October i, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURI8T, 
2S9 
among the villages anl serve to improve the 
dietary ot the poorest elasros. In th absence of 
s!a isticSi we m ly form eomn idea of ihe exten- 
sive trade in salted and dr.cd fi-ih, which is car- 
ried on in the Pre idoney, by a rrf-rence to the 
report ot the Salt Department. It will ibere 
be seen that the quality of salt na“d for .Iris 
purpose is enormous, and that tliD trade in trod 
fish is an increasing one. It is w 11 known that 
the flesh of fishes dlliera in diff r. nt Bcbbous of 
the y ar, and tbit there arc times, as in the 
spawning season, when they are not very fit for 
huraiu food. But in Ii.die, among oar firhor. 
men, no notice whatever is tak. n of this fact, 
thby oatoh all they oan, great or Bf all, and at 
every season of tiro year. We are of opinion that 
among the i on-Europ an community, not a little 
ilihcalth is due to the want ot attention here. 
The destruction of spawn in out estuaries is oota- 
inoti ; we have ourselves soen men day after 
day capturing them by thousands (or their food, 
and hive found romiirdrauce with them of no 
avail. As a resalt of this, ad red to the fact 
that multiiudes of fish's are oaught long before 
they are half-grown, Ihe fish-supp y is not nearly 
eo pleniiful as it might bs, and the rttsUor is 
of bufflcier.t importanos to justify a little Oovtm- 
meut interference. For our fish-supply, as an 
article of food for poor, is worthy ol all poscible 
aiteiiti'jn. lu the country the right of catohiug 
the fiih in t.mks is usually sold by auction, and 
puiohased by the oas'e villagers fur a trifling 
sum. Ao instance oecurs to ui of a village in 
the ' hiugleput district where, after purchasing 
for four rupees the right in question, as thoy 
know how to do, the caste villagers immediately 
resold it for nearly a hundred rupees. It Oovern- 
moni wore to throw tuah tanks open to the 
poor, that they might increase the food supply, 
this would b.i a gnat boon, and the jobbery to 
which wo have laton'd would be brought to an 
end. At any rate, we think that some cogni- 
sance should bo taken of our South ludian 
fisheries, which are of such iraportauco to the 
people as a source ot foed, and i! s .melhing 
Oan lie done to regulate them, so that they 
may booomo more profitable and yield a stbl- 
moro abouodanl supp'y. Government will have 
Us reward . — Madras iitiifs. 
NOTRS ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Increased OoNbumpiion op Tsa. — We gave some 
figures 111 our last issue whion ehowcil the InotenBcd 
ootrumption ol tea srcoo the reduotion of the duty. 
The Ooinmi3«io.jera of Customs poiut out that the 
extent of the loss which the Esvenue has sustained 
by the reduoiion iu the duty of 2d per lb., when 
oompaied with tb i prtce i'ng year’s receipts, is not 
so groat aa ha t been surfoipatod, tho innreasB of eon- 
tunipti'iu having bi ou v.ry marked. Thogros.a ri vemio 
from tea in 1889 90 was £4,490.695. Last year it 
was £3,416,8112: au actual lues of £1,078,893. The 
quM.titv of tea ou which duty was p»i4 In 1889-90 
Was 170,62.1,000 lb. Id the ye»r on'liiig March last 
tin) quo.tity waB_ 202,633.000 lb., nii iiioruaso of 
23,013,1)00 lb. It is cu i us to note that in 183.5, 
wU.'U the duty ranged from Is Gi to 3s, acoordins 
to the q uality of the article, the amniiut n. tied l y 
the E.-venne from this souioe stood aimost tx-.otly at 
the same flgnro as at tlie prasont moment, wtieu alt 
kinds of tta pay only 4d. 
Tub Ambrican Tea Mabket.— It is pointed out by 
a PnilAdBlpbiuii oorrafponilent, (or the bonafit of those 
iatareste.i m the Anioricau tea market, that the fasto 
of oousiimers in tlie United Slates is fickle. Twenty 
years ago the rago in the States was entirely for 
I'nochowa i thou baskat-tired J»paus and Obiua green 
teas followed iu order, nothing else beuig in demand 
for a time : to t o again succeeded by Amoys and 
eventually by F..'mosas. At the present time the 
p opular taatu s. enis to be n turning to its first love, 
F.ioiluiw O'.longs, to the prejudice of Amoys and 
Fotmi.siis. Till uhsnges appear to occur exactly about 
five ycr-i apart. We trust that Indian and Ceylon teas 
will liave th ir turn. 
