\uoust i, 1 888. | 
fHF. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
139 
they live, leaving tea out of tlio question, tend 
to produce chronic dyspepsia, and this fact being 
added tu the neglect of the tooth brush, sufficiently 
explains decay, for the tenth remain from childhood 
covered with tartar, debris of food, epithelium, 
and sccretious — a decomposing muss constantly giving 
rise to the formation of acid capable of dissolving the 
enamel. While, as Dr. Norman Kerr points out, a 
defective staple tea diet is promotive of gastric troubles, 
it seems to be certain, as declared by Dr. Sewill, that 
'" tea can have no direct effect upon either the teeth or 
the tissues of the month leading to dental disease." 
Tho form r of these gentlemen directs the attention of 
other correspondents to the fact lh.it in certain 
American cities where tea is consumed in much small 
quantities thin in this country, the teeth decay more 
rapidly thiio with us. He adds, '• The climate, the 
many indegestible articles of diet, the extreme nerve- 
teusion of the Americans, and other causes affecting 
the nervine and general health of that great people 
tend to induce a dyspetic condition which always 
seemed to me to be largely responsible for their pre- 
mature dental decay." 
Last week a tea clearing-house was opened in the city. 
The new institution is at .21. .Mincing Lane, and there is 
a separate office in it for«ach warehouse proprietor. At 
present it frequently happens that wholesale dealers are 
not aware of goods having been stopped until they are 
informed by the consignees, and a journey of perhaps 
three miles is then often necessary in order to ascertain 
the cause of the delay , while a second journey must bo 
made to rectify any error or omission. All this trouble 
and loss of time will now be overcome, because enquiries 
may be made at the clearing-house, and any mistake im- 
mediately put right. Each dock, wharf, and ware- 
house will be represented by a responsible cleik,who 
will make the transaction of business as simple and 
straightforward as it is at the warehouse; and we 
believe that, for the further convenience of ,tha whole- 
sale dealers, it is proposed to establish, iu the course 
of time, telephonic communication between the Clear- 
iu^-Uousu and some of the outlying warehouses, if 
not all of them. The object of the Clearing- House 
are— to give facilities to the wholesale trade iu tea 
for tho lodgement and transmissiou of warrants, 
delivery orders, carding, cording, and other orders 
to the various docks and warehouses from a central 
office to provide a oontr.il Clearing House or office 
where all such warrants and orders may be lodged, 
in^t ad of at the various docks and warehouses and 
turtber to provide facilities for the return of warrants 
and other documents to the trade, and generally 
to avoid the Deeessity of the personal attendance of 
the trade clerks and at the offices of the various docks, 
warehouses, wharves, jce, ; to insure frequent and 
rapid transaction of documents thus lodged or returned 
and to provide and afford facilities for answering in- 
quiries and giving information relative to storage, 
working, or delivery ot tea. The annual subscription 
is one guinea, and no subscriber is entitled to ware- 
house or deposit tea with, or employ in connection 
with tea, any dock company or tea warehousekeeper 
who is not a member of the Clearing-House or to pur- 
chase or sample any tea from tbe warehouse of any uou- 
member. 
+ 
A TEA GROWERS' COMPANY FOR OPEN- 
ING AND PROMOTING NEW MARKETS. 
Planters will read with the care which the im- 
portance of the subject demands Mr. Rutherford's 
letter, Ho shows that what is beyond the true 
functions of tho Planters' Association oould bo 
done by an associated body of tea planters, — the 
men specially interested in opening new markets 
and cultivating and expanding old. We cannot 
doubt therefore that the scheme which Mi. Ruther- 
ford recommends will receive general support. Tho 
production of tea in India and Ceylon is increasing 
at such a rate, that prices have already been 
atluuud to a Motion 1 exu-nt, and unlcs eon umeru 
are increased in proportion to production, the limit, 
of profitable cultivation may be soon pissed. All 
possible efforts, therefore, must be made to increase 
the demand for the produot on whioh the fortunes 
of the Ceylon planters now depend. 
THE PROGRESS OF THE CEYLON TEA 
ENTERPRISE. 
With this issue of the Tropical Agtioulturiit we 
ciroulate Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton's illustrated 
circular, embodying their annual review of the rapidly 
rising tea enterprise of Ceylon. The document is one 
which will interest all who are connected with the 
enterprise, and it deserves to be preserved for pur- 
poses of frequent reference. Amongst the iilustrations 
are three green circular balls by means of which the 
volumes of our tea exported in 1880, 1885, and 
1887 are contrasted. While 1880 shows a small 
pea, 1887 has opposite it a ball a couple of inches 
in diameter. The amounts in figures which are 
thus represented are as follows, and they show 
that from the peculiar circumstances of the case 
Ceylon took rank amongst the important tea-grow- 
ing countries of the world with a rapidity utterly 
unprecedented and not likely to be repeated in 
the world's history. Taking 1880 as the starting 
point of appreciable export of tea from our island, 
the progress in the succeeding seven years has 
been at the marvellous rate indicated by the fol- 
lowing figures : — 
lb. Average price. 
1880 114,845 KM 
1881 311,145 llfi 
1882 621,068 1 Of 
1883 1,599,687 1 :s j , 
J884 2,285,294 1 23 
1885 4,352,294 1 3i 
1886 7,790,497 1/1 J 
1887 14,082,337 1/1 
The figures for 1888 will show the same process of 
increase by leaps and bounds, and our very success, 
actual and prospective as growers is the source of 
anxiety as well as gratulation. The former feeling 
is founded on the figures for selling prices in the 
London market. We began the series of years 
with an average of lOd per lb. and it looks as if 
in 1888 we should sink to nearly that level. The 
lessons are that wo should practice as much as 
possible economy in growth and manufacture 
and energetically support every movement 
for the opening up of new markets and the ex- 
pansion of established sources of demand. The 
mere existence in the United States of so many 
millions of persons who owe their birth to the 
British Isles, and whose taste was formed not on 
Japans or Oolongs but on the class of teas we 
produco, ought to secure for Ceylon tea a large 
transatlantic demand, even if the native Americans 
remain prejudiced in favour of high-Iired teas. 
The question of manufacturing teas of the kinds 
which tind favour with our American coesins ia 
one requiring very full consideration. The first 
attempt here in this direction was not encouraging. 
The figures for average prices show that Cey- 
lon teas attained their maxima in the years 1883-85. 
The progress was upwards for three years ; 
prices remained at a high level for a farther 
threo years, and now it looks as if we should 
have a descending scale for three years. We suppose 
we must be prepared to face an average of lOd 
por lb. Anything materially lower would probably 
shut up many factories in India and Ceylon. Our 
hopes centre in the tendency amongst Urge 
portions of the human race to increase their con- 
sumption of the fragrant and cheering leaf or to 
take to it. Our highest annual average price, it will 
Ov obm-ryed, WU4 1,3}, attained iu 1883 and agum 
