November 2, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
343 
“ The Botanical Oardoaa maintaineS by the North- 
West Provinces Government at Saharunpore and 
Mussoorie afford au excellent example of the pubho 
advantage of such institutioos. As regards cost, it 
appears thst the gardens arc virtually self-supporting. 
Tne expense! last year amounted to R20. 143-14-10. 
On the credit aide we have cash reocip's to the extent 
of Ki6,323, and tha Dirertor Genoral of Agriculture 
remarks that allowing for the seeds and plant dis- 
tributed to soldiers’ gardens and supplied to public 
gardens and sccit ties in addition to tha direct saving 
to Government on drugs grown and raauufaotured 
for the Medical Department, there would bo a balance 
ill favour of the credit over the debit side of the 
account. On the benefits to agriculture and the pros- 
perity of a province mainly dependent on the cultiva- 
tion of the soil, many proofs could be quoted. Mr. 
Holdernoss says generally; ‘The benefi ial eff ot 
of the Saharunpore and Lucknow Gardens on 
horticulture in Upper India is c.tpable of easy 
verification by anyone who moves a! oat tho coun- 
try and notes the progress which garileuing and fruit 
growing are making ameng the native community.' ” 
The extract that refers to oinohona is especially 
interesting. Here are wo, with large reserves of 
oinohona, sending ultimately oiir produce to England 
to the manufaoturea there, who will buy it for a 
mere nothing ; our Government buying their febri- 
fuges at a high fignre, when it might, ns the Indian 
Government does, buy cinchona on the spot and 
manufacture it. 
Ceylon Tea Fund Oommitiee. — Mr. BoVerts, I 
think, was quite right to bring to the notice of the 
Committee what some busybodioa are suggesting 
to the detriment of the Standing Tea Fund Uom- 
mittee and the new Tea Company. The Tea Fund 
Committee had a good answer to give such snarlers. 
Tea ai tbnpknoe and low rates of exchange 
pays, but the gunius who averages 5^^ is not the 
one to load ua on to victory. 
OoEEEB is falling in a most extraordinary way, 
which points to its being an artiolo for tha specu- 
lator, so I fancy there will bo soon a sharp riss, 
more especially for Ceylon. 
These Invunioks op Tea Diseases should bo 
deported at the expense of tho Colony. Let the 
Governor uao one of bis Prunes and Prismatic 
measures — say Promptitude — to get Dr. Trimen’s 
answer to those Indian Quacks. 
Native Teamen of our acquaintance inform .us 
that the profits they have made out of common 
tea will not go hall way towards covering the 
losses they sustained on their finest grades. They 
arc greatly put out this season to find that the 
high district teas fetch such a comparatively small 
advance on those from the low districts, and de- 
clare that the business in fine kinds is not worth 
following. They assure us emphatioally that next 
season’s supply of Congou will thow a further 
falling off of fully 60,000 chests, — h'oochow Eeho, 
Sept. 20lh. 
An Intebebtino Toub of the principal botanic 
gardens in the world was recently made by an 
Araorioan botanist, in order to procure from these 
eBlabliehmoats specimens of tho useful products of 
tho vegetable kingdom for tho University Museum 
at Oambridge, MaeBaohusetls. The botanist visited 
on his tour Genoa, Ceylon, Adilsido, Dunedin, 
Sydney, Brisbane, Java, Singapore, Saigon, Hong 
Kong, Shanghai, and 'Tokio. Tho traveller was 
particularly struck with tho Botanic Gardena in 
Ceylon. Plants from Australia are quite at home 
with those of the West Indies, Japan, or England. 
“ Oooe for all," says the American, “it may be 
said that botanists are nade welcome (to these 
gardens) in every way, finding every facility for 
carrying on systomatic work.’’ — L. and U, Kq>rc)». 
TEA AND EXCHANGE. 
