62 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [July 2, 1894. 
AMEEICA FOR INDIAN AND CEYLON TEAS : 
HOW TO CAPTURE THE WESTERN CONTI- 
NENT FOR A SUPERIOR PRODUCT. 
LET THE CRY BE FROM NEW YOKE TO SAN 
FRANCISCO :— "DRINK CEYLON TEA !" 
We call attention to an artiole from the American 
Grocer, given on page 39 whioh deals very (airly with 
the question of introducing our teas into the United 
States. Our oontemporary advocates as, on the whole, 
the moBt likely p'an of utilising the funds to ba raised 
in India (and Ceylon) the placing of " large blocks of 
Indian (and Ceylon) teas in the auction room to be 
so!d without reserve" so that the buyers of China and 
Japan teas would be induoed to purchase when they 
found a better article going below value — the planters 
to bear the loss out of their fund. "This must force 
Indian (and Ceylon) teas into consumption "5 but 
the Grocer seems to think the process would have 
to be continued for some years, in order to cause 
such a displacement of China and Japan teas as 
would make it profitable to the producers. Our 
oontemporary gives an illustration gained from the 
experience of American products in European 
markets ; but we do not think sufficient allowance is 
made for the rapid way in which superior teas win 
their way to the taste of households! s ueing them. 
Both in the United Kingdom and Australasia, it 
has been again and sgain proved that after the 
use of a few lb, or packets of Ceylon tea, house- 
holders or other consumers have refused to go back 
to their old China brew, and have been permanently 
won over to the consumption of the new and supe- 
rior teas. The American Grocer in one sentence 
makes a big and encouraging confession, when the 
editor eays : — "There are good reasons to suppose 
" that fine Indian and Ceylon tea would gain a 
" prominent plaoe here ;" and in windiDg up our 
contemporary adds some practioal remarks whioh 
are certainly calculated to stimulate the Indian and 
6eylon Tea Campaign in America : " If," he says, 
" good, sweet choice Indian (and Ceylon) tea can 
be sold at auction from 15 to 30 coats (of a dollar) 
per lb., it will in time oauss a change in the 
character of the imports, approximating the change 
brought about in England. The experiment is 
worth trying, and the planters ought to pay the cost 
of introduction." This, our contemporary must 
know, the planters are most willing to do so far as 
their self-imposed levy, or CustomB oess, will permit. 
The tea planters of India and Ceylon are willing to 
expend 50,000 dollars per annum in promoting the 
introduction of their teas, in the way that may best 
commend themselves to the special agents who are 
about to represent them in America. But at the 
prices named above, (15 to 30 cents of a dollar per 
lb.), it may be asked whether good sound and even 
fine Ceylon teas — greatly superior to China at the 
same value could not be placed in the New 
York and Chicago auction rooms ? If the above 
quotations may be considered equal to from 7d to 
la 3d per lb,, we suppose there is not much to hinder 
the appearance of large blocks of Indian and Ceylon 
teas even now in the American auction rcom. Of 
course the payment of a bounty to the importers of 
such " auctioned " tea would be one way in which 
the planters could make good any loss. 
But we should like to know what our American 
contemporary — who speaks in one part as if the 
work of advertising our teas had been already 
largely done— has to say to the counsel given by 
some of the biggest American wholesale tea dealers 
to an Indian and Ceylon tea producer who inter- 
viewed them a short time ago, as narrated in our 
columns, Theyeaid in effect, — "Undoubtedly Indian 
and Cerylon teas are bound to advance into con- 
sumption in America because they are a good. 
superior article, while China and Japan teaa eo far 
from maintaining their old reputation are steadily 
deteriorating. Now, our adtioe to the planters is to 
advertise their superior artiole all over the country, 
and to send ever batches of native servants to bs 
utilised by wholesale houses for their retail agents 
in towns all over the Union to attract attention to 
the new teas." It would be interesting to learn 
what the American Grocer has to say to this mode 
of going to work to promote the rapid introduction 
of Ceylon teas, while we thank our contemporary 
for the practical bints already tendered. 
In conclusion, we would strongly urge the Joiot 
Committee to empower the Ceylou Agent to present 
to the editor of the American Grocer sod to the 
conductors of other influential American Journals, 
a package ot tine Ceylon tea (with clear instruc- 
tions as to infusion) id order to give them a prao- 
tioal acquaintance with the product whioh we 
wish the people of the United States to consume 
as liberally as do the inhabitants ol the Austral- 
asian Colonies — who are among the healthiest and 
most vigorous of peoples in tbe world. At the 
Australasian ratio per head, North America ought 
to be consuming 5u0 millions lb. of tea (in plaoe 
of less than 100 millions) and the proportion of 
" Ccjlons " ought not to be lees than tbe present 
total export fiom this island ! May the day be 
hastened then when all through the United 
States and Canadian Dominion, the inferior and 
" rapidly deteriorating China and Japan teas " may 
give place to what experts in New York, Unioago, 
San Francisco, and Toronto as in London, Glas- 
gow, Belfast, Melbourne and Sjdney all confess 
to be the c.eanly prepared, unadulttrated and 
superior teas of India and Ceylon. The great 
American Temperance pirty ought to lend a 
ready hat-d in this new campaign which Eastern 
producers of a sound superior article hope to oarry 
on over the Great Western Continent, and if they 
want a good cry with which to wind up platform 
orations, we cau recommend one whioh we found 
vastly popular when we ventured to give it at a 
great gathering in South LoudoD, two years ago, 
namely, — " Dkink Ceylon Tea "! 
DRUG REPORT. 
(From Chemist and Druyyisl.) 
London, May 31 et. 
Cinchona. — An interval of four weeas haviDg elapeaA 
since the last bark-tale?, the supply offered at Tuesday's 
auctions was unusually luavy. The eleven catalogues wm- 
Prised a total of : — 
Packages Packages 
Ceylou cinchona . . 7U3 of which 513 were sold 
East Indian ciuehoua . . 1817 „ 1167 ,, 
Java cinchona .. 131 ,, 53 „ 
West African cinchona 2s8 „ 2b8 „ 
South American cinchona 115 ,, 68 „ 
Cuprea bark .. 2il ,, 72 ,, 
3281 asu 
The commencement of the anctiou wjs niaried by a very 
dull tcne, am a decline in value of many of the lots sola 
compared with the list auctions, tut gradually the market 
underwent a dis.iuct improvement, aud at the tndthe- 
result showed aa average unit of about £d per lb. Hoi 
deis generally showed iheinselves very arm, aui a fair 
proportion or fine East Indian bark was bought iu on 
that account, une of the chief ftatures of the auction 
lay in tLe offering of nearly aoj packages of Ceylon bark 
imported between lb87 and I8ss, me greater part of which 
was now told. Tbe total of amount oulphate ui quinine re- 
presented by the ban offered was about, i£,ul)j in. 
The lollowing are the approximate quantities *f tark pur- 
chased by the principal buyers : — 
Lb. 
Agents for the Auerbach factory .. -.163^90 
agents for the Urunswick factory . . . . llt-.tftt 
Agents for the Fraykfort-on-tlie-Main factory . . Stfibv 
