November r, 1888/] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
307 
gled iu Great Britain. Hence the duty was lowered, 
aud a house-tax imposed instead. — I am, sir, your 
obedient servant, Archibald Weir. 
Sir, — Very fow of your oarlior correspondents would 
appear to be actually in the swim of the tea trade. Jt 
is an extraordinary but a woll-authenticated fact, that 
the British public, taken as a whole, know little or 
nothing about tea, or the manufacture thereof; if any- 
thing less than iht-y do about soap. Hence the reason 
why tea and soap should be the two favourite articles 
for advertisers to pull'. 
I p to a few years ago the tea trade was a fairly pro- 
fitable one to all concerned in it. Importers thrived on 
it, brokers lived out of it, and dealers and grocers b-ith 
made their profits, without having to descend to any 
of the petty tricks now iu vogue. All t iis is a thing 
of the past, and at the present time importers pander to 
tho popular inquiry for cheap tea by bringing in cargo 
after cargo of the commonest stuff that the Hongs of 
China can produce, and for one half-chest of good tea 
gold, there are fifty of what your correspondent, " Min- 
cing Lane," so much enjoyed at 4Jd per lb. 
The extraordinary strides made by Ceylon tea during 
the last few years show that a proportion of the tea 
drinkers of England can still appreciate a re.dly good 
article, aud, as the finest of these teas resemble mucli 
in purity aud character the old-fashioned Monings of 
years ago, even the Chinaman, dense as he appears to 
be to his own interests, must see how much he has lost 
by sacrificing quality to quantity. 
The very commonness of the bulk of China tea im- 
ported has been the making of Indian tea, as a good, 
rough-drinking mixture can be got by blending a little 
of the latter with a lot of tho former; and as clean 
China tea can now be bought at od per lb. aud strong 
rasping Indian at lOd per lb., it is easy to sse that a 
compound of even half-and-half must pay well at the 
gent ral retail price of Is Sd to Is lOd. 
As regards the intermediate profits between producer 
an I consumer; it is doubtful if they can be much lessened; 
and, of course, the advertising statements, " Direct from 
the gardens," &c, must be taken for what they are 
Worth. They do not Impose on any one who is " in 
the know." 
Tea, as a rule, passes through five hands. The im- 
porter gives it to a first hand broker; he probably, 
places it, with a second baud, or'' buying over " broker, 
who in turn divides it out between his clientele of 
dealers it one-balf per cout commission; the dealers 
sell it again to the grocers, or packers and blenders, as 
tho case may be, and tho latter, as a rule, are the 
people who advertine, for the benefit of the gullible 
public, that they buy direct from the gardens. 
The consumer is as far oil' from the grower as ever 
he was, and it is only the low price of tea atid the 
Bowel "f modern advertising that lull him into the 
belief that ho buys at u "bare commission." — I am, sir, 
your obedii lit servant, O. If. KoifKUTS. 
14, Mincing-lane, Sept. lHth. 
Sir, — It is to bo hoped that your able leading 
article on tile above, together with the numerous letters 
that it has called forth, may induce the public to take 
a little more trundle in the selection of their Tea. What 
is required is a better appreciation of tho flavour of 
really guud Tea ; tho actual price per pound is another 
natter, and depends upon tho increased pruduction and 
gre iter competition. 
Tin consumer should have the opportunity of pur- 
chasing genuine Ooylon, Indian, or China Tea sepa- 
rately, an d afterwards blend them as ho may wish, 
but id o( buying a special mixture at 80 much per 
pound, as advertised. If this were possible, thoso 
who like a strong, astringent Tea, with a large aniouut 
uf tannin, could purchase Indian leaf from A-sam, 
a quality which, l believe, is admirably adapted for 
general use, or in a hot climate; while, on the other 
band, pcrnomt of woak digestion could select Coyluu 
or the better quality of China Tea, whieli OOmbinOI 
a Ana Savour with much Ions of the objectionable 
funis. 
