320 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURfST [November 2, 1891. 
speculative dealings in INDIAN 
TEA. 
It ia now almost a yeareiuco t)ie LonJon rtoduco 
Clearing House commenced to regietec future deal- 
ings in Indian ten; and we believe that if the opinion 
of the tea dealorn in the London Blarket could bo 
gauged, they would, with p'Jrhaps ouo or two exoop 
tioDs, unhesitatingly express their regret that this new 
element of speculation was ever introduced. Opinions 
vary no doubt as to the ethics of ** future " dualin. 4 S 
ill produce, as wel 1 as in stocks and shares; but ivo 
are not at present concerned with this view of the 
()uostion, which wo imagine every man must settle 
for himself. It is our business to collect mformn- 
tion from every reliable source, and focus it so that 
our readers may form their own judgment, and act 
as they think heat. And it is bnoaiiao wo see at 
present some symptoms in the miirkot of a diaposition 
to make wbat are calloi ** bear " sales of Indian tea 
that wo venture to draw tho attention of those inter- 
ested to the reoessity of combined action to avoid an 
undue distorbanco of values. 
There are those who say that there is a moral 
differenoa between a “ bull ” purchase and a “bear ” 
sale; but as wo said before wo are not oonoerned 
with the ethics of the question at proncnt, and we 
will merely aay that the conduct of a “ bear ” after 
having sold what ho never possessed is generally 
directed to circulating Injurious reports and otherwise 
seeking to batter down the value of stoek held by bond 
fide owners— in short, ho trie.s to depreciate other 
people’s property to make thereby a profit for himself. 
Itia somewhat unfoituiiate that just now the large sup- 
plies of Indian and Ceylon tea have touUed to deprers 
the legitimate loarket and rendered tho " hoar ” game 
more easy. It is an open secret that some of the 
brokers ill tbo mai ket are operating for themselves m 
this direotion. And it becomes, therefore, most im- 
portant for planters and iroportera tu oonsider whose 
advice they accept as to how and when they ahould 
offer their Imports. It is manifest that if tho market 
is overdone with nearly 20,000 packages in ouo sale and 
only 5.000 packages the next, tliore will bo more or less 
irregularity in the prices, which will injure tho iuterests 
of those importers whoso teas are offered in the larger 
sale. It ia known that tlio shipmeiita from Calcutta 
were very heavy for the last fortnight of August 
and the first fortnight of Seploraber, and iiiitura'ly 
the “ bears ” are pibhant at tho pro.apeot of cover- 
ing their shorta in the aulicipatcil panic and utter 
demoraliaation which they reckon on if all tho 
weight of toa is put upon tho mniknt with unreasoniug 
haste. There was latt season an attempt made to regu- 
late the supply in public sale, so that it should not 
exceed 15,(100 paoksges in one day or 35,000 packages 
in one week. The 3.5,000 total foatbe week has not 
yet been reached this season, but this week nearly 
20,0tKJ packages passed the hammer on one day with 
n manifest tendency downward. No time should there- 
fore be lost in coming to souiuaimiUr arrangenienl, as 
importers cannot be constantly in tho salerooms watch- 
ing the fluctuations of the market or the nature of tlie 
buying ; cousequeiitly an “ automatic feed regulator ” 
(as somebody styled it last season) scorns in every way 
a desideratum. Tho situition is no doubt semewhat 
peculiar as regards heavy supplies of Indian and Ceylon 
tens, but they are both steadily displacing China teas. 
Tbo stocks ol all kinds of tea on Aug 31 were ouly IJ 
jnilioiis great' r than last year. Siiipmants have prac- 
tically ceased from tho Chinese ports foe this Be nsou, 
and it is exceedingly probable that the home and 
shipping demand will be quite equal to taking off every 
Doiind of ludian and Ceylon tea that oome.s hero this 
Mason especially at the low rates now ruling ; hut the 
supply shonld be regulated.-//, and C.^lail, Sopt. 18th. 
Mebsbs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton's Tea Ciuodlar. 
In tho circular dated Sopt. 25tli, our readers are 
requested to note the following oorreotion :_Tho 
total Indian average for the week should read, 
28 151 pkgs. at O^d ; tho Sylhot and Caehar aver- 
age should read, 10,715 phgB. fit 
A NEW MATEIilAL FOIl TEA PACKING. 
