64 AGRICULTURE IN THE TROPICS [PT. II 



Green tea, made in the same general way as black, but 

 withered by means of steaming, and prepared without ferment- 

 ation, is graded as young hyson, hyson No. 1, hyson No. 2, 

 gunpowder, and dust. Green teas are mainly made for the 

 American market, where the common black teas made for the 

 English and Australian markets are not popular. At the time 

 of writing, indications are not wanting that Ceylon, at any rate, 

 will soon be able to cater for the American taste in black teas, 

 which at present demands teas with an "oolong" flavour. 

 Hitherto oolongs have been made mainly in Formosa and in 

 parts of China, but in 1904 the Planters' Association of Ceylon 

 sent Messrs M. Kelway Bamber and A. C. Kingsford to Formosa 

 to investigate their methods of making teas, and since their 

 return to Ceylon Mr Bamber has been able to produce there 

 teas with the oolong flavour. 



Until about 1900 the price of tea fell fairly steadily, and 

 cheapening of production did not keep pace with it, so that the 

 profit also fell off. That it has not continued to fall must be 

 attributed to two causes, the cessation of extension of the culti- 

 vation, and the increased consumption in markets outside of the 

 United Kingdom, such as Australia, Russia, America. This has 

 largely been the work of the export cess levied by the Ceylon 

 Government at the request of the planters, and applied to 

 advertising Ceylon tea in new markets. This cess has been 30 

 cents of a rupee (or 5d.) per cwt. of tea exported, too small an 

 amount to be noticeable, but making a very handsome total 

 upon the whole export. It is now to be done away with, which 

 seems a retrograde step, though the extension of rubber culti- 

 vation will of itself reduce the area in tea. The prices of tea 

 have of late risen somewhat, and the worst period of depression 

 of the industry would seem to be over for the present. 



The whole history of the tea industry is thus a con- 

 spicuous instance of the success of good methods and modern 

 machinery against primitive hand methods, such as are still 

 employed in China, a country which, though possessing the 

 cheapest labour in the world, has been quite unable to hold its 

 own against the competition of India and Ceylon. Somewhat 

 the same story has been enacted in the cases of cinchona, 



