THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
641 
March i, 1898,] 
of it lifted and sent for analysis. To be perfect 
it would require four samples to be taken as 
follows a cubic foot of the surface soil, a cnbic 
foot immediately below that, and so on, till a 
depth of four feet is reached. Each of these 
samples, on being lifted, should be carefully 
weighed, put in a box, and sent to the chemist 
as soon as possible. I think the Agricultural 
Chemist is more likely to give practical help than 
the Cryptogamist. I offer the suggestion for 
what it is worth. — Yours faithfully, 
JOHN Macdonald. 
[We would advise Mr. MacDonald and others 
not to listen to rumours of what Mr. Carruthers 
has discovered or suggested, until they see it 
above that gentleman’s name. We have the 
fullest confidence in Mr. Carruthers’ prudence 
as well as scientific skill. At the same 
experiments such as are suggested by Mr. 
MacDonald can never come amiss. — E d. T.A.\ 
CACAO LOOKING UP IN PRICE. 
“The Grove,” Ukuwela, 8th Feb., 1898. 
Dear Sir, — The enclosed from “the Lane” ac- 
counting for the hardening tendency of the cacao 
market may interest your readers, This rise in 
the market, unlike the inflation caused by a 
Trans-atdantic fashionable demand a few years 
ago which came and went like all fashions, ap- 
nears to be founded on a permanent basis, 
?!Yours faithfully, JAS. H. BARBER. 
21, Mincing Lane, London, E.C., Jan. 21st 1898. 
J. H. Barber, Esq., Matale, Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — W e had this pleasure on the 7th inst. 
and are since without any letter from you. 
Cocoa P. “ Makasa Maru ” ss. — We have to advise 
the following sales 
s. d. 
Leville A 
„ B 
Leville B 
Grove A 
20 bags cocoa 
9 „ 
14 „ 
at 
. 32 „ 
. 29 „ 
. 78 6 
. 75 0 
. 75 0 
. 77 0 
. 76 6 
These prices show fully 6s per cwt. advance on 
rates obtainable before Christmas and we trust they 
will be deemed satisfactory. 
The rapid advance in the price of cacao has been 
caused chiefly by the opening of the several new 
manufactories such as Dr. Tibbies, whose advertise- 
ment of Yi-caoao you have no doubt seen. If as 
many anticipate the consumption of cacao is largely 
increased throughout the United Kingdom by means 
of such advertisements, we anticipate a very firm 
market throughout the spring and the earlier ship- 
ments are received here the better the result is 
likely to be. — Yours faithfully. 
Harvey Bros.- & Co. 
BORERS vs. CACAO AND DADAP TREE. 
Kandy, 9th Feb.j 1898. 
Dear Sir,— Herewith a block of dadap wood 
from a tree in the vicinity of cacao attacked by 
the boring beetle (Fomicus perforans). It may 
be worth while to find out why the dadap trees 
are bored by the same beetle “or a closely 
allied .species ” to that attacking cocoa. I have also 
noticed gumming—or exudation and crystaliza- 
tiou of the saj)— preceding decay of the tree. Evi* 
dently fermentation of the sap, aftraets the beetle. 
All beetles are fond of fermented liquor. Beetles 
and poochies of sorts are caught at home with 
a mixture of rum and sugar, plastered on the 
tree trunks. Also with porter and stout and 
water. The cure of the disease may depend, — 
on what causes the sap to ferment.— Yours 
faithfully, VEDDA, 
[The block of wood referred to has not yet come 
to band : when it doe.s, we must certainly have 
it examined. — E d. T.A.} 
THE CEYLON TEA CAMPAIGN IN 
AMERICA. 
Dear Sir, — In a letter to Mr. Campbell, dated 
London, 19th January, 1898, Mr, Mackenzie writes: — 
!‘AsI go to America next week, this may be the 
last letter from me while you are chairman. I 
must thank you for the interest you have evinced, 
and your kind dealings with me. I am 
sending you a report of last year’s work 
from Mr. Larkin, and a lot of tea advertisements. 
1 think the Committee will agree with me that he 
well deserves all the help he gets. He is by far 
our best friend. He forces otheis to follow in his steps.” 
I also send a letter from a well-known firm working 
in America, but with headquarters here, explaining 
where our teas lack the roll and make of Indians 
and Javas. They tell me they have been obliged to 
substitute Javas for Ceylon in some of their blends. 
Were there enough of Javas we would be great suf- 
ferers. 
IMPORTANT LETTER ON DEFECTIVE 
MANUFACTURE. 
another “battle of the standards.” 
W. Mackenzie, Esq., 39, Netherall Gardens, Hamp- 
stead, N.W. 
Dear Mackemzie, — With regard to the conversation 
we had the other day in Leadenhall Street about 
Oeylons and Javas, 1 am now writing to confirm 
what I said about them then. 
There is no question about it that many of the 
Ceylon teas now being imported are very inferior, 
both in liquor and in make, to Java teas. Until 
quite recently, with the exception of a few Java 
marks the hulk of the teas from that country were 
very inferior in flavour, but recently, especially 
during this year, the imports have been of a very 
much higher quality, and I make bold to say that 
better Java teas can be bought at 6§d to 7Ad alb., than 
Ceylon at 8d. Not only is the supetiorily marked 
in the dry leaf, but also in the liquor. The teas 
are exceedingly well made, very closely rolled with 
a fine amount of tip, and very heavy for bulk, com- 
pared with Ceylon teas, ivhich are in the majority 
of oases very open leafed teas, and weigh very light by 
measure. I have before me now a Java pekoe, 
costing 6H with a very pure, pungent liquor, and 
excellent quality. If I were to place sufficient of 
this tea into a one lb. tin without pressing it in, 
just to fill ill and shave it off with a paper knife, 
and were to iveigli the Ceylon tea in the same tin, 
in the same way — say a Ceylon pekoe at 7id to 8Jd — 
(that is, the majority of Ceylon teas] if would be 
found that the Java, bulk for bulk, would weigh 10 
or 15 per cent more than the Ceylon tea, conse- 
quently the consumer iveighiug out sufficient tea, 
say four or five spoonfuls of Java, would use the 
same bulk of tea as if he took out Ceylon tea, but 
as a matter of fact the five spoonfuls of Java would 
weigh as much as about six spoonfuls of Ceylon, con- 
sequently the lea would come out strouger and better, 
the consumer would be better satisfied and the 
retailer would benefit to the extent of selling 
one spoonful in five more of tea by using Java 
than if using Ceylon. Where one is retailing 
hundreds of chests a week, this is a very im- 
