8i4 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May i, 1885. 



instance of ignorance producing the opposite to the de- 

 sired result. ' 



Planters have not been properly taught, and tor the 

 very good reason that there has been no one to teach them. 

 " Planters" of the future will find that the tea-house work 

 will be handed over to a new order of men, who will relieve 

 them of that heavy load of anxiety; and the tea-house 

 department will have all the importance it merits. But 

 this is anticipating events a little too fast. Let us consider 

 what is wanted in the first place to lead up to that rational 

 and only efficient cure. * * * 



First I start on the premises that the production ot '• per- 

 fect tea" is dependent upon all processes involved being 

 links in a complete chain of processes, dictated by science 

 with a view to one end, and thus producing, as a result, 

 that state of leaf in which shall be found all the elements 

 of good tea to thefullpower obtainable from the plant, foil and 

 climate of the locality. 



" Perfect" tea is perhaps too much to aim at all at once 

 as it would possibly involve greater expense than the extra 

 profit it produced if all tho question of soil analyses, man- 

 ure trials, &c, were compressed into the time needed for 

 the other side of the question, viz., the discovery of the 

 Science of Manufacture. 



Kesting content then with merely the tea house mani- 

 pulation as concerned in the production of good tea, I would 

 define this manipulation as dependent upon a scientifically 

 arranged series of processes, whereby that state of leaf m 

 which shall be found all the elements of good tea, to 

 the full power obtainable from the green leaf as brought 

 to the tea house, is produced. That is, provided the 

 leaf be brought into the tea house in the proper state 

 —as to age, &c— for manufacture, the weather should be 

 so eompensa'ted by scientific appliances, &c, as to have no 

 deleterious effect upon the leaf during process of manufact- 



"we have then first of all to find out by analysis of the 

 best teas of sp< cified classes of plant, from the various 

 districts, the exact proportions of every ingredient. This 

 will give us the Scientific Standard to work up to in each 

 district and which will no doubt ultimately be improved 

 upon It will tell us what constitutes, scientifically speak- 

 ing good tea. As to this I need hardly repeat we are in 

 a very unsatisfactory state of ignorance at present. 



Next, by sending out chemists specially selected 

 for the purpose to each important district, with all 

 necessary appliances for fitting up special laborat- 

 ories on well settled factories, we should institute a 

 aeries of tests and analyses carried on daily during manu- 

 facture at each stage for at least two seasons. These gentle- 

 men should keep proper meteorological records from ob- 

 servations taken at least four times in the 24 hours, and 

 full comparative notes as to the effects ot the rainfall, 

 temperature, &c, &c, upon the leaf brought in, and upon 

 the leaf under process of manufacture at each stage, lo 

 do this the comparison must be completed with daily 

 analyses of the tea made, and notes upon the hydrometer- 

 reading in the tea-house and all other points bearing 

 on the conditions ruling. Theoretically doubtless chemists 

 could formulate instructions upon the salient points to be 

 kept in view in preparing tea, but where the weather plays 

 such an important part as at present, I doubt whether ex- 

 perimental scientific investigation, such as I have briefly 

 hinted at above, is not absolutely necessary. Again the 

 thorough comprehension of the present mode of manu- 

 facture is necessary to the chemist before he can properly 

 realize the present conditions and base his advice upon 

 thoso— which is a very important point to be borno 111 

 mind as his advice should aim at utilizing as much 

 us possible present appliances. Further, without local ex- 

 nerience, how is he to discover where wastage occurs, at 

 present, of such vital items as the volatile flavouring 

 properties, or of the strength-giving tannic acid, and yet .to 

 the loss of this latter will in all probability be attributed 

 the deterioration which of late years has been so notice- 

 able The chemists, eventually having satisfied themselves 

 that' they had mastered the scientific details of tea manu- 

 facture, should go into committee, and produce a Gu.de 

 to Manufacture, explaining therein the cause tor each 

 process, and the effect to be produced, with such sug- 

 gestions as to overcoming atmospheric disadvantages as 

 may be proper. Once people know what has to be provided 



for or provided against, the necessary means will not be 

 long wanting. The tea house men of the future would 

 thus have the chance of learning their business and of 

 advancing in their profession, being in possession of a reli- 

 able pointer indicating that road to improvement which is 60 

 exasperatingly closed to them at present. * * * — Home 

 and I 'nlonial Mail. 



