46 ' THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [Jwu i, 
eame price f hey did— nor luilf of it. Htw do they 
expeot as to make for SJd the same average tea for 
which they once— say 7 years ago, — gave Is 4d? With 
the *' fineefi; tea in the world" sold at la 7J in 
packets — it cannot cost more than Ud or 5cl less 
than our a verega fetched before Lipioa took up 
tea, — what encouragement then to maku fine tea? 
Your oori espondent "Philpot" I take to be a man 
who was huire some months ago, and a member of a 
fiim who bought an estate in the Northern districts.* 
HiB brokers if I mistake not are Gow, Wilson & 
btanton. Now I have twice lately had htters from 
one of the ipartners of that firm, aseuriog me that 
after testing preserved samples of tb.e last few 
years, thej have come to the conolusion that the 
teas now made are quite up to those of years ego — 
and that th<e falling-o£F is not in the tea, but in 
the market. I take the opinion of these brokers 
to be worth more than the not-even-witty taunts 
of a disappointed investor. 
He says ' If dull mediocrity in quality is the 
goal of the Ceylon planter's ambition, then there is 
abundant hope for the China man." But when did 
the importer get fine China tea for 8Jd. Certainly 
not since tbi) Russian became willing tc pay many 
times that price for average fine China tea. 
It "Philpc't" objects to the "weather" as an 
excuse for the vagaries of tea manuJfaoture, he 
should send out a glass roof for his estate. If 
London is to be covered with glass, why not ? 
LOCAL EXPEI;IENUE. 
No. IX. 
May 29th. 
Deab StB, — There are several oaUBes that may 
account in some measure fov the complaint of 
which "Philpot" makes himself the moatbpieoe ; — 
Ist. — The novelty of manufaoturicg tea has 
worn oil and with it some of the cue planters 
bestowed on it. 
2nd. — Most men pluck more for quantity than 
quality : it may possibly pay them better at present, 
but it is doing the good name of Oeylon tea barm- 
3rd. — A great many men are so hampered with 
instructions from Colombo or London, that it is 
almost impossible for them to make good tea. 
They are asked to change somethicg after each 
Break, whereas if they were simply told to make 
good tea, they could or ought to be able to do it. 
The tasting powers of ninety-nine out of a 
hundred men, are not disoriminstiDg enough to deal 
with the teas as professional tasters would 
apparently wish. That they are not so discrimina- 
ting is hardly to be wondered at, when we see 
bow professional tasters differ. 
I should be sorry indeed to think that the majority 
of our tea estates cannot send home good teas. 
That there is some (a good deal) poor land from 
which neither flavour nor strength can be hoped 
for, cannot be denied ; but I trust iihat what is 
complained of is not irremediable ia the majority 
of oases. 
I think it will do the nsme of Oeylon tea and 
ooGSequently our interest very great harm should 
our teas compare as unfavorably with Indian teas, 
this, as they did last, year. TEA PLANTER. 
No. X. 
May 28th. 
SiBi— In reply to. Philpot's " Bitter Cry from Min- 
cing Lane " I wouli ask you to compare the London 
reports herewith on tea sold for this estate in 1891, 
with this year's reports and note the prices. 
» Is|o — Our correspondent is mistaken ; we do not 
think "Philpot" baa any conaec^ioa with Ceylon,— 
I do not see there is any great falliog-off ia 
quality in the '93 tea exports. Do you ? There 
IS an uncommonly harsh coppery sound in the 
prices although every care is taken of th'i teat in the 
maoufacture. It is my opinion that tLu packet-men 
have ruined the demiiud fjr fine t a-, or at least 
put buyers in the position that tbe> are uc able 
to give the old prices for really goo'l teas. How 
can they give good prices when Liptun, an estate 
proprietor advertises the finest tea the world 
produces at Is 7i. per lb, 7 Ceylon can produce 
fine teas, and will do bo, when buyers are able 
to ap^rticiate and pay a sitisfaetory (to the grower) 
price for them, but proprietors cannot be eipt-cleil 
to rush the market with high class teas at tbe 
prices now pa:d f ( r them. 8o soon ae buyers can 
e£ford to give better prices and maintain them 
Ceylon pUniers will meet their wants with tbe bigh- 
class teas "Philpot" has eo pleasant a reminiscence 
of and for which he paid over 2s (ii. {.er lb. 
I know nothing of the ' India-rubber ' the 
'raw potato,' 'metallic' or 'leathery' flavour 
teas, unless from what I have had to swallow in 
some of the Caylon hotels and restbouaes where 
they do not study the art of ' tea making ' or if 
they do, they must buy the low-clsss cheap teas 
for reasons best known to themselves.— Yours truly 
A TEA GBOWEB. 
(Reportt referred to.) 
Jan. 1891. Jan. 1S93. 
la 0|d,. Rather dull, lid. Rather pretty wiry 
greyish Broken Pekoe leaf a trifle doU, very few 
leaf, with a few not over- fairly bright tips, rather 
bright ends, even, in- dusty infaa«d leaf rather 
fased leaf fair flavoary dark bat even. Faor fla- 
Uquor slightly pungent, vory Uqaor a little light, 
rather wanting in strength 
Feb. Is Id. Fairly Feb. lOid. Fair wiry 
even black leaf, some leaf a httle dull with a 
bright ends. Thin flavory few brightish tips, infused 
Uqnor. leaf dark, rather fall soft 
flavory liquor. 
March. Is. Rather March. 9iid. Small wiry 
even greyish leaf with a leaf, a httle dull, few fairly 
few tips. Infused leaf a bright tips. Ininsed leaf, 
little dark, fairly strong, rather dark, rather soft, 
slightly pungent liquor. shghtly pungent liquor. 
April, lljd. Kather May. 9Jd. Rather even 
bold well-made blackish blaclaeh leaf with a few 
leaf with some bright lips, pale tips. Fair pure fla- 
bright and even leaf after vory Uquor. Infoaed leaf 
infusion, pure full liquor, fairly even. 
No. XI. 
30th M»y 1893. 
Deab Sib,— Philpot' s letter of May 5th is too 
narrow and onesided to sfrioasly disturb the minds 
of Ceylon planters. Each sentence proclaims bis 
identity as a dealer or broker (perhaps both com- 
bined) and we have been so accustomed in the 
past three years or more to hear this bitter cry 
simultaneously with a fall in the price of tea, 
that we can now foretell the nature of the coming 
reports by the weekly telegrams from the Lane. 
Will "Philpot" honestly affirm that the broken 
pekot B which have been lately Eelling at 9d to 
lOd. are not equal in quality to those Bold at 
Is 3d to Is 5d six months ago ? Does he imagine 
that planters are so credulous as to at once 
aooept the various assertions advanced by tbe 
brokors and dealers at every change in tbe tone 
of the market? 
Atmospheric influences have undoubtedly lowered 
the quality of the tea in some of the higher dietricta 
in the past twelve months, but this is only ap- 
plicable to B comparatively email area and oyer 
this area exhaustion of soil or coarse plncking 
would not generally be ascribed as tbe cause of 
ih^ 4etenotation in tjuality. fluoking baa indeed 
