i02 
THt TROPICAL AORiOULTUHIBT. [September i, 1891. 
Last Week’s Tea Paiem.— T he (leniend for Indiwi 
tee, luys the I’reduct Marieta’ JierieU!, oontlnuee to 
improre, sad a good bn-fness lies been transeoled. 
Although the recent importe ere not of bettor qnnlity, 
with few exocptioce, then the pieri' lu eliipments, tha 
decline in vsluee has Importid iiioca conKdenco lu 
hnyprs, who now appear diejifiseil lo replenish their 
greatly rediioeil iWok at the orTnpsratively low prices 
ruling. Most of the snpply brought lorwiud oeusisted 
of tea under lOt per lb, which Ima been readily taken, 
bnt as the quantity offered baa beeu buflieieiitly large 
to meet the enquiry, prioes iiave roniaiueii steady 
throughout. A few breaks of fine tea from tbe A'sam 
distriot, alihoiigli n^t of exceptional quality, ncre 
keenly bid (or and fetched high prieos, whioh Inoioalea 
that good lea is wanted, and will meet wiihabiialt 
demand where attainable. 
Amesioa and tup. China TiiAnB.— A Nrw York 
ps|)er, under Ibe-hesd osintationa of the China Trsde," 
uolirea the failure and retT' ment from bnair. sa of 
the Ameriosn firm of Uus.sell and Co., of Hong Kong. 
This ereot marks, it is i iid, a diaiinot cliange in tbo 
trade betweru Ibe United States and China, Tbe trade 
has not been i xtiuguiahed. It Inis mo cly changed 
bands, ond has gonn from Americans to Krgliabroeu 
and Chine- e. The or ce splendid Bailing vtesels which 
traded between New Yorh and Oh ns liov,- Jisappesrcd, 
and many old fi-ms which used to Imde din cliy with 
China have gone out witli them. The b ninoas i.s s-ill 
going on, however, nllln ugh iiidiioctly. Tin- failure of 
Me-ars. Kntaeil and Co. result) d simply from per- 
aistenoo in doing Imsioeea upon old mothuds. The 
writer asys nothing about tliu high Prolcclioniat sjalem 
of tbe Coiled HtaUw, which has tended to destroy 
direct trade with all oi-untriea pruduoing merchandise 
which is wanted in Ann riosn markots, aiid to compel 
American buyers to rm- ive it indirectly, at nddition.il 
coat, through the inlerlne liatiou of nrerohauts in other 
oonntrii s. 
The 1 ’inE'At>i-lb iNnusTiiv.— There are less pro- 
fitable inrluetiies than tbe oultivation of piun-npples. 
The pine-apple crop lu Itabaioas last year realised 
f49,7‘,)5, as compared with i‘26,568 in 1889. Of can- 
ned piiis-epplee them wore ex|iorted 2('>,781l oases, valued 
at ,f6,I2(), and in 1889 the export was 21,983 oasce; 
with a Value of if 4, SOU Tbo Governor of the Bahamas 
says steady progress coiitinues lo be made in fibre cni- 
tivatioii, with increasing faith in its yalne and perma- 
nence. The importance of pineapple leaf fibre is fast 
developing. I’rofeis-orEdiarrn has directed his attention 
to, the matter of decorticatioi. and he hopes be has found 
an efleetive method which avoids waste. Tho treatment 
is by a solution of crude pt-troleuni, and tlie Govern- 
ment of tbo Ijshfta as are now in c muiunioatiim with 
the professor. If the results meet our n rpi romeuta, 
s moat important rnd will hi- sttaiur-d, wliich will 
iiave the further advaidage of coibli'-g rmall ciiltivutora 
to dress their own leaves insti ad ot being coippelled 
to sell Ihsm nl a loss to a largo noighhounng planter, 
who is able to procure a machine. The process being 
enterprised by I’rofssB- r Edison eml-rscis other and 
most valuable interests in the colony. Alsiiy thousaiuis 
of tons of pineapple leaves are now annually left io 
waste, The fibre commands a high price, from Y60 
to.t'HOa toD,forusoin fine textiles. The small quantity 
now produced oomes from Ohii.a, where it is ronghly 
and expensively prepared for want oi a mschino aufli- 
ciently delicate to extract tip. tr-iulcr fibre without 
infnry. Tho proposed m- do wenid set m to meet this 
difficulty, and all strsin or friction is avaided. and the 
icBult of pending enqiiirica it looked for with great 
interest. 2’ha immedinto effeot of sucoassfiil experiment 
would be to torn a wasted product into an article of 
much value, adding -ul a'linlinlly to tlie returns of 
pineappls onltivation, n- dUiiH pn.coaa may bo applied 
to the growing crop. It is underetoodtliat thasamo 
aoliiiioii may be used many limes, and, if present hopes 
are realised, tha petroleum wiil ho admitted free ot 
duty now impoa -d.— II. and (!. Moil, -Tidy .31, -.t. 
