244 WORLD'S PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION. 



soon subsiding. And instead of the phenomenal cheap- 

 ness of China and Japans being regarded as a recom- 

 mendation to consumers it has been used as an argument 

 by British dealers as an evidence of their unpopularity, 

 and so completely has the demand been transferred 

 from China and Japan teas to Indias and Ceylons that it 

 has been no uncommon occurrence for the latter kinds 

 to be selling at improving rates whilst the former descrip- 

 tions have been disposable only at drooping prices. 



The enormous size of the tea estates in India and 

 Ceylon as compared with the small gardens of China 

 and Japan give the growers in the former countries 

 several advantages over those in the latter as they can 

 be worked more systematically and with less expense in 

 larger areas. The use of machinery in curing and firing 

 also lessens the cost of preparation for market, together 

 with a saving in freight and quicker sale consequent to 

 English preferences giving a speedier return for the 

 money invested. The advantages which India and Ceylon 

 tea-growers have over those of China are greater com- 

 mand of capital, as in both India and Ceylon tea estates 

 are generally owned by companies consisting of share- 

 holders whose living is not dependent on the product of 

 the plantations. The companies can consequently afford 

 to carry on the business at a loss for several years, can 

 purchase extensive tea lands, and can spend large sums 

 on machinery, labor and experiments as well as on agents 

 to introduce and distribute them. The India and Ceylon 

 tea-growers can obtain loans at a lower rate of interest, 

 borrowing money at from 4 to 5 per cent., while their 

 Chinese competitors have to pay from 20 to 30 per cent, 

 for the same accommodations, in addition to a command 

 of better chemical and agricultural knowledge. But 

 against these admitted advantages of India and Ceylon, 



