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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [May  i,  1897. 
The  Duty  on  Tea. — We  have  now  arrived  at  that 
period  of  the  year  when  Budget  anticipations  are  the 
order  of  the  day.  Sanguine  experts  conjecture  that  the 
surplus  will  reach  the  highly  satisfactory  figure  of  two 
millions.  If  this  calculation  should  prove  to  be  accu- 
rate, those  interested  in  the  tea  industry  may 
fairly  claim  a remission  of  the  impost  whichnow  press- 
es so  heavily  on  their  produce.  Tea  yields  a revenue 
of  nearly  four  millions  a year.  It  is  generally  looked 
upon  as  being  one  of  the  prime  necessaries  of  life.  The 
bulk  of  the  tea  consumed  is  a British  product.  As  we 
have  reiteratedly  pointed  out,  the  duty  is  regarded  by 
“ the  man  in  the  street”  as  a tax  on  food,  and  nothing 
would  be  more  popular  at  home  than  for  the  Ministry 
to  take  the  line  we  have  advocated  of  reducing  or  abo- 
lishing the  impost.  Anything  that  would  benefit  India 
at  the  present  juncture  now  that  she  is  the  victim  of 
plague  and  famine  and  consequent  depression  in  busi- 
ness would  be  ungrudingly  allow'ed  even  by  the  many 
financial  interests  that  always  scramble  for  the  crumbs 
which  fall  from  the  table  of  the  Chancellor  of  the 
Exchequer  in  surplus  years. 
Cement  Floors. — A novel  kind  of  flooring  has 
been  provided  in  the  power  station  of  the  Edison 
Electric  Illuminating  Company  of  Paterson,  N.J., 
U.S.A.  This  floor  consists  of  a huge  c.asting  of 
cement  forming  the  undivided  door  of  the  entire 
station.  The  floor  proper  is  4 inches  in  thickness, 
but  at  intervals  of  15  feet  there  is  cast  on  the 
back  or  underside  of  this  4 inch  web  a beam  13 
inches  in  depth  and  *)  inches  in  width,  running 
crosswise  of  the  station  and  resting  upon  the  sup- 
porting piers  of  brick.  The  floor  is  further  stiffen- 
ed by  longitudinal  ribs  14  inches  in  depth,  and 
tapering  from  4 inches  to  0 inches  in  widdi,  placed 
3 feet  t)  inches  apart,  running  between  the  heavier 
crosswise  beams  lengthwise  of  the  station.  These 
stiffening  projections  are  a part  of  the  main  cast- 
ing, so  that  the  floor  is  virtually  one  immense  cast- 
ing of  cement,  with  stiffening  ribs  on  its  under  side, 
supported  upon  brick  piers.  Tne  flor  is  completely 
fireproof,  and  is  said  to  cost  less  by  oue-third  than 
a floor  involving  the  use  of  iron  be.ams,  while  it 
affords  a firm  foothold,  and  presents  a surface  suffi- 
ciently smooth  to  be  easily  kept  clean.  It  will  be 
interesting  to  learn  what  effect  oil  will  have  upon 
it. — Enfjineer. 
A Standard  of  Tka.s.— We  read  in  tlie 
American  Grocer,  of  Marcli  lOlli  that  the  recent 
Act  of  Congre.ss,  regulating  the  importation  of 
tea,  provides  for  a Board  of  Kxpert.s,  who.se 
duty  will  be  to  e.stablisli  standards  of  grade.s: 
We  (Grocer)  trust  tha  tthis  inry  prove  a success, 
but  our  experience  in  having  tea  experts  fix  a stan- 
ard  has  not  been  encour.agiug.  A sample  of 
fancy  Formosa  Oolong,  examined  by  four  of  the 
best  experts  in  the  trade,  was  differently  valued 
by  each,  there  being  a difference  of  twenty  and  in 
one  instance,  forty  cents  per  pound.  Tastes  vary, 
one  estimating  a certain  flavour  of  great  value, 
that  another  expert  does  not  regard  desirable.  It 
is  practicably  out  of  the  question  to  fix  standards  by 
chemical  analyses.  Gcisler,  whose  analyses  of  tea 
are  reliable  and  extensive,  says:  “ A strict  relation 
between  the  chemical  composition  of  the  tea  and  the 
commercial  value  of  the  s.rme,  is  therefore  scarcely 
to  be  looked  for,  altough  tha  former  would  disclose 
at  once  that  tea  which  is  physiologically  the  best." 
There  is  very  great  variation  in  the  amount  of 
ash,  particularly  ash  insoluble  in  acid,  ho  solu- 
ble ash  in  one  lot  of  green  teas  v.aried  from 
2 02  to  S'Oll) ; Cougou  from  2'83  to  ;V52  ; while 
the  ash  insoluble  in  acid  varied  from  '32  to  1'31. 
It  is  the  character  of  the  infusion  which  concerns 
the  consumer,  and  not  the  composition  or  style 
of  the  leaf,  and  yet  these  go  a great  way 
toward  fixing  price.  Expert  tea  tasters  are  gov- 
erned by  strength,  body,  flavour,  aroma  and  quality 
of  the  infusion  in  fixing  value.  To  adjust  stan- 
dards will  require  the  highest  qualifications  on  the 
part  of  members  of  the  Boards  of  Exports.  Un- 
fortunately the  tea  trade  is  not  over-supplied  with 
high  class  experts,  therefore  the  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  needs  to  exercise  great  care  in  the  selection 
pf  the  seven  meu  Tvhe  will  constitute  the  Board. 
