PAST AND PRESENT FINANCIAL PROSPECTS OF TEA. J 



expenditure ; for it is a fact that the land fifty men can keep 

 always clean, if the weeds are never allowed to grow to 

 maturity and seed, will take nearer one hundred if the 

 weeds once get ahead. The results, too, differ widely : in 

 the first case the soil is always clear ; in the second 

 clear only at intervals. The first, as observed, can be 

 accomplished with fifty, the latter will take nearly double 

 the men. 



The fifth drawback I shall advert to again later, viz., the 

 selection of sloping land, often the steepest that could be 

 found, on which to plant Tea. The great mischief thus 

 entailed will be fully described elsewhere. It was the fifth, 

 and not the least, antagonistic point to success. 



Number six was the difficulty in the transport of seed to 

 any new locality, for nine times out of ten a large proportion 

 failed ; and again the enormous cost of Tea seed in those 

 days, Rs. 200 a maund (Rs. 500 at least, deducting what 

 failed, was its real price). This item of seed alone entailed 

 an enormous outlay, and was the sixth difficulty Tea cultiva- 

 tion had to contend with. It was, however, a source of 

 great profit to the old plantations, and principally accounts 

 for the large dividends paid for years by the Assam 

 Company. 



Again, many managers at that time had no experience 

 to guide them in the manufacture of Tea ; each made it his 

 own way, and often turned out most worthless stuff. There 

 is great ignorance on the subject at the present time, but 

 those who know least to-day, know more than the best 

 informed in the Tea-fever period. Indian Tea was a new 

 thing then ; the supply was small, and it fetched com- 

 paratively much higher prices than it does now. Still 

 much of it was so bad that the average price all round 

 was low. 



Tea manufacture, moreover, as generally practised then, 



