4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fJtfLV i, 1887. 
buying, now so general, has largely reduced the "in- 
visible supplies " held out of bond by retailers ; 
while, owing to the determination of importers and 
dealers not to carry heavy stocks over from one sea- 
son to another, the stock in the bonded wharehouse 
is now 20,000,000 lb. less than it was six years ago, 
to meet the wants of a trade 2,000,000 1b. permouch 
heavier. The effect of this is felt in the sensitive- 
ness of prices whenever, from any reason, a general 
demand sets in. 
A broad review of the position, then, is distinctly 
favourable to the Indian and Ceylon interest — in 
which, as a purely Britisji industry, we are most con- 
cerned — and for the reasons above mentioned, especi- 
ally the fact that cost of production has been so 
much lowered, and popularity with the home trade 
firmly established, the outlook is encouraging to 
those whose capital and energies are employed in 
these great industries of India and Ceylon. — II. <£• C. 
Mail, May 6th. 
THE TEA TRADE AND PLANTING IN INDIA. 
The Economist of last week published a ve ry in- 
teresting review of the present position of the tea 
trade. It was especially so from the fullness of 
the comparison it drew between the relative trades 
of this country with China and with India and 
Ceylon. The two latter countries have been grouped 
in this comparison, so that it is difficult to extract 
from the article anything having sole and special 
relation to your island. It is stated by the writer 
of the article in question that, early in last autumn 
the receipts from all sources were not estimated 
to exceed 230 million lb., whereas the highest 
estimate of requirement was 240 million lb. Dealers 
feared a fall in prices, and threw the onus of keep- 
ing stocks upon the importers. The China shippers 
held back from selling, whereas the India and Cey- 
lon teas were sold rapidly on arrival. This latter 
course established for all but the finest description 
a low scale of prices, and the Indian and Ceylon 
met a quick market, while China teas, when sub- 
sequently brought forward, had already suffered 
much from the competition then established, and 
whereas from October to March 1881-2 of the con- 
sumption of China and Java teas was 59 million 
lb. or against only 23 million lb. of India and Cey- 
lon, in 1886-7 the figures were so received that 
the sale of the latter reached 43^ million lb. against 
48£ million lb. of China and Java. The effect of 
this the writer states to have been a complete re- 
adjustment of prices, Indian having risen while 
China has fallen. But this has not yet brought 
a return of prosperity to the China growths, for 
the percentage of India and Ceylon deliveries 
during last week were the highest yet recorded, 
and this is assigned to the fact that the retailers 
have become impressed with the superior value 
of Indian teas. It is estimated that for the re- 
quirements of the coming season 225 million lb. 
will be wanted, and that of this there will be 
wanted 120 million lb. from China and Java. It 
is believed to be doubtful if at the low prices now 
obtainable the China tea can recover its position 
so as to make it worth the while of the importers 
to bring in this quantity. Space forbids my pur- 
suing further extracting from the article referred 
to, but its full perusal may well be recommended 
to all your planters and others interested in 
the progress of the tea trade. The closing 
paragraph of the article may, however, well be 
quoted in cxtcntso. " A broad review of the pos- 
ition then, is distinctly favourable to the Indian 
and Ceylon interest — in which, as a purely 
British industry, wc are most concerned — and for 
the reason abovementioned, especinlly the fact 
that cost of production has been so much lowered 
and popularity with the home trade firmly es- 
tablished, the outlook is encouraging to those 
whose capital and energies are employed in these 
great industries of India and Ceylon." 
A conversation had by me this week with an 
officer who has long resided in the tea districta 
of India enabled mo to ascertain from him the 
views held by Indian tea planters as to the effect 
the competition of Ceylon is likely to produce upon 
them. He tells me that the planters of India 
say that they will contrive to live down all your 
island efforts. They argue, he says, that Ceylon has 
a very thin deposit of soil, and that tea being a 
very exhausting crop this will soon become 
worked out and the tea bushes will lose all vitality 
while they also contend that Ceylon does not 
possess the facilities for the large application of 
the manure which could alone stay the gradual 
extinction of the proper qualities in the soil needed 
for tea. I am quite unable to judge whether there 
can be any justification to be found for such a 
line of argument. If there be, all the stronger 
reason is then why all your planters should receive 
the greatest degree of aid possible in the means for 
transporting manure to their estates. My friend 
said the soil in the terai of India was that best 
suited for tea, that it was of great depth and al- 
most virgin, while by degrees the fearful unhealthi- 
ness of the district has been overcome, and 
many Europeans and their families are now lead- 
ing healthy lives there, — London Cor. 
CEYLON ORCHIDS. 
Not long back you published some remarks 
upon the orchids of Ceylon and the probability 
that if they were well searched for, the labour of 
doing so might be made to pay well. An enthusiast 
on the subject of orchids whom I met this week 
told me that he had just been to Bull's Show of 
those plants at Chelsea, and that there was not 
a specimen lower priced than five pounds. Another 
authority told me that a Mr. Lowe, a younger 
brother of Sir Hugh Lowe of Perak, had realized 
a fortune of £250,000 sterling by dealing in 
orchids alone. Of course he has a travel- 
ling staff of highly trained and correspond- 
ingly paid agents, who search all new coun- 
tries such as Upper Burma, Borneo &c. It 
was told me that it was Mr. Lowe's own discoveries 
in the latter country which laid the foundation of 
his great fortune. In illustration of the procedure 
of these agents, my friend told me that one of 
these chanced to visit a Colonel — then resident 
somewhere in Burma. He saw an orchid perfectly 
new to him, and of magnificent form and colour. 
He eagerly asked where it was obtained and the 
Colonel told him he had come across it in some 
valley in Northern India and brought it with him 
to Burma. The energetic agent lost no time, but 
was off by the next steamer to Calcutta, and pro- 
ceeding upcountry to the foot of the Himalayas 
searched the whole district till he came across the 
Valley described. It abounded in specimens of the 
orchid of which the adventurer had seen a single 
one in the house of his friend in Burmah. He col- 
lected a thousand of them, and shipped himself with 
them direct to Mr. Lowe in England. The plants 
sold lor thirty guineas a piece! Their collector 
again returned to India and brought home another 
thousand plants, which he also sold well for Mr. 
Lowe in England ; but after this second consign- 
ment was made the locality of the orchids got 
wind, and being very numerous there they were 
sent home in such numbers that the price soon 
dropped. This story seems to show that your con- 
tention that further searchin Ceylon might be re- 
munerative was not at all far-fetched, — London Cor. 
