Aug. t, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
My idea wa°, failing a man able to work through 
the ' Press,' that we should speed R100,000 duriDg 
six (6) months, in starting three separate Agents 
with Shows. Better make a strong attaok in 
various places at onoe, than one larger one moving 
tediously from one large town to another. A year's 
Oess, with speoial subscriptions, would pay for all. 
It is beooming serious, this steady fall in the 
Home market, especially as it really dots not 
arise from any real plut of tea, Produce every- 
where, and of every sort is tumbling; but in the ease 
of tea, the middleman's prices and profits have 
not come down for three years. Oo the contrary, 
their profits have ri?en— because, take Lipton for 
instance, hia prioes still are Is, Is 4f and Is 7d — 
the rates fixed when Indian and Ceylon teas 
were 3d higher in Minoing Lane. Cavil era 
notwithstanding, his teas are wonderful for the 
money, but not better than they were three years ago, 
It would be invidious to quote names of estates ; 
but let any one conversant with our industry 
during the last five years, oast his eye over 
the prioes by the last mail's sale list, and 
mark how the dozen stand : out-marks have fallen. 
Another significant portent is the rush to import 
" oreepers, 1 ', whose premiums are n?e< J ed to 
prop dwindling profits, keep up bungalow 
oredit with the bazaars, arid help meet remittances 
for children's eduoation. That wave of matrimony, 
which has been flowing for five years, has had 
results, whioh must make men pause, and face 
their responsibilities. " Creepers" may ward off 
the pihoh for a time ; but unless prioes improve, 
there is an evil day looming for Superintendents 
with families whose plaoes oan be filled cheaply, 
and let us be just to creepers, — equally efficienlly — 
by the young deluded boys who are now being 
imported in dozens. 
Already one hears ominous and unreasonable 
growls against managers whose crops and prices 
fall short of expectations, similar to the Agents' 
" stiokers" of the early eight : es — when ceffee 
superintendents failed to ward off the effects of 
the Hemileia Vastatrix. Eeflect on the miseries of 
those years, and urge all to put down their mites 
to Open New Markets. Why should owners alone 
pay a cese ? Are they the only interested parties ? 
Money is easily found for Races, Balls &c, by 
men who hold no aoree. Why not divest some 
of it, for a season, to more serious matters? — 
Yours truly, PLANTER. 
AN INDIAN TEA PLANTER ON THE 
COLOMBO TEA MARKET AS THE 
" MINCING LANE OF THE EAST." 
Deab Sin, — On page 27 you quota tbe 
Editor of the Madras Mail about tha Colombo 
Tea Market- He says that Colombo may well 
become the Minoing Lane of the East. This would 
foward my views as to getting at the consumer 
round ihe '-Market." And certainly if we are to 
get America and Australia and oilier markets by 
suiting the ta3te of the consumer it would be much 
more convenient to have our sal^-rooms oloie at 
hand. For we could then be in touoh with the 
Brokers and Dealers who might even go so far 
as to go in:o the tea distnc s and make more 
sure of getting suitable tea mado, and keep the 
pro luce up to the murk. 
Now it seems to me 10 stand to re son that if 
badly made, badly kept and aluion unsaleable tea 
is mado fi*. for selling by the help of good tea, the 
makurs of tbe good tea mmt suffer; for tbe con- 
sumer will not pay as good prioes for a mixluij 
of good and bad as ho would for intrinsically good I 
ea. Somo Indian and Ceylon planters make bad | 
tea but the reason of this is that our lower clasS 
teas are handicapped by the low-olass Ohinas. W? 
must undersell to get them sold, for not only are 
our low-class teas poor in quality but also not 
suited to the consumer. And consequent on low 
prices comes the enforced economy, in manufacture 
in final firing, in boxes ; so that as prices fall the 
tea becomes actually poorer. Our leaf is good, we 
don't send away tea whioh has been once infused 
and refired, we do not adulterate with foreign 
substances ; but Borne of us save money by imper- 
fect manipulation, careless packing and so on, and 
the result is that a good deal of really bad tea is 
sent out. And in order that this may be handled 
(whioh means profits to the dealers) our good 
tea is bought at low rates to mix with the inferior 
stuff. But I assume that no Indian tea carefully 
made is so poor that it would be undrinkable by 
itself if oniy made to suit a certain class of oon- 
sumers, consequently there is no neoeseity to 
blend in order to make it good enough. And 
if mixing for the purpose of raising poor tea 
to a desired strength is done away with 
then any poor tea whioh is bad from imperfect 
curing or manufacture, would be unsaleable. And 
we shall make no headway until suoh time as 
really bad tea is unsaleable. For this means 
that bad tea will not be made. And if the oonsumer 
can get only good tea, we may rest assured that 
he will increase the amount of his consumption. 
The present market is simply devoted to passing 
off all and every aort of tea whioh comes to its 
net ; but tbe ideal market would exolude any tea 
which was not really good and suited to the 
particular oountry, for whioh it was made. 
Now it is possible that Colombo may beoome this 
ideal market, and that India and Ceylon will supply 
teas of various characters suited to the various 
markets. Anel if Indian planters will oease to make 
teas so strong that they can be used to bolster bad 
tea, and whioh in themselves are undrinkable (or 
injurious) then really bad tea oannot be made, aa 
it will not be saleable. But our really good tea, 
made to suit, may fetoh the fancy prices of the really 
good China teas. 
The new Minoing Lane might also be the foster- 
parent to Compressed tea, to Tablet tea; these are 
"fancies" whioh would Buit Amerioa, but it 
would have to see that only good tea went out 
in these new forms. Why should Amerioans take 
a strange looking Brick, whioh rouses suspioion, 
by its novelty and baoks up the dislike by being 
of unsuitable flavour? The greatest beaefit to be 
obtained from Compressed tea is that it is of 
small bulk, and so could be supplied cheaper to 
the oonsumer at no extra oo3t to the producer. 
Then this tea would keep better, and this means 
that the consumer would get less damaged tea, 
and he might even be induced to lay in large stooks 
of a tea he fancies knowing that it will keep for 
years and only improve by keeping. Every ounoe 
of bad tea supplied to a oonsumer probably loses 
us 8 ounces of tea sold, as he goes for ooffee or 
other drinks. 
The biggest new market is the maximum con- 
sumption by our present customers. We sell 
200 millions pounds, bat this might easily 
be douhled if we gave only good suitable 
tia. With our present ftyle of tea and the 
great mass of absolutely bad tea sold, it is rea- 
sonable to think that no one drinks more than be 
can help, and that eaoh ono oould easily double 
hi° consumption if we help him. OompreBsed tea 
would do away with one diflioultv whioh is of no 
hcru lit '«thor to the producer or to the consumer, 
and that is appearance, and tho endeavour to suit 
" appearance" ia the oauso of heavy expenBe to the 
