SEPTEMBER I. iSgi.] TMP TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. - «!9 
LONDON TEA RETURNS FOR SEVEN 
MONTHS. 
The imports of China tea between January let and 
July Slat was 27,654,000 lb. against 29,050 in the 
similar period of 1890. Java showed 2,693,000 
agnin8t2. 871.000. Coylon Indicated the largo increase 
of 36.707,000 against 24,941. Ceylon imports for 
the seven months of this year, indeed, ran India 
very close with its import of only 37,793 against 
88.126.000 the previous year. But when we come 
to deliveries, Ceylon is loft very far behiud Indfa. 
The figures for our tea are 28,642,000, a good in- 
orease on 20,821,000 in the seven months of 1890. 
But in the ease of India, although there was a 
falling oft from 69,781,000 in 1890 to 68,678 000, yet 
of this latter quantity a large proportion was taken 
from stooba which shewed only 18,694,000 against so 
much as 10,283,000 for Ceylon. Indian stocks had 
gone up only 2J millions from 16,000,000 in 1390, 
while Ceylon had inoroasod from 10,880,000 or 
nearly 6i millions. We can only hope that 
stocks of Ceylon will soon be worked on. The 
brokers' reports are impartial in recognizing the 
poor quality of Indian ns well as Ceylon tea. 
The deliveries of China were 43,875,000 against 
60,647,000, while stocks of this kind had gone 
down from 36,218.000, to 28,692,000. 
The deliveries of Java ten had inoreased from 
2.014.000 to 2.380,000 lb., and stoobs of this kind 
were reduced from 903,000 to 877,000. An increase 
of 2 mitiions of pounds in the stock of Indian 
teas, has little signifionnoe, but an inorense of 6J 
millions in stooka of Ceylon is calculated to give 
our planters oonoirn. The iinports of the four 
kinds were 103,817,000 against 91,488,000, while 
deliveries were only 130,675,000 agniuit 132,710,000 
in the seven months of 1890. Tho deliveries of 
Coylon tea for the seven mouths had been on an 
average a little ov^er 4 millions per mensem. The 
same rate for the rest of the year would make a 
total of only 48 millions, while our total exports 
are estimated at 60 millions up to 70. Let 
us hope that an inoreased demand not only iu the 
British but iu other markets may|come to the aid 
of our enterprise. Wc oan, wa suppose, oaleulato 
on the Australian and other marke'.a taking 5 
millions of pounds. But the Tea Fund Committee, 
clearly, must not relax its eilorts. 
REDUCTION OK THE EXPORT DUTY 
ON CINCHONA BARK. 
A proolamatiou iu today’s Oazi tte states that the 
Governor, with the advioe of tlio Executive Council, 
for tho purposes of the “ Medical Wants Ordinance, 
1880, AmenduientB Ordinance, 1882,” reduces the 
duty’ upon oinohona of twenty oents per owt. to a 
duty of five cents per owt., which last-mentioned 
duty is imposed as the duty upon all cinchona entered 
for exportation at any port in this Colony as from 
and after tho first day of September 1891. 
AN INDIAN TODDY PALM— J’UtENl X 
SYLVESTRiS. 
A familiar mid iiurhaps, tu some people, a niono- 
tonoim feature in ludian scenery, parlicuUtly along 
the const regions of Weatota India, are the gtoves 
of Pljco'.ix (lylvo.drie, one of tU* ted.ly ralmt, tho 
commonest of the wild Palms of the country, but a 
moatvahmhle ouo to the natwos. It is froquontly 
HHCu in oomuasy with asothcr noble Palm, -lorassns 
flabollirormU, tho Palmyra, and those, togeHior with 
tho Ooommt Palm, which, m tho iimghhourhooil of 
27 
Bombay, is cultivated in extensive plantations, oom- 
prisi the oliief elements of that striking tropical 
scenery , which always impresses travellers' from 
northern regions when they first see it. -This Phoiuix 
does not differ materially in s.speot from the Date 
Palm of Egypt, P. dactylifera, which one sees on tho 
way etltj and my impression that tho Date I’alm, 
as well sg such Pheenixea as P. rupioola, tenuis, 
aoaulis, canarionsis, and possibly others, are jnit 
geographical forms of a widely dUtri hated species, 
having a range almost as extensive as that or 
the Oooonnt Palm, Bi this as it may, they all 
seem to me very much elike, and from my point 
of view prodnoe tho same effeot, for in a natural 
grove of P. sylvestris one could select forms that 
to all appearances ato identical with the speoies 
named. The Palm now illnstrat'd is not the only 
ono th.t yields toddy, ss there are several in India 
from wbioh tho enticing juice nan be drawn, notably 
the Palmyra, Oooenut and VVine Palm (Csryoia 
nrens), bat in Gnaerat the Pbeenix yields the bnllc of 
the enormous quantity of toddy that is oonsumed by 
the natives. Toddy drawing is, in fact, an impo'taut 
industry, and moreover a source of revenne to the 
Government, as a tax is Impo.ted upon every tree 
in fall yield, and tu whieh an ofiioial number is 
attached. A large plantation of Pbeenix is a valnable 
property, for the owners assess their valne at from 
five to fifteen rupees a tree. If a plantation is 
near a town or group of villages, or near a frequented 
highway, the drawing and distribution of toddy 
is always active, and keeps several people busy. 
