i84 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1883. 



is impossible in the face of steadily increasing 

 exports and weekly sahs iu Miuciug Laue, each 

 more favourable tlian the i^receding, for Ceylou 

 teas, that London magnates, who have been exceed- 

 ing hiird iu their criticisms of Ceylon anditsplanl- 

 ing industry for some time back, can resist the evidence 

 of the rapid approach of better times and of the fact 

 that it tUey want to recover the whole or part of 

 the money sunk here, no better means than to invest 

 in tea can at present be suggested to them. It re- 

 auires no suggestion on our part however. The solid 

 facts are quickly enough making themselves patent 

 to hard-headtd men of business. London brokers' reports 

 are proving; a better advertiz.'merit for the colony than 

 even the Trojikal Agrkidlwktiaieiiiectoi jurteaindustry 

 at least. Mi n in the tiade write out: "Your new season's 

 teas have arrived in splendid order ; flavour all that 

 could be desired"— when the fact is thiit these teas 

 are those dispatched at the end ot our season, and 

 that the tine tiavour and good order are mainly to 

 be attributed to the unequalled facilities in Ceylon 

 for careful manufactun-, fresh packing in hermetically 

 sealed packages and speedy disjiatch. Perliap-j there 

 may also be something due to earful picking at the 

 end of our season so as to secure tine teas to 

 meet the London demand. The day is fast approach- 

 ing when from a long series of plantations and even 

 tea districts in Ceylou, the packages of tea— mouth by 

 month— will be placed from the tea-house on the 

 railway trucks and from them probably transferred, 

 lit the Colombo wharf jetties, on board the steamers 

 which will in four weeks' time, or less, land them at 

 the London docks. If so much has been achieved 

 since 187S ; how much more will the next live years 

 bring forthV 



The fact is that Ceylon merchants and planters, 

 as a body, attach far less importance to the local 

 tea industry than do the tea merchants and planters 

 of other lauds ! Men in the China tea trade, calling 

 here on their way eastwards, look very grave when 

 they learn what we have done and are doing. Tea 

 planting visitors from lidia speak iu high terms of 

 our teas, onr climat'-, l.ibour, roads and prospects. 

 If tea-planting docs not pay in Ceylon, it ought to be 

 "ruin" for the iuvesteis in tea in jS'oitheru or 

 Southern India, seems to be a not unfair inference 

 from the opinion of many of our experienced 

 visitors. 



We hiive learned within the last few days that a 

 tea expel t who has been closely watching Ceylon 

 teas at the Loudon sales for some time b^ick, has arrived 

 at the conclusion th.at they can be generally divided into 

 two distinct classes :— one to all intents and pur- 

 poses being of the same quality and characteristics as 

 average Assam, and is therefore classed as such ; 

 while the other is peculiar to Ceylou, and although 

 not established in favour as yet, is neverthe- 

 less in his opinion, likely to secure a special 

 position with correspondingly good prices. This 

 fxpeit without knowing anything of Ceylon or 

 the situation of its plantations, gives marks illus- 

 trative of his chissification, and nearly all of the so- 

 call d "Assam" te:is come from the lower Ceylon 

 cftates, while the teas peculiar in flavour and classi- 

 fication are those produced at the higher altitudes. 

 There is however, the utmost encouragement for 

 one and all, and it is interesting to know that the same 

 Agency Firm which has been chiefly instrumental in 

 proving the success ot tea iu the Kalutura district 

 wi hill reach of the seibreeze, is about to plant 

 this favorite product in Udapussellawa up to 6,00U or 

 6,500 feet above sea-level with full confidence in a 

 satisfactory result. 



COMPARATIVE PO.SITIOX OP THE VARIOUS 



TEAS OF THE WORLD 



From Mr. Moody, of the iirm of Messrs. James 

 Henty & Co., of Melbourne, we have received the 

 following paper : — 



Season 18S3-S4. 



Melbotone, 20tli July, 1SS3. 

