412 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[December i, 1891 . 
Hop Tea. — T he comb’nation of hops with tea 
secniB to find epprooiation. The procosa was full; 
explained by Mr. A, Snelliug (the patentee) at a 
viait recently paid to the works at Maidstone by the 
direotors of the Hop T<u Foreign and Colonial Hyn- 
dioate and their friends. The fresh hops are withered 
by patent maohinecy, rollod, allowed to ferment for 
the pnrposo of modifying the naturally bitter taste, 
and then dried by the well-known “ Birooco ” machine 
process. It was stated that fifteen patents have been 
secured, or are being applied for, in all the important 
countries of Europe— India, Now South Wales, Now 
Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and 
Victoria. Mr. Soelling states that, although the in- 
dustry had only been started in Beptember last, they 
had 3,000 agents in the country, and tho demand was 
greatly on the increase. 
Last Week’s Tea 8ai.es.— Xho Protluiv Markets’ 
JRevieio says:— “There was a diminution in tho 
quantities of Indian tea offered this week, aud owing to 
a well sustained enquiry, prices for most grades are 
firm, while the finest descriptions in some oasca show 
an advance. The moderate prices and good value to 
be obtained from la downwards, are exemplified by 
the largely increasing oonsumplion, and as there is 
no immediate prospect that these grades will rise in 
valuo, a further important expansion in tho demand 
is probable. _At any rate, tho comparative value of 
Indian teas is favourable in this direction, end as 
there will probably be a falling off in the supply of the 
Ceylon growths a little later on, a greater impetu.s will ba 
given to the use of the former. At a recent meeting 
the tea brokers agreed to endeavour to regulate the 
quantity to be offered at tho public sales. To m.ako this 
effectual it will be necessary to allow a ceasonnblo 
time for sampling and valuing the teas, for it is 
frequently tho case at prosant that the samples are 
not ready at the tvarehonse until the nfternom prior 
to the sale. If importers would adopt tho principle 
of not issuing tbo oata logues until the teas aro actually 
ready for sampling it would greatly facilitate business, 
and save much loss of time and Isbour. At tho public 
salea 32,250 packages were brought forward, including 
a good assoctment of most kinds. The bidding was 
active and a firm tendency was manifest for all good 
descriptions, while tho downward movement for nn. 
desirable sorls cootinuos. Ceylon teas bavo only 
been sparingly offered, but iis the attention of 
buyers gonerslly has beeu more <ir less muuopolisod 
by ludiau teas, there has beeu no corresponding riso 
in values ; indeed, sUhough good to fine teas have 
maintained late prises, the lower kinds have sold at 
easier rates. The quality of tho teas brought for- 
ward, although not ((ailo so good as of late, is 
fairly saliifactory, a point to be spscially borne in 
mind now that fine China Monings aud Niugobows, 
with which teas Ceylocs chiefly compote, arc selling at 
prices hitherto unheard of, ” 
SinvEB.— Tho Loudon silver market was not 
strengthened by the aliotmoul of Council bills, the 
minimum price accepted on We,luesday being 3'32d 
lower than the minimum of last week's allotment, aud 
exobange advioes from the East were all unchanged, 
with a weak teudouoy as regards Bombay. Quo'.atious 
fur bar silver and Mexican dollars novcrtbeless roso 
l-16d per ounce — namely, to d-l 9-lfil and -13 .5-lfi.l 
per ounce reapcctively. Tho advance was due to nn 
incroaaed ei qniry for silver for tho Continent, possibly 
in oonnootiou with tho supply of 60,000 kilogrammes 
of bar silver for Coinage into Cuban currency. Out- 
ward rates for morchants' bills were not further reduced, 
having been lowered on Saturday last. Four per Cent, 
Kupee Paper is quoted at t:718 to £748.—/!. and a. 
Mail, 
-♦ 
ADVANCES TO CULTl VATOIIS AND THE 
NON-ALIENABILITY OK LAND. 
