THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Nov. I, 1897. 
322 
XIV.— Soil veiy rich— suited for cocoa and Liberian 
coftec' — sheltered. — SCO to 1,5C0. 
Though VII, VIII, IX, and XII, all contain rich 
soil and’ are generally sheltered, the absence of infor- 
mation about the rainfall makes it difficult to ^ say 
for what cultivation, besides tea, they are best suited. 
The rainfall of these districts probably approximates 
to 200 inches annually. 
COFFEE IN COSTA PvlCA. 
It will he renienibered that Mr. J. L. Sliand 
went out to Costa Kica last year to inspect a 
coffee plantation and large extent of land in 
private hands. The result was the formation 
of the “ Sarapiqui Estates Coy. Limited,” of which 
Mr. Shand and Mr. Huntly Thring— as repre.sent- 
iim Ceylon— are directors. This mail brings 
ns'’ information (not from Mr. Shand) of the 
progress of the Company, which we quote as 
follows 
“ The first lot of coffee has come and has realized 
the, veiy good price of 108s for the A mark with an 
ave)-age of 96s for the parcel. I send you a sample 
of the mark which I feel sure will interest you and 
friends in Ceylon, the size of bean will make some 
open their eyes. The colour is not up to the mark, 
owing to being prepared in a most primitive fashion ; 
hut by next picking matters in this respect will be 
put right. We are all so far quite content with the out- 
look and I trust the next year will enable the Company 
to take a place in the ranks of dividend-paying 
concerns. All the shares are taken up and I think it 
will not be easy to obtain any later on when more 
defii ite news of the coming crop is to hand.” 
BENEFITS OF THE NE'SV AMERICAN 
TEA LATY : 
CHARACTER OF THE MERCHANDISE 
IT HAS EXCLUDED. 
The following letter from the Indian Tea Com- 
missioner to a leading New York journal explains 
very fully the interview with Mr. Plielan (Chair- 
man of the Committee of Tea Experts) which 
it answ^ers. Tire lieadings of Mr. Phelan’s inter- 
view may, liowever, he given : — 
“ No Tea unfit for use Admitted to this Country — 
The Law has been Rigidly Enforced in all four Ports 
of entry where Tea Examiners are Stationed — Esti- 
mated supplies of Tea this Season.” 
Also his estimate of tea supplies :— 
Season 
Greens 
Japans 
Formosa 
Amoy 
Eooohow 
Congou 
Ceylon and India 
1897-8. 
14.000. 000 
40,000 000 
17.000. 000 
200,000 
3.600.000 
8,000,000 
3.000 000 
1896-7. 
16,216,906 
42,626,418 
18,994,324 
M. 52,848 
3,430,327 
13,080,536 
3,000.000 
Total 
85,800,000 
98,501,359 
Making deficit for the present season as 
against last year of 
FI ere Ihen is Mr. Blecliyiiden’s reply 
12,701,359 
THE NEW TEA LAW 
IN AMERICA. 
New York, Sept. 2, 1897. 
Editor “The Journal of Commerce and Corrmeicial 
ijiiueuu . 
gji. _x have read with some attention Mr. Phelan’s 
rtmaiks on the “Benefits on the New Tea Law,” 
to which yon give prominence in youi issue of this 
morning, and I desire to take exception to certain 
matte) s of facts and figures, for which you make 
Mr. Phelan r-esponsihle. In the paragraph relating 
to India and Ceylon teas you quote him as saying : 
“ The importers of India and Ceylon teas made an 
appeal against the rejection of certain lots for ex- 
cessive dust on the ground that some of the needle 
leaf was excluded as dust. By request of the General 
Board of Appraisers a conference was held between 
the tea examiner and the < ommittee of Standards, 
which resulted in an equitable adjustment of the 
matter, which arose simply through a misunderstand- 
ing of the term “dust’ as contra-distinguished from 
Pekoe tips and small leaf.” The fact is that appeals 
have been made to the Board of General Appraisers, 
and those gentlemen, while admitting that the regu- 
lations under which the fine leaf teas from India 
and Ceylon are excluded are opposed to the spiiTt 
of the law, appear to consider that their powers are 
liirrited in the matter until the regulations areclianged, 
and this can only be done by the Treasury Depart- 
ment in Washington. The committee of which Mr. 
Phelan is chairman, has not actually met since the 
“ misunderstanding” . or misuse of the woid “drat” 
in the regulation in connection with India and Ceylon 
teas became apparent, and the “ conference” between 
the “Committee of Standards” and the tea inspector, 
to which Mr. Phelan refers, could not, therefore, have 
a practical result so far as the question at issue 
is concerned, so long as the regulations remain un- 
changed. I, therefore, take exception to Mr. Phelan’s 
statement that an equitable adjustment has resulted. 
Importers’ protests ate in abeyance, and the India 
and Ceylon teas under appeal are still being held 
over pending an “equitable adjustment.” 
The flaw in the regulation relating to “dust’’ is 
that it fails to lay down a rule by which the examiner 
shall distinguish “needle leaf.” The 16 mesh sieve 
is admittedly inadequate lor this purpose, and is yet 
the only definite guidance provided by the regula- 
tions. It is further admitted that India and Ceylon 
tea leaf separated by 26 mesh sieve, contains no 
particles which can be classed as dust in the sense 
used in the regulations. 
I have stated that Mr. Phelan’s figures are wrong, 
and this I will proceed to show. The figures quoted 
by Mr. Phelan are practically those published by 
Messrs. James and John E. Montgomery & Co. in 
their circulars, with some slight differences, to which 
I will refer. Messrs. Montgomery & Co.’s statistics, 
and therefore Mr. Phelan’s figures, include the im- 
ports for Canada, as well as the United States, they 
expressly emit all indirect shipments, which in this 
connection means for England. The latter I propose 
to supply. The fact that the statistics are for all 
North America should be borne in mind when read- 
ing Mr. Phelan’s contention that the new law, appli- 
cable to the United States alone, is the sole factor 
in reducing the Ripply of tea available for Canada 
as well as the United States. As Messrs. Mont 
gomery’s statistics omit indirect receipts of teas 1 heir 
figures for imports of Congou from China are defi- 
cient to the extent of the imports of this tea via 
London (I concern myself only with black teas), Mr. 
Phelan therefore adds to their figures the round 
amount of two million pounds for season 1896-7, but 
makes no allow'ance from this source for seaton 
1897-8, actually reducing Messrs. Montgomery’s figures 
for the estimated supply by one million pounds. 
Curiously enc ugh, Messrs. Montgomery & Co. omit 
the figures for India and Ceylon teas, but Mr. Phelan 
makes a statement that the imports for season 
1896-7 were three milli' n pounds, and estimates the 
supply fer teasou 1897-8 at the same figure. 
The actual imports of India and Ceylon tea dining 
the year 1896 were 9,681,040 pounds, which is six and 
a half million pounds in excess of Mr. Phelan’s figures. 
The estimated supply for season 1897-8 is greater 
than that of the previous year. The actual imports 
for the half year ending June SO, 1897, are 6,249,608 
pounds, more than double Mr. Phelan’s estimate of 
the supply for the entire season and about 66 per 
cent incieose over last year’s imports to same date. 
The figures I use have been published by accepted 
authorities, and aie open to all in the tea trade. 
If the law is stiictly enforced it may be that much 
of the most impure tea frcin China and Japan will 