 T/ic Calcutta Tea Sijndicutc, 

 iu con j uiictiou with the Government of India, will carry 

 on tlieii' operations during Season 1883-S-t, but necessarily 

 ou a smaller scale. 



The favour with which Indian Teas have boon received, 

 and the enormous increase iu the consumption, have been 

 most gratifying to the concei-ned, and they hope the trade 

 wiU be firmly estabUshed, to the mutual benefit of the 

 colonies and India. 



All Teas passing through the hands of the .Syndicate 

 are carefully selected and examined prior to sliipment 

 from India. Further, ou arrival in Melbourne the bulk 

 of the Teas have been submitted to inspection and chem- 

 ical analj'sis, and the result announced on the catalogues 

 iu clear and unmistakable language. This has been the 

 com'se prsued for the last three years, .and at heavy 

 expense. IntUan Teas have i^assed this severe test with 

 ti}^ng colours, and there is no case on record of adult- 

 erated Tea. It is submitted that no Teas from any other 

 part of the world have passed such an examination and 

 chemical analysis. 



The crops of Indian Tea dm-ingthe past 11 years have 

 been as follows ; — 



lb. 

 1S73 ... ... ... 17,900,000 



1S73 ... ... ... 19,750,000 



1874 ... ... ... 23,300,000 



1875 ... ... . . 2(5,100,000 



1870 ... ... ... 29.400,000 



1S77 ... ... ... 35,900,000 



1878 ... ... ... 35.000,000 



1879 ... ... ... 10,000,000 



1880 ... ... ... 4(j,.500,000 



1881 ... ... ... 48.300,000 



1882 ... .. ... ,57,899,7.51 



India, with her Tea gardens at altitudes of from 400 



to 7,000 feet above the sea level, her climate and rich soil, 

 possesses advantages unequaUed iu the world. Her Teas 

 are prejiared under the immediate supervision of Eui'op- 

 eans, and with tlie hclxj of the finest machinery jiro- 

 curable, many of the Imliau Tea-growths are as much in 

 repute as some of the far-tamed vintages of the Continent. 

 London deliveries of Indian Tea have been for the years, say — 

 1879-80 ... ... 06,312,000 



ISSO-Sl ... ... 49,4.58,000 



ls.sl-82 ... ... 47,141,000 



1882-83 ... ... 50,000,000 (esHmated) 



showing an enormous increase in the trade of Indi.au Teas, 

 esthn.atcd by some to exceed 12,000,000 lb. wciglit for the 

 last year. 



During the last twelv months the imports ot Indian 

 Tea iut'i Melbourne equal, say — 



1st July 1882 to 30th June 18.83 ... 2,2.51,702 

 „ 1881 ,, IS82 ... 970,.520 



1880 ,, 1881 ... 671,000 



This speaks vohmies for the increase of the ti-ade, for, 

 with exception of 220,000 lb. weight exported, all the Tea 

 bas been sold, and there is no stock now in tu-st hands. 

 Messrs. Cosmo Newbery & Dimii, who have analyzed over 

 800 samples of teas, have kindly fiu-nished the following 

 report, which is published in full and gives most invalu- 

 able and interesting information ; — 



Lndustkiai, axd Techxolooicai. Museum, 



LABORATOKY, 22iid June, 1882. 

 The following results show tlie higliest percentage of Extract 

 we have so far obtained dui-iug our series of esamiuatious to 

 date :— 



Percentage Percentage Percentage 

 of of of 



Locality, Mineral Ash, Extract. Solttble Salts. 



Ceit-on .. ... 4-16 5318 2'58 



India ... ... 1-S2 52'85 3-01 



China (Hankowl ... 5-82 52-80 3-26 



„ (Foo-Chow)... 6-30 40-71 3-27 



Japan ... ... 5-78 19 90 3-28 



Java ... ... .5-38 4.5-82 3-19 



The samples of ludiau iind Ceylon Teas were obtained from 



