786 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1890. 
THE GKEAT " TEA " QUESTION. 
Two or three things combine at the present moment 
to make the subject of tea and the tea market possess 
more than ordinary interest. To our readers the forth- 
coming season and the demand that is likely to be 
required from China will be of peculiar interest. Un- 
fortunately, there is no disguising the fact that the 
outlook is very far from encouraging. That there will 
always exist a certain demand for a quantity of China 
tea is inevitable, for there are people who will not 
drink any other. They rightly object to the extra per- 
centage of tannin found in Indian and Ceylon teas, 
whilst the aroma of the better class China teas is lack- 
ing in the more pungent and darker liquids brewed 
from its rivals. Still, this class of persons is limited, 
and medical discrimination has not gone very far as 
yet in prescribing China tea for invalids in consequence 
of the smaller tannic properties that it possesses. For 
the main bulk of the lower and middle classes, par- 
ticularly amongst the labouring and artisan sections 
©f the community, there is no douot that Indian and 
Ceylon teas are preferred, because from the stronger 
infusion a pound of tea does go farther, and 
quantity more than quality counts with them. This 
fact also appears to be the solution of what at 
first appears extraordinary, viz. — that though it 
is generally known more tea is drunk, the statis- 
tics of aotual pounds do not show any augmentation 
last year, the total home consumption being 
185,622,0001b against 185,434,0001b. in 1888, and 
183,636,000 lb. in 1887. As Messrs. Geo. White and 
Co. point out in a circular we quoted in our last issue, 
the explanation may probably be found in the greater 
strength possessed by the teas of India and Ceylon 
over those of <_h na. In fact India and Ceylon, as 
compared with China, is •' over proof," which, no doub% 
is a great reason for their popularity in the eyes of 
domestic economists. As for the coming season the 
demand is likely to continue in the same vein. We 
have already unfortunately had to state that the orders 
from the home market for China teas given to the 
buyers before starting have been almost nil. For 
Kussia, on the contrary, they have been very large, 
and many of the English buyers have secured very 
fair orders from Moscow. But for the English market 
it will be found that 65,000,000 lb. to 70,000,000 lb. 
of China tea will amply oover all the requirements. 
India, it is estimated, will supply 110,000,000 lb., 
Ceylon 45,000,0 JO lb., and Java, &c. 5,000,000 lb., which 
will make up the required wants for home consump- 
tion and export. 
Another phase of the tea question is being sedulously 
worksd at home just at present. It is quite usual at this 
period of the year to have as large amounts in bond as 
possible, in view of an expected, or hoped for, reduction 
tof the duty when the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
makes his annual statement. How much the wish is 
again father to the hope we cannot presume to say. 
It is known that a considerable surplus will exist, but 
it is unlikely, as far as one can judge, that this duty 
will be altered. However, the matter is being ventilated, 
as far as possible, by those in favour of it. The Cobden 
Club are busy issuing pamphlets, &c, on the matter, 
and Mr. Picton has secured first place for Friday, 
April 11th, for his resolution in the House of Com- 
mons : — " That in the opinion of this House the Customs 
duty on tea ought to be abolished." Every person in the 
population consumes, it is estimated, a pint of tea per 
diem, and that, next to bread and sugar, it must be con- 
sidered asa necessary of life. The average tax onits costis 
75 per cent, and whereas tea can be purchased at the aver- 
age price of 8d per pound, it can be bought as low as 
4d, or as high as 2s or more, and as both and all classes 
pay 6d a pound, it results that the poorest classes pay 
150 per cent and the better classes 25 per cent. Of 
course the Cobden Clubites seize on this, and point 
out the peculiar hardship with whioh it bears on the 
poor. They work out figures to show that the agricul- 
tural labourer, whose pay is say, 13s a week, renders one 
whole week's wages in duty for tea in the course of a 
year. That these facts will doom the tax as it exists, or 
lead to discriminative duties for various classes of tea, is, 
however, extremely doubtful ; but the question will in 
part be decided, we presume, on April 11th, if Mr, 
Picton secures a hearing. It is scarcely likely, how- 
ever, the Government will readily give up a tax whioh 
yields over four millions anda-half annually in so easy 
a manner. — L. G. Express, March 28th. 
Planting in Tkavancorb. — We call attention to 
the instructive acoount given of his visit to Travan- 
core by Mr. H. D. Deane, and we are pleased to 
learn that there are so many signs of a revival 
of prosperity and of success in tea and other pro- 
ducts among our neighbours over the way- 
Ins£cx Pests. — What are we to say in Ceylon 
after the following from a Colonial journal: — 
" It has been estimated that the annual loss to 
the United States by insect pests amounts to the 
enormous sum of $159,000,000, and that the loss 
to cotton plantations alone reaches $15,000,000." 
What scope for the inventiveness even of Americana 
to fight these pests 1 
Peper Cultivation in Perak. — From the re- 
port on Taiping for December, we quote as follows: — 
Walked up to Pasir Panjang with the District 
Engineer, and visited Syed Musa's pepper plantation; 
Government have advanced up to date $2,890 on 
aocount of this estate. Sixteen aores are being opened 
up, and nine orlongs (twelve acres) are already 
planted with pepper. I did not count the vines, as 
this was done in Ootober last by Mr. Wise who re- 
ported that there were about 8,000 growing ; about 
25 per cent of those planted having died owing to 
the wet. Syed Musa has now however, adopted a 
more satistfactory system of drainage, whioh wi.l no 
doubt tend to decrease this percentage. In ths nur- 
series there are over 6,000 vines, but these will not 
be re>dy f<"-r putting out for some months. Iu the 
olearing first opened the vines are about twenty months 
old, and a number of them are coming into bearing. 
Nearly all the vines in this block are planted against 
dedaps, but by way of experiment, a few were put 
in against hard-wood posts. These latter I notioed 
were far in advance of the others. Syed Musa has 
now let contracts for the supply of 3,000 hardwood 
posts, whioh he intends using in future in preference 
to the dedap trees. 
The Annual Meeting op the Indian Tea Associa- 
tion was held in Calcutta on the 7th instant. The 
chairman, Mr. J. N. Stuart, referred in his speech 
to ooolie recruiting, whioh, he said, had received a 
large share of the committee's attention during 
the last year. With regard to the abuses in the 
present system of recruiting the oommittee were of 
opinion that if the free arkutti coolies were not 
allowed to be put under agreement at Dhubri some 
of the abuses might have been disposed of. A 
suggestion to this effeot was made to Government 
in April last, but an inquiry was then going on with 
regard to the working of Act I. of 1882, and Govern- 
ment did not see their way to adopt it. Since that 
time, on the report of the Assistant Commissioner 
of Assam, Government had decided to abolish 
Dhubri as a labour distriot. It remained to be seen 
whether the alteration of the working of the Act 
would have the desired effect. He thought it was 
generally known that the abuses in recruiting which 
excited so much attention this time last year had 
gradually abated, and that the state of things at 
present could be described as satisfactory. This 
result was largely due to the energy and taot dis- 
played by Mr. Tucker, the officer deputed by 
Government to inquire into the state of affairs. 
The attitute taken by the Association was instru. 
mental in bringing about an improvement. The 
arkuttis, finding that their method of binding 
coolies did not meet with the approval of the 
Association, were forced to adopt more honourable 
means of proouring labour. Amongst the resolutions 
adopted was one increasing the rate of subscription 
from 9 pies to one anna per aore under tea culti- 
vation. — Times of India, April 10th, 
