4og 
INDIA AND CEYLON TEA. 
It is difficult to over estimate the importance of 
India as a source of tea supply. Twenty years ago 
it furnished 10,500,000 pounds, but so rapidly has 
the culture of the tea plant increased that the crop 
for 1889 is estimated at 105,000,000 pounds. The 
Ceylon district is also a very important factor by 
reason of rapid development of the tea industry on 
that rich little island. In 1873 it produced twenty- 
three pounds, but this year it is estimated that the 
supply will reach 40,000,000 pounds. 
We are indebted toB. M. Holborn & Sons, of Min- 
cing Lane, London, for a map showing the great tea- 
growing distriots of India and Ceylon, which districts 
are widely scattered. The largest, the Assam district is 
situated in the northeast portion of India and on the 
northwestern boundary of Burmah. There are scat- 
tered gardens on the northwestern boundary of 
Nepaul and in the Punjaub. Central India seems to 
be entirely devoid of tea gardens, but there are scat- 
tered plantations at the southwestern portion of the 
peninsula at Wynaad and Neilgherries and also in 
Travancore. The tea district of Ceylon is very 
compact with Kandy its centre. It extends well into 
the Southern province and touches the coast in the 
Western province.— American Grocer, Oct. 2nd. 
♦ ■ 
LONDON TEA LETTER. 
The Sadiya Eoads latest Company has distin- 
guished itself by heading a long " Honour list," with 
a good " break " at 3s 3d per lb. At one day, the 
sapient Broker held a maxim that the Sadiya Road's 
soil, &c, &o , could never produce high class teas? 
How now ? This break, by the way, should be a 
good advertisement for the Metal Tea Chests. On 
the whole, considering that over 49,000 packages of 
Indian and Ceylon teas have been printed this week, 
there is good ground for congratulation in the way 
in which the market has stood the strain. Mr. S. C. 
Davidson has brought out an admirably got up little 
pamphlet, upon " Sirocco " Tea, for distribution to 
the Customers of his firm. In this little pamphlet of 
only twelve pages the History and Manufacture of 
Indian Tea are succinctly dealt with, and the various 
processes are illustrated, on every page, showing up 
at last the cleanliness of the Indian system and 
machinery as compared with the dirty primitive 
processes still practised in China. It is written in a 
light sketchy way which will be really interesting to 
the general public — and must make a lasting im- 
pression, favourable to Indian tea, as compared with 
China tea, in the minds of the readers. It is just 
what has been long wanted in its particular way, and 
the only pity is that its use for distribution is con- 
fined to one firm, as, had it been brought under the 
generio heading " Indian Tea " by the I. T. D. A., 
for free distribution, by all interested in Indian tea, 
(obtainable from the Society at so much a gross for 
distribution), it would have made a capital tract for 
the purpose. I have shown the tract to several 
people, who may be taken as fair samples of the 
general and uninitiated publio ; in each case the 
comments upon the page illustrating the repulsive 
Chinese system of feet and hand-rolling have amply 
testified to the value which this feature in the tract 
will have in creating a comparison between India and 
China tea, which comparison will be lastingly 
" odious " to the supporters of the latter. Why has 
this immensely powerful illustration not been made 
more and long ere this ? The illustration should be 
enlarged to " poster " size, and stuck up in every 
shop making a speciality of Indian teas. It would 
reduoe China tea consumption in six months, more 
than 10 years of ordinary competition. Only the 
figures should be of Chinese, not Indian ooolies. — 
Indian Planters' Gazette, Nov. 6th. 
52 
COFFEE NOTES. 
A Oasa Branca planter writing tothe Diario Popu- 
lar of S. Paulo, under date of the 6th inst. says 
that the coffee plantations of that locality, "which 
were presenting a very encouraging appearance," 
were considerably injured by the heavy frost which 
appeared two days before. In his opinion this frost 
will prejudice the next crop. 
The Diario da Manha of Santos under date of the 
10th inst. has the following communication from a 
most respectable firm of that oity : " As to the late 
frosts we may stats that we have obtained trust 
worty information from S. Carlos, Jahu, Dois 
Corregos, Pirassununga, Descalvado, Limeira, Rio 
Ciaro, Araras Louveira, etc., wherein it is stated 
that as to the frosts, although heavy, they had not 
happily produced the expected damage ; in any case 
a good part of the August bloom is lost and for this 
the winds and cold sufficed, independent of the frost. 
It is impossible to guarantee that the crop will 
be completely lost for we have still all the month of 
September and October for the blossoming of the 
coffee orchards, and it may be noted that the flower- 
ings of these two moaths are always the best and are 
the preferred of th<=! planters. If the orchards have 
not suffered gre-itly the crop may ba reduced but never 
completely lost, further advices we have received 
agreeing with this latter hypothesis. If the cold 
does not continue the orchards that slighty suffered 
may recuperate by October and produce a better 
blossom, the frost even serving as a benefit, as 
always happens when it is only sight." — Bio Neivs, 
Sept. 16th. 
♦ 
SHIPMENTS OF SUMATRA TOBACCO 
DURING 1888. 
The tobacco was shipped by steamers of the Ocean 
Steamship Company and the North-German Lloyd, 
the latter company having in its service the steamer 
" Schwalbe" for the purpose of carrying the tobacco 
from the East coast of Sumatra to Singapore. The 
freight charged by the North-German Lloyd and the 
Ocean Steamship Company form Delhi to Europe 
amounted to f.50 and f.40 per last respectively. A 
total of 129,918 bales in 1888, against 125,766 bales 
in 1887. Itmay further be observed that the total crop 
of 1887 amounted to 144,000 bales, against 138,512 
bales in the preceding year, 145,000 bales being ship 
ped from Penang. — L. <& C. Express, Oct. 25th. 
THE BOMBAY COTTON INDUSTRY. 
Bombay, Nov. 4th. — The cotton millowners in 
September passed a resolution to the effect that 
owing to the over production nnd consequent accu- 
mulation of stock in China and the large reduction in 
prices of cotton-twist, the work in mills be stopped 
eight days in three months from October to December. 
Forty-five mills agreed to the arrangement, which 
was duly observed in the first named month : but 
during the period a slight revival in the trade was 
noticeable in China and Japan, and, rates advancing, 
a desire was expressed to set aside the resolution. A 
circular was sent round last week intimating that the 
signatories to the arrangement might revert to the 
old usage of stopping their mills for two days in the 
month and on recognised holidays. — Pioneer. 
♦- 
Ceylon Tobacco. — I saw your Deli correspond- 
ent's letter, that he did not oonsider the prioe that 
we got for our Bremen lot was good. He did not 
take into consideration that tho tobacco we sent 
was all of the very worst description, and of the 
ooarsest, variety, but the tobacoo was well cured, 
which our Deli friend said we could not oure in 
small lota, in a previous letter.— W. G. 
