February i, 1892.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 589 
5:oiiitesponi3^no0. 
To the Editor. 
TEA DUST EXPORTED IN BAGS. 
London, E.C., Deo. 4th, 
Sir,— Y esterday we received into our warehouse 
the tea duet which had been packed for ua by 
MeBere. Buchanan, Frazer & Co., Colombo, into 
cotton oanvaa bags, ohriatiated. W. E. Appleton 
A Co., tea dealers in the City, came in and 
examined the packages, took Famplea and tasted the 
tea and expressed themaelvea very much pleased, 
as It was in splendid order. I think that this 
Will show that tea duet can be safely sent home 
«n bags it properly waterproofed with a material 
which has no smell whatever. Other tea brokets 
examined the tea end pronounced it in very good 
oondition beoauae the packages were air-tight ; they 
said that if they gave me a report there would be 
an upset in the trade. Some people fear to advance 
out of the old groove.— Yours truly truly, 
THOS. CHRISTY 
MR. 
LIPTON AND TUB CHICAGO 
EXHIBITION. 
Dickapittia, Haputale, Dao. 14th 
aia,— The following was embodied in a letter 
received by me yesterday. It is possibly not yet too 
ate to suggest the name of Mr. Lipton in conneo- 
lion with our representation at the Chicago Exbibi- 
1 b?!!: 18 well-known ho is a capitalist with 
large established interests in that city, also that 
o?ted lii cglon?‘'‘'°'"' 
vahio^ in'^ll.^ an article which is considered the best 
value in the trade and which owes its excellence 
to the mixture of Oeylon tea in it he has gained 
in *u yaaiR the prominence ho now occupies 
in the trade. It would no doubt beneflt the in- 
austry on which Ceylon is ohielly dependent it the 
““P'lilisl like Mr. Lipton with his in. 
cool, Chicago Ceylon and in the tea trade 
to on suggestion may be objected 
^ on the grounds that It would be advertising 
tW ?! America; but as 
thn ® “ “'*tare of Ceylon tea and 
inose now consumed in that country are almost 
bonBii/ liu ROW would 
one It this country, and extended consumption of 
a mixuire°® whether pur? or as 
thr^n,, .RR®**'’®'! the telegram announeing 
of foloction by the Planters' Assooiatiof 
am Bu« a” Chicago. I 
oporatbn.*^ I-lPlon’® <m- 
“Re ‘‘and'*?? >>® excellent 
Will ventilif T “’I?'' Editor, I t.ust you 
I am di, 8*''® “ yRR*" support. - 
am. dear sir, yours faithfully, 
[\Ve hB„« „ j u. .u JAMES DUNCAN, 
pointed On® ”® Mr. Urinlinton, if ap 
In deferen “T!'®,'?"®'’- '® P'’®"^ ®“" k® 
uur chief enin!® ■^^® "'.'.sk®®. “1 those connected with 
this 6og((e8tiQnP”n' ,”11.®''?®- I**" oonsidcration to 
invoked U will Mr. Lipton’s co operation is 
promoting the k® °n the principle of 
and unmfxed 1’'^?® tea. unblended 
leoently, Mr Lint^ other. This as we showed 
HI*/. Mr. Lipton does not do, -all the teas he 
advertises in bis oiroular are blends. — Since writing 
the above we have seen the proceedings of the 
Tea Fund Committee, amongst which is a notice 
of the withdrawal of eubsoription on aooonnt of 
Mr. Lipton's Fooprassie group of estates. This, 
we should say, settles the question of Mr. Lipton’s 
attitude in regard to the Ceylon tea enterprise. 
Ho is interested in our tea, no doubt, but only 
as it serves his own personal profit, in the shape 
of a blend ; suoh are not the men to help in 
extending the use of pure Ceylon tea.— Ed. T. A.] 
TOBACCO IN NORTH BORNEO. 
Kandy, Deo. 22nd. 
Dear Si , — The last advice I have from North 
Borneo re tobacco is as follows : — We are glad to 
Bay that onr North Borneo tobaooo is topping the 
market and beating Sumatra. Although the prioes 
paid, in the face of 40,000 bales, are low, it is 
satislaotory to know that they are better than 
others. We are expeoting an Australian-Obina 
steamer here on the 6th, to load timber for the 
Australian market. The latest reports from the 
tobaooo estates are encouraging. The weather 
continues favourable, the rains having not set in yet 
Mr. Pryer returned from England yesterday repre* 
senting a planting and development company."— 
Yours truly, w. D. GIBBON. 
THE PRICE OP PEKOE SOUCHONG. 
Dkar Sib, — Now that we are on the job we may 
as well thrash this matter out to the end, especially 
as "A Buyer” has dropped the mild saroasm usually 
indulged in by tea buyers when noticing any 
animadversions dating from upoountry. This is 
novel and refreshing, and I will endeavour to imitate 
his moderation. The faot that my first letter oaused 
him genuine surprise simply goes to show how 
little sympathy exists between tea bnyere and tea 
produoers. Well, I will not lilt much of tbs onrtain 
to show all that is behind it ; but to suppose that 
there can be muoh ooraraunity of " feeling " between 
a buyer getting a haul of average pekoe souchong at 
‘-2 cents a pound (while the equivalent London 
value IS 30 oents) — and the planter whom it baa 
cost 30 oents to produce, is of course out of the 
question. " Well, but it is not so," says " A 
Buyer," "our margin is muoh smaller thau that." 
Whet the margiu is with which ho is satisfied is 
not stated, unless wo may infer it from the 6Jd 
sample sent to him as his •• buying standard " up 
to 25o. This would leave a loss I instead of 
8 cents profit, against which I for one have nothing 
to say. ® 
But WHY “ Buyer’s " prinoipala in London 
should send him out a “standard sample" at S^d 
when ihe London average id for “o/ic uniform qualitu 
which never variesf* as he adsortSy and is at the 
Ume quoted GJi remains for “ A Buyer" to explain. 
The instruetions look like : — " buy quotabls Pekoe 
Souchong at 25 cants." 
But may I ask " A Buyer " not to wander 
too far afield, I might as well ask him to oome 
upoouDtry and grow tea (whioh perhaps he does, 
by the way — suoh things are 1) as ho to ask me to 
“ buy ’’ at any price, while I am in the position of 
being obliged to self at any price. If this were 
not so then “A Buyer’s” ocoupation would begone. 
Notwithstanding all that "A Buyer" has said and I 
think his letter is fair and candid — bo has not yet 
answered my question. 1 have looked for, but 
cannot now find the qualifying words which formerly 
appeared on the London Price Lists, namely •— 
"Fair Pekoe Souchong of the quality usmllu made 
hi » ! * factories." Now Ihia doaoription of tho 
