28-1 



The Supplement to the Tropical griculturist 



shipped to London (about 8,000,(100 lb. increase on the pre- 

 vious season's figures were received there within the old 

 year). The demand improved towards the close of the year, 

 doubtless in consequence of the considerably lower range 

 of prices established in (September and October. The 

 quantities offered in the Calcutta auctions from the com- 

 mencement of the New Season till the close of the year 

 were about 2,000.000 lb. less than in 1907. 



The total production of t he whole of India for 10' 7 was 

 reported as 248,000,1 ou lb., or an increase of 7,00", 000 lb. over 

 the very large total of 1900. It is impossible at present to 

 estimate closely what the figure for loos «ill actually result 

 iu, but in all probahilii \ t ho increa.se will be about 8,000,000 

 lb. giving a total of 250,000,000 lb. The recorded exports 

 from India in 19ii7 were 228,000,(00 lb., and it is considered 

 that a serious discrepancy exists in the returns of yield, 

 as it is thought improbable that the int ernal consumption 

 of India would equal 20, 000,000 lb. The principal develop- 

 ment iu production has occurred in Assam, where a more 

 favourable position as to labour is influencing yields. 

 It is fortunate for all concerned in the business that the 

 weather conditions were somewhat adverse, and that, 

 therefore, the very much larger yield which at one time 

 was expected was not harvested. 



Ceylon Tea, 

 Although further Tea is now to a moderate 

 extent being planted in Ceylon, it may safely be 

 assumed that the planting during say four or 

 five years back was mostly done in rubber. As 

 much of the rubber was actually planted among 

 the existing Tea bushes (a system not calculated 

 to conduce to the rapid and successful growth of 

 either product) the development of the rubber 

 trees was bound gradually to tell upon the Tea 

 bushes and ultimately to render their continued 

 culture an impossibility. There is little doubt 

 that the influence of rubber on Tea yields is now 

 beginning to be felt, and that it will soon show 

 itself more definitely, while an increased yield 

 from new Tea planting is still somewhat remote. 

 It may be assumed that the satisfactory prices 

 ruling for Ceylon Teas led to as freo plucking as 

 possible; but, notwithstanding that, the total 

 crop for 1908 showed a decline on the 1907 figures 

 of about 2,000,000 lb. As other countries took, 

 in the aggregate, about as much as in the pre- 

 vious year, the deficiency in yield necessarily 

 came oft' the shipments sent to Great Britain. The 

 Shortcoming made room for part of the excess 

 from India and materially helped to steady and 

 enhance the London market for Cojlon growths. 

 The Home Trade consumption of Ceylon Tea 

 Was a record for quantity within the year, viz.. 

 9-2,960,000 lb, but in 1900 the figure approached 

 closely to that, being 92,470,000 lb. The share 

 of the total was, however, in the latter year 37 

 per cent, while in 19C8 it was only 33f per cent. 

 It had, however, in the interim been down to 

 30| per cent. The returns to Ceylon producers 

 during the year have apparently been scarcely 

 bo favourable, on the average, as those made 

 upon Indian growths. The ratios of prices to 

 those of 1907 (taking Colombo and London mar- 

 kets together, as compared with Calcutta and 

 London markets) were less favourable ; there 

 was a reduced instead of an enhanced total crop 

 and th9 high cost of rice was more severely felt 

 than in India. 



Java Tea. 



