THE TB0P1CKL *W!tWLTUIfl&T\ [May i, 1890. 
their leaf if of good quality ; and it is a recognised fact 
that good leaf can be produced in China second to cone 
in the world if it only pays the farmer to cultivate it. 
Let us now look at the share oi the world's tea trade 
that China still retains and compare it with what the 
has lost, not even allowing for the natural increase in 
the world's consumption, and we find that only tLiee 
years ago China exported 290 million lb. of tea whilst 
India and Ceylon contributed but a little over 80 millions, 
but in this past year China's export has fallen to 214 
millions whilst that of India and the other duty-free 
producing oountries has risen to over 160 millions. 
A striking example of the difference between taxation 
and free export, and one that should even appeal to the 
selfish instincts of the perversely blind Government 
of China, that apparently cares little whether or no the 
greatest trade of its people be retained by them or be 
utterly crushed. To an enlightened government the 
welfare of its people is of more importance than the 
mere collection of revenue, unless the Chinese govern- 
ment and those who advise it can be speedily brought 
to see this, the great tea trade of this country will gra- 
dually become extinct. Let the likin and export duties 
be taken off entirely until the country has had a charce 
to regain that share of the world's commerce which she 
has lost, and is continuing to lose through the purblind 
policy of taxing her principal export.— N. C. Herald. 
ON THE TANNIN IN INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEAS. 
By David Hooper, f.c.s., f.i.o. 
[We quoted and noticed the abridgment of Mr. 
Hooper's valuable paper which appeared in the 
Chemical News, but the details are of so much 
interest to tea planters that we now give in full 
the copy which has reached us from the author. 
—Ed. T. A.] 
The proximate constituents of tea leaves have been 
studied and estimated by various chemists with 
equally varying results and conclusions. The alkaloid 
therein, physiologically the stimulating principle of 
tea, has been determined in various samples, but the 
results have shown that no relation exists between 
the amount present and the commercial value of the 
leaf, or the elevation at which the bushes grow. A 
number of elaborate analyses have been published on 
the composition of the inorganio matter or ash of tea, 
but it seems that no useful lessons to the planters can 
be drawn from these tables. 
The tannin of tea has also been investigated, both 
qualitatively and quantitatively, but as the subject has 
been treated by so many experts using different 
methods and applying them to different samples, the 
results are not comparable and leave the subject 
open for further enquiry. 
Mulder's analyses of tannin in teas are often quoted 
in text-books; his figures for black tea are 12-88, and 
green tea 17'80 per cent. Dragendorff found in teas of 
Russian commerce 9 - 42 to 12'70 per cent ; Janke 
obtained a maximum of 9' 14 and a minimum of 6'92 
per cent in eighteen samples ; Wigner, analysing some 
astringent teas, reported as much as 27'7 to 42 - 3 per 
cent ; Hassall gives as the average 15 24 in black and 
18-69 per cent in green teas ; Clar k found from 5 to 
19 per cent; and Geisler, an American ohemist 
obtained 14-87 as the average percentage of tannin in 
a large number of packages of Indian teas imported 
into New York. 
The interpretation of these figures has been also 
remarkable. Some isolated analyses have recently 
gone the round of the Indian papers to the effect that 
un Inrlian tea gave 9 68 per cent of tannin and a Chinese 
tea 6'01 por cent and these figures have been quoted 
with a view to disparage Indian teas, and to exalt the 
virtues of Chinase leaves. The teas of Ceylon have 
also been examined, and from a few analyses it has 
gone forth that the tannin, as a rule, in the teas of this 
inland is much smaller than in Indian specimens. 
Again, tea growers on the mountain tops have used 
figures to show the superiority of their produce com- 
pared with that of theplaine, and the following extiact 
taken from a local paper, circulating in a planting com- 
munity, will Bhow what ignorance is displayed on the 
subject : — 
" The strong rasping Assam brew, and the make of 
all gardens situated at low elevations, are known to 
contain upwards of 75 per cent of tannin, while moun- 
tain trees are comparatively free from this deleterious 
ingredient." 
