f7d 



^HE TROPICAL AGRlCaLTtrftlS'T. 



[May 2, iSSt*, 



Thf! growing deniaud was mc re than sus^ained, aud so 

 gr<nitl.v itiori'fi.'ed that Cnylon tea has sinew maintaiBcd 

 s) coii'paiativoly high \&ue, with the result tliat no 

 d'fHcultv Ims been cxptrieucod in dealing with a, supply 

 (inioiinting to nearly double that of ]8So. 



LivKRT'ooi, I'^iXinwiioN, 1887. — It will he fncouraging 

 111 planters to leiirn that at the Jubilee Exhibition to be 

 ojjeued in Liverpool ntxtMay, arrangements have all 

 readj' Hen coneluded, wliereby Ceylon tea will again 

 be specially brought liefore the public. It may be well 

 to add that there is great probability of this Exhibition 

 being visited by an entirely different section of the 

 imblic to that freijuenting the Colonial and Indian Ex- 

 hibition of lS8fi. Hence ihere is reason to anticipate a 

 continuance of the beneiicial results already attained 

 through that Exhibition. 



Quality.— After the above remarl s, it should be 

 hardly neces.-ary to impress upon planters the absolute 

 Tipcessity of maintaining the quality of their produce. 

 No effort ,'li<Kild be relaxed, and no opportunity missed, 

 whereby an improvement can be effected in the general 

 quality of the liquor. The greatest care should be 

 exercised to avoid the recurrence of so unfortunate a 

 del*?iioration in quality, as took place during the earlier 

 months of last year. There is no doubt wliatever, that 

 Ceyldu is capable of producing tea, the quality of 

 which can onlj' be pronounced as unexceptionable. If 

 the enterprise is to prove a lasting success, it must be 

 the aim of each individual planter that his tea shall 

 attain to the highest stanJa'd of exi eJlence. 



Quantity. — There is good reason to suppose tb;it 

 the exports from Ceylon this year will be about 

 double those of 1886. So large an increase is not 

 unlikely still further to depress values. This pro- 

 bability should induce Planters to neglect no oppor- 

 tunity of econoniisin.', where such can be effected 

 without in any way depreciating the quality of the 

 Tea. On the other hand no expense should be 

 grudged, whereby actual improvement can be effected 

 in its liquoring qualities, an object which it is im- 

 po-sible to attain without a more adequate supply 

 of water or steam power than at present exists upon 

 many estates. The one great axiom to be observed 

 should be t/iuilifii, not qnanlity. 



New Markets. — The severe drop in the price of 

 Tea generally, during the past year, forcibly illus- 

 trates the importance of opening up New Mirkets, 

 both by extendino; the area over which Tea is con- 

 sumed, and by the further development of the trade 

 in those countries where as yet it has scarcely ob- 

 tained a sure footing. The education of any popular 

 taste must of necessity be gradual. Its attempt is 

 fraught with danger lest the slow process by which 

 changes in national tastes can be brought about, 

 should be partially or it may be entirely overlooked 

 and forgotten. Thus it sometimes happens that a 

 new article which, judiciously introduced, would have 

 jnobably met with entire success, has through lad: of 

 ado/ihilnlif// Id the Jialiilii and tastes of the peo])le, enAeA 

 in disappointment and failure. As an instance, it 

 may be mentioned that where strong, pungent des- 

 (ripfioTps of Indian Tea have been suddenly intro- 

 fin.oj in ti^ose coinitries accuotomed to drink poor 

 GIfina Teas. t]ie experiment has proved unsuccessful 

 »jifl th-i!; iho.'ie liidian Teas which ultinmteJy sue. 

 cAbi\f?(\ have hs^n .such kinds as approached the near* 

 i-ci U) ^cn^ra^ characteristics, altnoagh superior in 

 quaJi'Cy, i«» ibe 'rca,*! pr^-yiotisly in Ubo airjoDgat tie 

 ]))pu!atiolj; 



AnArTABJiJTV.-— Ih iiie Uflitetl Stated of Alnerica (A 

 hivae iiortion of tiit; it'ea CotimhieA io a kind of 

 Oolong. There is no I'SftBOli -why Ceylon ahollld not 

 supply this denniud, With &n article !iot oJlly similar 

 in character, lait undoubtedly superior in quality - 

 at a i.-itn wliich should compete favoitfably 'rt'lth simi- 

 lar descriptions from other countries, thia T'ea is 

 easy and inexpensive to manufacture, and an effort 

 might 1,0 made to adapt a portion of the produce 

 of Ceylon to a market of such magnitude as thai of 

 the United Htates, where over seventy million pounds 

 of Tt-a arr annnallv cousnmed. Here, there is also 

 SM .-'*ei)sive sale for Green Tea — a fact of which 

 Jj'la.ctfis arc doaMless ■well awwp. 



