226 



[April 1907. 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



THE LEADING TEAS OF THE WORLD.— CEYLON. 



By the late Herbert Compton. 



Ceylon has this affinity to a cat that it seems to have nine (commercial) lives, 

 and always to tumble on its feet. Spices, pepper, coffee, cinchona, cocoa, tea — all 

 these products has it planted with more or less success one after another, and now it 

 is head over ears in the latest planting speculation of rubber. But tea still holds 

 current pride of place as the staple crop of the Colony, and its popularity with 

 investors has only been under a temporary eclipse owing to the economic causes 

 resulting from the excessive 12-cent duty imposed upon its importation into 

 England. With the reduction, and at no distant date, the abolition of this duty, 

 and with a Continental demand that must rapidly increase now that the tea 

 duty in Germany has been reduced from 10 cents to 3 cents per pound, Ceylon 

 tea has a bright future in front of it. 



A generation ago coffee and Cjylon were almost synonymous terms. In 1870 

 the area planted with the bean amounted to 250,000 acres, and the outturn (stated in 

 pounds) was about 120,000,000. Then came disease and coffee was wiped out. In the 

 ame year there existed about ten acres planted experimentally with tea in the 

 island. To-day the positions are reversed. The coffee area has fallen to 2,371 acres 

 producing 93,000 pounds, whilst the tea area has increased to 380,000 acres (out of a 

 total cultivated area of 486,000 acres in the whole island) and the annual crop is 

 160,000,000 pounds. These figures are the best advertisement for Ceylon tea. Inciden- 

 tally we may uote that cocoa is cultivated on 33,000 acres and rubber on 40,000 acres. 

 On the shady side of the picture we have a heavy fall in tea values consequent on 

 prodigal production. In 1883 Ceylon tea fetched from 33 to 44 cents per pound ; by 

 1889 the value had fallen to 22 ; by 1897. to 15| ; and in 1901 it touched the bottom 

 price at 13i. Since then there has been a slight recovery and the 1904-05 crop 

 averaged 15 cents. 



The Ceylon planting-industry employs about 1,600 European superintendents 

 and managers and 400,000 immigrant coolies in addition to local laborers. The wages 

 of a cooly vary from 8 to 13 cents a day. The value of tea land is estimated at 

 from $150 to $300 an acre, but very fertile areas have been sold for as much as $500. 



The following list shows the distribution of Ceylon tea to the different 

 consuming countries :— 





Pounds. 



United Kingdom 



96,000,000 



Australasia 



23,000,000 



North America 



16,000,000 



Russia 



12,000.000 



China (for Russia) ... 



3,000,000 



Other countries 



7,000,000 





Total ... 157,000,000 



With the general information afforded let us turn to more particular details 

 concerning Ceylon teas. 



The crop varies considerably in quantity, although not quite so much as the 

 Indian crop. Taking an average it may be said that Ceylon teas are very much like 

 a blend of Indian and China leaf . They lack the rich streng th and pungency of the 