Tannin 
Description of Sample. Elevation, per ceDt. 
Nilgiris — 
1 Dodabetta Orange Pekoe ... 7800 13-65 
2 Do Pekoe ... ... do 1323 
3 Do Souchong ... do 12-32 
4 Do CoDgou ... do ll - 08 
5 Green leaves, inferior ... 7000 19-19 
6 Do Liddellsdale ... 6500 16-38 
7 Do Young bushes ... do 19'00 
8 Do Hytrid ... 6000 18-66 
9 Do China variety ... do 16'62 
10 Do Assam hybrid ... 3100 21-03 
11 Do Coarse ... do 11-52 
12 Hope Estates, Orange tips ... 4000 18-61 
13 Do Orange Pekoe... do 18-35 
14 Do Broken Pekce ... do 17-52 
15 Do Pekoe ... do 16-85 
16 Do Pekoe Souchong do 17-53 
17 Do Souchong ... do 1588 
18 Do Congou ... do 13-19 
19 Do Tray dust ... do 18 55 
20 Do Bulk Tea ... do 18 00 
21 Do a (MandariD Broken do 24-37 
22 Do S do Pekoe do 23-85 
23 Do £ (Bulk ... ... do 2350 
24 Aratapara, Orange Pekoe ... 3400 14-48 
25 Do Pekoe ... ... do 14-14 
26 Do Pekoe Souchong ... do 12-25 
27 Do Souchong ... do ll - 96 
28 Do Congou ... do 10-14 
29 Do Dust ... ... do 1442 
Travancore— 
30 Seafield, Broken Pekoe ... 2500 19-95 
31 Do do do ... do 21-22 
32 Do Pekoe Souchong ... do 20-90 
33 Do do do ... do 21-13 
34 Poonmuddi, Orange Pekoe ... 2600 17'45 
35 Do Pekoe ... ... do 17-37 
Coorg — 
36 Munza-collie, Orange Pekoe,.. 4000 16-93 
37 Do Pekoe... ... do 16-32 
38 Do Souchong ... do 15-15 
Ceylon — 
39 Glenorcby, Broken Pekce ... 5700 19-00 
40 Do Pekoe ... ... do 17 90 
41 Brownlow, Pekoe ... ... 4000 20-80 
42 D Pekoe ... ... do 19-22 
43 Ancombra, Broken Pekoe ... 2500 18-40 
44 Yellangowry, Pekoe ... do 15-67 
45 Do Pekoe Souchong ... do 15-00 
46 Bandarapolla, Broken Pekoe ... 1600 18-53 
47 Do Pekoe ... ... do 17-40 
48 Do Pekoe Souchong ... do 17 20 
49 Kanangania, Broken Pekoe ... 200 20'87 
60 Do Pekoe ... do 17-48 
51 Do Pekoe Souchong i do 15-41 
Assam — 
52 Orange Pekoe .. 600 20 8o 
53 Pekoe ... do 20"43 
54 Pekoe ... do 18-68 
55 Pekoe ... do 1925 
56 Broken Pekoe Souchong ... do 16-83 
57 Pekoe Souchong ... do 16-18 
Darjeeling — 
58 Orange Pekoe ... 3000 13-61 
59 Broken Pekoe ... do 17-74 
60 Pekoe ... do 16 37 
61 Pekoe ... do 1367 
62 Pekoe ... do 14 74 
63 Pekoe ... do 14 64 
64 Pekoe ... do 1452 
65 Fannings ... do 15-25 
The tannin of tea leaves, according to Rochleder, 
Alasiwetz, and Malin, is allied to quercitannic acid, 
and according to Kellner is identical with gallotannic 
acid. It is precipitated from its solution with acetate 
of lead, forms an insoluble precipitate with gelatin, 
and iuky mixtures with salts of iron ; it is associated 
with gallic acid, boheric acid, oxalic acid, and quer- 
cetin, and is the source of the astringency of the tea. 
From the numerous methods for the estimation of 
tannin, the one that commended itself to me was the 
use of a solution of acetate of lead to a filtered decoo- 