It may not be generally known that the proportion 
of tannin present in Tea varies considerably. In 
strong Assam, I have found as much as 15 to 17 per 
cent, while in Oeylou and some kinds of China there is 
not more than half this quantity ; and in one sample 
of Ceylon, grown at an elevation of 0,000 ft., the 
amount of tannin was only 6 per cent. Indeed, the 
elevation seems to have a great deal to do with the 
proportion of tannin, the higher-grown Tea containing 
tho least. 
The great demand for genuine Ceylon Tea is a 
distinctly hopeful sign of an improvement in the public 
taste ; and I was much struck, during a recent visit 
to the Glasgow Exhibition with the fact that as early 
as one o'clock in the day the little Ceylon Tea-house 
was crowded with people, while tho larger and certainly 
better appointed Indian House was almost empty. The 
character of Ceylon Tea owes much to its soil and 
climate, but also a great deal to the skill aud improved 
machinery which the energy of the planters has intro- 
duced into the manufacture. 
In 1877, when I first visited the island, and made 
a tour through the planting districts, very little Tea 
was made, and for some years the quality with a few 
exceptions, was poor in flavour, in consequence of a 
want of technical knowledge in the process of manu- 
facture. Since then, however, the fame of Ceylon Tea 
has increased by leaps and bounds, and iu my com- 
ing visit next December I expect to see wonderful 
changes in the general prosperity of the estates, in 
consequence of this new industry. 
In conclusion, I would warn the public against 
t-purious Ceylon Tea, which consists simply of inferior 
China and some Indian. Genuine Ceylon Tea should 
have a fine flavour, and be free from that rough taste 
peculiar to strong Assam Tea. — I am, Sir, your obedient 
servant, John Hughes, f.c.s. 
Analytical Laboratory, 70, Mark-lane, Sept. 12th. 
Sir, — As a practical Tea grower, may I say a few 
words with regard to very cheap Tea ? I can only 
judge by my own experience of what I can afford to 
sell at. A\'ith the exception of Dust, a Tea Planter 
must avetage a shilling per pound all round for his 
Tea sold by auction in Mincing lane, to make but a 
small profit, even if his garden be well placed — that 
is not too far from a shipping port. 
For this shilling per pound he has to grow tho 
Tea, pluck it, wither it, roll it, ferment it, fire it, and 
buy Tea chests, Tea lead, nails, &c. Also pay carri- 
age to nearest port, pay freight, insurance, dock 
charges, merchant's commission, and brokerage. Now, 
Sir, so far we have got a drinkable Tea at a shilling; 
let me ask if your readers know what has to be added 
to that amount ere it reach the consumer's cup '( 
First of all, there is the duty of 6d per pound, which 
brings it at once to Is 6d. Then there is the whole 
sale dealer's profit, carriage to the grocer, and last, but 
not always least, the grocer's profit ; and I leave you 
to judge how much under two shillings a pouud it 
is possible for the public to buy decent Tea at. How 
grocers can sell Tea at one shilling, which must have 
had sixpeuce per pouud duty paid on it, besides all the 
numorous expenses I have before mentioned, is a riddle 
I cannot solve. 
I am glad to say I have only onco seen Tea which 
was sold at one shilling, and I never iu my life smelt 
such stulf. It certaiuly had never been plucked off 
the bush wo planters are aocustomed to know by the 
name of Tea. There is no doubt that tho greater part 
of the public, not knowing that sixpence per pound 
duty has to bo paid on till Teas, good or bad, think 
that fair Tea can bo bought at these prices; aud 
all I want them to know is that thoro is this duty 
to pay, oven on tho worst of Tea, and I feel quite 
sure they will then understand tho reason why genuine 
Teas cannot be sold at these low prices.— 1 am, Sir, 
your obedient servant, Pkkok. 
September 12th. 
Sept. 11th. 
Sir, — The public and tho trade should thank you 
heortilj for bo generously opening yuur oalunni fur 