Planting  in  Ugand.v. — It  is  only  seven  years  since 
Dr.  Peters,  the  German  explorer  and  agent,  found 
Uganda  destroyed  by  rival  factions,  and  he  sought  to 
bring  it  within  the  German  sphere.  It  became  British, 
however,  and  is  making  astonishing  progress.  Even 
since  1894  the  imports  into  the  chief  town  have  been 
more  than  quadrupled  ; and  the  exports  have  been 
advancing  at  a corresponding  rate.  As  the  natives  of 
the  Uganda  kingdom  are  an  advanced  race  they  are 
offering  an  ever-widening  market  for  manufactured 
articles  in  textiles  and  metals,  including  Agricul- 
tural implements  and  industrial  tools.  Uganda  is 
going  to  be  a cotton,  tea.  tobacco,  and  coffee  growing 
country. — //.  and  C.  Mail.,  March  26. 
D.ates. — In  reference  to  the  notes  on  Date  Culti- 
vation in  Australia  (Keio  Bulletin,  1895,  pp.  161-2) 
and  Antigua  (1896,  pp.  26-28)  the  following  brief 
account  of  what  may  be  considered  the  normal 
growth  of  the  tree  will  be  useful  for  comparison  : — 
Extract  from  the  Report  for  the  vear  1894-95  on 
the  Trade  of  the  Kerman  Consular  District,  Persian 
Beluchistan  (F.O.  1896,  Annual  Series,  No.  1671,  p. 
7).  Dates  grow  to  great  p=-rfection  in  many  parts 
of  the  country,  notably  at  Pahraj  and  Fanoch.  The 
output  could  be  easily  doubled  by  planting  fresh 
palm  groves.  Date  palms  begin  to  yield  at  three 
years,  and  reach  their  prime  at  30.  A good  crop 
for  a single  tree  would  be  from  80  to  100  lb. 
The\'  are  fertilised  by  hand,  one  male  tree  supply- 
ing pollen  for  perhaps  40  female  plants.  The  dates 
used  for  export  are  those  that  grow  at  the  summt. 
of  the  tree.  From  the  action  of  the  sun  they 
become  hard  and  dry,  thus  being  easily  packed. 
The  lower  branches  remain  soft,  and  are  kept  for 
local  consumption. — Kew  Bulletin. 
The  Gold  Coast. — The  geuer.il  li.sc  il  condition 
of  the  Gold  Coast  Colony,  .as  described  in  a re- 
port just  published  by  the  Colonial  Office,  “ w'as 
not  only  satisfactory  but  nourishing ” during  t he 
last  financial  year.  Revenue  and  trade  increased, 
although  there  is  no  other  colony  in  the  Empire 
so  lightly  taxed.  In  the  last  .six  years  about  a 
million  monkeys  have  been  slanghteretl  on  the 
Gobi  Coast  for  the  sake  of  their  skins  ; hut  the 
tra  le  is  decreasing,  because  tlie  traders  have  to 
go  farther  into  the  interior  to  li-ul  the  monkeys 
tliey  require.  Bast  year  over  00,000  skins,  worth 
over  .£14,009,  were  exported.  The  land  in  the 
colony  is  not  generally  cultivated,  tliougli  the 
.soil  is  natniMlIy  ricli  and  will  produce  almost 
any  commodity.  It  abounds  in  tlie  oil  palm, 
mahogany,  rubber,  and  kola  trees,  and  many 
other  valuable  woods  ; bub,  chiefly  on  account  of 
tlie  absence  of  proper  roads  and  the  general 
ignorance  of  the  natives,  iirodncts  which  require 
a careful  preparation  of  the  soil  and  supervision 
have  not  been  cultivated  systematically.  On  the 
subject  of  coninmriications,  a passage  from  an 
address  of  the  Governer  to  the  Legislative  Coun- 
cil is  quoted  : — “ Tlie  conditions  under  which 
bulky  prjduce  is  transported  from  tlie  interior 
to  the  coast  are  such  that,  beyond  a certain  dis- 
tance inlanri,  products  liave  no  commercial  value; 
a new  producing  spliere  could  he  tapped  if  a 
railway  of  50  or  60  miles  in  lengtli  were  con- 
structed, and  trade  could  be  further  developed  by 
the  gradual  extension  of  the  line  ; it  is  therefore 
de  arable  to  carry  a railway  inlaml  from  the  place 
best  adapted  for  development  as  a harbour. 
Wliab  tliat  place  sliall  be  is  the  mutter  now  under 
consideration.”  Trade  roads  also  are  being  con- 
structed and  extended.  The  report  concludes  as 
follows  “ The  colony  has  within  it  all  the 
essentials  for  prosperity.  Rich  in  gold,  in  valua- 
able  timber,  in  soil  whicli  will  produce  almost  any 
commodity  of  trade  value,  it  is  already  attracting 
the  attention  of  capitalists,  and  witli  iinances  and 
trade  in  a satisfactoiy  .state  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  nob  advance  in  material  [u-osperity 
and  bring  wealth  to  English  merchants  ami 
native  producevs  ami  worker^i"— Londoa  limes, 
