juLY i, 1889/j fHP TROPSCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
1 _ rif ' - ., 11, 1, 1.,,-,,, n^n^a- , .i n 
1 
one occasion of late pointed out, China no longer 
rules the roost. Between 1879 and 1885 the consump- 
tion of China tea gradually declined, and in the last 
four years it has rapidly fallen off. Our home con- 
sumption from about 10,600,000 lb per month in 1879 
has dropped to 6,600,000 lb per month in 1888. In 
the same period tea of British growth — tbat is, Indian 
and Ceylon — has risen from about 2,800,0 0 1b. per 
month, as an average of the year 1879, to 8,800,0001b. 
in 1&88. China brokers now complain that they are 
in the ranks of the unemployed. The contrast of 
monthly consumption is remarkable, and is shown 
below :— China Tea.— 1888, 6,600,0001b. ; 1879, 
10,600,0001b.; decrease, 4,000,0001b. India and Cey- 
lon Tea.— 1888, 8,800,0001b.; 1879, 2,800,000 1b.; in- 
crease, 6,000,000 lb. As an indication of the depress, 
ing character of trade iu China tea, we may say that 
the same quality of China teas which, on arrival of 
the first shipments of current season's teas was 
sold at Is 3d per lb., has quite recently been offered 
in the market at as low as 9d per lb. There was a 
hopeful feeling in the market at the time the new 
season's tea began to arrive, but it has been found 
that the tea has been of an inferior quality. Being 
badly cured, it has, consequently, not kept well. The 
Indian and Ceylon teas of the past season have also 
been somewhat inferior rs to quality, and the only 
crop which has been both sound and good as to 
quality has been the Java growth. Undoubtedly the 
consumer has been secured from a high level of prices, 
consequent ou the shrinkage in the import of China 
teas, by the great development in the Indian and 
Ceylon descriptions. Thus, in the season of 1885-6 
the actual deliveries of Indian tea amounted to 60| 
million lb. and for the current season, which ends on 
May 31st, based on known results of ten months and 
estimates of the remaining two months, a delivery of 
over 90J million lb., is expected. This is approxim- 
ately an increase of about 50 per cent, in the consump- 
tion compared with four years ago ; but the com- 
parison sinks into insignificance with the proportionate 
increase when we refer to the statistics of Ceylon tea. 
In the period from June 1st, 1S85, to May 31st, 1886, 
about 3,930,000 lb. of Ceylon passed into consumption 
in this country. In the season which ends on May 31st 
1889, with the known results of ten months and es- 
timates of April and May, there appears to be every 
probability of deliveries to the aggregate amount of 
23,350,000 lb, an increase of about 500 per cent. Un- 
doubtedly oue great cause of the expansion of con- 
sumption which has been going on year by year has 
been the decline in prices. As the industry develops, 
the greater area planted admits of more economical 
working, and the use of mechanical appliances ad- 
mits of more economical production. Probably in part 
the decline which has lately taken plaoe has been due 
to the comparatively poor quality as well as to the 
continuance of savings found practicable in cost of 
production. Be that as it may, the fact remains that 
the last week or two teas have been sold at unprece- 
deutedly low prices. For example, the same quality 
of Indian tea which late in 1881 was sold at Is 2Jd 
per pound has changed hands quite lately at 7Jd per 
pound, which is exastly 50 per cent fall. 
"The increase in production of India and Ceylon 
is likely to still further continue, as the exports of 
C eylon tea for the new season are expected to be 
more than 50 per cent, greater than in the previous 
season ; and the India crop available in the United 
Kingdom is estimated as likely to be 94,000,000 lb. 
as against 86,000,000 lb, available for exportation to 
the United Kingdom. 
