May r, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 761 
CEYLON TEA IN 1889. 
WILSON, SMITHETT & GOVS CEYLON TEA 
MEMORANDA FOR 1889. 
London, March, 1890. 
The amount of Ceylon Tea offered in auction in 
London between January 1st and December 31st, 1889> 
shewed an increase of about 50 per cent over the supply 
of tbe previous year, and realised an average price of 
1031 per lb., against llil per lb. in 1888 and Is Id in 
1887, when the imports were but little more th in a 
third of those of the jear under review. 
Taking into consideration the displacement of a 
further amouut of 19,000,000 lb. of China Tea in the 
Home Consumption for 1889 by Teas of British-Indian 
growth, and the competition of the continued inorease 
iu the Indiau output, this e mall reduction in the average 
price for the past year may be viewed with comparative 
equanimity. 
The Tea Market in 1889. 
In tracing the course of the market during 18S9 the 
chief feature to notice is the unparalleled depression, 
which, commencing in the early spring, remained un- 
relieved till the first week in July, when, as usual, a 
reaction set in, culminating in the most buoyant market 
we had experienced for some years. During the first 
six or seven weeks of the year, when the lowest grades 
for price were still ruling comparatively high, nud Id 
to 2d per lb. dearer than the corresponding claBs of 
Indian, buyers commenced to restrict themselves 
almost entirely to immediate requirements ; the arri- 
vals generally at this period shewed a falling-off in 
quality, and the tendency of the market was towards 
lower prices for poor to ordinary liquoring Teas, and 
rather improving rates for those liquors combining 
strength and flavor. Early in March the demand for the 
beBt liquoring descriptions became more accentuated, 
but the larger proportion of poor and medium qualities 
continued to fall iu value. In face of the heavy im- 
ports in May dealers continued to operate in the most 
careful manner, and throughout June tbe apprehen- 
sions of sellers and buyers, alike, as to the future of 
the market were such, that good Pekoe Souchongs 
were selling at 6Jd per lb. and the poorest Souchongs 
as low as 4^1 pi r lb ; the average for everything sold 
one week at this period was between 8|d and 9d per 
lb., and some of the poorest invoices were averaging 
only 6Jd per lb. Early in July this downward course 
was stemmed. The first New Season's Mouings had 
just arrived, and, although of distinctly better quality 
than the first arrivals of the previous year, they met 
with a very cool reception, entirely lacking the ex- 
oitement traditionally connected with the arrival of 
the first steamer from Hankow. Country as well as 
London buyers now apparently began to realise the 
abnormally good values of CeylonB generally, and the 
stocks that had been accumulating during the earlier 
months of the year commenced to go readily iuto con- 
sumption, the deliveries for July exceeding those for 
June by 1,000,000 lb. As the demand increased the 
quality of the supplies coming forward improved and 
the advance in values, now well established gradually 
stre-Jgthened. Owing priuoipally to the scarcity of 
freight the imports during August were exceedingly 
light, falling considerably short of those of the same 
mouth iu 1888, the deliveries for that month, on the 
other hand, showed an increase of 50 per oent.. and 
afforded ample proof of the sound position of the artiole 
at this period. At the commencement of September, 
however, business was Beriously interrupted for a while 
by the great Dock Strike. The difficulty and uncer- 
tainty of obtaining delivery caused dealers to restrict 
their operations as much as possible, and compara- 
tively little toa was put on the market at this period. 
On work being roanmed at the warehouses the demand 
at once became more active, and up to the end of 
Ootober the market gradually hardened, the average 
price for all entire iuvoioos rising to Is 2Jd per lb. 
—Id higher than the highest record in 1888. Tekoe 
96 
Souchongs and Souchongs, both fine and common, were 
now ruling quite 80 per cent, dearer than at the 
lowest point in June. Iu November the market aga : u 
began to shew si^ns of weakness ; teas " for price " con- 
tinued for some little while longer to rule steadily, but 
the better d* scriptions and intermediate kinds gradually 
gave way. During the few we ks prior to Christmas a 
very flat tone, as usual, prevailed, and at the closing 
auctions of the year the average price had receded to 
il£d per lb. 
The List of Estates and Ceylon Industry. 
This year we have confined our list of estates to those 
which have sold in auction a minimum amount of 
20,000 lb. during the year. Adopting a suggestion made 
last year, we have on this occasion divided them into 
four groups, according to the weight of tea sold, and 
beyond giving the averages realised during 1889, we 
have (with a few exceptions not recorded) added these 
of the previous year. We must once more draw atten- 
tion to the fact that owing to the growing practice of 
shipping Colombo purchases under fancy marks we have 
been unable to trace all the produce of certain 
gardens, ai.d any appireut discrepancies in the yield of 
any marks is either due to this cause or to the fact that, 
in some instances, the garden has disposed of a portion 
of its produce through other channels than those of the 
London and Colombo markets. In some oases, notably 
of some well kuown Dolobbage marks, we have preferred 
to omit them altogether, as in these instances their 
produce during the latter half of the year, when the 
highest rates were ruling, was sold simply on " garden 
account" without tbe mark being disclosed. As far as 
it is possible, however, we have ensured accuracy, and 
we tiust that the information we have compiled may 
pruve of interest and of some practical use to planters. 
We venture to think that, on the whole, our 
statistics afford food for reflection, and not a little 
ground for congratulation and encouragement, to all 
concerned in an industry which has arrived at such 
a wonderful development in so short a time. 
It is, we think, no exaggeration to say that the 
development of the Ceylon Tea trade stands unrivalled 
in the records of all similar planting enterprises. The 
history of the rise of the Indian Tea industry, with the 
vast acreage at its disposal, steadily as it has increased 
iu yield jear by year, serves only to bring into stronger 
relief an enterprise whioh, virtually starting in 1881 
with an export of about 300,000 lb., has in its ninth year 
shipped to the mother country and elsewhere nearly 
33,000,000 lb. of Tea, representing a value of £1,500,000. 
Some idea of this rapid growth, due to climatic ad- 
vantages and the enterprise of the planters of Ceylon, 
may be gathered from the fact that in the history of 
the Indian Tea industry the same result was only ob- 
tained after a lapse of more than twenty years. 
Results : Estate Marks, Tea Sold and Averages 
Realized. 
To revert for a moment to our table of estate results, 
we would draw attention to a few salient features, whioh 
seem to afford considerable encouragement for the 
future. The result obtained by the first named on the 
list— Wallaha — will be considered exceedingly satis- 
factory ; at this faotory a good deal of leaf is we believe 
bought, but an increase of 50 per cent in the manufac- 
ture is accompanied by a rise of about 10 per cent in 
the average price. Two of the oldest marks, Maria- 
watte and KAW, have turned out over 1,000,000 lb. be- 
tween them at an average price of lid per lb.; in these 
two instances the cost of production in the laf-t few 
years must have been most materially reduoed. In the 
next group the oaso of Glenugie claims attention; the 
yield of this estate shews an increase of more than 38 
per cent over that ot the previous season, and has rea- 
lised an average price of Is 2Jd per lb., or only ;d per 
lb. less than in 1888— a figure 2d per lb in advance of 
any other estate in Maskeliya. In the cases of Bambra- 
kelly, Ohapelton, Kirkoswahl, Lalmkelle, and numerous 
others equally satisfactory results may be found, and 
generally without undue recourse to fine plucking. 
At the head of eaoh group a great many peerages 
* 
