60 AGRICULTURE IN THE TROPICS [PT. II 



With the enormous growth of the industry in India and 

 Ceylon, which now have between them about 1,000,000 acres 

 in tea, the export of tea from China has gradually fallen off, 

 and the merchants have left Foochow for Calcutta and Colombo. 

 Thus, the figures of consumption in England for a few different 

 years may be quoted, as clearly illustrating this statement : 



In 1910-11, Ceylon exported 183,905,153 Ibs. of tea, of which 

 108 ; 356,360 went to the United Kingdom. 



The rise of the tea industry of Ceylon affords one of the 

 most remarkable instances of rapid development of an agri- 

 cultural pursuit, especially when the previous history of the 

 planting industry in the island is remembered. In 1875 there 

 were barely 1000 acres planted with tea. During the next ten 

 years of depression, due to the failure of coffee, this acreage 

 increased to 102,000, by 1889 it attained 205,000, by 1893, 

 305,000, and it is now about 385,000. A good deal of inter- 

 planting of rubber in the tea has gone on in the lower districts, 

 but this has been compensated by new planting in the higher. 

 The island imported its tea in the early days of tea planting, 

 but in 1883 the export exceeded 1,600,000 Ibs., in 1887 it was 

 13,813,872 Ibs., in 1896, 108,141,412 Ibs., and in 1910-11 no 

 less (including green tea) than 183,905,153 Ibs. For the present, 

 at any rate, the growth of the industry seems to have practically 

 reached its upper limit. 



Tea is now the chief industry in the mountain districts of 

 Ceylon, the Nilgiri Mountains of South India, the great valleys 

 of Assam, the hills at Darjiling, and elsewhere in India, to say 

 nothing of the increasing industry in Java. In Ceylon, above 

 the elevation of 2500 feet, it forms almost the only cultivation, 

 and affords one of the most striking instances in the world of a 

 large stretch of country covered with one crop. 



