is no article handled by the grocer which 

 engages more of his time, demands greater 

 attention, or has a more important bearing upon 

 the success of his business than Tea. In many respects 

 it stands ahead of all other commodities in commanding 

 and maintaining patronage, also in that it is expected to 

 attract and retain trade for other articles, and at the same 

 time yield a larger margin of profit. As gain is the funda- 

 mental object of business, and as Tea plays such an 

 essential part in determining this profit, we may be 

 excused if, considering the article from a purely practical 

 standpoint, we urge the relation which it bears to the 

 success of the dealer in it, and who, as a rule, experience 

 more difficulty in the selection of Tea than in any other 

 article he trades in. The cause is obvious, being due to 

 the numerous varieties and almost innumerable grades, 

 characters and flavors with which he is confronted, and to 

 be selected from, taken in connection with the diversity of 

 tastes and preferences to be catered to, it requiring no ordi- 

 nary skill or knowledge to make the proper selection under 

 these circumstances to suit patrons. The acquisition of 

 such knowledge, for all practical purposes, is not, however, 

 quite as difficult as many may suppose, as it can be fairly 

 obtained by a little study, a few simple and inexpensive 

 experiments and repeated trials to familiarize oneself with 

 the leading characteristics and values of the different 



