840 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[JVSE I, 1898 . 
DOOS. 
Collies, Ml. Ross, cold and silver medal, Mrs. 
Bowie, (Silver medal 1 . Mr. W. Hardy,, (Silver 
medal). i 
Airedale, Mr. A E Wright. , . • 
Bronze med.al, Irish setters, Mr A A Bo'vie. 
Two silver medals. Spaniel Mr. H V Maseheld. 
Bronze medal retriever Mrs. Edley. 
exchange and the tea TRADE. 
INTERESTING CORRE.SPONDENCE. 
The following is the reply of Mr. VV. Martin 
Leake to the letter by Lord Farrer 111 the Economist 
which we have already published ; 
o;.. _Aa no one has come forward to answer the 
Question propounded by Lord Farrer in his letter on 
^Exchange Ld the Tea Trade," published in your 
issue of the 9th instant. I venture to ask a little of 
your space for the purpose. 
^ The question it will be remembered, was this 
“Which of the two is right — Mr. Skrine, who says 
that Ceylon tea is ruined by the high exchange value 
of the rupee, or you, who tell iis of the increased 
export of tea from Ceylon, in spirit of superior quality 
for the word “ruined” (a word used only by 
Lord Farrer and not appearing in his quotation h’om 
Mr SUrine) the words “ has received a serious check, 
and is threatened with ruin,” be substituted, I answer 
unhesitatingly that both are right, and thayhe 
question reveals, on the part of Loid h‘Wrer, a 
curious ignorance of the conditions under which tea 
Tea bushes are permanent plants that do not yield 
cron till they are three or four years old. The in- 
creLe of exports of tea from Ceylon in 1897, on 
which Lord Farrer relies as a proof of Hie fiounsh- 
ine position of the industry today, was due, speak- 
ing broadly, to the increase of area in hearing m 
that year. , , ^ . n 
This increased area was planted ,m the years 
18‘'i2, 1893, or at least 1891, most of it before the 
Indian Mints were closed — all of it before the closing 
of the Mints had become effective. Is it possible 
that his lordship can have expected that the tea 
bushes thus planted would be so affected by that 
closing as to stop bearing ? , , . . tv, „ 
It has been said that an ounce of fact is_ worth a 
ton of theory. For the first time m the history of 
our industry tea seeds have within the last tew 
months been reported as unsalable. Three or tour 
years hence the result of the check given to planting 
by the Is 4d rupee will show itself in the exports, 
but not before. ' . , , 
The question that I have attempted to answei 
was avowedly framed to exemplify the “ nonsense so 
constantly talked by merchants about the effect ot 
exchange on trade.” It has,_ I fear, misseu its aim, 
but it may yet be useful in connection with the 
rupee controversy as a warning how far even the 
most eminent theorists may be led from the paths 
of good sense by a lack of practical knowledge. 
Your faithfully, Wm. Mamin Leake, Secretary. 
Ceylon Association in London, 61 and 62, Gracechurch 
Street, E.C., April 18th, 1898. 
TROPICAL ACCLIMATIZATION. 
At tlie Royal Geographical Society, 011 Wednes- 
day, a paji'er was read by Dr. Sambon on 
“ Accliinatizatioii of the white man in tropical 
lands.” Sanitation had wrought wonderful cliange-s 
he said, in the healthiness of all tropical coun- 
tries They had been considered unlit for the 
perniancrit ■settlement of white men on account 
of their climate, or, to be more correct, on account 
of their heat, because the word climate had been 
used as synonymous with heat. Heat was sup- 
posed to induce deterioration and di.seases such 
a.s ameinia, liver abscess, and sunstroke. But 
ameiiiia was not due to heat, being in the tropics 
a symptom common to several parasitic diseases. 
Liver abscess was likewise of parasitic origin and 
sunstroke was a microbic disease, however paia- 
doxicai the .statement might appear, on account 
ot the mistaken etiology perpetuated by an 
erroneous nomenclature. As for deterioration, it 
was far more alarming in the overcrowded cities 
of the old world than in tropical colonies. The 
geographical distribution of tropical diseases was 
of the greatest importance in the study of accli- 
matization. Diseases being due to living organisms 
that bad their peculiar dissemination like all 
otlier forms of life, this distribution was likewise 
determined by a variety of circumstances, among 
which meteorological conditions were certainly 
important, but association and competition more 
so. Under proper management European cliildren 
did very well in tropical colonies, in I lie most 
unhealthy of which infant mortality was lower 
than in some districts of Europe. The belief, 
again, that white men could not labour in the 
tropics was disproved by facts. That man was 
capable of adaptation to a new climate was shown 
by the fact that he had constantly moved from 
one region to another. If attempts at coloniza- 
tion in the past had often been unsuccessful and 
always cost immense sacrifices in lives and money, 
it was because they had been made incomplete 
ignorance of the conditions essential to success. 
Acclimatization was a mere question of hygiene, 
and what was needed above all was a complete 
knowledge of tropical diseases. A discussion 
followed . — Times Weekly Edition, April 29. 
TRADE OF INDIA FOR 1897-8. 
We have just received from the Government 
of India a copy of the “Accounts relating to the 
Trade and Navigation of British India for the 
]2 montlis 1st April 1897 to 31st March 1898 
compared with the corresponding period of the 
yeais 1895-6 and 1896-7.” These accounts in full 
detail are issued for the whole Indian Empire 
in less than si.x weeks after the year closes ; 
while in the case of little Ceylon we are still 
without the Report and Accounts of the Prin- 
cipal Collector of Customs for the calendar year 
1897, although 4^ montlis have elapsed ! Surely, 
tliere is much room for improvement here. 
India shows a falling-off in both Imports and 
Exports last year, a fact which ought to be 
considered in connection with the restricted 
currency. Of tea, the total export is given : — 
1897-8 = 151,451,817 1b. 
X896-7 = 148,908,461 „ 
1895- 6 = 137,710,205 „ 
Of tea seed, the shipments were : — 5,371 cwt. ; 
4,212 and 3,238 for the three years respectively. 
Coffee exports do not compare badly : — 
1897-8 . . 225,000 cwt. 
1896- 7 210,797 „ 
1895- 6 .. 290,902 „ 
Of rice Ceylon got : — 
1897- 8 = 4,583,022 cwt. 
1896- 7 = 3,897,888 „ 
1895-6 == 4.656,100 „ 
which indicates no falling-off, but a considerable 
increase last year over its predecessor. 
