 
other  Central  American  moved  from  94s  to 
85s.  East  Indian  fell  proportionately  for  the  com- 
mon and  pale  kinds,  aii'l  Bahia,  African,  and  Santos 
dropped  about  25s,  50s  being  touched  for  good  average 
Santos,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  good  to  fine  quali- 
ties have,  with  slight  fluctuations,  maintained  very 
full  rates.  One  noteworthy  feature  was  that  when 
suppli  8 were  at  the  heaviest  prices  were  relatively 
high,  as  both  dealers  here  and  on  the  Continent  had 
r.  n their  stocks  so  low  that  they  were  compelled  to 
buy.  After  they  had  filled  their  requirements  prices 
gradually  declined,  and  with  heavy  Brazil  receipts 
pointing  to  a large  crop  the  dow’invard  movement 
became  more  pronounced.  In  August,  however, 
when  supplies  had  fallen  off  and  demand 
became  more  active,  values  recovered  4s  to 
6s.  Towards  the  close,  with  supplies  of 
new  Colombian  coming  forward  rather  freely, 
prices  again  gave  way  slightly.  Ceylon,  in 
consequence  of  leaf  disease  and  the  gra- 
dual decadence  of  cultivation,  has  been  in 
small  supply  and  commanded  extreme  prices 
A parcel  of  native,  the  first  seen  for  many 
years,  brought  full  rates.  East  India,  considering 
the  quality,  which  was  not  altogether  up  to  the 
usual  standard,  averaged  well.  Costa  Rica  has  been 
in  larger  supply,  and  quality  generally  was  better, 
especially  fiue  marks.  Offerings  of  Nyasaland  (grown 
from  Indian  seed)  have  increased  and  high  prices 
were  realised.  The  growth,  being  of  good  colour 
and  make,  promises  to  rank  well  with  other  de- 
scriptions in  the  favour  of  the  trade,  but  so  far  the 
paicils  have  been  very  mixed  with  defective  berries, 
showing  the  necessity  for  more  thorough  hand- 
liicking.  In  the  terminal  market  business  has  ruled 
exccpiionally  quiet,  oven  the  change  altering  the 
ininimum  quantity  dealt  in  from  .500  to  2.50  bags 
falling  to  stimulate  speculation,  but  during  the  latter 
part  of  the  year  there  has  been  a little  more  doing 
in  Santos  futures.  Brices  have  steadily  declined, 
good  average  Santos  being  quoted  70s  in  the  begin- 
ning of  .January  and  closing  at  50s,  after  having 
been  as  low  as  47s  6,1.  Fair  Channel  Rio,  opening 
at  tils  9d,  is  now  48s,  having  been  as  low  as  48s  in 
the  beginning  of  October. 
Cocoa  During  1896.  — Cocoa  experienced  unexampled 
depression  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  For 
the  first  six  months  supplies  poured  into  the  Port  of 
London  to  such  an  extent  that  the  accumu- 
lated stock  in  bond  was  about  double  the 
average  stock  of  the  last  ten  years.  Manu- 
facturers were  consequently  able  to  purchase  on 
their  own  terms,  and  values  gradually  declined  until 
the  lowest  level  over  recorded  was  reached.  For  in- 
