770 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1890. 
the capital, success is assured. The store Mr. Pineo 
has opened has everything to recommend it, the 
situation is capitrl, the arrangement inside is most 
attractive, and the whole work seems to have been 
most carefully, artistioally and economically done. 
In Mr. Pineo as Manager the Company starts well 
piloted, for he knows his business thoroughly, has 
had experience, and has aotually gone through 
the tea mill. He is, too, if not a veritable 
Yankee, almost one, knows the country and its 
people not merely well, but intimately. The 
manner in which Mr. Pineo has started is 
the manner which experience has shown me to 
be correct, to wit, retail. 'T is mere folly, waste 
of time and mor ey to attempt to get the grocers 
to buy and sell your tea. To begin with. The 
grocers are making 150 % on the Chinese and 
Japanese teas tb> y sell 1 1 1 Is it likely they are 
going in for Indian or Oeylon teas and a com- 
paratively small profit ? Philanthropy is not one 
of the commodities in a grocer's shop 1 I had muoh 
converse with the genus " grocer," during the time 
I was at the American Institute Fair — their con- 
versation was peculiarly " straight," a spade they 
called a spade. Being in the position I was, 't is 
possible they considered me one of their own 
kind. " We don't want your tea, we make a very 
nice thing out of our teas. Yours may be better, 
we don't say thry ain't, but our customers have 
been drinking our teas for a many years, and they 
are going on drinking them, right straight along, 
so long as we can make them. You bet. No, sir, 
why should we handle your teas ? To make money 
for you ? Eats IN A day may come when our 
oustomers will insist on having your teas, but you '11 
have to induce them to do that, vie shan't! When 
they do insist, why then we '11 talk business about 
handling your teas, but not now. 
The grooer is no fool— and he is one of our 
impediments. 
Not only have we to introduce a new article, and 
get a nation to ohange its taste entirely, and to 
interest itself in something quite unknown to it. 
Not only have we to fight against ignorant and 
Bhallow prejudice, custom and habit which are 
Beoond nature — but we must kiok out the old article 1 
— knock downjand smash up the old idol " Oolong." 
Do you imagino this can be accomplished in a day 
and without great opposition. Ignorant prejudice, 
baoked by grocery blandishment and aided by the 
fiend Perquisite, are no mythcal foes. People 
who have dealt with their grocer for years are not 
all at once going to admit they have been "fooled " 
by him. Many acitizenesses would sooner go on drink- 
ing ensilage all the days of her life than admit that. 
An American can stand anything but that. Besides 
is n't it far more probable that the newcomer is 
trying to " fool " them ? That such is the case our 
unotuous grocer is careful to tell them 1 'T is easy 
too for the " directors in distress " as Maxwell 
calls our "lady helps" to ruin your chance with 
"her folks." She is enamoured of the two candle- 
sticks in the grocer's window, which can be obtained 
by the purchase of so many pounds of " gunpowder." 
'• Her folks" will drink " gunpowder " for some time. 
These are a few of the obstaoles we have to 
contend against in endeavouring to come into con- 
tact with the better — ? there is no superlative — (i. e. 
moneyed) classes. 
To oome into direct contaot with the better 
(£. e. moneyed !) classes, is the stepping-stone to 
success. That is our difficulty. To gain Gould, 
Vanderbilt, Croesus et hoc genus omne ! The mass 
will follow. There too we shall find our friend the 
grocer. Thus will the demand be created, whole- 
sale trade will follow. Thus I am oonfident the de- 
mand has to be created, to oome into direct contact 
with these people and induce them to try your teas, 
to show them how to make other tea, for this 
they don't know, and to have a little conversation 
with them anent it, and to interest them. That is 
the procedure. Then every pound of tea going to 
that house is a really telling advertisement. For 
women here are as loquacious as elsewhere, if 
possible more than elsewhere, for here they de- 
oidedly " bess " the show. This description of 
customer, the better (i.e. the moneyed) class, value the 
article purchased entirely by the price they pay for it. 
The greater the prioe, the greater the desire to 
purchase 111 " Give me the highest priced you 
have got," two-thirds of one's customers say 1 ! 1 
They glory in showing they can buy the highest priced 
article there is. If the same tea was offered aB twenty- 
five cents a pound, do you imagine charming Mies 
Croesus would buy it, "nasty cheap Btuff." Upon 
my arrival here I considered $1 per lb. an appalling 
price — and a mistake. I have " lived and "learnt." 
&1 is not sufficient. Tea at and $2 can be got 
at most grocers. "Your tea ain't aB good as 
Tompkins & Oo.'s, but then of course that costs 
almost double as much and one cannot expect it," 
simpers Mrs. Ingot. "Is this the very best ? ain't 
you got no peeko flowers, smelling like oranges, 
yellow buds like Ma used to buy some at $2 50 per 
lb. Was n't it just lovely 1 " says smart Miss 
Crossus as she daintily trips away, quite discontented 
at having paid only $1. 
These girls are charming, thrilling, enticing, and 
beautiful exceedingly. They are chatty and free, 
most independent and business-like, dressed most 
enticingly and shod to perfection — but, ah me 1 
confiding affection, refinement, and retiring shyness, 
are unknown to them, whilst a blush has never 
been seen on one of their pretty faces. Lovely, 
they most certainly are— but not lovable. Your 
readers will forgive this uninteresting digression ! 
1 Tisas well you should know we have some little 
pleasure in our lowly calling, that even ' handling tea" 
has some alloy : (N. B. There are two vacancies here.) 
Mr. Melville White, in one o£ his interesting 
letters, wrote that he was of opinion the only 
way to educate the people's taste would be by selling 
a mixture of Chinese and Ceylon teas, in order 
to gradually wean the people. This at first sight 
seems a very sensible idea, but not upon consider- 
ation. You would thus prolong your eduoation in- 
definitely, you would have to educate the taste to 
your mixture. Then — ? Having, with just the 
same difficulty, mind you, that we have now with 
the pure article, educated them to drink some mixture, 
you still have to teach them not to drink it ! but 
to leave it for your pure Ceylon ! Who is going 
to " finish " this education and when — ? Mr. 
White would have us spend time and money in 
educating them to drink something which we must 
eventually teach them not to drink 1 Surely this 
is a case of reductio ad absurdum. No 1 we must 
teach, enoourage, cajole, and entice, even beg, 
them if necessary, to drink our tea, but it must 
be the pure article, nothing less. Let them mix 
it themselves if they like, we can't help that, but 
we must never encourage it. 
Mr. Murray of Philadelphia wrote something to the 
same purport as Mr. White, about a year ago I think ? 
Surely he must have seen an abomination known here 
as the " English breakfast tea." It is a mixture, a 
nauseate, and I believe a certain emetic My ex- 
perience is that the people detest it. "It ain't any- 
thing like the ' English breakfast,' is it ? be- 
cause that always makes me sick to my stomach," 
says Miss Goldenton, with horror depicted all over 
our pretty face. Yes, we must introduce the pure 
thing, and the only way to do it is a retail business 
—to begin with, 