A new mnterml for Udig^ tra ebesfs ban loTig been 
tilkod of, and it is now introduced. In anadvertiso* 
ment wliich apyieara in our columns, pjai.t 'rs and tea 
impoftors are iuformed that tbe new material “ocsts 
half the price” of toa lead, that it ‘‘answers the pur- 
po-fl admirably,” and that it has been “tested and 
approved by experts,” Onr ropresputativo called upon 
tho mak'Ts, Measrs. Edward Saunders & Soih, Limited, 
of 81 and 83, Cannon Street, and from thorn wo learn 
that in addition to tbe advantagfcs thus claimed for 
this new material, it is impervious to damp, will bear 
boiliug without injury, it does not break nor crack, 
and, oF course, is very much lip^bterthan lead, weighing 
but one-fiffch tho weight, an injportaiit matter where 
freight is concerned. Tbe makers claim that they have 
been tcatii g its thoroujfU efflcieiicy for years and now 
that they have proved tho new raateriul, they place 
it in the market with conridenoe, — //. aiid 0. Mail, 
ITow’ Leaf ihsearetias Lessened the Phoduc- 
TioN OF Coffee in Java, notwithstanding the advan- 
tage of rich voloanio soil, is shown in the following 
figures, given by Dr. Bufek, in bis paper suggesting 
remedies - 
AveraRc yearly 
proiluc'tlou Saiuarang. Clu'Vlbon. Maillvon. 
In lf^84-180H 
„ 1871-1878 
„ 1870-1883 
Ai.TOi) plkulH 
oi.sr.o „ 
n*,20'j „ 
80,^00 „ 
5^7,310 „ 
24,1100 plkuls 
23,.'j00 „ 
22,70(1 „ 
21,000 „ 
lt.7U0 ,, 
60,300 plknls 
01,700 „ 
68,000 „ 
0H.4OU „ 
83,275 ,, 
OoFPKE AND Cinchona in Java. — According to in- 
formation received lately the coffee crop in Java will 
be much more than in tbe procodiog year. Tbo Oo- 
vcrDinent crop will bi about 305,000 pioula, against 
about 160.U00 ill 1890; and from private undertakings 
in tho east portiou of Java the report of larger crops 
are given, which will bo above the estimate. An in- 
teresling statement sliows the incrcaKe of the cinchona 
bark cul’ivation in Java by private planterp. The fol- 
lowing figures exhibit the exports from Java for the 
last live years:— 
l^rivate Govern- 
meot 
lb. lb. 
1890-91 ... 6,383,501 ... 553,255 
1889-90 ... 4,679,787 ... 541,481 
1888-86 ... 3.599,525 ... 815..503 
1837-8H 3.124,924 ... 617,101 
1886-87 ... 1,009.812 ... 660,4.33 
— tj' C. h'xpTesft. 
Indian Tea op Low Quality. — Wo suppose 
it ia the generally good quality of Ceylon tea which 
led to fluch severe denuneiatlona on recent descents 
below standard. But, due to similar causes no 
doubt, Indian baa also been of inferior quality and 
has sold at prices as low as tho lowest Ceylon. 
Oonfirraat'.'ry of this statement, we quote as ful- 
lows from Shep^ird & Co.’s circular of September 
26th 
ludian.— Offeriugs have rxcoodud tboao oF the pr - 
vions fortnight by some 4.0(11) packagnu. The goocrul 
quabty of supplies fulls to hlH'W improvement, and 
prices for all oomiuon umiI ordinary liqtiorii^g Teas hivo 
beou g. adually Uiuling dowuwHrds, eu that quotatiims 
of 5jd, 7U and 8j have now buen rt'covded for tho 
lowest grades of Sonebong. Pekoo and Broken Pokoc 
respectively. Oojcl loodiutii to firm kinds aro generally 
well competed tor at about previous raten, and for a 
few parcels of very choice Darjeeling 3 Vh long prices 
have been obtained. 
Wo take this opportunity of oorreoting a mistake in 
a paragraph on Ceylon tea which had sold at 
inserted in yesterday’s paper. The extract was from 
a Melbourne letter. 
