474 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



Natal. 



Owing to the drought it is probable that the 

 output of Natal tea will be about 50,000 lb. 

 less this year than last, viz: 2,042,000 lb. instead 

 of 2,092,0001b. The demand for this tea in- 

 creases steadily. If the output were doubled, 

 the whole would probably easily be consumed 

 in South Africa. So far, though, from there 

 being any prospect of substantial increase in 

 the crop, it seems as if, owing to the scarcity 

 of labour, the planters would have a difficulty 

 in keeping it up to its present level. Until this 

 summer the greater part of the work has been 

 done by indentured labour from India, but the 

 Indian Government last June refused to allow 

 any more coolies to goto Natal. Local labour is 

 almost unobtainable, as tea cannot pay the high 

 wages offered by gold and other industries. It 

 has been suggested that men should be brought 

 from Nyasaland, but even if that were practicable, 

 they would cost twice as much as Indian coolies. 

 One writer on the subject thinks that the tea 

 and sugar industries of Natal will soon be 

 things of the past, but that is hardly likely. 



Nyasaland. 

 It is estimated that there are about 20,000 

 acres of land in Nyasaland suitable for tea grow- 

 ing, of which about 600 are at present under 

 tea, while there is an increasing demand for 

 land round about the existing gardens. Some 

 of the land is leased by Government at 6d an 

 acre, some sold outright at 10s. Last year's 

 output was about 56,000 lb. The aroma and 

 flavour of the tea are said to be very good, 

 superior to lowcountry Ceylon. Tea promises to 

 be very profitable in Nyasaland, as labour is 

 cheap, the natives like the work, and the tea 

 area is within twenty miles of the Shire High- 

 lands Railway. 



China, 



Exports from China increased on the whole 

 during the year. Shipments to the United 

 Kingdom and to Russia rose, but the United 

 States took 23 per cent less green and 71 per 

 cent less black tea than during the preceding 

 year. The trade with the United States has 

 been affected by the new regulations, which 

 came into force May 31st, 1911, forbidding the 

 importation of artificially faced or coloured 

 teas, of which until this year about 15,0t0,000 

 lb. have been annually shipped to the States 

 from Shanghai. In spite of the publication of 

 this law, about 40,000 chests of coloured tea were 

 manufactured and sent to Shanghai for exporta- 

 tion. Some of it was actually shipped to the 

 States, but was rejected as impure. It has 

 been suggested that possibly the manufacturers 

 did not take the prohi bition seriously, or thought 

 that the authorities would be induced to relent. 



Java. 



The production of tea in Java increases 

 steadily, though not rapidly, but the total out- 

 put is still so small compared with that of India 

 and Oeylon, that it does not make much differ- 

 ence so far as satisfying the world's demand is 

 concerned. In Java, as in most of the other 

 tea-producing countries, production is ham- 

 pered by the labour difficulty, the supply of 

 native labour not being sufficient for both 



rubber and tea, and the Government putting 

 difficulties in the way of importing Chinese 

 labour. During the year exports to the Unit«d 

 Kingdom and Australia increased considerably, 

 but less was sent to the Netherlands. The 

 United Kingdom and the Rritish Colonies take 

 about 40 per cent of the whole amount exported. 



Japan. 



Exports from Japan increased during the year, 

 but not to any great extent. The quality of the 

 leaf is not as good as it has been. Machinery is 

 now generally used and has not been brought to 

 sufficient perfection to turn out as good tea as 

 was formerly made by hand. When the United 

 States passed the law forbidding the importa- 

 tion of coloured tea, a regulation was issued by 

 the Japanese Government prohibiting the 

 manufacture or handling of such tea in Japan. 

 As, however, Canada gave some large orders for 

 tea of this kind, the Government decided that 

 the regulation should not come into force uutil 

 September. 



Formosa. 



Formosa produces about 24,000, 000 lb. a year. 

 The tea is different from all other teas, being 

 partly fermented and therefore something be- 

 tween a black and a green tea. It is principally 

 used for flavouring. The bust kinds are highly 

 valued. The first crop of this year is reported 

 as being of exceptionally good quality. 



Caucasus. 



The amount of tea grown in the Cauoasus 

 does not affect the world's supply, though the 

 quantity is steadily increasing. The toa can be 

 delivered in St. Petersburg at a cost of about 2s. 

 a pound. 



Brazil. 



Experiments in t^a growing have for some 

 time past been made in Brazil. A sample lately 

 received in London was of excellent quality, re- 

 sembling good Ceylon Possibly at some future 

 time the shortage in the world's tea supply 

 caused by the inter-planting »>f rubber in the old 

 tea-producing countries of Asia, may be supplied 

 from the rubber districts of Brazil. 



Burma'. 



The tea grown in Burma is almost entirely 

 made into letpet (pickled tea) and eaten as a con- 

 diment. It therefore does not affect the world's 

 supply of tea for drinking. 



Consumption of Tea. 

 Turning from the consideration of the pro- 

 duction ot tea throughout the world to that of 

 consumption, we find that it also, as we said 

 above, has considerably increased. In the 

 United Kingdom consumption per head of 

 population has risen to 6'39 lb., higher than in 

 any other part of the'world except Australasia. 

 The following table shows the amount contri- 

 buted by the various producing countries in 

 supplying the tea consumed in Great Britain 

 and Ireland during the last two years, and 

 the proportion these amounts bear to one 

 another. The figures are those given by the 

 President of the Board of Trade in the House 

 of Commons on August 8th last. 



