Kov. I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
329 
PROSPECTS OF THE CEYLON TEA ENTER- 
PRISE IN AMERICA. 
Our London Correspondent has ben endeavour- 
ing to learii the feeling exieteat among 
Otylon nien at home, with reference to Mr. Grin- 
liutun'd (icm.ind that we should do some 
thing to rtndar lasting the appreoiation of Oeylon 
ti^a ihat he sla.ea will be the outcome of bis 
endeavours at Chicago. Up to the date of his last 
letter, our correspondent had only auooeeded 
in obtaining two su'h opinions — those of Mr. J. L. 
Shand and Mr. Martin Leske. Aa an instalment, 
the views of those two well-known men of bus'nnss 
muit be valuable. The first-named is sure that, 
viewed from the stand-point of British trade, 
any attempt made directly by our Planters' 
Association w d be unjustifiable iu principle. 
But he does ot feel certain that the same view 
would be taken of suuh a oouree in the United 
Slates. The cuatoma and rules that so oonserva- 
iively govern ihe conditions of trade in the United 
Ktng.ioui are, according to Mr. Shand, of very 
rare application among our American ooueins. 
He holds it to be poSfible, therefore, that things 
might ba done in America that in the mother 
country would be regarJed as wholly un- 
justifiabl ', and which would b3 certain to 
produce combined and determined mercantile 
opposition. 
Wo find, however, that Mr. Shand has, on other 
grouudd, obieutioQS to Mc. Griulinton's prupobula 
being followed up. These objections are based 
entirely upon pecuniary considerations, not involv- 
ing oondemnatioD of the principle advocated by 
Mr. Grinlinton. In bis (Mr. Shand's) opinion, 
nothing should be attempted with a less capital 
than £100,000. He fixes this sum, it would 
seem, upon the results of his own experience in the 
endeavours made by his firm to introduce Ceylon 
tea into America. He fears that our tea wi!l never 
be largely consumed in that country until it can bo 
acquired at very low pricss from the surplus which 
muy oveiflow from the supply of European and Aus- 
tralian markets. He admiis that the Americin 
conaumera will pay high prices ; but the wholesale 
dealers will never introduce a tea for which they 
have to pay correspondingly. And, as hia con 
elusion, Mr. Shand a«ks : -" Where is the £100,000 
going to come from "? We fear echo must answer 
'• Where indeed "? 
Mr. Leake, in reply on the case stated 
to him, at once said :— " Wtll, the golJen 
goose has been k lied. Had the American 
Oeylon Tea Company been miiotained, Mr. 
Gnnlinton would have fouod the agencies 
he now demands te»dy to his hands." This 
statemenf, of courso, oanuot be gaiosiid. But it is 
little use looking back now that the steed 
has bteii stolen. Whether it would have been 
poasible, bad good relations been maintained be- 
tween Mr. May snl Mr, Giialinton, to have 
pulled the Amoricin Ceylon Tea Company through 
Its difficulties, it is useless at present to inquire. 
But, even according to Mr. Griulinton's own showing, 
the work accomplished by Mr. May has, if we 
are to reap continued benefit from the exertions 
made at Chicago, to be doae over again. But 
threads once dropped are not eatily to be recovered, 
and perhaps Mr. Shand'a estimate of £100,000 is 
not au oxtravagaut as some might deem it at 
first sight to be. We ehall be anxious to receive 
further home opinions upon Mr, Grinlinton'a pro- 
posals. We must reserve judgment a& to whether 
the sudden increase of London exports of Ceylon 
tea to America asaigood by the home brokers as 
the cause ot tho late very favourable tura ia price, 
43 
may be due to a demand consequent upon our 
representation at Chicago. It may be that it is 
only a "fl»sh iu the pan," oonsequenc upon Mr. 
Giiulinton's own purchases f n the aupply of 
tea in the Ceylon (Jourts in the Great Exposition. 
If, however, the inoiease indicate a really growing 
appreciation of our teas by the American peopl», 
it is certainly an argument urging us to m^ke 
Bome effort to further Mr. Grinlinton's suggestior. 
And there is this important fact that coffee is 
bound to be both scarce and dear — in view of the 
newB from Brazil and Java — for some time to 
come ; and it is not unlikely therefore that many 
of ttie American consumers should turn the r 
attention to tea during the next twelve months. 
^ 
THE RAGALLA TEA ESTATE CO., LD. 
A Company has b^en formed in London called 
the Ragalla Tea Estates Ld. Capital 5,000 shares 
of £10 each and £20,000 in 6 per cent debentures. 
3,100 shares only are to be issued at first and they 
as well as the debentures have all been subscribed. 
The Company have so far bought (from Mr. Chas. 
E. Strachan) the Ragalla and Halgranoya estates- 
covering 1,493 acres of which 513 are in teas, 420 
in coffee, 11 cinchona and 3 cardamoms. 
♦ 
CACAO AND RUBBER. 
A DjlosbagH planter writes: — "I was thinkirg 
of trying a small clf>aring of cocoa and ' Para ' 
rubber, but your ioformation has rather damped 
my ardour with regard to the Para or Hevea 
when cogitating over the vast aoreige of natural 
rubber in 3. America, &o. Tha Hevea would be 
pat in as a shade tree. Is loses its haves for a 
time in the dry sca=on, but 1 think that wouldn't 
much miiter." 
We think our fri. nd shouH go ahead— transport 
and labour are difliculties not readily to be over- 
come in Sou'h America as was shown in the case 
ot cinchona bark. 
C11IN.\ VERSUS CEYLON TEA. 
Having exhausted this special topic Oeylon 
Tea in America* I inquired of Mr. J. H. 
Roberts (of Messrs. 8. Raoker & Co.,) if he 
thought that, supposing a further depreoiatio 1 of 
the rupee— say as low as one shilliog, — China teas 
would be enable! to supplemsut Ceylon and 
Indian in the home market. " Certainly not," he 
answered; ''Ceylon t^as hav,; by fir foj firm a 
grip on thf public taste here to ever bfcom? 
deoosed in favour of China. It might be <Uff-rjrit, 
perhaps, if the old qualities ot China 
could be obtained, but the day has passed 
for this. China will always sand a tea far 
inferior to that of former days, and 
Ceylon, if eha will only maintain her standard, 
need leir her rivalry under no circumstances of 
silver exchange rates." You will find consolation 
in this opinion no doubt ; but your planters should 
bear in mind Mr. Roberts' qualification as to the 
maintenance ot a high stanaard by them. 
HINTS TO PLANTERS. 
Although much space in this letter has already 
been devoted to tea, the fact must cot make me 
abstain from still further reference to it. It had 
been aaked ( f me why there was so much 
variauoe between the quotation of averages by 
ludivioudl brokei.s as well aa by Keuters' agency. 
A leading broker offered me the following ex- 
■^See Fortheir on.— Ed. T.A. 