In Ceylon, as in India, tho main causes of poverty, 
depression and ultimate eviction from land and 
home of tho cultivating classes can be traced more to 
their own improvidence and inveterate habit of bor- 
rowing at exeessiva interest (in which they are aided 
by the lenders of money, seed corn and cattle) than 
by Government exaction in the shape of rent or 
tax. Occasionally in India the poor ryata, finding 
themeelvcs no match for tho astute money-lenders 
have risen in desperation and taken the law into 
their own hands. Honoe a very serious insur- 
reotion amongst tho Santal tribes of Bengal and 
distntbauoea elsewhere in India. In tho Bombay 
Presidtnoy the Deccan Ityats’ Belief Act has been 
a good many years in operation ; and one of its 
provisions is that, however largo the debt of a ryat 
to a usurer may bo, the latter cannot gain posses- 
sion of the cnltivator’s land, which is rendered 
inalienable. Our readers can easily see how sneh 
a provision lends to oheck the tendency to borrow 
and the willingntas to lend. Tbo objection offered 
is that tho restrioticn lessens the credit of the 
cultivator. That is just what was intended, because 
snob oredit was used to raise money to be spent not 
on the land but on extravagant birth, marriage 
and death ceremonies and feasts. Then, to supply 
the cultivators with legitimalo loans land banks, are 
either in operation or under oonsidcratioii in India, 
through whose agency Government would make 
such advances as were really required by 
cultivators, at modeiate rates of interest. In 
any case advances are made by tbo Indian 
Government under duo rcs'.riutions. In India, 
indeed, the question of land indebtedness has 
assumed eo serious an aspect that a Commission 
has been appointed to deal with tho whole subjeot, 
at the head of which is Sir 0. Croslhwaite, 
lately Chief Commissioner of Burma, Tho first 
business of this Commi-^Eion will be to enquire 
into tho working of tho Deocan Aot, with a view 
to its exteneion to tho whole of the Bombay Presi- 
dency. People, childish in their ideas and praclioes, 
must be dealt with as children ; and in Ceylon, 
as in India, legitlafion is required to protect tho 
goyiyas against their own improvidence and tho 
wiles of ueurers who loud them money, seed or 
cattle, with the very object in a large number of 
oases of so loading them with debt that their 
holdings of land must pass into tbo bands of tho 
usoriuus lenders. It is impossible to restrict the 
rates ol interest, or to prevent borrowing by 
levying heavy duties on mortgages ; but it is possible 
for Government to render native holdings of land 
inalienable, and in dealing with an oriental people 
western notions of free trade in property must 
not be strictly applied, 
■* 
ECHOES OF SCIENCE. 
At II rueeut iiieeling of tho Aca'fiinio des Sciences, 
Paris, all intere^ting ]iaper was reid on the hurricane 
wliicb lias devastated the island ot Martinique. 
A curious feature of the cyclone was the incesBaut 
lightning flashes which accompaiued it. They incrensed 
in violence before tlie passage of the roiitro, and 
decreased after its passage ; but tbe sinsular thing 
is that the noise of the thunder was hardly percep. 
tilde, perhaps beeauae of the roar of the wind and 
the cracks of falling bui'dings. Ball or globe 
lightning was frequently fccii, especially in the country. 
The halls oi fire traversol tiie air lometimes for 
several miuntos at a lime, aud exploded when about 
one-and-.A.hnlf fuel above the ground. Globe lightning 
ha.s been observed to accompany tornadoes as well 
ns volcanic ernptioiis, but we do not remember to 
have before beard of its appearance during a West 
ludian burricaui!. 
At the Blue Hill Obsorvitory, United States. Mr. 
H. H. C'liiy'ou has been making a large number of 
moasur.imuuts on the "I'itndo of v.irious kinds ot 
clouds. Ho finds that the average height of nimbus 
clouds is 112 metres, of cumulus, at the base 1,558 
metres, of cirrus-stratus, 9,052 metres, and of cirrus, 
