757 
May  I,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
JAVA  COFFEE,  TEA,  KICE  AMD 
SPICES. 
A general  statement  has  been  issued  by  the 
Eotterdam  brokers  concerning  coffee  tea,  rice  and 
spices  during  1887  to  1896.  This  stateme  affords 
many  interesting  particulars.  The  world’s  pro- 
duction of  coffee  fluctuated  in  the  last  ten  years 
between  7 and  12i  million  bags  of  60  kilos.  Of 
this  quantity  Java  (overnment  and  private  cultiva- 
tion together)  delivered  from  0'4  to  1.1  million, 
to  which  about  1110,000  bags  are  to  be  added  from 
Padang  and  Celebes.  The  Palembang  coffee,  which 
is  usually  shipped  to  Singapore,  is  crtainly  taken 
np  under  the  head  of  British  East  India  coffee 
It  may  thus  be  stated  that  the  Dutch  East  Indies, 
provide  for  about  ten  per  cent  of  the  wants  of  the 
world’s  consumption.  It  is  striking  that  the  Java 
production  does  not  increase.  The  decrease  of  the 
Government’s  cultivation  is  a known  fact,  but  it  is 
another  case  as  it  concerns  the  private  cultivation. 
In  view  of  the  numerous  concessions  granted  a 
doubling  of  the  production  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. This  has,  however,  not  occurred,  as  the 
production  of  1895-96  was  nearly  equal  to  that 
of  1886-87.  The  disease  of  the  leaves  must  be 
regarded  as  a great  factor  in  the  small  outturn. 
The  imports  of  rice  in  Holland  varied  from  1887 
to  1897  betw'een  100,000  to  130,000  bags,  of  which 
Java  had  about  the  tenth  part.  The  import  of  tea 
in  Holland  increased  considerably,  being  in  1887-91 
140,000  chests  of  40  kilos.,  against  170,000  chests  in 
1892-96.  In  the  former  period  Java  tea  represented 
the  smallest  portion,  but  in  the  latter  this  kind 
predominated.  In  1896  there  were  against  68,300 
chests  China  tea  102,000  chests  Java  tea.  A con- 
siderable portion  was  again  exported  ; but  the  con- 
sumption in  1896  amounted  to  respectively  41,500 
and  30,200  chests.  The  consumption  of  China  tea 
decreased  gradually  in  this  country,  and  Java  tea  in 
creased.  Five  years  ago  the  consumption  was  60.300 
and  15,600  chests  respectively.  This  proves  that 
the  Java  tea  is  more  and  more  liked  on  the  Dutch 
market  and  has.  in  fuct,  a good  future. — L.  and  C. 
Erprtss,  March  12. 
FLANTING  IN  MYSORE. 
From  the  Proceedings  (just  received)  of  tlie 
Annual  General  Meeting  of  tlie  South  Mysore 
Planters’  Association  we  quote  the  following:— 
Famine. — In  this  province  I rejoice  to  say  that 
grain  crops  have  on  the  whole  been  better  than 
could  at  one  time  have  been  reasonably  hoped  for, 
an  exceptionally  heavy  fall  of  rain  in  late  Novem- 
ber having  saved  a considerable  portion  of  the  dry 
cr^s. 
The  Plague.— If  this  terrible  pestilence  should 
make  its  way  into  this  province  and  into  Man- 
galore and  its  neighbourhood,  our  labour  sup- 
ply will  be  very  seriously  affected.  I trust  the 
authorities  in  the  latter  place,  bearing  in  mind  the 
large  quantities  of  coolies  that  come  np  to  Mysore 
from  S.  Carrara,  will  take  such  measures  as  are 
possible  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease. 
Laboue. — The  supply  has  been  more  plentiful  than 
for  some  years  past,  and  I agree  with  the  gentle- 
merr  who  wrote  from  North  Mysore  that  an  oppor- 
tuniW  is  occurring  to  check  the  upward  tendency 
of  advances.  Ghauts  especially  have  come  up  in 
increasing  numbers,  but  Tamil  labour  having  proved 
generally  unsatisfactory  and  untrustworth,  has  been 
less  employed. 
Railways.— It  is  gratifying  to  observe  the  forward 
policy  of  the  Dewan  with  regard  to  Railways.  He 
18  fully  aware  of  the  immense  advantages  acciuing 
from  opening  up  the  country,  and  is  encouraged  in 
his  views  by  the  increasing  returns  on  the  lines 
already  existing  in  the  province.  The  branch  line 
from  Shimoga  to  Birur  is  being  made,  and  the 
Durbar  have  expressed  a wish  to  constiuct  a line 
between  Arsikiri  and  Hassan  at  their  own  expense 
and  have  submitted  proposals  to  the  Government 
of  India  regarding  it. 