TEA UBALRUS IX COUNCIL. 
At the annual meotirg of tha members of the Loudon 
■Wholesale Tea Dealers’ Association, held lost week. 
under the prealdenoy of Mr. Ftanoie Peek, the auhjeet 
of the recent Ousloms order about weighing tea to 
the half-poand was referred to in the report as fol- 
lows ; — “ An order was issued by the Oustoms outhori- 
ties giving notice that tea would be weighed to the 
half-iwnuil instead of the pound, which had been the 
rule ail oo to.s was firht Imported to thi.s country. This 
altersliou wa.s si manifcsily unjust to buyers, and 
would have Involved such an immense amount of cler- 
ical work, that your commities opposed the change 
liy all the moans in their power, by roptesentations to 
too Customs anthorities and the Obanoelior of the Ex> 
chequer - nn 1 also liy coiiveoiiig puh’io meetings upon 
'be siibj*cl, Tho Cuatoma at length II I civi d inalruo- 
lioiia to tespiud the order, and although these meot- 
inps invedved much labour and eipcDfo tho snccessful 
risnit fully justified the course adopted.” Nothing, 
raid the chairman, showed the abs. lute tniportimoe of 
the wbcilosule trade holding and working together for 
their common iuUreats more than that psrticulsr 
fight which tliey had with tbe Chancellor of tbe 
Kiohequcr. The change would have involved an 
immense amount of tmu' l-> and annoyaooe to tho 
whoirsaio trade, and would have resulted in very 
copsiderable 1- os to their onstomers if it bad beeu 
carried ont, and had it not been for the prompt action 
taken by the isscciatlon there was no doubt it would 
have been carried. The report then went on 
I' Complaints have been made of the iru[ ri per condition 
in which packages of toa ate loft in some bonded ware- 
houses after iiispoctiou, and rep.e. eutatiens have been 
made lo the Commitlio ol tho Tea Olearlng-Hoiise, 
which it is hoped will lead to ths chests being more 
promptly fastened up in future An improved method 
of ascortnining the average (ate of teas by always se- 
lecting an odd number of packages has beeu adoptc:!, 
which wilt lead to a more just tarn being fixed, piirti- 
onlfci ly io tlie case of China teas.” Ho lliought they 
would have to kop onreful watch over that matter, ns 
well as upon another matlor very nearly akin to it. 
There was no doubt that a groat many teas were 
imperfectly bulked, and some of tho warehouse 
koepota uuder pressure to get the teas forward, if 
they had not got tho wholo parcel in their bonded 
warehouse, would bulk what they got and take the 
chance of the reat. It was a very serious matter 
whioh involved them as wh'ilesale dealers in a very 
great deal of trouble witli llieir oiiatomers, and it 
was often an actual iiij isline lo them. Tlie com- 
mittee bad considered that uiulter a good deal, hut 
as yet had not come to any definito conelnsion as 
to wliat ncticn to toko with respect to it; but it was 
a quc.ition which must bo csrelully watched, and 
they thought it wonid bo a good plan if soma 
bouses c.mnecteil witli the assoufation would rend 
in to tho secretary any complaiut of the sort they 
might have, with llio name t-f tbe bonded ware- 
lionses wliero it occurred, lly tliat means the waro- 
house wlinro tlio bulking was bad wonid scou be 
broiigbt to book. 2’ho secretary would ho able to 
register all eomplai I's ke received, and then they 
would bo nblu to suy to tbo sinning warehouse, 
l.ook at your record I tliero arc forty eases cf bad 
bulking against you as against nn average of three 
or four in other warehou.aes.” In that way he thought 
they would be oble to put a stop to the practice. — 
11. and 0. Mail, July 31,t. 
THE CEYLON TEA FUND. 
The Gifts to the EMPEuon and Dowaokii EMruBsa 
OF Geumant. 
Secretary's Office, No. 12, King Street. Kandy. 
August 22nd, le-'Jl . 
Tlio Editor, Ceiiloii Ohaerrrr, 
i^iK, — I anr riquoslcd by tho Standing C'unini'.lro 
of the “ Tea Fund ” (o tran initio you ior ) nh- 
lieation letter from the (Secretary of Statu for F.-riign 
Attiivf, Berlin on the siibjoct if the prevent;! .f 
Ceylon Tea sent to His Muj-'.-ty the Emp lor, nnd 
Her Majesty the Dowager Empress Fredt-iiuk, 
together with tho authorized translation Uiertof — 
I am sir, yours faithfully, A. PHILIP, 
