Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-09-28
OUR FOREIGN LETTER
Dealing with Commercial and In
dustriaI Conditions Abroad.
few Industry Being Established I'm
Paraguay-Tea Trade OF India
and China-English Youths
to he Taught Chinese.

yerba mate. It has
AelDa paid-up capital
In Paraguay of $1OO, 600 paper,
or about STA, COO gold, and will start
planting Immediately. This is the
first attempt that has been made to
cultivate yerba on a large scale, as
heretofore it has all been taken from
the Yerbales, where it grows wild. It
promises to become a paying indus
try, the consumption of this tea be-
ing enormous in all the River Plata
) countries.
In cultivating the plant, the seeds
are passed through an acid bath. This
is necessary, because each kernel is
surrounded by hard shell, which must
be softened in order that the seed may
sprout quickly. If planted in it's nat
ural state, from three to four years
pass before the plant appears above
the ground, while by preparing them
in this way only three or four months
are required for their growth to be-
gin.
Seeds from the male and female trees
must be planted together to get good
results. After eight or ten months.
the plants are transplanted, and the
company has to-day 1900 ready to be
moved. These will be placed in wood
ed land which has been partially
cleared, and in four years the first
crop will be ready. The mature plant
is about IL feet high, the branches
touching the ground. The leaves and
small twigs are cut, dried over slow
fires, baled, and then marketed.
The sorting and refningis done after
the arrival of the yerba in town, SO
that the planter requires nothing in
the way of machinery, with the ex-
ception of his ovens. After the first
cutting the plant must be left I'M
touched for three years, in which time
1t reaches its full growth again. A
plantation once well started requires
comparatively little attention, as the
plant is very hardy; but at the begin
ming great care must be taken to pro-
tect the small sprouts from the sun.
This is done by placing shades of straw
or strong grass over each plant on the
side where the afternoon sun falls.
It is better to water the plants when
they are young, but this is not abso-
lutely necessary if there is the average
amount of rain.
Yerba should always be planted in
wooded land. It is claimed that by
cultivation a much better article of
yerba can be produced and the tea will
bring a higher price. The managers
expect from 90 to 80 per cent. on the
money invested. It is business that
is bound to increase, as the supply
in the Yerbales will give out in time,
while the consumption is continually
increasing.
Steam power is to be superseded by
electricity to very considera BILE ex-
tent in the govern
ment dock yard at
Kiel, Germany. Aft
err experimenting with electric-power
transmission on comparatively small
scale, the administra ton has now de-
cided upon bolder scheme, whereby
all the machine tools, ETC., installed in
the different workshops are to be cleo
trically driven. To this end, power
plant having a capacity of $500 horse
power is to be erected. This plant will
also supply electrical energy for. driv-
ing the powerful dockyard pumps.
In commenting upon the increase
in the tea production of India recent
1y, the L n d n
Daily Mail gives
inasa anu the following in
teresting figures:
There was a time when the word
China was Synonymous with tea; yet
for many years the consumption of
Chinese tea in England has been stead
lily on. the decrease. In 1859. China
practically monopolized the tea trade
Df
the United Kingdom consumed over
100000 pounds of tea.
Ten years later, in 1869, China had
increased her sales to us by nearly
25,OCO,GOO pounds. but India had then
10000 pounds of tea into Great Brit
ain.
In 1879, we find that the imports
from China and from India had each
increased by $4,000 900 pounds but it
is between that year and 1859 that
the most remarkable changes took
place.
Instead of selling us 126, 900
pounds of tea, as in. 1879, China in 1889
only sent us 81, 100 600 pounds, while
India actually added almost that GUAM
tity to her previous sales.
The importation of Ceylon tea into
Great Britain only commenced serious
~ in 1884; but five years later we find
her importing %. SOC. 900 pounds.
Last year, the consumption of Chi
nese tea in Great Britain had sunk to
an insignificant 1900, 600 pounds,
while Ceylon alone imported nearly
five times that quantity; India dur
ing the same period actually beating
her own splendid record by sending us
134,01s, 500 pounds.