" We come to the fact that if production of tea 
continues to increase as it has done the last three 
or four years, new markets must be sought. Some 
time ago India endeavoured to develops a new 
market in the United States, but shippers went 
about their work in a very ill-considered manner ; 
they flooded a market where Indian tea was scarcely 
known with such large quantities that it was impos- 
sible to dispose of the arrivals; indeed, the teas so 
rushed into a new channel not prepared to use them 
had to be offered by forced sale, and aotually a 
large quantity of what was sent from India to 
America came to the United Kingdom for consump- 
tion. With such experience, it is only natural to 
expect that any development of a new market will 
be well considered before it is undertaken. There is 
no reason whatever why the United States and 
Canada, as well as Europe, should not be open to 
consumption of Indian and Ceylon qualities. Of 
course, the United Kingdom stands far and 
away at the head of tea consuming countries, fol- 
lowed by the United States and Russia. Con- 
sidering the population, a very large quantity is taken 
by the Australasian Colonies, and an appreciable am- 
ount by Canada. The consumption per head is largest 
in the Australasian Colonies and New Zealand, the 
latter taking the lead with 7'67 lb. per head followed 
by the Australian Colonies with 7'671b. per head. India 
is developing trade with Australasia, but still the bulk 
of the tea consumed even by those Colonies is derived 
from China. So far as the United Kingdom is con- 
cerned, the expansion of consumption of British-grown 
tea in the Australian Colonies will give us no direct 
benefit, as shipments will be made direct from India 
and Ceylon ; still it will give us an indirect benefit 
in the employ of shipping, increasing the spending 
power of the planters who buy from the mother 
country, and giving dividends on English capital em- 
ployed in the cultivation of tea in British possessions. 
In the United States we may expect a development 
j of consumption of India and Ceylon growths provided 
the planters suit the tastes of the market. In case 
the United States consumers 'take to' such teas, the 
United Kingdom will secure a more direct benefit, 
as the tea will pass through this country, though prob- 
ably to some extent it will be shipped to San Fran- 
cisco, and will be conveyed overland to the eastern 
parts of the United States. The most direct benefit 
will be secured from development of tea drinking 
on the Continent, and by the Continent we mean 
Western Europe, as it will undoubtedly be a diffi- 
cult task to oust China teas out of the Russian market. 
" The consumption in Western Europe, however, is 
not large, but the two countries which ought to be 
exploited for an increase in trade with British posses- 
sions growing tea are Holland and Germany. The 
former, according to Messrs. Gow, Wilson, and Stanton's 
recently-published statistics, consume only about 1J lb 
per head of population per annum, while the tea drunk 
in Germany is rather less than 1 lb per head. France 
and Belgium stand virtually nowhere in consumption, 
taking only 0-03 lb per head, and Spain rejoices in the 
very small fraction of 0-02 lb per head. A good deal 
ought to be done at the Paris Exhibition in introduc- 
ing British-grown tea to the notice of our Continental 
neighbours, though it has to be borne in mind that in 
France the duty on tea is really prohibitive, except for 
the wealthy; nothing that is worth drinking can bs 
obtained under about 5s per lb, or two to three times as 
dear as the retail price in London." 
Mr. Picton, the member for Leicester, is the cham- 
pion in the House of Commons for the abolition of the 
duty on tea. He won't be happy till he gets it abol- 
ished, although there is not the slightest chance of his 
being happy just yet. It is as well to know that Mr. 
Picton intends to peg away at the subject, and that he 
regards a tax on tea, which, is, in his opinion, a neces- 
sity of existence, as unjust and iniquitous. 
Those who maintain that the trade in bogus tea no 
longer exists will take some iuterest in the following. 
The police of Dunkirk, acting on information from 
the Municipal Laboratory, arrested on Saturday two 
grocers of that town on the charge of having for several 
months sold large quantities of dyed leaves under the 
name of tea. Both the tradesmen were able to show 
that they had been supplied by a wholesale firm in 
Paris. Samples were accordingly bought from tbe firm, 
by order of the Parquet, and were sent to M. Riche, 
a chemist. His report shows that the leaves submitted 
to him are not tea-leaves. They are — like most dried 
leaves — of a brownish colour ; but this is hidden under 
a thin coating of a bluish-green substance, which easily 
rubs of. Their appearance was exactly that of gun- 
powder tea. Unlike the celebrated nutmegs, it has 
