3i8 
THF TROPICAL AQRI0ULTUR18T. [November 2, 1891. 
Bhould almost think that by this time he will 
have written direct to the Secretary of your local 
Association. It oucuts to me that in this connexion 
you would be interested in the following extract given 
you with reference to the state of the trade between 
Kuseia and China in the teas grown in the latter 
country. Tho information seems to show that 
the endeavours making to intrcduce Ceylon tea 
into Russia are being met by increased activity on 
the part of the Russian agencies in China, which 
have evidently suocoeded in stimulating the trade 
between the two countries to a very great extent. 
There is truth, no doubt, in tho consular state- 
ment that the falling-off in the imports of 
China tea into London are to no inconsiderable 
extent due to sbipmeots now being made direct 
from Chinese to Russian ports. This has been 
confirmed to me by several traders with whom I 
have conversed on the subject : — 
Thu Tea TnADE Rktween China and Russia. — 
Russia is regarded at the stronghold and niainhopo 
of the Chines tea trade ; while tho British islands 
are consuming Indian and Ceylon teas, and the Uni 
tod States those of Japan, to tho injury of China, 
Russia continues faithful to Chinese teas. The Coni- 
missioncr of Chinese Customs at Hankow, in his 
last report, sivys that the tea trade with Russia is in- 
creasing annually, while it is docroasiug with Eng- 
land, because while in former years ton was shipped 
first to England and thence to Russia, the tea 
dealers in Russia now have their teas shipped direct 
from China. Last year tho trade with Russia would 
have been very large if the supply of suitable kinds 
had equAUed the demand. Only the better kinds of 
tea can now be sold in Russia at a profit, as the 
demand there has undergone a complete change. 
Between 1877 and 1888 tho exchange of tho Russutn 
paper rouble was very low; good teas wore therefore 
dear, and the mass of tho people could only alTord 
to purchase inferior kinds. Smee 1888, however, 
tho rouble has steadily risen, and has now reached 
a value higher than any of tho past 15 years. Tea, 
with other foreign goods, became cheaper aiul the 
people began buying tea of good quality, which, in 
spite of having coat higher prices in China, realized 
large profits. The market in China last year was 
onliroly governed by the demand from Russia, wliioh 
was very large and much in excess of the supply of 
the suitable qualities. In fact, tlie very best tea of 
tile season (lioomaus) sold very cheaply, simply 
because they are a kind not oonsmued in Russia, 
Quite a batch of letters came to hand by the 
last mail from your Planters’ Association in reply to 
queries, <io., sent from here, and among these was one 
in which an attempt was made to soften down the 
annoyance felt by the Tea Committee of the London 
Aesooiation at the letter first received which bad 
rebuked the action taken by it in tho matter of 
Mr. Lough’s appointment as agent in Paris. The 
general feeling is, however, that although your 
local Committee disclaim having had any intention 
of judging the action on this side, that it really did 
BO on insufluoienl and unsupported representations. 
Your Committee state now that it only invited 
reconsideration hero at home on the basis ol 
inlormatior convoyed to it ; but we think that 
no one reading its firet letter would limit their 
conclusion with respect to its teuour and purpose 
to any such view. — London Cop. 
THE SALE OF COFFEE AND CHICORY. 
Oolfea planterA will* co doubt, read with intercFt* 
though not with following iogenious 
defence of iho ndulteratiori of coffee with chicjry 
under certain oonditious. It appears iu a letter to the 
Grocer Bigued Old Mooha.’^ The law upon this sub- 
ject, as upon many others connected with our trade, 
is an unkuowa quantity, throwing discredit upou the 
Imperial Goverument. The administration of this law 
and of tho Weights and Measures Act, aud others^ is 
left in many imjiortaDt pacticulars to the discreiiou 
of the Great Unpai i, causing a vast amount of un- 
certainty in different districts. The oontraiUotory 
decisions arrived at arc sufflcieiit to breed contempt 
lor tbo presiding justices, aud tho system of r-' wards 
to informers and prosecutors is a temptation to 
unscrupulous persons to roisrepreuent the taels iu 
order to get a conviction. 