Caedamoms.— Crops  this  season  were  very  short 
and  high  prices  have  ruled.  The  Revenue  Supt.  has 
not  as  yet  issued  his  report  regarding  the  re-assess- 
ment. though  it  is  now  more  than  a year  since  he 
was  deputed  to  make  the  enquiry. 
“Coffee-stealing”  is  still  a great  grievance  Yvith 
our  Mysore  neiglibours. 
THE  TEA  TRADE  OF  CHINA. 
One  of  our  Chinese  tea  buyers  made  the  some- 
w’hat  astonishing  statement  (in  Ceylon)  that  the  use 
of  machinery  made  no  alteiation  whatever  in  the 
flavour  of  China  tea.  Experiments  in  this  direction 
have  so  far  been  too  limited  to  justify  such  a dictum, 
and  the  interviewed  one  was  probably  unaware  that 
only  a few  years  ago,  with  some  simple  machinery, 
a China  tea  was — by  Mr  Pinches,  an  Indian  planter 
on  a visit  to  China — prepared  in  the  Indian  way, 
sent  to  Calcutta  to  be  reported  upon,  and  there  valued 
by  the  brokers,  who  knew  not  whence  it  came,  as  a very 
high  grade  Indian  tea.  In  more  recent  days  the  Foo- 
chow Tea  Improvement  Company  (a  small  company 
with  a high-sounding  title,  but  with  earnest  men  con- 
nected with  it)  have  shown  that,  if  desirable,  the  China 
flavour,  once  so  dear  to  English  palates,  can  be 
eliminated,  and  this  before  they  have  erected  machi- 
nery of  any  kind,  and  merely  by  making  some  tri- 
fling alteration  in  the  manipulation  of  the  leaf  in  its 
earliest  stages  of  fermentation— in  tact,  without  any 
amended  cultivation  and  without  any  patent  rolling 
and  firing  machines.  Until  far  moie  extended  ex- 
periments have  been  made  in  China  as  to  what  can 
and  what  cannot  be  done  with  altered  methods  of 
cultivation  and  the  introduction  of  machinery  the 
“ Times  of  Ceylon  ” is  a little  adrift  in  stating  that 
under  no  circumstances  can  Ceylon-flavoured  tea  be 
produced  in  China.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the  exist- 
ing tea  districts  in  China  are  W’orn  out  and  incap- 
able of  producing  either  a good  or  profitable  tea 
under  any  circumstances,  but  at  the  same  time  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  China  is  a large  coun- 
try, and  that  she  probably  contains  as  many  square 
miles  of  suitable  virgin  tea  lands  as  there  are  square 
acres  of  such  in  Ceylon.  That,  in  the  present  benighted 
state  of  affairs,  China  can  continue  her  tea  trade 
at  all  is  an  open  question.  With  likin  and  duty 
on  their  present  scale  it  is  more  than  doubtful 
that  she  can  do  so.  With  these  two  factors  elimi- 
nated, in  ten  years  she  would  probably  be  the  sole 
tea-producing  country  in  the  world,  as  she  once 
was  even  in  the  memory  of  man,  and  our  good 
friends  in  Ceyion  would  do  well  to  bear  this  in 
mind.  There  are  many  changes  being  wrought  in 
China  : those  who  guide  her  destinies  may,  even  sooner 
than  is  generally  anticipated,  assist  rather  than 
athwart  what  ought  to  be  her  really  most  import- 
ant industry,  and  then  let  other  tea-producing  coun- 
tries look  to  themselves.  If  the  Chinese  Govern- 
n ent  saw  fit  to  treat  the  tea  industry  of  China  as 
the  British  Government  treati  the  tea  industry  of  India 
and  Ceylon  she  would  actually  collect  moie  revenue; 
and  by  bringing  money  and  imports  into  what 
are  now  semi-starved  or  half-depopulated  districts, 
check  the  seeds  of  a rebellion  that  will  result  in  her 
elimination  as  an  Empire.  China’s  statesmen  are 
alive  to  the  fact  at  last,  and  they  may  possibly  take 
such  prompt  measure  to  save  her  tea  trade  as  will 
give  the  “ Times  of  Ceylon”  something  more  to  think 
of  than  the  detail  fact  as  to  whether  the  precise  fla- 
vour that  they  obtain  on  their  teas  in  Ceylon  can  bo 
imitated  in  China.  Experts  would  probably  advise 
China  not  to  alter  the  flavour  of  her  teas  in  imitation 
of  Ceylon— the  product  of  that  island  is  doing  for 
England  what  absinthe  has  done  for  France,  so  far  as 
the  health  and  physique  of  the  population  is  concerned; 
pure  China  tea  always  was  and  always  will  be  a whole- 
some beverage.  No  one  can  advance  the  same  in  re- 
ference to  Ceylons.  The  point  that  China  has  to  look 
to  is  that  Ceylon  tea  is  a cheap  beverage,  and  China 
tea  a comparatively  dear  one.  Take  off  duty,  likin, 
