THE CUP THAT CHEERS 85 



ton from China ; but she tnkes large supphcs from 

 Ceylon — being, in fact, one of that island's principal 

 customers — and also from India. 



The United States come third among the purchasers 

 of large quantities of tea for home consumption. In 

 1910 they used s.3,29S.n()() pounds— about the same 

 average amount per head of population as Russia. 

 They are Japan's best customer, and they also 

 place big orders with China; but Indian and Ceylon 

 teas are becoming more and more popular in the 

 States. The Government looks very carefully after 

 the interests of all tea drinkers, and a special law has 

 been passed in the particular interest of the green-tea 

 drinkers. In 1S97 an Act came into force " to prevent 

 the importation of impure and unwholesome tea " ; and 

 on May 1, 191 1, a new regulation strengthened it by the 

 decree that no teas imported for home consumption 

 were to be artificially coloured or faced in any manner. 



Other important tea-drinking countries are Canada, 

 Australia. Holland, CJermany, and New Zealand ; but 

 their annual purchases arc much smaller than those of 

 the three principal customers for the world's tea. For 

 instance, in the J'ear ending March 31, 1910-11, Canada 

 bought 34,259,000 pounds of tea for home use ; and 

 in 1910, (Germany bought 0,875,000 pounds. Canada 

 favours British - grown teas. Australia and New 

 Zealand do likewise, showing a marked preference for 

 Ceylon teas. Holland places a large share of her 

 annual onler with her colony of Java. Germany buys 

 more than half her supply from China. 



New Zealand holds the reeonl for the largest annual 

 consumption of tea per person ; in 19o9, the average 

 per head of the population was 7- 45 pounds. 



