JuLV I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
45 
they cannot be ignored, without going the length of 
making tha " iveather " responsible for every little 
"vagary." But does " Philpot" know that " want of 
cultivatio n," the absence of manure, added to the 
scant Labour Supply in some dietriets are the main 
reasons which must be made responsible for the 
falling-off in quality which of late has been so 
apparent. These can all be OTeroome unless 
further " Extension " is anticipated, which in my 
opinion would be fatal and much to be depre- 
cated. A small full area highly cultivated must 
be the aim of all, if that superiority which Ceylon 
tea has attained is to be in the future maintained, 
and then only we shall hold our own against all 
comers !— Yours truly, EOOD. 
No. II. 
Dear Sir, — It is chiefly a matter of supply and 
demand, the demand has been almost solely for 
oommon kinds (teas for price) and the demand has 
been met. 
There has been a limited demand for really finest 
kinds, but anything between that and oommon has 
sold with little reference to quality ; consequently 
the coarser the plucking the better it paid. 
Now, too much tea for price is going forward and 
we shall see these kinds fall, and then it will pay 
better to make finer teas. 
, No doubt India going in for fineplnoking has 
increased the proportion of fine kinds as compared 
with common sorts ; and so kept up the price of the 
latter.— Yours &o., QUIDNUNC. 
No. III. 
DEiB Sir, — All that 1 have got to say to 
" Philpot " is that the Ceylon planter is a very 
matter-of'fact creature, and he just works his estate 
on the lines that he considers pays best; the few that 
have from time to time tried to meet the longing 
ory of the buyers for fine teas have nearly all one 
after another had to give it up in disgust, poorer but 
wiser men. No, no> Mincing Lane buyers may send 
Up as " bitter a ory ''■ as they please, but they are 
not likely to get much fine tea trom us at 9d to lOd 
per lb. Let them double their price and I have no 
(ioubt the article will once more appear on the 
Boene. Buyers by their prices do more to discourage 
the making of fine teas than anything else. 
TE-VE-A. 
No. IV. 
May 27. 
Dear Sir, — Seeing that the statements made by 
"Philpot," can only be met in a negative sort of 
way out here, and that replies to his letter there- 
fore will probably fail to a great extent in 
carrying conviction to the minds of the outside 
public, I think the less notice taken of his com- 
munication the better. Leave him in fact severely 
alone, for it will be time enough to deal with 
the subjects he brings forward when they omanate 
from some responsible source.* 
If you wish however to know my views on the 
merits of Oeylon teas, I believe we can produce 
and as a matter of fact, do produce as good teas 
as ever we did, but there may be a larger pro- 
portion of poorer qualities reaching the market 
now and if this is so, it presumably pays the 
producer bpst to make thede teas. Of late there 
has been no encouragement to send good teas to 
the London market; — Yours faithfully, 
NUWAKA ELIYA. 
»" Philpot" was duly ejid very speoially aathenti- 
cated to ub.-Ed, T.a. 
No. V. 
Dear_ Sir,-- With regard to the letter of "Phiipot" 
my opinion is that it is a sensation al one and 
written merely for the purpose of creating a 
prejudice against Ceylon tea to the a dvantage of 
China. Planters of undoubted integrity maintain 
that Ceylon teas are quite as good as r they wf re, 
and I believe them in preference to ' ' Philpot." — 
Yours faithfully, G. 
No. VI. 
Dear Sir — Your correspondent "Philpot" is a 
queer fellow. He tells us that " tuu conscience 
of the tea trade" — "my conscierjoo" is uneasy 
because they are not getting fine teas from Ceylon, 
after they have got the public to belie ve in them 1 
There were a good many more i nflusnosB at 
work in pushing Ceylon teas to the fnjat than the 
tea trade. It has never been suspected of having 
very much " conscience";— indeed the planters of 
Ceylon had to watch some of its members and 
proceed against them too, so rudimentary was 
it. But what is the use of cryiniJ out against 
oommon teas just now. When it is made worth 
our while to send fine teas, if it is not done, then 
it will bo time to speak ; but of J ate the better 
qualities have been sold at a 1 aorifljs. The 
broker's ciiroulars are full of this, and private ad- 
vices echo the same, and these common teas 
which " Philpot" wails over, have had a boom. 
Somebcdymust have bought them, and I should 
say they have met a want in t!he tea trade, 
paying it and us too. Of course you may have 
too much of a good thing and if better teas 
have their innings now, I should not be at all 
surprised. MY CONSClBNOE. 
No. VII. 
Dear Sir, — fdy opinion is that not the elighteat 
notice should be taken of these personal growls 
emanating frota the " Lane," especially anonymous 
f ulminations * ; but that planters should be solely 
guided by the law of "supply and demand," 
Thanks to the modern packet-men cutting down 
prices in competition, robbing — not the consumer, 
but the grower s, not lessening their own unrighte- 
ous gains, but those o£ the sweating planter, who, 
thanks to the m, can scarcely make " both ends 
meet," — in onier to fill their viie packets at a 
profit to thomiielves, they must have some rubbish, 
and a lot of ocimmon sorts. W^ith " all India 
plucking fine" (!) if all Oeylon plucks fine also, 
who is to supply the common sorts, which the 
packet mB'a must havel This is the "demand." 
As it is, our fine teas do not sell for their legitimate 
value. What if we sent fine teas ouly ? China 
and Java would find the supply of oommon sorts 
and for our fine tea, glutting the market, there 
would be no deman d. But does India pluck fine ? 
Does India ship no dusti souchongs and Pekoa 
souchongs? Every pound of dust and Congou 
supplies the demand for so many of the " cups ol 
tea" that are drunk in the worla. OLD HAND. 
No. vni. 
Upoountry, 29th May. 
Dear Sir,— 1 *hink we ourselves with provincial 
— nay parochial=i -arrogance, have claimed a superi- 
ority for Ceylon I ea which it never really possessed 
and we have ad vertised it into a position it cannot 
easily maintain. But chiefly, why ? Because tea 
dealers borne doK 'n by the excessive competition of 
the paoket-meo tt nd Lipton, will not giva us the 
* "Philpot" wtus duly and very specially authenti- 
cated to as.— Eo. 'T.A, 
