TEA PRODUCING COUNTRIES. 185 



JAPAN 



Sends its Teas principally to America. The Tea is of a 

 greenish nature, and experiments to manufacture black 

 Tea have not, it seems, been successful. The following should 

 give a hope to Indian Tea planters : 



JAPAN TEA. 

 To the Editor of the Japan Herald. 



Dear Sir, I read your article on Tea contained in last Saturday's 

 paper, anent the deterioration in quality of one of the country's 

 principal articles of export, and can fully confirm the chief points 

 contained therein. 



But in addition, from my personal experience, there appears to 

 exist a steadily increasing disregard of care in the preparation of the 

 leaf up country, and the evil, though existing for the last three or four 

 years, is much more manifest this season, and is worthy of being 

 brought under the especial notice of parties interested in the welfare 

 of this country's produce. 



I submit for your inspection a sample of coarse leaf sifted out of a 

 parcel of good quality, and the proportion of similar stuff in the chop 

 amounts to fully 3 per cent., very much affecting the good appearance 

 of the fired leaf. This defect no doubt arises from the attempted 

 production of too great an amount of cured leaf for each hand 

 employed per diem in the process, to be attributed no doubt to the 

 enhanced cost of labour in the interior. But the defect is of vital 

 importance for the future of Japan Teas in America. The buyer for 

 distribution amongst consumers in that country is greatly influenced 

 by the " appearance '' of the leaf, despite its relative intrinsic quality 

 in infusion, in comparison with a Tea of worse appearance, hence 

 the high facing and colouring at present so much in vogue. If the 

 Japanese producers continue the present style of manufacturing the 

 leaf up country, so surely will Japan Teas decline in favour in America, 

 as the foreign shipper here cannot make up the leaf prepared up 

 country to the standard required by the American buyers, and with 

 the prospect of a possibility of Oolongs and even blacks becoming ere 

 long dangerous rivals with consumers in the United States, it behoves 

 the Japanese Tea growers to turn their attention towards an improve- 



