42 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
fJULY t, 1893. 
7tf ihe Edihr. 
"THE BITTER CRY OF MINCING 
LANE"— OVER " CEYLON TEA." 
London, May 5tb. 
SlBi'-rThe oonsoienee of the Tea Trade is labour- 
ing under an uneasy sease of disoomfort jaet at 
present. The " trade" is being rudely awakened 
to the fact, that in sounding the praises o( 
Oeylon teas, it has not only played a part— but 
played it rather too well, Importere, brokers and 
dealers have vied with each other in exhorting 
the ubiquitous tea drinker to fall into eostaeies 
of gratitude that be should be permitted to enjoy 
the privilege of using Ceylon tea. They have 
proclaimed to the universe with fervid eloquence, 
that at length the growth of fine tea was really 
understood, and Oeylon was the place to produce 
it. The use of Ceylon-grown tea was to solve 
the problem — how to replace the " fine China 
Congous of thirty years ago." We have dismissed 
this Unhappy China grower into well-merited obli- 
vion, and have uttered words of timely warning 
to liha ladiaa planter, lest a similar fate overtook 
him also. But there ia a feeling abroad that these 
oonolusions have been adopted somewhat too hastily. 
Ceylon tea buyers have become painfully aware 
of the fact, that fine tea is conepiooons for its 
rarity- Our tasting boards illustrate with mono- 
tonous continuity, the vulcanised indiarubber 
flavor ; the raw potato ; the barsh metallic ; 
the dull leathery ; and othrr peculiarities of 
flavor equally mysterious and objectionable. 
Certain estates have made every Ceylon tea 
taster only too familiar with the remarkable 
characteristics of their produce, and revived a 
charitable recollection of former China experiences. 
Chairmen of Companies display a marvellous 
reticence on this subject. Shareholders are con- 
gratulated on the lownesa of freights ; the depre- 
ciation of the rupee ; the satisfaotory condition 
ol the foreign labour question ; the fertility of the 
soil, btit the quality of the product is a point 
that is modestly ignored. And yet in this trifling 
feature is involved the prosperity, or fnilure of 
the Ceylon tea industry, If dull mediocrity in 
quality is the gbal of the Ctylon planters' ambition, 
then, there is abundant hope for the Chinaman, 
when tlie wave of popularity that floated Ceylon 
tea into oonsumption has subsided. If through 
preventible causes, planters permit the early promise 
of high quality, which excited cur admiration and 
(t[tpreOiation, to lapse into a faded memory, the 
unprejudiaed British public will BESuredly hark 
back to China teas. In this country we are 
familiar with the voice of the British farmer, 
bewailing the shortcomings of the "weather," 
but in this respect, the palm must shortly be 
awarded to the Caylon planter. There is no ec- 
oebtrioity of flavor in Ceylon teas that is not 
amply accounted for by "the weather." Sur- 
prise and disappointment at the vagaries of tea 
manufacture, are aesumed to be unjustifiable in 
presence of the " weather reports" from Ceylon, 
and 60 we reluctantly oonfesB that otir former 
Uibilationa ttn the triumph of Ceylon tea over its 
Ghlha rival were— to say the leas^ — premature, and 
''tl^e dtipreBsing oonvietion is Stealing over maiiy 
EtfRlieh traders that Jine tea had but a transient 
residence in the " spicy " lale. 
AjEtologisibg for trespassing upon your valuable 
Bpaoe.— I am your ob ieot eervat, 
" PHILPOT," 
PATENT TEA PLUCKER8. 
Deab Sib.— I see in your issue of 17tb,a Mana- 
ger of " extensive properties," writing agaicet the 
uee of Patent Tea Pluokers. Has he tried tLc-m 7 
and has he tried them for long enough to be able 
to form an iodependect opinion. Say, a yenr at 
Ifasl? If not of what vs'ue is his opinion ? I am 
trjing them and will f. r a year ere I v^ntore an 
opiuion as to their meritp one way or the otbci; but, 
I may say it is my opinion that eveiy planter, 
esfesially the managers of large properti e thonld 
try them on a small acreage— not only for the 
purpose of satisfying bis mind as to tteir value as 
pluokers in lessening the cost of plucking by c ne- 
half— but to teach our labour force the uee of them, 
in caee of a Ecarcity of labour, when they would be 
invulu'ible, and which may occur eny day. 
ANOTEEB MANAGER OP EXTENSIVE 
PBOPEhTIES. 
COCONUTS IN UVA. 
May 22nd. 
Deab Sib,— Tour estimate of the local conaamp- 
tion of coconuts is by co meana too high in the 
opinion of those who have gone aboot ths island 
and observed local ueages. Ae regards Uva 
especially, the sweeping assertion of the " Times" 
(which yon quote to refute) is not warranf d by 
the fncts. Coconuts from Battioaloa can be any 
day seen in the Passara and Lunugala bazaars. 
The villagers do use coconuts though eparintily. 
They cannot afford to u^^e them so much as the 
maritime Sinhalese do, but when their means allow 
of it, the earliest and most pleasant addition to 
their diet is the coconut. I have often seen in 
several districts of Uva, Mcormen and others car- 
rying coconuts to the village-bazaart, and I have 
often had it in ourries in the houees of village re in 
mony out-of-the-way places. 
I by no means wish to lead yon or yonr readers 
to Buppose that coconuls are used largely or 
everywhere in Uva, but, I have to testify to 
the use being much moie common than is 
generally supposed. 
Another cauie of the larger nae of coeonuts 
is the existence of a large body of Malabar 
coolies who do consume coconuts as a rule. Thin 
alone would account for many thousands of 
coconuts. 
Coconuts are very dear in Uva, because the 
supply is not equal to the demand which has 
risen greatly of late years and continues to rise. 
Yours faithfully, ' VLATOB.' 
COCONUT CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 
Deib Sib,— Not the least interesting of tbe 
valuable information which the columns of tbe 
Observer have recently a£forded relative to tbe 
above industry, is the return of crops gathered 
on one of the best little gardens you know of 
as given in the issue of the 11th instant, on the 
best authority. Those reeders of your paper who, 
like myself, are interested in the subject, wou'd 
doubtless wish to know more about this ezcelient 
garden— the age of the trees, character of the soil 
and whether it has been manured regularly, — 
so that a comparison might be made with results 
obtained undtr similar conditions in othe; placos. 
For the benefit of siloh coconut estate owners 
as are soeptioal of the profitable results whiob 
follow the judicious use of manure, you are at 
liberty to publish the ai.n -xcd statement showing 
tbe yield, during the last 4 years, of two of the 
best fields on a ooccnat plantation of aboot 200 
I 
