88 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



the idea of tilling in an unsightly swampy piece 

 of ground than for profit, and the distance 

 apart at which they placed was, roughly, ten by 

 ten. Tor several years this block was pointed 

 out by passengers in passing trains as an 

 "awful example" of the effects of close plan- 

 ting. The trees were certainly not much to 

 look at, being abnormally tall, weedy in appear- 

 ance, and of very slight girth. Moreover they 

 weie subjected to all kinds of experiments in 

 the way of pruning, lopping and tapping, 

 besides which the soil is by no means ideal 

 for rubber— always according to the experts. 

 And yet that block yielded last year at the 

 rate of 900 lb. of dry rubber per acre ! Such 

 results as these, which, though opposed to all 

 presumption and experience, are by no means 

 isolated, must cause Managers to revise their 

 views with regard to some of the most essential 

 features of rubber cultivation. They certainly 

 emphasize the need for a thoroughly well- 

 equipped and efficient Departmont of Agri- 

 culture, with an experienced staff and ample 

 funds, which would be capable of collecting, 

 comparing and co-ordinating the results ob- 

 tained in practical work. The F. M. S. Gov- 

 ernment will during the next few years obtain 

 a very large revenue indeed from the export 

 duty on rubber. In its own direct interest, 

 besides that of the planting industry, it should 

 be prepared to spend money generously on 

 scientific arboricultural research work. But 

 it will be little use doing this if there is not 

 some continuity of policy about the Depart- 

 ment. At prebent there is no Director of Agri- 

 culture at all, and Mr. Gallagher only held the 

 appointment for a few months before he re- 

 signed. It is essential, if the Government is to 

 retain the services of capable officers in this 

 branch of the administration and the country 

 to benefit by their experience, that the autho- 

 rities should wake up to the fact that conditions 

 have changed vastly during the past few years 

 and that, if they wish to make the Department 

 a real factor in the prosperity of local agricul- 

 ture, they must be prepared to remunerate the 

 staff according to a revised and enhanced scale. 

 — Pinang Gazette, June 24. 



THE TEA TRADE IN 1909 10. 



Annual Review by Messrs. Wm. J as. and 

 Henby Thompson. 

 38, Mincing Lane, June, 1910. 



The publication of the official statistics for 

 the twelve months ending May 31st affords an 

 opportunity of reviewing the events of the sea- 

 son, examining the present position, recording 

 the figures that are of most interest, and of 

 seeking tor the light they throw upon the future. 



The past season has been an eventful one for 

 all who are concerned in the tea trade, as the 

 conditions under which sellers and buyers have 

 had to operate have changed materially from 

 time to time. A heavy increase in Ceylon's pro- 

 duction at the outset was presently balanced by 

 the shortage reported from India, while later on, 

 when it was evident that a large surplus would 

 be secured from India, Ceylon's yield began to 

 diminish. The final result is that their 



COMBINED OUTPUTS WERE NEARLY 28 MILLION 

 POUNDS HEAVIER 



than before, and the outstanding fact in 

 the year's story is that notwithstanding this un- 

 precedented increase in supply the market has 

 maintained a strong or a steady tone throughout 



AT AN AVER A OK VALUE RATHER ABOVE THE 

 PREVIOUS LEVEL. 



The explanation of this unusual experience 

 is that demand for Indian and Ceylon tea 

 continuously increases, both for home use and for 

 export abroad, the purchases made in London 

 on Russian account having in particular in- 

 creased to the point which affects quotations. 

 Reference to the statistics relating to re-exports 

 and transhipments printed at foot shows what 

 an important influence this branch of London's 

 trade now exercises. Assuming its continuance, 

 in conjunction with our expansive home con- 

 sumption and the absence of any sign that 

 China tea is regaining favour, it seems possible 

 that the trade may presently be considering, 

 not whether there will be too much tea. but 



WHETHER THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FROM INDIA 

 AND CEYLON THIS YEAR 



for all requirements. The confident belief in 

 the East that outside markets will take more 

 from Calcutta, Colombo and Java must not be 

 left out of account when surveying the outlook 

 of the London market. 



In a period such as the one under review, 

 when with sufficient stocks already in hand, dis- 

 tributors had to contemplate the possibility of 

 over-supply, it was encouraging to note that 

 deliveries were expanding, with the result that 

 instead of a falling-off in values, as is usually the 

 case when an abundant crop has been gathered, 

 a buoyant tone was experienced for nearly the 

 whole year. Low-priced teas have, as in the past 

 few years, attracted the most attention. The 

 strenuous pushing of tea at low quotations by 



THE MULTIPLE SHOP COMPANIES CREATED A 

 DEMAND 



that kept the price of fair Pekoe Souchong 

 at an average of 6|d per lb. for the greater part 

 of the year. This persistent, and much to be 

 deprecated cutting in prices by those concerned, 

 led by one firm who during the early part of the 

 present year reduced the price of their shilling 

 blend— till then the lowest quoted— to lOd per 

 lb. may necessitate recourse to the cheaper 

 grades o! Chiua tea, in order to bring the cost 

 of such blends to a figure which, if not showing 

 profit, enables them to be retailed without actual 

 loss It has thus happened that both Indian and 

 Ceylon estates which produce low-priced tea have 

 often secured more remunerative returns for their 

 crops than those which produce good medium 

 qualities, as will be seen by the reports of the 

 season's workings lately issued. An examina- 

 tion of the 



TREND OF THE MARKETS DURING THE YEAR 



brings the following conclusions. Firstly, that 

 the cheapest varieties, supported as they are by 

 both the home trade and exporters, have main- 

 tained a relatively higher level of price through 

 out the season. Secondly, that fine teas, wit - 

 strong or flavoury liquors, such as are produceh 