In reviewing the sea-borue trade and navigation of 
Bengal a few months ago, Mr, Scobell-Armstrong 
referred briefly to the question in how fur the tea 
iuduutry is affected by n fluctuating exchange. In 
his opinion au alteration in the relative value of gold 
and silver osnnot in the long ran either stimulate 
Or check the production of tea in India, since the 
change neither affcols the desire for tea on the part 
of the consumers nor rrdnees the amonnt of goods 
which ho is willing to give in exchange for it. Mr. 
Armstrong illustrated this argomeut by a sketch 
of what in his opinion would be the effect if silver 
should rise, say, to Is 9i and stay there or thereabouts. 
In tho first place, ho said, the rupee price wonld fall, 
but there could be nu immediate increase in the 
price of tea, since tho amount of tea pat on the 
Loudon market would for some time remain as great 
as ever. If the depression became aufifioient to check 
production and tho extension of gardens, “ tliero 
would no doubt bo some rise in sterling price, but it 
would ouly be for a time" assuuiiog of course that 
the riao in silver were due to its becomiug dearer. 
If it were duo to gold becoming cheaper, gold 
prices wonld rise at ouoo and to the full amount 
andthsre would be no depression at all. In the event 
thtn, thot silver itself bad become dearer, there 
won d, Mr. Armstrong admits, be a depression in the 
loa industry. “ Profits,’’ he says, “ would not be so 
great for a time,” but the lea planters would even- 
UKlly reduce their outgoings, for since their rupees 
would have risen in value they might fairly claim to 
pay less of them. When the planter's ootgoings bad 
been reduced in proportion to the new valne of tho 
rupee, his profits, Mr. Armatrong contends, would be 
as largo iia ever. With a sudden rise in the value of 
the rupee tha depression would be severe, but tho ad- 
justment would be effected sooner; with a slight rise 
the depressiou would be slight, but it wonld be longer 
before it disappeared. In any case, however, the final 
adjustment would be only a matter of time. 
in au official resolution published, on Wednesday, 
Mr. Armstrong's argument is examined both from a 
practical and tbeorotiaal point of view. In the focmoc 
respect it is contended that the expinnatiou suggested 
by the Colleotor of Customs does not agree with tho 
tea-plauters’ cxperienco. “ It is trne,” tho resolution 
admits, “ that ho will pay loss for machinery, Kuropeaa 
stores and other artiolea purchased in Koglaml. H is 
also true that, as all tea-growing countrios use a 
silver currency, the tea plnuter is free from the 
special disadvantages which hamper the Indian 
wheat-grower in his attempt to oompeto with 
rivals in gold-using countries. As, however the bulk 
of tho pisutc-r’s expenditure is iuourred in India, 
where fiuatuation in the value of the rupee is com- 
psratively inoonsiderable, he canuot protect himself, as 
utr. Scobell Armstrong suggests, by reducing his pay- 
ments for wages Bud articles prodnoed locally. It 
would seem, then, that “ the gardens 'which fail 
year after year to gain tha uormal profit of 
capital must sooner or later go out of oultivation, 
and ouly those will survive in which the cost of pro- 
duction is ohespoat. “ The prioo of tea in London is 
the resultant of so many causes that it caunot be 
supposed that the contraction of output caused by the 
closure of tho more expensive gardens will so reduce 
the total supply as to cause tho price of tea to rise to a 
figure at which it will pay to re-open and work 
them." The fallacy, indeed, of Mr. Armstrong’s 
argument lioo in the idea that the expenses of a tea 
garden can be automatically adjusted with the rise and 
fall of Exchaugo. Kveu if tho suggestion were correct 
III theory it would still be opposed to all the results of 
practiual uxporieuce. — CAleuita Englishman. 
THE JAVA BUDGET. 
(EllOM OUIl AMSTEUIUM COIIHESI'ONDENT.) 
Tho Java Budget for 1S92 has boon introduced in 
tho Second Chamber of the States-Genoral. It appears 
that the profit balance of 1089 amounts to f. 1 164 
more than ostimated, the total profit b'oiiig" thus 
f.i), 110,736. The sorvico b£ 1690 wiU prqbably cJtbiWt 
