June i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL Ata RI'CU'LTU ni ST. 
817 
Colombo, 3rd May 1889. 
Sir, — As the principal importers of cedarwood 
tea packages from Japan, all of which are made 
and shipped by a first-class European firm there, 
we must deny the statement made by a corres- 
pondent in your issue of 1st instant that Japanese 
cedar is unsuitable for tea-boxes. 
The trade in these Japan tea packages has existed 
over five years. During the three years in which 
we have imported them, we have not only not had 
any complaint from our clients of loss arising 
from taint in the wood, but, London friends have 
written (on seeing Messrs. Bucker & Bencraft's re- 
marks) that they have never noticed any taint or 
smfdll in the wood. 
We are making enquiries with a view to trace the 
origin of the Japan chests referred to by Messrs. 
Bucker & Bencraft, and shall be glad to give the 
information when obtained — Meanwhile, ' we are, 
yours faithfully, MACKWOOD & Co. 
TEA CULTUBE AND PBEPABATION : AN- 
SWEB TO "PBACTICAL ENQUIRIES." 
Deae Mr. Editor, — In answer to the queries of 
a practical man, though I am not experienced in 
the art of tea plucking, I have my opinions on 
the subject. I think the quality of tea is best 
from teas four or five months after pruning when 
the trees are in good heart. The teas from new 
pruned trees or those which have run too long 
without pruning, are, I think, always inferior. The 
application of manure undoubtedly improves the 
quality of tea in my opinion, as does anything 
else which will put the bush in good heart, but 
as manuring is an expensive stimulant, it should 
not be applied unless the yield has from poverty 
of soil or other causes fallen very low. Fields 
which yield with medium plucking 400 lb. of 
made tea, should not be manured, because it is 
like feeding an apoplectic man on turtle soup, 
turkey and ham, and deluging him with cham- 
pagne and port. Moreover at present prices for 
medium plucked tea, unless manure can be got 
for nothing it will not pay to manure. Say that 
at present the profit on the cultivation to manu- 
facture of tea is 2d per lb. which is the outside 
profit, and a very handsome one too, with an in- 
crease in the yield of 200 lb. per acre for two 
years, as the effect of manuring, you get £1 13s 4d, 
per acre. What manure can you purchase and 
apply at this cost ? 
There is now-a-days far too much grandmotherly 
advice given to tea producers ; if every one accepted 
it and acted up to it, where would we be ? In my 
opinion every sensible planter is the best judge of his 
own interests, and of his surroundings and circum- 
stances and does his level best to promote them. It is 
not more than three months ago, when the run was 
altogether on teas for price, fair pekoe Souchong was 
9* per lb. As long as that was the case it was undoubt- 
edly for the interest of the majority of planters to go 
in for quantity. I am of opinion that the test of 
what is the correct thing to do is the price of 
Pekoe Souchong, When the average price of P. 
S. falls to 6d or below planters will be forced to pluck 
fine, I think. I do not myself believe in planters 
chopping and changing the systems of plucking they 
have found best suited to their circumstances, to 
meet the whims and wants of London tea dealers, 
which vary from month to month. 
When the supply of medium and low qualities 
of China, India, and Ceylon teas is excessive then 
there is a cry for fine and pungent teas to mix 
with them, but only a limited quantity of that 
description is wanted. If all the teas from India, 
China and Japan were from some unexpected 
cause to turn out fine, would they sell for 2s 
per lb ? It may soon he better for a great many 
planters either to pluck fine or to convert all 
their tea into dust or broken mixed : these are 
fetching 6d to 7d per lb ! 
A THEOBETICAL ILA.NTEB. 
JAPAN TEA BOXES. 
Sir, — SeeiDg that more than one Colombo firm 
have taken advantage of the paragraph in Messrs. 
Bucker & Bencraft's Circular to decry the Cedar or 
Suji packages as introduced by me from Japan, I 
would submit to the notice of your readers the 
following facts : — 
1st. — Almost without exoeption (if not quite) the 
total crop of Japan teas is packed in packages 
made of this wood, and, in stating this, I state a 
fact of which I myself was an eye-witness when in 
Japan, having been through most of the large hongs 
in Kobe and Yokohama. 
2nd. — That I myself have shipped at least 600.000 
lb. of tea in these packages, and never had a com- 
plaint, though I have more than once had the 
packages praised by my brokers, Messrs. Wilson 
Smithett & Co. 
3rd. — Though it is a fact that " Momie " woods 
have no smell at all I was forced to abandon the 
use of them as I found they cracked when exposed 
to heat. 
I tried 500 of these packages, being the first to 
import them, but had to advise my agents, Messrs. 
Mackwood & Co., to have nothing to do with them 
except when specially ordered. 
4th. — Though having nothing to say against well- 
seasoned Ceylon-made packages, it is a fact 
that at present anyhow, the supply of good boxes 
would not be equal to the demand were the importa- 
tion of Japan packages to cease. 
Hand-made Ceylon pakages are of course out 
of the question, any supposed saving in the first 
instance being more than balanced by the loss 
in weight of tea caused by uneven taring in 
London. I annex a few testimonials as to the ex- 
cellence of the cedar packages, and meanwhile 
shall endeavour to trace the packages complained 
of by Messrs. Bucker & Bencraft. It is more 
than likely the damaged packages may have been 
of " Momi " wood, which cracks easily, and the 
result in damag.ed tea ascribed to Japan packages 
generally, the London people not taking into con- 
sideration that moro than one kind of packages 
comes from Japan.— Yours, &o., H. D. DEANE. 
Kintyre, Maskeliya. 
January 8th, 1886. 
Japan Packages, 
we confirm our remarks of 20th ultimo, on these pack- 
ages, viz., that we have invariably fouud them arrive 
in excellent condition and the flavor and arorna of the 
tea. fresh and brisk. We think that their lightness, dura- 
bility and cheapness render them well worthy a trial in 
a'.l tea factories. (Signed) Wilson, Smithett & Co. 
Ceylon. Tea in Melbourne. — A specimen has been 
sent us of a neatly-printed post-card, issued by 
Mr. S. W. Foulkes, formerly of the Kalutara dis- 
trict, now of Melbourne, where he deals in "pure 
Ceylon t ea." We quote as follows : — 
The ( Ceylon Tea Growers' Association. " Chief " 
Brand. S. W. Foulkes (Late of Ceylon, and the Ceylon 
Tea Ho- use, Exhibition). Begs to notify that he has 
opened an Agency in Melbourne for the above Asso- 
ciation, and is prepared to supply pure Ceylon tea, in 
small o r large parcels, to suit householders. As he 
deals ii j Ceylon tea alone, imported by himself, those 
kindly favouring him can depend on getting pure 
Ceylon , solely. 
