and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— Nov., 1910, 459 



have not fallen, the increase in consumption 

 having been still greater. Comparing the figures 

 for the last five years, we find that the produc- 

 tion of British-grown tea has increased 15 mil- 

 lion pounds. Consumption, however, has in- 

 creased 48£ million abroad and 15 million at 

 home, making an excess of consumption over 

 production of 12J million. 



The quality of the whole Indian crop was very 

 satisfactory. The fine teas from Darjeeling were 

 particularly good and realised high prices. 



During the year the exports of Green Tea from 

 Northern India fell from 2,900,000 lb. to 2,400,000 

 Jb. The bounty paid by the Cess Committee for 

 manufacture of green tea ceased March 31st, 1909, 

 as the offer was less and loss responded to by the 

 planters. Practically no green tea is exported 

 from India to the United Kingdom. There is, 

 however, a good and increasing demand for it 

 from America, and it seems probable that in the 

 near future planters in Southern India will turn 

 their attention to its manufacture to a much 

 greater extent than they have hitherto done. In 

 the United States, where until lately only Chin;i 

 and Japan teas have been drunk, Indian black 

 is not generally consumed. Indian and Ceylon 

 gieen, on the other hand, are readily taken. The 

 Indian Tea Commissioner in the United States 

 has been asking for larger and more regular 

 supplies of Indian green for some time past. 



Ceylon has secured a record crop, 191,860,000 

 lb. against 180,049,200 in the previous year, an 

 increase of 11,810,800 lb. It has been antici- 

 pated that the interplanting of rubber would 

 reduce the tea crop. Up to the end of March of 

 this year no such effect has been observed. Later 

 in the year the output from some gardens fell 

 below their usual yield, owing, it was thought, 

 to the tea bushes being affected by the rubber 

 trees. 



There is a wide-spread opinion that during 

 the next five years about 70,000 acres now under 

 tea will be producing rubber, and that it is un- 

 likely that more land will be planted with tea. 

 Calculating that the average yield is about5001b. 

 of tea per acre, this will mean a reduction of 35 

 million pounds from Ceylon. 



The greater part of the Natal crop is con- 

 sumed locally, A small quantity is sent to Lon- 

 don occasionally, probably more with the object 

 of gauging the market than in the hope of creat- 

 ing a demand for the tea. The area under tea 

 is about 6,000 acres, of which about 4,000 acres 

 are in full bearing, The tea has very much im- 

 proved lately, owing to more careful and scien- 

 tific cultivation and manufacture. 



There are about 600 acres under tea in Nyas- 

 saland. Some o£ the produce last year was 

 consumed locally, and about 23,500 lb were ex- 

 ported. The gardens are mostly on the S.E. 

 slopes of the Mlanje mountain, a position well 

 suited for tea growing. 



The greater part of the tea grown in China is 

 consumed locally. It is estimated that China 

 produces 600 million pounds annually, consumes 

 about 400 million and exports about 200 millions, 

 but all figures with regard to production and 

 consumption in the Celestial Empire are largely 

 conjectural. 



Japan produces about 63 million pounds a 

 year, of which 26 million are consumed at home. 

 The greater part of the tea exported goes to A mer- 

 ica; small amounts are also sent to Korea, Hong- 

 kong, the tttraits Settlements and Dutch India. 

 The Japanese are not taking quietly the reduction 

 in the consumption of their tea consequent on 

 the growing popularty of Indian and Ceylon. A 

 meeting of about 300 producers and distributors 

 was held some time ago and attended by the 

 Minister of Agriculture and Commerce and the 

 Director of the Agricultural Bureau. As a re- 

 sult a Committee was appointed to devise means 

 of extending the export of Japan tea, particu- 

 larly to the United States, Russia and Great Brit- 

 ain. Economy in production was also discussed. 



A ten years' campaign has been arranged in 

 America, at an annual cost of 160,000 yen (about 

 £16,300), towards which it is hoped the Govern- 

 ment will give a subsidy of 100,000 yen (about 

 £10,190). In Great Britain full use is being 

 made of the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition to intro- 

 duce Japan tea. In order to capture the Russian 

 market an experimental station has been estab- 

 lished in Formosa, for the purpose of manufac- 

 turing tea resembling that sent from Hankow to 

 Russia. It is reported that a very fair imitation 

 has been produced and 120,000 lb. of it sent to 

 Russia. 



The production of tea is increasing rapidly 

 in Foemcsa, where it grows easily and can be 

 plucked six times a year. In the list of For- 

 mosan industries Oolong tea comes first, con- 

 stituting almost one-third of the exports of the 

 island. During last season 18 million pounds 

 of Oolong were exported, the whole of which 

 (with the exception of 650,000 lb. to Great Britain 

 and 56,0,00 to Australia) was sent to the United 

 States. The tea is grown partly by Formosans 

 and partly by Chinese planters ; the manufac- 

 ture is chiefly carried on by Chinese ; and a 

 short time ago the export was entirely in the 

 hands of three British and five American firms. 

 The Japanese Government is trying to alter 

 this and to get the trade into their own hands. 



Owing to the unfavourable weather, produc- 

 tion in Java did not much increase last year ; 

 exports were only 100,000 lb. heavier than in 

 the preceding year. Efforts continue to be made 

 to capture the trade of Australia ; exports to 

 that country have increased considerably. The 

 quality of the tea sent from Java to London 

 improves. Blenders find it useful, because it 

 comes to the market in good condition and is 

 regular in size and quality. 



Tea is also grown in the Caucasus, in South 

 Carolina and in Texas, but the quantity pro- 

 duced is very small. 



Turning to the question of Consumption, we 

 find a general increase throughout the world. 



In Great Britain the consumption per head 

 has reached 6\38 lb,, almost equalling that of 

 Australasia, which has so long held the first 

 place. The increase in Home consumption ia 

 considered to be attributable partly to the Old 

 Age Pensions and to>tho increase in temperance 

 coupled with the enhanced duties on intoxicants. 



The proportion borne by the different produ- 

 cing countries in supplying the tea-drinkers of, 



