136 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Auc. i, 1894. 
To the objection which Bome hold that in the 
lowoountry there is no depth of soil, and that 
the estates will eoon be worn out, I have 
only to put forward the argument that Ceylon 
planters have proved themselves too olearheaded 
and business-like to neglect the obvious remedy 
of manuL-o which, when suitably applied, will 
generally make up for what the eoil lacks io depth 
or richness. 
I take no objection to the olearing up and 
felling of the few reserve acres belonging to estates 
already in cultivation, but to the buying and 
felling of large tracts of Grown forest or native 
ohena land for the purpose of planting tea. (Since 
penning the above I have seen the Report of the 
Kelani Valley Railway Commission, an 1 the state 
ment there made of the immenee increase of yield 
expected in 3 years' time, which lends additional 
force to my argument.) 
Another fatal practice is that of hungering after 
large profits by coarse plucking and large yields 
with low price3 ; in truth an unwise short-sighted 
policy! It is this hunger after sptedy fortunes 
that is helping to hurry the market down, down, 
down, and losing for Ceylon her onoe fair name 
for superiority. How muoh better will it Dot 
be in the long run for tea planters to pluck good 
medium leaf (not neoessarily fine leaf) and get 
good prices even though at first smaller profits ! 
And though smaller, are th6y uot likely to be 
more permanent, or is it even a fait that thej 
are smaller?, for the difference in price te w en 
good and poor liquoring teas is now probably hrge 
enough to counteract the former advantage of 
"quantity." It is this inferior stuff, with 'oooty- 
sack' leaf and ' posts-and-rails ' which is undoing 
us and may eventually prove our ruin. 
A great deal of energy (with which I am 
in sympathy) is now being expended in gaining 
new markets in North America and elsewhere ; 
but no amount of new markets will compensate 
for the evil done by selling rubbishy te?, and it 
is the superior article whioh will be the most 
likely to capture them. The enemy is at the 
door, and it behoves planters to sei thur houses 
in order and prepare for the fight, the way to 
commence which ia to foreswear coarse plucking 
and the making of common teas. 
I had intended to add a note upon the vexed 
question of overproduction, but cs my epistle is 
long enough already, I will close ; though perhaps 
I may make that the subjeot of a future letter. — 
I am sir, yours faithfully, OUDEIS. 
AN INDIAN TEA PLANTER ON " NEW 
MARKETS FOR TEA." 
Dear Sir,— Regarding the advisability of making 
tea to suit new markets, up to now I have seen 
this polioy advocated only by " Siward," by myself, 
end by the writer of the article on rage 744 of 
Tropical Agriculturist of May 1st, 1894, and he 
states that the planters " must pander to the public 
taste." I don't like the word '• pander " asithes 
usually an unfavourable significance. Is there 
anything derogatory in suiting the public taste ? 
The whole cry now is that Indian t9as are 
" too" bitter and strong; but the slightest reference 
to past records, suoh as the Indian Tea Cyclopcedia 
of 1881, will prove that Indian tea has become so 
from tha strong pressure exerted by our "market" 
to obtain the maximum of strength. And the 
result is that cur medium teas go down on 
their owq merits, our poor teas and our 
rivals are supported by our strong tea. Our 
best teas go for very moderate prices consider- 
ing their status ; they would obtain more favour 
if taken for consumption pure, i.e., if made 
fit for it. There may be many ways of getting 
oar teas better liked— which alone would 
increase the consumption. One method is Eimply 
maturing the tea by careful beeping. If every 
estate could be made to beep om per cent of its 
tea for one year, and this matured to. c uld be 
bulked (in several grades and qu&li ies and price:-, 
and offered to the consumer, I have no doubt 
that such tea would rapidly gain favour and get 
pood prices and lead to an increase of consumption. 
There would te no adverse criticism as to bitterness, 
in fact it would come as a surprise to the consumer. 
This maturing is done by circumbtauceE, that is 
to Hay the delay in distributing the crop; but once 
it leaves our hands, no special care is taken to 
keep it airtight. 
So, again, one way of te t!ng the possibility of 
making tea to euit any market would be to induce 
each eelate to make one per cent of its crop on 
samples supplied. One per cent even if sold at 
low rates would affect no particular estate very 
grievously, but the mass of tea would ba sufficient 
to test the scheme. 
In imitating any particular sample one most 
important fact is overlooked ; it is that the experi- 
menter at'empts to make " old tea," aud failing 
to do so throws up the spong . You git a sample 
made in Cbina and it is probably 5 or C months 
old by the time you get it ; it has been opentd 
and closed several times, and yet one expeots tn 
make a similar t. a. I very much dcuht the posd- 
bility of getting the peculiarities cf old tea into 
newly-made tea. I have some Orsnge Pekoe th'ee 
years o'd, and I would defy any one to imitate it. 
So either we must wire to China » nl get samples 
posted with the utmost despatch, or we must tas'.o 
our imitations several months after making, and 
try and recollect the flavour and taste, <Src, of th? 
sample which we try to copy. Your Associations 
talk seriously over the various schemes laid before 
them a? to th6 conquering of New Markets, but 
I see that the scheme of making tea to suit pu' ! c 
taste has not as yet been disoussed by any public 
body. I believe that mat y planters hold the 
views given above and they should now declare 
thcmBelve?. Any leading planter who will give 
his opinion with the force of hi9 own name 
might start the movement. And if sufficient forc9 
is brought to bear, it might be taken up by the 
AsBOoiatlooB. 
We have to fight Chins, Japan, Javs, and we 
mu:t combine to do so. No amount of anonymous 
writing will get anything done. 
It looks ominous ihat so far only the Indian 
Planters' Gazette, " Tlie Planter " and myelf in 
your columns have advocated the making of le» 
with the deliberate intent of suiting the consumer. 
I argue from this that Ceylon takes no interest in 
the matter. 
But what guide have you that your present 
style of tea is the best suited to anyone out of the 
market, and out of the mixing, Mending and 
hocus-pocus business. If you are convinced that 
you oannot change with benefit to vourselves you 
will naturally go on with booming and bor useing, as 
that seems to be your last resource. But " Siward" 
said let us ignore small men and srjuall things — 
apparently you think that there is no greater 
measure than handing round tea in cup?, and 
putticg up big posters with pretty piotures on 
them. At home thoEe who kcow cry out at the 
harm cone by our teas. The increase of lunacy 
in Ireland is attributed to our teas ; America 
has refused our teas for many yesrs. What need 
to say mere exoept that where Chiia tea o»n be 
got good it is the national beverage ; witness 
China and Russia, 
