326 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. t, 1894. 
great advantages. It is an advertisement to tbe men 
who deal iu 'be tea. If it succ.oded it would e*tab- 
li h a direct trade wi'h America. It would be ,.dvie- 
aVe previous to soniing a ntiip oent to send » large 
variety of sumpleB to t tie Amerio n d -nler-, ami g^f. ad- 
vice as to tuc most suit.ble tea for their own purposes, 
or to invite borne di aler to your market a' d otter him 
the pick ot it at g than the market price. 
As Boon as 6)ie> dialers fi'-d thit thfy csu sell jour 
teaj the, will waot mo-e >ban the limited tuomhly 
bonus, allowed and you will have an established de- 
mand from the dea ers. You oon leave ihem 10 
push the teas when onoe they aro k'O.n. 
If you era to spend the balanci', or pjsi )y the 
profit ou the ca, ital on adv. rti.-ing it in «ht do some 
good. If you make tea of su'Ublo cba'ucter it wilt 
lua^e it eaei.r for the dealers 10 dispose of it. 
Dou't hang your fa th on the idea th .t yours is a 
snperior product; the test of superiority is tiie pre- 
ference Bhown by tbe dealers. 
(i t a «ood tea ta>'er to haunt fie a -action roomi 
in New York, 10 study the sorts and kiuds of t a 
which are paid for at certain prices, and to ascertain 
whether anything sim lar MS he supplied from 
Ceylon. Perhaps eonie of jour most < ! e p std . i-tri -u 
are actually sellu g thtir weak teis at a low price 
which could be cold as first-class teas in America when 
onoa they aro known. 
The Plwitiis' S ores and Agency Co,, sent me a 
Compendium for Tea Planters, a id this gives ihe ex- 
port to India 1 Te .s ior the last 20 y ;ars to • ach conntry. 
The maximum of 076,507 pounds w-ih sent in 1882-83 . 
The am >unt l> .s steaiiily decn as "i till in lO'.'2-9J it 
is only 49,957 lb; Say that the deer ase is niddr. up I 
by sinpaien .s rom Loud nj ibis cano> t be 01 much 
b nefit to the Tea In ustry. Th're is ooly one pos- 
tible way in w ich it could be of hem fit, and that 
is iu the delaj of smding the tea rouno 1 ; it his linger 
lime to m ture and lo<e s.<mo of its most objection- 
able propir ies. 
Still the fact that our ten has not made more 
headway in its own u erits, (whether of quality or 
low price',) 1 to my mind clearly Bhows that ttiere is 
some radio .1 clef ot in it. 
Iu tLe " PlaLter " the sobjpot of maturing tea hat 
been mooted and it is probably one which wi 1 g*in 
in importance when once ca le.l to geueral notice. 
Let vn suppose that ■•or tea is sold &n I into the 
teapot, witljiu a jeir; it is probable that another 
year added to its ng • would render it more accep'ablo 
to the consumer. 
This is my hobby and I always return to it 
—to su't the consumer. Can any onn tell me by 
what means tbe dealeis take steps to suit tbo con- 
sumer. Undoubtedly they do fiud cut to a certaiu 
extent ; and whea ouca they find out what teas are 
pret.ued they pay more f . r it; gra m»lly tnis 
attracts the attentiou of the Planters, woo by degrees 
come roun 1 to the desired change in oharaoter. 
But all this strikes me as a very round-about way 
ot working and it is time that the planting cornmu' i y 
appoint exjerts to discover what can be done iu ihe 
w >y of suitiog thecoLSumtri of all markets, an! to lay 
down tules by which this can be done to a certainty. 
Now that withering machines have beconia avail- 
able, the In i^u Tea crop is less dependent on the 
seasons ; and it would ba interesting tj find oat 
whether the Brokers not co any marked tendency 
towards more equT quality year by year. 
There aie many tuings that rcquira cl-aring up, 
and of which we Planters have the most hazy notions. 
How is it thit the character of Cacbar and 
Sylbet teas has suddenly been rai-e J from medium to 
gojd 'i Is it due 10 change in method?, or of manufac- 
ture, or to a change iu thereq iireni jiitf of tin market? 
YVe ocn'c know and no oue will trouble to tell us. 
If tliese districts att-iu to their leading p'ace as 
in 1875-73 © other districts will strive ;o follow them, 
but wituout any distinct knowledge of the rea 00 
of the change. Well; it's a widi subject and none 
Ot us a3 yet, can do more th n is doi e by the Prize 
es^a.ists, and give a few hints from what we con- 
sider to be our experience. I am goin^ slightly 
gainst my principles in asking you to humour the 
dealers as I believe tbat tbey are mar J anxi< us to 
n ake th a otmo«t profit out of every pcu d ot tea 
t au to st mui.t - 1 o.snmptiou by m p. ly ng , ojd •«, 
but I nine this c >or e o ly a- a Dist step t>nd in 
order 'O introduce a large uul« of "or teas iuio A erica. 
