484 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



TEA IN 1911-12. 



Survey by Messrs. Brooke, Bond, & Co. 



Messrs. Brooke, Bond, and Go. (Limited), as 

 usual at this time of the year, have issued a 

 short history of the tea industry during the 

 preceding 12 months. The statement is as 

 follows : — 



Monotony is generally considered something 

 to be avoided, but there are few to be found 

 who would object to a monotony of prosperity. 



It must not be supposed from this remark 

 that any one connected with the tea industry is 

 in so prosperous a condition as to find it weari- 

 some, but merely that the annual reviews for 

 some years past have been able to report in- 

 creasing consumption, and therefore to a certain 

 degree increasing prosperity to those engaged 

 in the production and distribution of tea. ...The 

 strike at the docks and the uncertainty caused 

 by the labour unrest almost paralysed trade for 

 a time.... The cost of tea has also been increased 

 to the wholesaler by the advance in charges for 

 handling, sampling, rent, &c, necessitated by 

 the concessions made to the dock labourers. 

 Increasing Production. 

 As is probably well known to your readers, the 

 greater part of the tea consumed throughout 

 the world is grown in India, Ceylon, and China, 

 the rest coming chiefly from Java and Japan, 

 Small quantities are also grown in Burma, Natal, 

 Nyasaland, Siam, the Straits Settlements, the 

 Fiji Isles, Brazil, Jamaica, the United Statates, 

 Mauritius, and the Caucasus, but almost entirely 

 consumed locally, 



India 



produced a record crop in 1910-11, her 

 exports being over 258,000,000 lb. .This season 

 she has exceeded that large amount, having 

 exported over 264,000,000 lb. The whole of the 

 increase came to the United Kingdom, A record 

 sale of Indian tea was held in London, Oct. 14 

 and 16, when 66,465 packages, more than 

 7,000,000 lb, were brought to auction. 



Direct trade from Calcutta to Russia was 

 nearly 9,000,000 lb less than in 1910-11, oiving to 

 the bad harvests in Russia, which greatly re- 

 duced the purchasing power of the people. The 

 trade with Hankow was also interrupted for a 

 time owing to the Chinese Revolution. There is 

 an important manufacture of ' brick 1 tea, for 

 consumption in Asiatic Russia, carried on at 

 Hankow. The ' bricks ' are composed chiefly of 

 China tea, but about 15 million pounds ot Indian 

 and Ceylon dust and fanuings are usually sent 

 every year to Hankow to mix with the China 



tea. Calcutta's direct trade to other foreign 

 markets increased, particularly to Canada and 

 the United States. 



The following table gives the distribution of 

 the exports from India during the last four years. 

 The year is reckoned from June 1 to May 31, 

 which is the period for which official figures are 

 issued : — 



1911-12. 1910-11. 1909-10. 1908-9. 

 Lb. Lb. Lb. Lb. 



United Kingdom 183739100 174100700 lSO^OO 168H934O0 

 Australia ... 100J8100 95959CO 8604800 8936800 

 America . . 7253700 5606W00 56099 55U0500 



Russia .. 31394700 403475U0 3049O5C0 24443100 



Other ports .. 12672600 10478800 10849500 1287/800 



Total from 

 Northern 



India .. 245158700 240129800 335637900 220851600 



So ithern India 18985100 18256000 16616000 16243100 



Total from all 



India .. 264143300 25838481.0 252253900 236094700 



The increase in India's outturn is due much 

 more to intensive cultivatiou than to extension 

 of area, which is rendered almost impossible by 

 the difficulty in obtaining coolies. 



Ceylon. 



During the year 1911 Ceylon produced nearly 

 6,000,000 lb more than in 1910, but during the 

 first six months of the present year her exports 

 were 328,134 lb less than during the first six 

 months of last jear. Imports of Ceylon tea into 

 the United Kingdom during the last two years, 

 reckoning from July 1 to June 30, were : — 



1911-12. 1910-11. 

 1066410UO lb. 105080000 lb, 



aD increase of 1,561,000 lb in the 12 months. The 

 crop was distributed in much the same manner 

 as the Indian, the bulk of the increase coming to 

 the United Kingdom, less than during the pre- 

 vious year going to Russia and China, more to 

 most other countries, and considerably more to 

 Austria, Holland and Belgium. The smaller 

 quantity of black tea sent to Russia was to some 

 extent balanced by the larger amount of green 

 taken by that country. 



The quality of the crop has been barely aver- 

 age, a good deal of very poor tea having been 

 turned out, due apparently to endeavours on the 

 part of the planters to produce large quantities 

 of tea in order to take advantage of the favour- 

 able markets. The largest London sale of Ceylon 

 tea on record took place on August 13, 

 when 50,047 packages (about 5,000,000 lb.) were 

 brought to auction. 



Much attention is being paid in Ceylon to the 

 manufacture of green tea, large quantities of 

 which have been sent to' the United States, 

 Canada and Russia. Shipments to the last- 

 named, ooujutry were, in 1911, double vbo.ee yj, 