THE TAXES ON TEA IN CHINA. 



We hear that the Chinese tea-dealers are much excited 

 at the proposed increase of inland dues. Many of them 

 believe that a Decree will soon be issued based upon the 

 reports which the provincial authorities have been called 

 upon to furnish, and that the duties on teas from the 

 country districts will be largely augmented. Some of the 

 dealers have, we understand, sent orders to their agents in 

 the tea districts to suspend their operations until the in- 

 tentions of the Pekin Government are known. As no 

 scheme of taxation has yet been formed, it may he that 

 no such formidable increase in the inland dues as even 

 the least of those mentioned in the Memorial will be sanc- 

 tioned. But the Chinese merchants are aware that their 

 Government is much pushed for money, and is likely to be 

 in a much worse financial plight before long, and they 

 fear, and expect, that it will try to fill its coffers by taxing 

 foreign trade in the only way open to it. They are prob- 

 ably right in this, though it is difficult to believe that 

 such an enormous increase in the dues as either of the 

 alternative suggestions will be approved by the provincial 

 authorities, and without their approval we should not 

 anticipate that any great chango in the present scale of 

 dues will be made. Viceroys and mandarins of position 

 under them, will, we hope, perceive that if an increase of 

 from twenty-five to forty per cent, is made on the dues 

 on common and medium teas, foreigners will only buy of 

 these what is absolutely necessary. And this would pre- 

 vent the Government from receiviug not only much of 

 the benefit to the revenue anticipated from the suggestions 

 in the memorial, but would seriously affect the Foreign 

 Customs collections, diminish what would have been re- 

 ceived had the present scale of internal traffic taxation 

 been maintained, and leave a large part of the tea crop 

 on the hands of the growers. Thus the revenue from tea 

 on its way to the port of shipment would probably be less 

 than it now is, while discontent, and perhaps disturb- 

 ances, would be certain to arise among the country 

 growers. The loss on revenue from not letting well 

 alone, and the fear of outbreaks among the peas- 

 antry and the large number of those who as boat- 

 men and others ofa similar class depend for their liveli- 

 hood on the transit of tea, will, we hope, have great 

 weight with intelligent mandarins. Kiotiug, and the sum- 

 mary extinction of mandarins, by the people, are the 

 most effectual modes of controlling the governing classes 

 in the provinces, and officials endeavour to avoid measures 

 likely to bring about such expressions of public opinion. 

 Still, the financial exigencies of the State must be very 

 pressing, and may override the prudence which would 

 coveru officials at another time, and they may conclude 

 that the burden of increased dues will be borne altogether 

 by the foreigner. The old notion that foreigners cannot 

 do without the China trade generally and tea in partic- 

 ular is still commonly held amoug the natives, and the 

 mandarins no doubt think that we will pay the in- 

 creased cost of tea rather than go without it. That may 

 occur, but only when the continuance of the war has 

 forced shippers to buy, and a good deal will have happened 

 before that. Even an addition to the cost of teas one- 

 half of that which the least of the alternative sugges- 

 tions would cause, would give such an impetus to cultiv- 

 ation in India and oth' r places, as might ruin the trade 

 in China teas, and would certainly eventually lower 

 their price. Mandarins are not generally supposed to 

 care much for the traders and poor people of their coun- 

 try when their own interests or policy are concerned, but 

 driving away trade, as a large increase of the imposts on 

 it would do, even if it gave them temporary financial re- 

 lief, would be suicidal, and such a measure would still 

 further alienate foreign nations. We cannot suppose that 

 the foreign Ministers at Pekin will not use their in- 

 fluence to the utmost to prevent any serious increase in 



