734 
THt TROmOAL AOmOULTURIST. 
[April i, 1892 
a viBitor. When tea cost doable what it does now, 
people took"inoro care in the making than they do 
at present.' 
Aa regards China tea, the following paragraph 
from the Pall Mall deserves worth giving:— 
Here ia an extract from the Foochow Kcho which 
throws an interesting light on the two staple products 
of China:— , , 
Two teargrowers arc, wo understand, planting 
poppies in tno place ot tea in the lower ranges of 
their tea plantations. If they moot with success, 
Others wiU follow their example and give up lea 
altogether. , _ , 
For this China has only herself to thank. By hoa,vy 
export duty and local taxes and “ squeezes " in- 
numerable, she has done her very best to kill the 
trade which for so long gave her a proud |ire- 
eminence among the countries of the world, lhat 
the poppy should take the place of the tea-plant is, 
however, a form of retributive vengeance from which 
China might well pray to be delivered. 
The same journal's oommercial correspondent sums 
up last month’s trade in tea as follows : — 
The Tea Tuade nuante Januaky. 
Throughout the past month there was a strong 
and steady demand tor all Indian teas with good 
liquors, but the poorer sorts, which wore still toO 
numerous, were not wanted unless at lower prices. 
At the close of the month, when offerings were smaller, 
the market hardened, and prices at date are much on 
a par with those ruling at end of December, except 
for teas with outstanding liimors, which are ve^ 
scarce and decidedly higher. The average of public 
sale prices for the month was fully 8Jd. per lb. against 
lljd. per lb. for the corresponding month last year. 
The imports were 13,634,000 lb., and the deliveries 
9,968,000 lb., leaving in stock on Slst January 49,162,000 
lb. A satisfactory feature ia the development of the 
export trade. Tho demand was strong during the 
month for all good Ceylon teas, and prices for such 
show an advance. On tho other hand common leaf 
grades were depressed, and could be brought at very 
low quotations. The average of pablio sale prices 
■was 9Jd. per lb. against lljd. jier lb. for the corres- 
K ending month last yeai-. The imports were 6,070,000 
j., and the deliveries 4,729,000 lb., leaving in stock 
on the 31at of January 15,780,000 lb. Of Java teas 
only insignificant offerings were made and very low 
prices realized. Chipa teas remained steady during 
the month, at about previous quotations. The stock 
of China at tho end of the month was 35,204,000 lb. 
To show tho interest Ceylon men and all connec- 
ted with them maintain in the island’s staple 
product, the experience related to me by a planting 
paterfamilias seems worth repeating. The family 
were out at “tea,” including a little boy of eight, 
who on returning homo criticized “ the cup that 
cheers " as being very poor — “ I suppose it was 
some of that China rubbish ! " So much for 
“ young Ceylon.” , . , j * .n 
Good nows has been received in London oitne 
luccesB of the ‘‘ Down-Draft Sirocco ” on Tillyne 
estate, where satisfactory drying of teas has been done 
yP to a weight much above the guarantee per hour. 
“ QUININE.” 
It is not made clear in this paper why quinine 
should not answer as well as “ Salioin|’— I suppose 
because influenza is regarded as allied more to 
rheumatism, a disease from exposure to damp 
rather than to malarious fever. That, |however, 
cannot be true in oil oaaes ; and yet I !■ urned 
as a fact in the editorial office of Climist end 
Druggut the other day, that injury to qninino 
consumption (lhat is to oinohona planters) bad 
been done through the persiatent preaching and ueo 
of quinine in thie influenza season, for many who 
had thus been led to taka it suffered so much 
from headache and nausea that they vowed 
they would never touch a grain of it again, in 
theis lives I The speahers instanced experience in 
their own office among the large staff of lady assis- 
tants, olerks, &c., aa bearing out this and doctors 
were sltong on the point of sulphate of quinine 
not at all suiting many constitutions. There is 
no donbt some truth in this, tbongbll should be 
nolined to suppose the headaches arising 
from taking too much at a time ; and 
on the evil of some of the subetitatoe for 
qninine, it is enough to see what Messrs. Bijbtinger 
say in their latest circular:— 
Qainine has proved itself to bo a particularly effec- 
tive remedy against this dangerous malady, being 
free from any had effects, which is not the case with 
any of tho new lately introduced fever remedies, such 
as Antipyrin, Autifebrine & Phonacetiue. Attention 
has boon frequently called to this fact, especially by 
I^of. Nothnagol of Vienna, who warns emphatically 
against using those new remedies in all cases of 
I’nemnonia, which ia brought about in moat influenza 
cases, because he found that they have a weakening 
effect on the heart and aa the latter is always more 
or less affected by Pneumonia, a dangerous state of 
weakness might issue ; for tho same reason he is 
greatly opposed to dispensing these now remedies to 
patients with a>eak heart, although not suffering from 
Pneumonia. 
Another fact mentioned aa one bearing on the 
Blow increase in the conruraption of qainine in 
England, is the Bteady amelioration of the health 
of tho people in the Fen and other clietriots long 
notorious tor malaria and ague. A wholesale dis- 
penser with good means of knowing deolerea 
that the eale of drugs (no doubt inoluding 
laudanum as well as quinine) in suob dietriola 
has fallen off owing to Eanitary improvement, better 
drainage, &o., of recent yearp. Meantime, eo 
great is the demand for cheap quinine generally 
that Mesers. Bobringcr at Mannheim bare to work 
night and day to meet their orders, a great 
proportion, however, being for Amerioa and south- 
eastern Europe, My|friends of the Chemistaiul Drug- 
gist however, oonsider that the British consumption 
has also increased and especially that there are 
very few country druggists who now sell quinine 
at the old rate of Is a grain (£2 an ounce) even 
in presoriptiona ; that ( (’lerally 6 grains for Is is 
more like tho charge lU retail or presoriptione. 
“ llivere Hioks,” I am pleased to learn, is onoe 
more to go ahead with the eale of his quinine 
pills, but at rather dearer rates I am told : on 
the other band, an enterprising Glasgow house 
(Anderson & Go.) advertise “ penny quinine pills ” 
in tabes and should meet with a good demand if, 
as is said, the London ” penny ” pills are now 
charged twopence I* Some such result has ooourred 
» pubIjIc supply of QaiNll^' 
TO THE EDITOn OF ‘‘ THE STAB.” 
Sir, — It has been suggested that a cheap supply 
of qulnjue would be very beneficial to the poorer 
classes of the community in this time of influenza. 
This can easily bo provided by the London District 
Boards or Veatrios ; for by section 77 of the Public 
Uealtb (London) Act, 1891 : — 
“ Any sanitary authority may, with the sanction of 
the Local Government Board, themselves provide, or 
contract with any person to provide, a temporary 
supply of medicine and medical assistance for the 
poorer inhabitants of their district." 
In the oonutry tlie aaiiitary authorities have a similar 
power under the Public tlealth Act, 1875, section 
133. Such a supply would be an enormous boon to 
largo numbers of families. Of course the recipients 
would not become paupers. In some cases, no doubt 
It would prevent people from becoming paupers. Will 
tho London vestries, Ax., apply at once to tho Local 
Government Board for its immediate sanction? And 
will the London Liberal and Radical M.P.’s write 
to the Local Government Beard and request it to 
notify to the sanitary authorities that tho sanction 
will bo given if needed ? — Yours, Ax., 
J. Tueodobe Donn. 
