THfi TROPICAL AORICULTURIsT. 
489 
Jan. I, 1898.] 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING, 
The Bulking Question.— The bulking question, 
like the problem of the poor, is always with us in 
some form or other. The latest point at issue has 
been whether the place of bulking should be mentioned 
in the catalogues. As will be seen from a report 
which appears elsewhere, the members of the Indian 
Tea Association are by no means unanimous on the 
matter, and suggest that, for the present at any 
rate, Indian tea producers should be allowed to 
follow their own sweet wills as to whether this in- 
formation be given or not. As was pointed out in 
the discussion at the meeting, no valid reason has 
yet been put forward for giving the information on 
the catalogue, and if it is required, it can at all 
times be obtained at the warehouses. At the same 
time it may appear only reasonable to meet the 
views of the trade by stating the fact that the tea 
has been bulked in London when this has been done. 
It is certainly, however, strange that any dealer 
should prefer to have tea turned out of its original 
air-tight packages, thus absorbing the moisture in 
the London atmosphere, and losing not only its 
aroma but also its keeping qualities, merely to as- 
certain whether there was any country damage or 
not in the package. It looks as if the whole ques- 
tion has been raised in the interests of the ware- 
house-keeper to swell his profits, and to place a 
tax on the planter. It is a well-known fact that 
the cost of bulking on the factory does not amount 
to more than 2d, a package, while the warehouse 
charge for bulking an average, chest of tea is Is. 
5d. It will be seen, therefore, that the planter stands 
to lose Is. 3d. a chest by this demand for bulking 
in London. On a garden producing 6,000 boxes of 
tea this would form an annual charge of £375 for 
doing in London what could be done far better on 
the garden. 
Natal Tea.— There is a steady development of tea 
cultivation in Natal, and this year’s crop may reach 
a million pounds, which would constitute a record. 
Natal’s tea trade with the Cape and the Transvaal 
is gradually increasing, and the local demand is 
larger. Messrs. Hnllett and Sons have just erected 
in Durban large double-story warehouses and offices and 
are also opening out in London. — H. & C. Mail, Dec. 3 
TEA IN AMERICA. 
New York, Nov. 24. 
At the last auction sale prices were off, and some 
lots sold at very low figures. Fahey Formosa brought 
38c. This is strange in view of the better tone of 
the foreign markets, notably London. One of our 
foreign exchanges says : — “ So far as the producer is 
concerned, the position and outlook of the tea market 
is favorable. Already the large distributing 
retail companies are showing some anxiety on 
the subject of supplies. Shipments from China 
have shrunk to small dimensions ; the Indian 
crop is, so far less than last season, and there is only 
a small increase from Ceylon. Meanwhile consump- 
tion at home and abroad increases, and a steady 
depletion of stocks in the United Staten is taking 
place, the quantity in bond being 5,000,000 pounds 
less than it was a year ago. The tea trade of the 
United Kingdom, including re-exports, is now at the 
rate of 275,000,000 pounds per annum : the cocoa 
trade, which is rapidly increasing, is at the rate of 
50,000,000 pounds weight.” 
The imports of tea, as reported by the United States 
Bureau of Statistics, for the nine months ended 
September 30, compare with the same time in 1896 
as follows ; — 
Tea imported from— 
Pounds. 
United Kingdom 
British North America 
. 1,778,513 
- 328,857 
China 
• 28,214,238 
East Indies 
782,236 
Japan 
- 19,776,294 
Other Asia and Ooeanica - 
49,237 
Other countries 
7,470 
Total • 
• 60,937,44 & 
[The figures affording comparison with 1896 are 
not given ! — Ed. T.A.'] 
New York, Nov. 23, 1885, 
Editor American Grocer. 
There is something inconsistent in the actions of 
the leading tea importers. They petitioned Congress 
to pass an act to exclude cheap and nasty teas, and 
said that if their suggestions were carried out, the 
standard of teas in the United States would be higher 
than in any other country. 
Well, their suggestions have been the basis of the 
new tea ordinance, but we find they still demand ihe 
cheapest and coarsest teas. Excluding dust, which does 
not come here, the average price of pure, uncolored 
tea in London has been for the last few weeks about 
9Jd. (say 19c). Yet importers seem to fix a limit of 
12 to 14c, laid down in New York— a price at which 
only the sweepings of the London market can be 
secured. 
The margin between this importing price and the 
price to consumers is surely great enough to allow 
ample profit, even if importers raised their limits 
to a figure which would enable them to buy average 
teas. 'This rich country should be able to afford 
itself food products of average quality. 
Apart from this aspect of the matter, there is the 
important fact that with an improved quality of tea, 
an equal quantity would make 60 per cent more cups 
of tea. Other Anglo-Saxon countries consume three to 
five times the quantity per head that we use here, 
simply because they import the good quality, leaving 
the rubbish to come to America. — Yours, etc.. 
Distributor. 
TEA CULTIVATION : FLAVOUR AND 
MANURES. 
A very delicate as well as important question 
is suggested in the course of an interview by 
an Observer representative with Mr. A. Baur who 
has just started the Colombo Manure Works. 
We have great faith in the experience and 
shrewdness of Mr. John Hughes and should be 
inclined to take his advice on any point affect- 
ing our tea culture ; but we submit that only 
practical experiment can decide as to the effect 
on the flavour and aroma of our teas, of cer- 
tain specified manures. Prima facie there would 
certainly seem to be good reason to object to 
certain rather unsavoury fertilisers, not only 
for the objection specially mentioned, but in 
view of tire risk of introducing disease ; but, 
on the other side, we have the fact of a good 
many years of experience appertaining to not 
a few plantations in the use of some, at least, 
of the fertilizers repudiated ; while again many of 
our old coffee-planters used to think that the in- 
troduction and too free use of aitificial manures 
had somehow to do with the succumbing of 
their coffee bushes to fungus and green bug. 
There is nothing, therefore, like having the 
whole question looked into and the way in which 
individual planters can settle it for themselves, 
it seems to us, is by giving a perfectly equal 
trial to the different ingredients mentioned. One 
acre or a-half or a-fourth for each plot— so long 
as all the plots are fairly equal in soil, lay 
of land, age and treatment of trees— ought to 
suffice and if the different manures are applied 
at the same time, and some trouble taken to 
keep the results in crop, flavour and value of 
tea, separate, and to report fairly on the appear- 
ance of the trees, — a very valuable object lesson 
should be the result. Meantime, we have no 
doubt that Mr. Hughes’ opinions and recom- 
mendations will receive very careful consideration 
from our planting readers, leading to enquiry and 
practical experiments. 