Distribution of Cevi,on Tea.— That Ceylon Plan- 

 ters are alive to the necessity of pushing their pro- 

 duce in New Markets is evident from the following 

 statistics, showing the different places to which Tea 

 has been exported from Ceylon during the past 

 year, viz. : — 



United Aus- India & Mauri- 



Kingdom, tralia. Eastwards, tins. America, 

 lb. lb. lb. lb. lb. 



7,.-)8(II)00 1)8,151 24,77.") 8,117 6,(;21 



Mar- Other Contin- 



Haiiiburg. scilles. Trieste. Genoa, ental Ports, 

 lb. lb. lb. lb. lb. 



7,187 4,(580 620 <.I6 10,'J5B 



Their next step should be to study carefully the 

 different tastes of those countries whose markets they 

 wish to supply ;— their object being first to m/'fi their 

 tastes and then to iiii/irnr<' them. There is no doubt 

 that much time will be re<]uired for the accomplish- 

 ment of this end,— a circumstance which still further 

 accentuates the importance of immediately discovering 

 new outlets, in order that Ceylon Tea 'may become 

 thoroughly establisht'd in different markets before the 

 oiiti>ut ia developed to its full extent. 



The quantities taken by the majority of the largest 

 Tea drinking countries show a decided increase; a 

 number of the minor consumers have also imported 

 more Tea. Onr principal Colonies show very satis- 

 factory increases, especially Australia and Canada. 

 The figures for the United States are also encourag- 

 ing. There is reason to believe that Tea ( onsump- 

 tion ill France is likely to increase. 



Duties. — The rates of duty in some European coun- 

 tries certainly appear prohibitive. In most of our 

 Colonies, only light duties areimpo-ied. In the United 

 States — and practically in Canadi,— the art;cli is 

 admitted free, and thus our attention is again drawn 

 to the Markets of North America as extensive fields 

 for future enterprise. 



Gow, Wilson & Stanton, Tea Frokers. 



SUGGESTIONS KEGARDING MANUFAOTUEE 



• 



We trust it will not be considere 1 out of place in a 

 "Statistical Circular " if " c call the atHntic u of our 

 planting friends, in a general way, to a few points of in- 

 terest in regard Hto manufacture. 



Plu king. — The excellence nf the tea appears to 

 us almost as dependent on the careful treatment of 

 the plant in tlie field, as on the subsequent process 

 of manufacture in the tea house. A proper balance must 

 be preserved between the leaves and roots of a plant, 

 as the health of the one depends entirely on the vigour 

 of the other. If the bushes are overphickcd the leaf 

 action speedily becomes impaired ; as a consequence the 

 leaves will be produced in smaller quantities, and the 

 plant.'will soon assume a stunted and unheal thy appear- 

 ance (planters will understand what is meant by "crow's- 

 feet ") while the quality of the tea, must of necessity be 

 deteriorated. Let the plucking be regular and often, 

 say once a week, and the taking of " immature " and 

 "coarse" leaf guarded against. Leaves should not be 

 stripped off promiscuously, otherwise such shoots will 

 be left without the power of reproduction. It is cus- 

 tomary on fome estates to pluck half leaves; but we feel 

 sure a natural and more luxuriant growth i.'^ obtained 

 by leaving the full leaf. AYe believe that in the pro- 

 cess of withering, the " stalk '" which is tender and 

 succulent, improves the flavour of the tea. 



" Coarse " and " bard " leaf should be left on the 

 bushes, where it la of more value in assisting the func- 

 tions of the plant. If plucked it does add much io 

 " quantity," but it can and does damage the " rjiudity." 

 Indeed, it is self.ievident that leaf which toughens in- 

 stead of turning soft and flaccid in the withering and 

 fermentation, and will not even turn black in inana- 

 faoture, is not worth the plucking. A»ain. when 

 there is much "red leaf," the bulk has to be picked over, 

 and lUiring this operation, the tea is of necessity ex- 

 posed for hours to a damp atmosphere, which cannot but 

 injure it. 



AViTHEEiNG would appear to be for the purpose of 

 evaporating as much of the fluids as possible without 

 injury to tbs ciotons pfiuciple or aroma ', or rfttfcw *9 