Now, how doiuauy of Iho magistrates arrive at tlipir 
dechioup ? They h‘'ld that a large peroan'age of 
pruHt amounts to fraud. But is this really eo? Wo 
deny the right of magistraios to tix our protits. In 
the absence of a fixed limitation of the amount of the 
mixture, who is to decide the actual value of the 
article or the amount of profit under certain circum* 
stances a person shall or shall nut charge P 
It is a singular fact, but none the less true, that 
the greatest number of prosecutions and convictions 
are obtuiuod from litt'o hucksters* shops, aud it is 
the exception that respectable good-sized grocers are 
caught or trapped. Now 1 maintain that these little 
hucksters’ shops are entitled to a greater percentage 
of profit than a largo eatablisbrnent would require, 
because they do not sell a large quantity ot goods 
in a week, noither do they sell a considerable quantity 
at one time, but mostly sell in the 6malle.*it quantities 
possible, such as halfpennyworths. They may really 
not buy their goods in wholesale quantities, but per* 
baps at actual retail prices to sell again. 
Now, I will show that the fraud found by the 
magiotrates really does not (xiat, except iu their own 
misguided imsgioatiou. Take the article tea t the 
keeper of the huckster's shop may buy one pound of 
tea at Is 4d per lb. to sell at 2'i per lb. If he should 
sell the whole of this quantity iu a week, certainly 
the profit would not be an exorbitant amount towards 
paying rent and tnxes. But in the case of coffee, 
whit would bo the component parts and the quality 
in an article purcha.scd m the same way to jiold the 
same results ? 
A coffee to sell at Is per lb. would have to be bought 
at 8i per lb., and perhaps this quantity would take twice 
ns loug to sell us the pound ot lea; so that if hall a 
pound of this 8d G> ffee were sold in a week, the profit 
thereon would amount to 2i). Having arrived at this 
point, just picluro to yourself the bright intelligent 
amile lighting up the c«treworn countunance of tho 
proprietor or his wife if a real roady-money customer 
should come in aud actually ask for a whole two ooncos 
of oiffee at Is 4 1 per lb. Do you thiak it is in human 
nature to turn away such a splendid opportunity of 
obliging a new customer f The inspector’s aBsistant 
thus procures the coveted article, and in comes the 
inspector, when explanations follow, and the inspector 
is now Bure of his case. The usual proooediugs arc 
taken, aud, rightly or wrongly, a oouvictiou and fine are 
imposed. 
Now a few words upon the component parts of 
tho mixture usually sold. I think tho fact can be 
proved ^ by tho best nnthoritioB that grocera buy a 
high'priccd ooffoc to uso for mixture. They hold 
that a high-priced coffee with a larger percentage 
of chicory produces a better bevoiage than a low- 
priced oommi'ii^ ouffeo with less or without any 
chicory. Also, it ia a fact, going to prove the same 
ihing, that families grinding thi ir own coffee buy a 
high-priced, and not a common low-priced cofl’ce. Thus 
they would not bo to foolish aa to psy Is. 8d. aud la. lOd. 
and 28. pof lb. if one at Is. per lb. could be proouied 
to give tht in satisfaction. 
Theroloro what kind of coffee cm we suppose the 
keeper of the Jittlc huckHtor’s shop could obtain for 
8d. per lb.? The only wonder would bo, that there was 
any coffee at all iu it. Aud yet tboss worthy magis- 
trates, when trying the case, lift up thoir bauds in holy 
horrorat the dreadful fraud perpetrated ! 
This is Iho unvarnished truth of the majority of cases 
got up. It is somewhat amusing how these people 
Bouflle out of the shop when they arc really served with 
the article they ask tor ; sometimes they say, “ Oh, I 
don't waut to siie it ground,’'— which Is perfectly true: 
they would Tatheraee it mixed, aud then buy it without 
notice of the fact.— if, c. Mail, 
