226 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[October i, 1891. 
)iu3 been caueed to s one extent by ft doubt upon 
the Bpeninl bubjoct ot tannin in tea nnd Imw far 
local interoRts might be eli'eotcd by the publica- 
tion o( full inforntftlion rcpecli'g it in roi^ard 
to Ceylon leas. Hm wo ato now iij£ornied_ itmt 
the Tea Oomuiittce ol the Ceylon Aaeooifttion in 
London has passed a resolution itiiuestinK our 
Planters' Association to act upon Mr, Hughes' 
advice and have the analyses proposed by him 
made. It seems c-rtainly deeirablo that this 
matter should be examined into as closely ns 
poBBible. The view adopted by Mr. Hughes, that 
the higher the proportion of tannin in lea the 
more it is valued in the London marUot, may 
tend towards cousiderably modifying the opposi.' 
tion said to have been heretofore felt to make 
publio tho exaot proportion eontnined in the teas 
of our island growth, if such opposition has 
really existed. 
Now, however great may be the proportion of 
tannin in some ot our teas, it by no means 
follows that it is necessary that the drinkers of 
'these to whom it might be injurious or disagree- 
able should imbibe it. Tannin is said to be 
soaroely ever present to any extent in the first 
cup ot infusion obtained from tea if the time 
allowed for the tea to stand be limited to some 
three minutes or so only. It is the second cup, 
after the hat had been subjected to the influence 
of the boiling water probably for some ton minutes 
or so, that contains tho tannin extract. This 
fact is commonly recognised by tea drinkers, and 
a larger proportion of milk is given to this second 
cup than is supplied with that of the first in- 
fusion drawn off. By a few persons, perhaps, the 
second cup is that most appreciated, but these 
boar, we should say, but a small proportion to 
tho whole army of tea drinkers. We do not our- 
selves pretend to say whoilitr Mr. Hughes’ view 
is right or wrong; tut if it te the former (as we 
iucline to believe) it is desirable that we should 
know it, as it might most materially alleot tho 
question ot demand for cur teas in European 
countries. 
There is another point which seems to have 
been slated by Mr. Hughes that will obviously 
call for consideration. He deems it to be 
desirable that the samples ho may be onllod 
upon to analyse should be selected on the estates, 
aud fresh from the curing operations, to bo at 
once packed in hermetically sealed tins and sent 
homo to him. Wo should naturally conclude 
from this that Mr. Hughes regards it to boafaet 
that our teas as now packed, transported and 
bulked in London undergo a oertain modification 
of their oharaoteristios during those operations. 
But what are we specially seeking as the result 
to the propoeol aualyaes ? Is it not to obtain a 
guide as to what teas are best suited to the 
varied tastes of home oonsumors? If so, and in 
that ease, it would seem to us to bo desirnble that 
tho analyses should be made of teas as they are 
delivered to those consumers, ond not as they 
come freah from the operation ol curing on tho 
estate ? However, as to this we must leave decision 
to those of more experience than cuiselvos ; though 
unless good reason can bo given, it would seem as 
it any result to bo obtained must be fallacious, 
if tho tea as submitted to analysis and the tea 
as dolivsrod, in London, is to be tea possessed of 
dilTerent characteristics. Poublo analyses would 
seem desirable indeed, of the teas as freshly manu- 
factured and specimens of the same teas when 
they reach the London market. Now that the 
question has assumed the important phases we 
have described, the clearing up of the points now 
u dispute must be more thgu ever desirable. 
NEW FODDER PLANT. 
Mr. Hart (at tho meeting of Uio Trinidad Central 
Agriciillnrid Board,) siid Mr. Henry VVaruer had given 
notice of a quosMon between tbi.s and last meoiiiig. 
It was : — " To ask tho Government Botanist whether 
the new fodder plant spoken ot so highly in the Tru/n- 
cal AyrkulluriH, of iHt January, 1801, aud called 
then in the Jjallujrus A'l/frtsfri'.s is known to him, and 
whether he is aware of the existence of tlirsa plants in 
Trinidad or not. If not growing in Trinidad at the 
present time does the Government Botanist intend to 
introduce into the colony or has he already taken steps 
to this cud ‘i ■’ 
Dr. de Verteuil : Is it a grass 'i* 
Mr. Ilait ; No. LathijrKs k'j/lvednn is the plant in 
quesliou, it is nearly allied to I'icia or vetch. It is 
cispetsed a'l over tho globe chiefly in temperate climes 
oi the mountains of tho tropica. • A variety of Lathy, ub 
S yheatriii is the “ everlasting pea,” which is cultivated 
in European gardens for the sake of its flowers. It 
appears that in Ceylon they have been planting a 
variety of species, and some one ha.i been wriliug about 
it in the TroiAcal Agrieultarid. I have not bad an 
oppoctanily of seeing this article ot looking it up, as 
the question was only to put to me this morning ; 
bat 1 may say this that I do not think a European 
plant would be likely to thrive in tho tropics. Borne 
years ago the vetch which thrives in European coun- 
tries was introduced into Jamtica, and bad now be- 
come acclimatised there. It was naturalised on the 
hills but it would not grow on the plains. It ought 
to be known whether such plants would thrive here, 
aud we might procure seed and try it, bat I don’t 
think the trial will be attended with any amount of 
sucoesB. Sic Joseph Hooker gives Lathyrus Hylveitris 
as a native of Great Britain and Bonth Europe. 
Dr. de Verteuil: I think it will do better m Boutbern 
Europe than in this climate.— Tiiuidad Agricultural 
Record. 
RICE IN JAPAN. 
The absence of trustworthy statistics showing 
the pi ogress of serioultutp, tea produotiou, and 
rice-growing since tho restoration, is ofteo lamented 
by persona interested in tho trade of this country. 
Some general facts are known, but it appears to he 
exceedingly difficult to obtain exaot ceturus. Bocently 
the h'iyu published an iutecesting statement giving a 
rude idea of the development of rioe culture siuce the 
close" of the sixteenth century. In 1598 (third year 
of Keicho), we road tho area of laud under rice 
was 1,311,0011 eho (3,277,000 acres), the produce 
of wliich aggregated 8,600,000 koku (94,906,000 
bushels), being at the rate ot a little over 
29 bushels an acre. Out of this amount our con- 
temporary asserts that no less than 12,000,000 koka 
had to be paid as taxes, namely, two-thirds of the 
whole produce— but we cm soaroely credit tbie 
figure. A century later 1690, wbeu tho oouutry had 
enjoyed peace for a hundred years and the Tokugawa 
dynasty was firmly established, tho yield of rice had 
increased to 25,800,000 koku, a difference of nearly 
10 per cent. Thenceforth until 1832 no statistics are 
given, but in April of the latter year wo are told 
that accurate^ returns gave the total produce of 
rice ns 80,5o8, 917.81 koku, from whioh it appears 
that the increase between 1090 and 1832— a 
period of 142 jyears— had bean only 18 per cent,, 
against an increase of 40 per cent in the previous 
100 years. Fifty-six years later, 1888, the area under 
rice cultivation was 2,685,886 cho (8,714,715 acres) 
and tlie aggregate produce was 88,645,583 koku 
(198.25L^ bushels), or a little over 29 bushels an 
acre. Thus the iucrease in this preriud was 26 per 
cent., a fact bearing significant testimony to the 
prosperous condition of the country during tho 
past half oeiiluty. It was natural that iu tho 
decades immediately sucoeediug the termination of tho 
long era of interneoitie war which the 'laiko and the 
Shogun Jyeyasu bre tight to an end, a great impetus 