Tho mode of drawing is admirably shown in 
tho niotiire. Tho toddy man is in the set ot fix'ng 
a “ c'hattie ” at tho mouth of a notch that b«s 
previously been made iu the succulent part o! the 
stem, tlio iueision being made so that the descending 
sap triekloa into tho vessel, a few strips of nod 
l oing placed so ns to conduct the juice more readily. 
The ch.itlies ato emptied morning and evening, and as 
I hey h 'ld a quart or more, a great quantity of sap is 
extracted from each tree daring tho se ison ; and tho 
lose lolls raatcrisllv on the hvaUh of the tree, so much 
,0 that if the cxtrac'ion were to ooiitinuo year after 
year, the tree would soon die from exhaustion. After 
a tree has been tapped for a full season, it is allowed 
to rest for two or three sossoiu, and that aoouunts 
for tiie iiitorvals ot the sears on tho trnnk, ss may bo 
seen iu Ihe picture whernthemaii has his left foot and 
tho soar lower dowu. Tho toddy dranor is p(iste'‘sed 
of surprising agility in cliuibitig tho porpeudicu.ar 
stems, which ho does with tho utmost easo the only 
support being the ropo ho has fastemsd round bis 
waist, whioh leaves bis bonds free. Tho fluid thus 
ohtaii.od is of the consialenoe of watered milk, and 
has a sweetish, and to some Europeans an agreeab e 
taste, while to others it is nauseating. When freshly 
drawn it is most rt trcfbing, and to qiisff a bowl cl it 
wtien excessively thirsty is one of the pleasantest in- 
oideiita in Indian life, Wlicii, however, it is allowed 
t.i ferment, wbioh it quickly dors, it is sour and un- 
jileasant, and becomes as intoxinaling na Sootoh noolar 
but ill this state it obviously finds more favour with 
the natives. As a garden plant, the wild Phcuiiix is 
of great value for laudtoape effect when it occurs iu 
natural groups, for iu these you soa all gradations of 
size, from tbo small soedling to the decrepit old trees, 
that have reached ttm longth of their days, and lean 
leewards in a most picturesque way. Tho blnish-giey 
greon tint of a grove of rhcooix is perhaps too sonniro, 
but in n garden one can always iutrodnoo variety na 
a forcgiouiid, or iutermix d iu ti e group. “ •* 
singular fact that the Date-bi-ariiig I’a ms doisiioj thrive 
fucoessfullv iu India, .so as to pro.iuco eaiolc fruit, 
and that of P. Sylvestris is valu'esa as food, though 
tho leaves and stems, and the fibre sn 1 bark thereof, 
nreof valno to the native! in various ways. Tho en- 
graving I fig. 14) is an admirable roproducliou of a 
pho'ogtapb by Messrs. .Tolmson & llofi’man.ot Caloulta. 
"\V. Goi.nuiNii. — f7oi*rfrsor.s’ Chronicle, [In the ease of 
bII tbo toddy plants of Oeylon,— eooeimt palm, kitiil 
nnd pnirnyrn, the juice is obtained from tho uhooomo I 
tto fo: 8palho,-u v.jr from Ihu stem.— En. T. A.] 
