THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1888. 
pending so much care and time in the endeavour to 
make fine tea ? Opinions will differ ; we maintain, 
however, that in the long run individual producers, 
no less than the whole Industry, will gain by steadily 
aiming at a high standard of quality. The experi- 
ence of many seasons shows that whenever sup- 
plies of low teas are plentiful, they sink to a price 
which leaves but little, if any, margin for profit. 
So far as we know, the most careful investigation has 
not yet been able to explain why some of the best 
estates have not maintained their position — manage- 
ment, appliances, and system being unchanged ; nor 
why, if climatic conditions are alone accountable, 
it should be as marked in Assam as in Darjeeling. 
In the former district it may be that too many have 
tried to make tea of a particular type, and some have 
lost the valuable characteristics of body and strength, 
without gaining the special pungency at which they 
aimed, and which certainly is not to be attained 
merely by light fermentation. So much attention has 
been paid to the subject of fermentation that it is 
unnecessary to say more : but it should be real- 
ized that as a larger portion of Indian Tea enters year 
by year into the retailers' canister, so a growing pre- 
ference is shown for those kinds which can be readily 
used in place of China Congou without entirely alter- 
ing the character of the blend, not only to the palate, 
but also to the eye, in the colour of the liquor. 
Some of the most successful blenders who are 
among the largest users of Indian Tea now habitually 
select those with deep coloured infusion and ripe 
mellow flavour, and pass by the pale pungent variety 
which a theorist would possibly pronounce to be finer 
tea. This year they have found what they wanted in the 
produce of some of the younger Sylhet Estates, which 
have taken such a leading position in the Trade's es- 
timation — but they buy without reference to district 
or brand, and care not whence the tea comes so long 
as it suits their requirements. 
Value is now less dependent upon appearance than 
it used to be — except for the particular Irish demand 
for stylish Pekoes and Broken Pekoes — for the trade 
in tea is gravitating towards specialists, blenders and 
large Tea Houses, both in Loudon and the Provinces, 
who are provided with the best machinery for cut- 
ting and sifting, and prefer to buy whole leaf which 
they can themselves manipulate as required. The 
numerous complaints which reach us of depreciated 
quality, from those who have had occasion to hold 
Stocks, and the instances of .teas landed in low condition 
need to be referred to, as it is generally believed 
that the remedy must be sought in a more thorough 
system of firing, by which high aroma, and the keep- 
ing quality which usually accompanies it, can be secured 
without overfiring — a fault which lowers value here, 
and shuts tea out of many foreign markets. This 
question, however, has doubtless engaged the serious 
attention of all estate managers, who are of course 
experimenting in the hope of discovering the cause of 
the shortcoming and the remedy. 
Writing a year ago we expressed the opinion that 
low prices would lead to increased Exports to other 
Markets, and to some extent this has been the case ; 
but no statistics are procurable. Hitherto the demand 
from the Ooutinent, the States and Canada has mainly 
been for Kangra and Darjeeling growths of true flavour 
which throughout the season have been worth 
more here than the Foreign wholesale buyers will pay : 
but, latterly, persistent efforts to push trade abroad 
have shown that some other kinds can be sold in 
moderate quantities at about the parity of London 
rates ; and there is reason to think that the deteriora- 
tion of the Japan and China crops — which is felt 
abroad as well as in the United Kingdom — may open 
the way, and bring the opportunity which has been 
waited for so long. 
The effect of Ceylon upon the market for Indian 
has not proved to be as prejudicial as some Indian 
Planters feared : and an increase in Consumption in 
one year of 10 million lb. of Indian as against an 
increase of 5 million lb. of Ceylon shows that the 
older industry is not outstripped by its younger rival 
but rather there is room for both. 
The loss has fallen upon the China Trade ; but it 
must not be forgotten that the last was an unusually 
poor crop, and if China were to produce better tea, 
different results might follow. Our present informa- 
tion points to improved quality from China with a 
smaller Export; and it is but reasonable to assume 
that 4d. per lb„ the ruling price for common Congou, 
must lead to alteration in manufacture, and curtail 
supplies. With the increase, however, from India and 
Ceylon, twenty-five millions less from China would 
leave us still fairly supplied, and we must be prepared 
for the most part of the year to see the lowest grades 
on the market at the time being, wherever produced, 
selling at or under 6d per lb. There is, unfortunately, 
no question but that average retail price has declined 
— latterly even in Ireland, so long the market for 
high-priced Indian tea — the " 2s canister " being largely 
superseded by a lower priced one. Nothing but an 
actual short supply seems likely to remedy this, and 
until it occurs competition among distributors will 
keep down the quotation. This seems to contradict 
the evidence of last season that consumers were dis- 
carding " cheap " in favour of " good " tea ; but the 
explanation may be found in the fact that the abun- 
dant supplies of Indian and Ceylon, and the extremely 
low prices which have been ruling even for tea of 
superior quality, now enable a cheap tea to be sold 
which satisfies a large portion of the public. 
The difficulty which the buyers find in handling the 
heavy supplies poured into the market between Sept. 
and March, has been lessened hy the policy adopted 
by some of the principal producers of miking much 
larger breaks than heretofore hy shipping several in- 
voices by one steamer, and bulking together in London. 
Though not so perfect a system as smaller invoices, 
factory hulked, it appears to have been success- 
ful, for it accords with the drift of opinion among 
buyers — and it is indisputable that more attention is 
paid to large lines than to smaller parcels — the finest 
grades of course being an exception, of which large 
breaks are not expected. The question of reducing 
the number of days in the week on which Auctions 
are held has been discussed by the buyers : to carry 
this out a general agreement among all parties con- 
cerned would be necessary. 
The following are the statistics for the past three 
seasons, dating from 1st J une to 31st May : — 
Import. 
1887-88. 1886-87. 1885-86. 
86,371,000 78,200,000 67,210,000 
14,705,000 8,060,000 5,060,000 
117,185,000 138,900,000 143,050,000 
2,989,000 3,494,000 3,849,000 
Indian 
Ceylon 
China 
Java 
Indian 
85,619,000 
leylon 
12,578,000 
China 
116,870,000 
Java ... 
3,133,000 
218,200,000 
Of which 
Home Con. 
183,000,000 
Export 
35,200,000 
Stock 
Indian 
24,115,000 
Ceylon 
4,618,000 
China ... 
44,400,000 
Java 
914,000 
Delivery. 
75,425,000 
7,744,000 
34,300,000 
3,671,000 
60,735,000] 
3S 
221,140,000 207,843,000* 
180,U00,O0O 
41,140,000 
1st June. 
23,517,000 
2,184,000 
43,100,000 
1,054,000 
165,000,000* 
42,843,000 
20,747,000 
1,865,000 
39,693,000 
1,231,000 
WM. J AS. & HY. THOMPSON, Brokers. 
* Lowered below the average by heavy clearances 
in March-April 1885, when an increased duty was 
expected. 
♦ 
Ivy on Trees.— Your correspondent, "R. E. I.," 
evidently does not understand much about the nature 
of trees, nor of the Ivy which encircles them, for 
trees are not rendered tender in consequence, neither 
does Ivy when it is killed relax its hold, as " K. B. 
I." can easily determine if he will only take the 
trouble to try it on on® or more trees,— W. H. E.— 
Gardenm' Chronicle, 