These teas have made more progress within the year than 

 those of any other growth. The total quantity exported 

 from Java within the 12 mom li3 ended 30th June, 1908, was 

 .12, ."42,000 lb against '.'4,0:3(1,1 On lb in the corresponding 

 previous V- months. They have gained also in the way of 

 Improved quality and in increased consumption in all the 

 larger outlets, viz , Holland, Great. Britain and Ireland, 

 Russia, Australia and t-'ersia. The trade in those through 

 London has made but little progress on the average of re- 

 cent years, but they are so cheaply laid down at the out- 

 puts UiitJ \\\^ nowfv'B) V. considerable proportion of tlje 



trading in certain centres, thus seriously restricting the 

 possibilities ,,f business in other growths. It will be seen 

 from the statistics that the British home consumption 

 showed an increase of nearly 50 per cent, in five years. The 

 reports of marvellously cheap labour, unusually rich soil, 

 heavy yields and consequent low costs of production have 

 attracted attention to the desirablity of the island as a Held 

 for investment in tea growing, and names hitherto identi- 

 fied with tea production in British dependencies only are 

 now becoming associated with Java production. This may 

 bo in individual self-defence, but any large development in 

 that island cannot fail to affect prejudicially India and 

 Ceylon, and may lead to a recurrence of the outcry for 

 protection for a lintish industry, formerly so frequently 

 raised against China tea. 



China Tea. 



Notwithstanding the advertising and the large amount 

 of press publicity it has received, China Tea has fallen 

 back somewhat in British Home Trade use within the 

 year. The considerable increase, relatively speaking, 

 in the imports has only led to a piling up of unsale- 

 able stocks of such a low character that while com- 

 plying with the Government standard of chemical purity, 

 they would not be admitted to the United States of 

 America or Canada, where a more definite restriction 

 is placed upon what may be sent into consumption. 

 Those importations include a considerable increase in green 

 teas, a class that is almost wholly taken for export. They 

 probably came to London because of temporary derange- 

 ments at other points, and, judging from the relatively 

 high re-oxpoi ts of China tea, a considerable proportion of 

 the increased arrivals in that class has passed out of the 

 stock, leaving an accumulation consisting chiefly of China 

 sittings that can only be worked off very slowly in small 

 percentages of the cheaper blends retailed in the home 

 trade. Although the business of importing China teas to 

 London has now been.reduced to a very small compass, its 

 volume during the yeai was sufficient to cause serious em- 

 barrassment to some of those engaged in the business. 

 Owing to high costs ami bad realisations the results were 

 disastrous, and it is reported I hat considerable losses were 

 made upon teas sent direct from China to the other markets 

 that take larger quantities. 



Those responsible for the modern efforts to boom good 

 Chinalea would probably carry with them the respect and 

 goodwill of the producers of other growths, and of the dis- 

 tributive doalers also, were they less disingennous in 

 use made of abnormal sta tistics. It can do no good iTi the 

 long run to give publicity to misleading figures. 



Japan and Formosa Tea. 



The latest official statistics issued by Hie Department 

 of Finance in Tokyo show that the yield of Tea 111 Japan 

 during 1900 fiom 122.500 acres was 5K,2«i,hhi lb being a 

 decline since 1897 of a ',onu acres and 12,01 0,0110 ib. The value 

 of the exported quantity was stated to be £1,030 000. The 

 yield in h'01 mo,.i dui'iioj p.m.; was 5. 103, 000 lb., or a decline 

 of 9,000,000 lb. since 1878. The United States of America 

 took a very large proportion of all the quantities exported 

 from both places. 



Foreign Trade. 



The re-exports from the United Kingdom 

 have again shown a decided falling oft', and are 

 back to about the level current prior to 190fj. 

 With the exception of a trifling increase in Sep- 

 tember, the decline was continuous during the 

 first 10 months of the year, but in November and 

 December there were gains amounting to nearly 

 2,900,< 00 lb., doubtless arising from the lower 

 scale of prices ruling in London. With the excep- 

 tion of Canada, Indian Tea lost ground in all the 

 principal outlets. Ceylon, while again losing 

 heavily to Russia and in the general export 

 trade, madeheadway iu business with the United 

 States of America, Canada and European coun- 

 tries other than Russia. The loss of trade in 

 Tea between London and Russia is directly 

 attributable to the policy of retaliation pursued 

 by the latter because of the exclusion of Rus- 

 sian Sugars from the English market by the 

 Brussels Convention. Although the barrier has 

 now been removed, the trade does not appear 

 to be returning, except in a, casual maimer, 



