January i, 1890.I THST TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
479 
"I am very glad to see by tbe T. A. that a bright 
speck appears tor your future good in Ceylon new pro- 
ducts and go-ahead is your cry- Tue t> & is your .stand- 
by : it is always increasing in favour; ell tbe people here 
say Kintyre estate is the best tea we have had for 
a long time. I see you notice our crash on the sugar 
industry : this style of colonialism will when it is too late 
find out its mistake. At prtsent neither cacao, coffee, 
fruit nor anything else can possibly pay. Still, I am 
determined to introduce them at their best." 
COCONUT OIL PROSPECTS. 
There is an impression in some circles that the coco- 
nut oil market will suffer an important decline alter 
the turn of the year, on account of liberal supplies 
being afloat and ready for shipment. Such a belief is 
pronounced erroneous as stocks are in a position favor- 
able to higher prices. The vessels on the way with 
Ceylon oil are the"B. Morrow" with 300 tons, due Nov. 
15th, the "Holmsdale"with 650 tons and expected daily 
to arrive, the"Glenesslin" with 750 tons will comet" hand 
about midwinter, to be followed by the "Veronica" and 
" Lansfield" with moderate amounts. The cargo of the 
unfortunate "Fede Speranza" is expected about Jan. 1st 
on the "James Wishart." Large consumers have antici- 
pated their wants and bought most of the stock afluat, 
thus leaving very little to go into store. It is claimed 
that the market was seldom in a better position than 
now exists, and that a firm feeling is likely to rule for 
the next eight months. Although consumption is largely 
on the increase, the amount annually distributed in the 
United States for that purpose being placed at 6,000 
tons, there has been an important decrease in exports 
from Colombo. The total quantity shipped during the 
year ending Sept. 5th only reached 286,537 cwts., in 
comparison with 328,767, for the previous year. This 
is accouuted for by the fact that low prices discour- 
aged production, which has been limited to a greater 
extent recently. Cochin oil is consumed in the United 
States to the amount of 1,000 tons annually, but the 
local market has been bare of supplies for some weeks 
because values are below the views of shippers on the 
other side. Only two small lots are on the way, the 
"Suffolk" bringing about 150 tons and the " ft. Morrow" 
275 tons, most of which has left first hands. It would not 
be surprising to see a higher range of prices all around 
before the opening of the new year, and some operators 
are cutting their cloth accordingly.— Oil, Paint and Drug 
Reporter. 
& 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
INTRODUCTION OF CEYLON TEA JN TO AMERICA — SOME 
VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS — AMERICA'S THADE DODGES — 
THE FORTHCOMING EXHIBITION AND THE REPRE- 
SENTATION OF CEYEON ADVOCATED. 
Philadelphia, Nov. 6th. 
While in new York, I oalled on Mr. B. Mac- 
gregor who was formerly in Colombo, and from 
him I got the address of Mr. E. B, Arthur, for- 
merly on Kirkoswald estate, who is now acting 
for Messrs. Davidson of Belfast, as their agent 
for Sirocco Tea. I had several long conversations 
with him on the subject of our teas, in America, 
as woll as with Mr. Murray of this city ; and 
their remarks, coupled with my own experience 
during my trip, inevitably drive me to the conclusion 
that the introduction of our teas will be an exceedingly 
difficult and slow undertaking. It must not be un- 
derstood that 1 am hopeless on the subject, but I 
doubt if your American Company appreciates the 
difficulty. Our teas are already known, but no one 
wants to buy them and very few care to drink 
them. The reason grocers do not want to buy 
them is that their trade channels already established 
are rilled with Chinas and Japans, for which they 
have a ready sale and from w hich they make a 
larger profit than they oan hope for out of 
Ceylons ; and the public won't drink our teas (i.e. 
won't buy them) because they are thoroughly 
accustomed to the other kinds and because they 
don't know how to make tea (in the pot). It is 
left to the servant man or girl, and if you only 
knew what the American domestic was like, you 
would not wonder at the awful decoctions of tepid 
water that are often served up as tea. 
In nearly every large city I have visited I called on 
one or two of the leading wholesale men, and in every 
ease I have found Ceylon tea known, but all united 
in saying that it won't sell pure at any rate for 
a long time to come, and none were disposed to 
take it up and push it. The American business 
man is not going to push Ceylon tea unless he sees 
li;s way to making more out of it than he does out 
o£ Chinas and Japans ; and so long as the public 
know nothing about the tea they are drinking, 
the trader will go on pushing these cheap impure 
teas. These then are the primary difficulties wnich 
must be overcome, and you (and the Company) can 
readily see they are not inconsiderable. I think they 
must start by mixing and swallow their pride. For 
the American cares nothing and knows less (1) 
where the article comes from or how it is made. 
He must have something that he likes ; and can- 
didly I believe he can be made to like a good 
deal if you have a smart enough man to help 
it over his throat. Blending therefore is in my 
opinion the first step to success. Abandon the 
idea of selling Ceylon tea as Ceylon tea, but 
adopt a brand — the more attractive the better — and 
push your brand, not perhaps , entirely putting 
"Ceylon" out of sight (for it might come in 
afterwards) but at any rate keeping it in the 
background. 
If your Company can see their way to improving 
the efficiency of the average American " slavey " 
(Max O'Eell calls them " reduced duchesses ") 
they will have overcome the next most Berious 
difficulty and laid this vast Continent under an 
obligation which no amount of tea buying on its 
part could ever repay ; but inasmuch as this 
object probably does not fall within the articles 
of Association of the Company I had better pass 
it over. 
Spending three months in the States is far from 
sufficient to give one any intimate knowledge of busi- 
ness men and business practices here. But I claim 
to have made a pretty good use of my lime, and 
though I only wish my opinions to be taken for 
what they are worth, I venture to send them as 
being possibly of some little value and at least 
cj[uite impartial. Business here is to a great ex- 
tent a game of "bluff" (English, deceit and 
lying 1), by which the contents of the pocket-book 
of the purchaser is to be transferred to the pocket- 
book of the seller. Never mind how the transfer 
is effected, but transfer it. Conscience is entirely 
out of place, especially with a new article. Success 
then in great measure depends on the ability 
of the business man to "bluff" artfully (i.e. to 
conceal the art 1) There are many other little dodges 
in trade peculiar to America or at any rate better 
developed there which only an American can 
successfully cope with (unless one has been a very 
long resident), and I believe it is a mistake sending 
Englishmen here to start a new thing in trade.* 
1 do not wish to be understood to undervalue 
the services of those gentlemen who have been 
working Ceylon and Inuian teas here. Not at all. 
They have bouyht their experience and paid high for 
it. Bub I would humbly advise the Company to 
employ Americans as much as possible, retaining 
the services of an Englishman as their trust- 
* Mr. Plueo is more Yankee than English, a .Nova 
Scotiuu, and knows the American tea trade well.— Ed, 
