July i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
49 
CEYLON TEAS :— THEIR QUALITY 
AND REPUTATION : 
"THE BITTEE CRY OP MINCING LANE." 
IS INDIA TO BE LEFT TO SUPPLY "FINE" 
TEAS AND OEYLON ONLY " MEDIUM " AND 
" COMMON "? 
We think it will be admitted that the discussion 
which we invited on the letter of " Philpot " 
has been productive of a number of interesting 
letters embodying a considerable variety of opinion 
and muah useful information. Of course, the 
largo majority of the more than score of replies 
have come from practical tea planters, and although 
some few have treated the inquiry of the home 
buyer and dealer as almost unworthy of altent on ; 
yen most of our correspondents have written to the 
point and in a way that must attract considerable 
attention in " the City " and generally among 
home tea-dealers. There is also abundant food for 
reflection afforded in these letters, for all of as who 
take an interest in the great planting industry of the 
island. 
In the first place, we may place the subatantse 
of " Fhilpot " 's complaint in a couple of clauses : 
— first, he would have us understand that the 
representatives of the home Tea Trade are awaken- 
ing to the fact that they were in far too great a 
hurry in sounding thepraises of Ceylon tea ; secondly, 
because they are now fidding put that " fitie tei 
had but a transient resiSence in Ceylon " and that 
" dull mediocrity " can alone now describe the 
" quality " of our product. Before emering on 
the consideration of these questions, it is well to 
notice that fault has been fouod with " Philpot " 
as if his only object was to exalt "China "tea 
at the expense of " Ceylon "; but a London dealer 
would scarcely address himself to a Ceylon journal 
seen chiefly by planters, if that were his objf ci ; 
nor would he insist so strongly on the thesis ihat 
the future prosperity or failure of the Ceylon tea 
industry depends on the attention given to quality. 
We have reason to regard " Pbilpot " 's letter 
as perfectly bona fide and from one whose 
interest is mainly in " fine teas." But now, 
to deal with his letter, " Philpot " will find his 
statement denied about the home trade doing so 
much to create a demand for Ceylon teas by sounding 
their praises. It is maintamed by very many thac 
Ceylon planters and their friends all over the 
United Kingdom did the advfr.ising in (he first 
instance and to a great extent, by creating the demand, 
forced the hands of the tea trade. Consequently, 
the planters recognise no special obligation to the 
trade in this direction. 
As to quality, taking the whole of the Ceylon tea 
crop of the past two years as compared with tha 
earlier years, we believe there can be no dispute 
as to a comparative falling-o£f. A few years 
ago Ceylon tea was ranked aa equal, if 
not superior, to Asaam tea as the average 
prices for both showed ; but it is plain that we 
have fallen far behind in the comparison now ; 
for the Assam average last year was only attained 
by two or three of our best districts ; while the 
average for all India was also considerably ahead 
of that for Oeylon. There ars not a few planters 
who, in replying to " Philpot," maintain that there 
has been no falling-oS ia quality, that their teas are 
as good as ever they were. But obviously this 
testimony can only refer to particular plantations 
and not to districts, much less to the whole 
island. 
But when we talk of the iaUnd, we must point 
out the great disadvantage under which Ceylon 
labours wnen brought into comparison with Assam 
or other leading Indian districts. We have here a 
" low-country " tea division in a special sense which 
may be said to be unknown in India, end our 
average must always be considerably aSeoteil by 
the large proportion of our tea produced on land 
very little above sea-level and within seven degrees 
of the equator. If it were possible both here and 
in Mincing Lane to treat the Oeylon tea crops, 
exports and sales in two great divisions— high- 
country and low-country teas — and to give the total 
averages and grade quotations separately for each, 
we should be in a much better position to chal- 
lenge comiparisons ; for, of course, it would only 
be in the higher division that fine teas would be 
looked for, and a fair contrast with " Assam's " 
presented. 
But now to come to closer quarters with our 
correspondents, we mny say that only in about six 
letters cut of twenty, is " Philpot's " contention 
allowed that our teas according to districts, have de- 
cidedly fallen-ofi' in quality. To account for this, 
there is scarcely a writer who admits deterioration 
due to exhaustion of soil in any conetitueut, or to 
treatment or age of bush. The almost universal 
testimony is that as fine teas as ever were pro- 
duced, can even now be supplied it it is made 
worth the while of the Ceylon planter. The great 
law of Supply and Demand is appealed to and 
the actual tacts of the home market in respect of the 
prices paid tor fine, medium and common teias 
since November last. More than one planter 
explicitly states that he haa givfn up making 
" fine" teap, because it did not pay him so well 
as making medium and common kinds. Others 
show by Brokers' valuations that though their teas 
have been as good as two years ago ; yet the prices 
realized have been less, bo driving them in the 
direction of quantity rather than quality. Still 
another authority shows how our finest marks 
have only been getting Is average against Is 4d 
last year — in other oases broken pekoes said to be 
uniform in quality have fallen from Is 3d to 9d — 
while foe common kinds the advance in price haa 
been phenomenal. In fact " fine" Ceylon teas for 
some reason have been selling several pence below 
valuation even ; and so it is no wonder that one 
gentleman largely interested in our enterprise, 
declares that recent experience would seem to show 
it pays best for India to supply "finest" and 
"fine" teas and for Ceylon to follow up with 
" medium" and " common." The fact that Assam 
is going in again this year for " fine" plucking 
is adduced as a further argument for this course. 
Indeed, this side of the planters' case in reply 
to " Fhilpot" is summed up in the most practical 
fashion and in the fewest possible words by the 
Chairman of the Plantera' Aasociation when he 
writes : — " If consumers want really first-class teas 
"(that is from Ceylon) they must be willing to 
" give a fair price for them ; they cannot expect 
" the owners to make them at a loss." Now, be 
it remembered that Mr. Giles Walker writes from 
a high district and if his sentiment is re-echoed 
as we believe it is at present by the majority of 
his brother-planters, there can be no question 
as to the policy inferentially to be adopted, 
namely, that Caylon is to go in for supply- 
ing "medium" and "common" teas, leaving 
to India — that is to Assam and Datjeeling — 
the supply of "fine " and "finest" teas. Wo 
suppose there need be no question as to this being 
the right course for the lowcountry division of 
Ceylon. Nor perhaps can it be said to be advisable 
that the older districts of medium altitude — say 
1,500 to 3,500 feet above sea-level — should aim 
at much more than " medium" teas. But it ia 
as to the truly wise policy, even from a financial 
point of view in the long run, for all plantation^ 
7 
