460 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



the United Kingdom has not altered much since 

 last year, as may be seen from the following 

 table. Our calculations are based on the Board 

 of Trade Returns to May 31st : — 



1909-10. 1908-9. 



Indian ... 56"fi0 f9'50 



Ceylon .. 33-60 31 60 



China ... ii'80 2 60 



Java, etc. .. 7-00 6-30 



100-00 ioo-oo 



During the year Russian buyers took about 

 3 million pounds more Indian tea from London 

 and about 4| million direct from Calcutta than 

 in the previous year. Exports of Ceylon tea to 

 Russia were, however, nearly 3$ million pounds 

 less than a year ago. It is anticipated that 

 Russian imports of Indian tea during 1910-11 

 will surpass all records. On the other hand 

 there is the possibility that the treaty recently 

 concluded between Russia and Japan may en- 

 courage the import of Japan tea into Russia. 

 Still, it seems hardly probable that people who 

 have become accustomed to the rich full-bodied 

 Dooars and Assam teas, and are shewing an in- 

 creasing appreciation of them, will readily give 

 them up for the light Japan teas. It is also 

 possible that the treaty, which is very generally 

 considered to be directed against the United 

 States, may seriously affect trade between that 

 country and Japan, perhaps even to the extent 

 of a boycott of Japan tea. Should this happen, 

 there will be more room in the States for 

 British-grown tea, so that it seems as if India 

 ought to profit whatever may be the effect 

 of the treaty on the countries most nearly con- 

 cerned. The Trans-Siberian Railway has helped 

 the import of Indian tea into Russia, as it has 

 openea up parts of the Empire which could 

 formerly only be reached by China. 



AusTKALiAimported rathermore than 3-2 million 

 lb. British-grown tea during the year, against 

 rather more than 30 million the previous year. 

 The increase was entirely in Ceylon, of which Aus- 

 tralia generally takes about three times as much 

 as of Indian. Imports of Indian tea fell dining 

 the latter months of 1909, but recovered after 

 the New Year. The decrease was probably due 

 to an insufficient supply of medium quality 

 Assam, which is the kind for which there is the 

 greatest demand for this market. Australia also 

 imported 1,650,000 lb. of China and Java tea, 

 against 1,689,000 lb. in the previous year. 



At the beginning of the year (1909-10) there 

 were large stocks of tea in the United States, 

 which had been collected in anticipation of the 

 imposition of an import duty. For some time 

 these stocks naturally kept down imports, which 

 nevertheless reached 104,500,0t0 lb. Rather less 

 than half this quantity came from Japan and 

 Formosa, nearly a third from China and the rest 

 from India and Ceylon. Imports of Indian tea 

 are reported as being 90 per cent higher in 1909 

 than in 1907. 



Consumption is steadily increasing in South 

 America. During the year, trade with the 

 various states continually improved. Argentina 

 is rapidly becoming a tea-drinking country. 



Chili took some time to recover from the crisis 

 two years ago, but lately her imports have 

 shewn considerable improvement. 



It is impossible to say exactly how much tea 

 is imported into Persia, as a great deal is 

 smuggled, owing to the very high duty. Of the 

 amount that did pay duty two thirds came from 

 India and one third from Java. These two teas 

 have entirely ousted all others. 



In India itself the outlook on the whole is 

 hopeful. The poorest classes, it is true, have 

 not taken to tea-drinking as eagerly as Lord 

 Curzon and other enthusiasts thought they 

 would ; but consumption is rapidly increasing 

 among the better educated classes and among 

 the artisans, The latter class learn the habit 

 when they come to work in large towns, and 

 owing to the higher pay they receive there, 

 they are able to indulge the taste. 



On the Continent of Europe there is an in- 

 creasing demand for British-grown tea, parti- 

 cularly Ceylon, instead of China. 



Reports of increased sales come from France, 

 Holland, Sweden ajnd Norway. Germany 

 has taken more tea, in spite of her increased 

 duty. A fair all-round increase is reported from 

 Austria, where last year the wet cold summer 

 was said to have caused a greater demand for tea. 

 the same has probably been the case this year. 

 Austrian's are said to use a higher average 

 quality of tea than any other people, except the 

 Russians. 



A good deal has been done to popularise 

 British-grown tea by starting tea-rooms in large 

 towns and fashionable resorts; also at Exhibi- 

 tions, among others at the Brussels Exhibitions, 

 at the Aviation Exhibition at Frankfurst, at the 

 Wiesbaden and Aarhus Exhibitions, and at the 

 newly opened Skating Rinks at Brussels and 

 Antwerp. 



Altogether, as we said before, the consump- 

 tion of tea, and particularly of British-grown tea, 

 is increasing. The outlook for British planters 

 is brighter than it has been for many years, 

 and they havo every right to feel that the 

 improvement in their prospects is entirely due 

 to their own indomitable pluck and enterprise. 

 — Yours faithfully, 



BROOKE, BOND & CO., LTD. 



THE QUESTION OF THE PROFITS 

 ON VANILLA GROWING. 



Arose at the meeting of the Seychelles Rub- 

 ber and Coconut Estates. Answering a share- 

 holder, Mr Ulcoq said that to get the estimated 

 profit of 8s. per lb, from vanilla given in the 

 prospectus it was necessary to secure about 

 lis, 6d. per lb. for the crop, the average cost of 

 production being in the neighbourhood of 40 

 per cent. So far the first shipments of the 

 season from the island had realised over that 

 price, while they were advised that in their 

 own case the estimated crop of 6,000 lb, would 

 be reached. 



