754 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1882. 
from 345,000 corges (?) [there is "do." below the 
corges applied to hkfa.,] to 564,000. Finally, hides 
began at 7,300, corges and ended with 44,000, having 
been up to 101,000 in 1877. There is an " abstract 
of export manifests," from which it would appear 
that only 18 boxes of cinchona bark were exported 
from the port of Madras in 1881. 
Figures for the exports of col ton are given for 
the three ports of Madras, Tuticorin and Cocanada, 
"to foreign and non-subordinate ports;" meaning no 
doubt exports proper as contradistinguished from " ex- 
ports coastwise." The figures for 1872 were 615,484 
cwt., rising to 696,000 in 1874 : going down to 
101,000 in 1877, reaching 312,000 in 1880 and 332,613 
for only 11 months of 1881. 
The coffee exported from the port of Madras seems 
to be all from Mysore. OE buffalo horns, the num- 
ber exported was 308,000; of turmeric 8,767 cwt.; 
and of myrobalaas only 552 cwt. They are largely 
used at the local tanneries. 
THE TEA MARKET. 
We are in receipt of Messrs. Stenning, Inskip 
& Co.'s Indian Tea Market Review for 1881, and 
we are thus able to see the great advance of Indian 
tea, not so much in annual import latterly as in 
relative (as regards China kinds) and absolute con- 
sumption. Since 1876, the imports and deliveries 
oompare as follows : — 
Years. Imports lb. Deliveries lb. 
1876 29,384,000 26,735,000 
1877 31,784,000 ... ...28,013,000 
1878 36,007,000 36,766,000 
1879 . ...38,483,000 35,243,000 
1880 45,011,000 43,807,000 
1881 45,765 000 48,863,000 
It will be observed that, while exports have, risen 
from 29J millions of lb. to 45|, consumption • in the 
six years has advanced from 26| millions to nearly 
49. Last year, indeed, the deliveries exceeded the 
imports by considerably over 3 millions of lb. Indian 
tea has commenced a process which will revolutionize 
the trade, so long confined to the produce of "far 
Cathay." The lessened deliveries of China tea and 
the increased deliveries of Indian for the past three 
years have been : — 
Years. China Tea lb. Indian Tea lb. 
1879 125,576,000 35.243,000 
1880 113,919,000 43,S07,000 
1881 113,471,000 48,863,000 
The effect of this process has at length been felt 
in China, whence the exports have decreased by 16 
millions of pounds. There is evidently a grand future 
for Indian tea and, we feel sure, for Ceylon tea also, 
on which the report is:— "Ceyhm imports shew 
some improvement, more attention being evidently 
given to the manufacture than hitherto." Our readers 
will not forget that, side by side with increased 
consumption of Indian teas in Britain, new markets 
for those teas are being opened up iu America as 
well as in the great tea-drinking country of Aus- 
tralia We see it stated that in the London market : — 
The sale of all China fancy Teas has again been greatly 
iiitoriv-roil with by tho increasing demand for Indian Teas 
No wonder though exports from China should be 
checked when low quality (very low, we should think) 
black leaf had fallen to 5d, and ordinary red leaf 
to 5Jd per lb. ; less in each case than the rate of 
duty. Meantime the history of Indian tea, in the 
report before us, is : — 
Prices as compared with this period of 1880 are higher for 
common, slightly higher for medium, whilst for fine and 
finest they are considerably lower. 
The low average price that prevailed so long in 1880 and 
during a great portion of 1881 although disappointing to the 
grower and importer has had the satisfactory result of largely 
extending the consumption, the increase of 5,000,000 lb. 
for the past year is very remarkable following as it does on 
the large advance of 1880 on 1879 of 6,364,000 lb. 
Assam Teas of 1881-82 season are of fair quality but not 
quite so good as some of the earlier arrivals led us to expect, 
still there is a marked improvement on the outturn of 
1880-81. 
Cachar and Sylhet Teas with few exceptions are not up to 
the standard of quality so frequently attained last season. 
Darjeelings were never so fine throughout a season as in 
the present one, a most fortunate circumstance as the dem- 
and for this district's produce seems rapidly increasing, the 
good prices obtained will no doubt stimulate growers, now 
that they clearly see the requirements of the home trade, to 
continue the production of similar styles ; the liquors that 
are most sought after are those possessing dark, clear colour 
with fine flavour, not those of lightish colour with some pun- 
gency. Teas generally that give this latter liquor are not now 
so much in request. 
Dooars Teas are rapidly coming into favour, they often 
possess a nice brisk smell and taste especially in the earlier 
pickings. 
Ohittagong Teas have again been rather inferior, it is to be 
hoped that more attention will be devoted to manufac- 
ture in future so they may regain the good name they had 
a few years ago. 
Kangra Valley Teas besides not being so good as usual 
have somewhat suffered by the competition of Darjeeling 
Teas. 
Chota Nagpore leaves much to be desired in the Teas pro- 
duced this season, there has been a decided want of quality 
in the liquors. 
Neilgherry growths have sold pretty well ; there seems a 
good future for this district if useful Teas can be produced. 
After the notice of Ceylon, which we have quoted, 
comes : — 
Java. — The low prices of 1880 have had the effect of much 
reducing supplies to this market, the quality has also been 
inferior. The consumption shews a falling off of one-half. 
We next quote information and advice which will 
be useful to Ceylon tea growers and manufacturers 
as well as to their Indian brethren : — ■ 
With regard to manufacture for the next season, it 
cannot be too strongly urged upon producers that it will 
be a ruinous mistake to resort to coarser plucking in con- 
sequence of the high range of values paid here during 
the past few months for common makes, the prices realized 
were due in a very great measure to good quality resulting 
from fine plucking and not so much to scarcity ; if coarse 
plucking be resorted to, large quantities of poor liquoring 
tea will result, which will soon become as unsaleable and 
low in price as Ohina teas now are ; besides, the experi- 
ence of low prices ruling in 1880 and the first half of 
1881 when the proportion of common kinds with poor 
liquors was large, confirms us in the opinion that coarse 
plucking will be disastrous, for if bad prices were made when 
the export was only about 45,000,000, what values can be 
expected with an export of 55,000,000 lb. as that of 1882-83 
will probably be ? * and with such a supply it is diffi- 
cult to foresee to what a low average price Indian will 
sink should the very serious mistake be made of sacrificing 
quality for quantity. 
* Surely this is an excessive estimate. In any case, a 
good deal of the crop will be diverted from the London 
Market.— Ed. 
