September i, 1891.1 the TROPICAL AQRIOULTUR 18 T. 
The Impost of Tea and Wheat.— AccorcliDg to the 
Boird of Trade KeturoB for July, the quantily of tea 
received from China is nearly £8,000,000 greater than 
in the corresponding month of last year, but the 
oonsamption bore of that kind of tea again showfi a 
decline, Ceylon toB_ being more and more in demand. 
As to wheat, Russia rent only 073.803 owt. against 
2,406,065 owt. In J uly 1890, nut British India sent 
nearly an ranch again last year, the quantities being 
1,666,650 cwt, and 888,875 cwt. respectively. 
Tba in Bcbmah. — Tea planting operations in Burmali 
do not thrive so^well as they ehonld. There were five 
toa plantations in the Provinoo at the eod of last 
year j bnt the area nndor the tea plant was only 
seventy-eight acres against 172 aore.s in 1880, the 
falling off being attributed to the want of sufOoient 
labor for one or two of the plantations. The out- 
tnrn of maunfaotured tea also dropped from 12,250 lb. 
in 1889 to 6,710 lb. in 1890. 
Foochow Notes.— Teamen are not, we understand, 
grumbling at tht result of their ventures this year, 
indeed they are well satisfied with the out-turn of 
common teas and second crops, but it makes them 
wines to find that their profits are simply carried 
to their oredit in aooount to meet the heavy looses 
of the past two years, instead of having them to 
put into their pookets. — Daily Sclio, Aug. 1. 
Plantino in Nobtii Bobnko. — The Sinyapore 
Free Press of 13th Aug. in an artiolo on North Borneo 
says : — 
A favourable feature is the way in which the Chine.se 
coolies ore taking up laud for themselves, and Buttling 
flown pepimQgjjjIyQjj North Bornosn soil. One parti- 
cularly interesting instance is that of a party of Ilsk- 
ktts, a tribe of Chinese who are, as a rule, really good 
agriculturists, now engaged in the cultivation of Liberian 
coffee on their own account. They took up some land 
m 1883 and planted ooffee, cultivating also vegetables, 
ground nuts and other produce, which they were able 
to disposo of readily and thus keep themselves going. 
That little community, nearly all Wesleyan converts, it 
may bo state^ have year by year added to the area of 
land under coffee, until they have now no loss than one 
hundred and seventy acres bearing Liberian ooffee, and, 
it is repotted on good authority, will by the end of 
1892 have actually four hundred acres devoted to 
growing coffee. This single instance, a very promising 
one, indicates that the ChioeBs are readily and 
spontaneously taking to settlenient and cultivation 
in North Borneo. It also allows that, independent 
of the bad luck or the mal administration of Ruropo 
ventures, coffee may before long become an important 
article of export from North Borneo. That theso 
Chinese labourers, without capital, and living from 
hand to montli, should dovoto thomsolvos to an 
agricultural experiment in coffee on so largo a scale 
ought to bo taken as an encouraging si^ by plan- 
ters proceeding to Borneo who have capital to Imok 
their enterprise and carry them through all the 
Initial difficulties. Coffee prices are very encomu- 
K'flg just now, and tho prodnotioii in several important 
nelds liaa fallen away, so that tho future of coffee 
cultivation in this part of tho world seems to be 
full of promise. In Ceylon thero is little or no 
suitable virgin soil in tho hands of the Goveruuiciit, and 
Ceylon investors who are turning their minds to coffee 
aro beginning to look abroad for some promising region 
where they e.av iitiii-e thoir capital in p'anting. It is to 
,he Straits and Borneo t’.at atteutiouis now being turned, 
iho ten agriiniUurai laud grants, which the Perak 
Covernmeut offeiod on specially liberal te- ms, have ail 
been applied for, chiefly by Oej Ion men, we le a,-. And 
Nurib Borneo is also apparently about to profii by this 
luoreaseil attention given to iho opening np of new 
areas to tclfoe cultivation, for wo are iofortnol that 
the- 0 are prospects of the e.irly investment of capit.il, 
ir.un Ceylon and elsewhere, in the raislug of Lihori.iu 
coffee thereon a oonsiriorable scale. If North Bo-mo 
has, through circumstaiicea avoidable and oliiotwisc, 
not a tsirod any distinct success yet in tol acco, it miij 
nnu lU reputation, as » fi<dJ for onteriir so, vindicated 
belore long in tho dirootion of ooffee. 
Inferior Ceylon Tea.— The Madras Mail 
of 18th August has the following : — 
The following passage Is from a London tea-agent’s 
letter : — “ Seme mrss from Osvlon, which they osll tes, 
has been sold at Id ar.d and 2^4 perpound, and we are 
to have, they say, continuous anpplles," Wherenpon 
a oontompnrary remarks “ Covlon is about to k ill tea 
has killed ooffee. Net having a particularly fine 
soil, but an exhausting climate, the growers give tho 
plant no rest, with tho rcsnlt that the value of their tea 
is ^falling yearly, and, unfortunately, in forcing down 
pnoes it brings down with it for the time being all other 
claases of tea.” 
The contemporary referred to is we believe tho 
EngHelmnn. The Madras Times in quoting the 
extract says ; — 
This policy of fleoding the markets with worthless 
leaf is most shortsighted, and wo wonder that iho 
Ceylon Planters’ Asaocintion do not at once lake tho 
question up. 
Wo think that there can be no doubt that a good 
deal of very inferior tea has been sent home lately 
from Ceylon, aa proved by the brokers’ reporta 
and low prioea; but that the peaBimiatio forebodings 
of the Calcutta paper (representing the Bengal tea 
planters) are likely to come true we certainly do 
not believe. However, our tea' planters should be 
careful not to give their enemies an excuse for ill- 
natured remarks. 