Tun Eivalry of Indian and CKynoN' Tea.— I n his 
report ou ihv lra.ie »f India, Mr. O'Connor calls at- 
truci.-n to the competiti n of Indian au.l Ceylcn in the 
t. n market, , ■■ r»thor be poiuis out figures which in- 
diuaio ihis p3“i ion. Hnssyo that “ while the United 
Kingdom t.io'a fro u India in 1890 over a bnndred 
MuiliuD pounds of ten and only sevanty-four millions 
ir.)in tihiua, it bad also taiccu foi ty-two-and a-hilf 
mild n pounds from Ceylon, a remarkably hree quan- 
tity considering 'he rccoat c.im u'Ui'ement of tea cul- 
tivation iu that isliud. Ceylon, Mr. O’Oonor points 
out, h'is certr niy greater advautsg.is in its greater 
nearness to Kaglanil aud to Australia than Calcutta, 
au.l the rnnsrqueut smaller f eight that bus to bo 
paid, i I the ci.ise proximity of t' o t n gardens to 
the po t of -h p iicnt, in tie abii.oJan' and ch'ap 
Isbour supplied to it from the a.Ijao n’ ports ot Southern 
In lU, iu climate oond tions, and in the ex. e lent 
qii.ality of mosi of the tea producol.” This is all 
ti ne enough, an 1 t a plan' ers are quite aware of it. 
r'ho riv.lry loiwi -u India and Ceylon is, however, a 
fibudy oi.o. Tho m.iii ides being to keep China 
tea ru'i of the ma ket as much as possible. 
Tra Suaues. — 'The following letter sigi od Z. ap- 
pea ed iu the Financial .Yews of yesterday’s d.te: — 
“ Your ufe'iil an. I accurato article on tho position 
of the tea companies has attracted a good dost of 
attiutioD, and t hopo yo-l will allow a little dis- 
ciiss'iou ou tho fubjecc, in tho luterosts of those 
who are alresdy oono- rns.! as proprietors, ss well 
as of tbo.sri who would like to havo a pecuniary 
inte'cst in tho biislnor.s of tra produotioii. There is no 
qu. stion as to th'i highly prnfitiblo nature of tho 
ii.dusityj it is really much more so than the figures 
o-f the few compauics ((noted sliow, because a largo 
pc.. portion of the best estates, though worked by 
oompani-s wh iso shares c.u be obtained by those iu 
tiie trade ihrougU private treaty, are not known iu 
tho general market. The indusiry is also subject to 
much less risk thau is gonorally fupposed ; failure of 
crops over any but a mo.st limited ana is unknown; 
cultivation and manufaoturo havo now almost reached 
the level of a eoieuce ; while tho uncertainty attach- 
ing to value which existed in the ear y days of Indian 
te.-rs as an arliclo of commorco is a thing of the past, 
Serdug that it liss taken tho leading p.rsition la the 
market, almost cxtingnisbii'g the tra. in iu China tea, 
as far as this country is concerned, aud has quite 
out-stripped iu point of quality its only serious 
rival, (,’nylon.* Tlii.s being iso, the question arises 
why Indian tea compsnies attract so little attention 
from the investing public, and, with tho exception 
of tho Financial Fern's, from the flnauoial Press. 
Is it not bf'oause those who manage tlie companies 
impact ro little information about the course of 
the year’s operations 'f Some ot them only oommu- 
uicsto with their ohareholdcrs once a year; many 
only twice a year, wliilo Iboso who i.iauo monthly 
returiia of the quantity produced give no inhumation 
rCBpeoting tho renhsation of the crop. Investors do 
not like to Lo kept iu the dark like this, aud the 
reiiccnoo ol managor.s is tho more unaocom. table 
inasmiioh as the i. dustry is carried on in the light 
of dsy, tho crops grown above ground, and mostly 
sold in tlia public auction room, while for honour- 
able end business-like manngomaut they can ohallonge 
oomparieon with any ind ustrial undertaking. Another 
<!r iwbaok seems to bo tho sUata value ranging from 
£u to £20, denominatious disliked by the small in- 
vest.jr, who calls for a £l share fully paid. But 
possibij' Ibo chief obst'.olo to a free market in the 
shares lies in tlie fact that there are too 'many small 
oompauies, osoh with separate management ; their 
• Ooylon planters will cortaiulj not admit this.— • 
Ed- T. a. 
