126 CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION. 



the year round and allowed no resting or recuperating 

 period. The annual product averages about 15,000,000 

 pounds, packed in large wooden cases weighing from 

 100 to 1 20 pounds, and shipped principally to Holland, 

 Germany and England, only small lots occasionally being 

 received in this country. 



At the present time the cultivation of tea is mainly con- 

 fined to the province of Preanger, in the western part of 

 the island, the industry being in the hands of experienced 

 planters, who spare no pains to increase the product and 

 quality of the article. Notwithstanding their care, how- 

 ever, they cannot congratulate themselves on the profits 

 resulting therefrom, the price continuing to fall, the 

 planters being forced to expend their utmost energies to 

 save their plantations from ruin, this being not only 

 the case with recent enterprises, but also with the older 

 plantations that have been flourishing for many years. 

 In addition to decline in price, the Java tea plantations 

 have been ravaged by an insect known as the Theluis (tea 

 louse), which each year destroys in value hundreds of 

 thousands of florins, but at the same time there is notice- 

 able a distinct improvement in the quality of the tea pro- 

 duced there. Until very recently they were only used in 

 Europe when mixed with China teas on account of the 

 excessive quantity of tannin which they contain, and 

 known tendency to rapid decay, the improvement in 

 quality now rendering that process needless, the intro- 

 duction of Assam plants enabling the planters to compete 

 with India and Ceylon. 



OTHER, VARIETIES OF TEA.. 



African Teas. It is expected that both India and 

 Ceylon will doubtless have in the near future a for- 

 midable rival to their tea industry in South Africa, where 