In al tbo I T-itu n a vnui g 1 aonot.ee incn- 
'ione i one very fivotrit'- < ev ce for introducing 
new p oouc s. A .d th>t i> th- coupon sy te ■ puMi h d 
iu never i or certain uo<»Kpip..s "T-.i» coupon wi.l 
fntit a tii' bodes to Sib. of Ccyl n V a lortom>iij 
cei's or do lare, a *[■! v to so . nd e >." 
P rson II , I th mk that too uuch lu.> is mad- over 
Aoie i.a, a' d tbat Canada or anj 't h, r t t,|e ate-*<- 
trigid cliui'-t-n would offer % letter bc|.e of ^ucctsi 
for our compara'. ively ►tron^ te».^ in the event cf ou: en- 
tirely relu ink' t > cpv Ct.ma nth - cbarac er if t ber teta. 
I was Mtoni hel to eid, in the > 8v.y by a 
Sesa ne " tlie tollo«iii< . — 'AT mp> ra'e Nation, mty 
sh ju d certainly be jig* of >.oo I tet, aud nhe ■ 
tbe thick, dirty, Cluua teas, etc, e'c." 
The epithet of "ihick" applied to Ctiiua *ci seemi 
to me contrary to a 1 I hav • bear 1 of it, but a st.li 
gr a'er n istake i« the other epi het of "dirty," it is 
making t o li t e of a nally formi 'a'de ri>al, and a 
reti.'cti"ii on the 'aste of the Americans which they 
don't d-eerv^. In Kusaii, I be-.r that co tun China 
leas (till s.ell at very mu b bibber piices t an we 
ever obttin for eve 1 our b st teas, slio»ing that tt e 
Obi ese lave cucceed<d in mi etiu,. tbe tt«U>s ot their 
cuitcui'-rs, wh -eas have as yet Only xucoe*' >ed ia 
supplj iog ou: customer*' wa I;. " 1874." 
UNSUITABLE WOODS FOR PACKING TEA 
Kandy, btpt. 20. 
Deab Sib, — kt the nqu^Bt of tbe Committee I 
enokso oopy of a letter invitiDg attention to tbe 
advieab liiy of avoiding tbe use of unsuitable woods 
for packing tea.— I am, dear ttir, youis la thfuly, 
A. PHILIPS. 
— — — Secretary. 
{Copy). 
Colombo, 3rd Sept. 1894. 
The Serre'ary, the Planter*' As-otinti m, ICa; dj. 
Dear SIBj — NV'e enclose a cutting of T-a Let', sent 
us by by certaiu friends of ours in Ne<» Zea and, 
which was take 1 from a package of a break ot T- » 
I ought; by us in the Lo' al maiai t. Y n will noiice 
Oi e 1. the outer) side has become discolored and h,s 
a pecol ar ami obi-otiuu .ble euiell. Our fiieeds say 
they we e s 1 te it il that his smell voald uil-.t .he 
Tea, tbat U.e. dispoeed of th^ tem at once. 1 h .y 
express their opii?ion in w ich we co .cur, tbat tbe 
d.sculorizati n ami smell w re c,u-eJ by ihe use of 
un^uit^ble aud uire .8on>-d w 00 Js f t the boxej. We 
have nude enqui i s an 1 bnd the p»:kages, (fiere 
were two breaks from ditl'erent estutts siruiluriy 
effected) were iu one case imported from Co. bin at.d 
in the other locally made. 
Orr own recollection of the packages was that they 
were damp and mu^ty and quite un-uilabla for tbo 
packing ot a sensitive ar i le like tea. 
Our o ' ject in bringing this niitter to your 
notice i*, that p'anters may avoid the use of un- 
snitab e C 'jlon woods in future aud se9 taat the 
wood is dry and properly feis^ced. As shippers, 
we could wish Co-ylon male packages were never 
used, as the construction and woods are, as a rulj 
bad and ursu table. 
Japanes9 morni packages, on the other hand are 
invariably wtll seasonel and constructed and teiuti- 
fully finished, standing the rough n-nge they must 
n=cessar ly &e , much tetter, tj tay nothing ot greater 
uniformity 111 tares. 
Tee fress would doubtless be tbe bo^t means ot 
circuiting l h:s ieitcr, ir yoa think the subject of 
suflacieKt interest for publication. — Wo are, oe»r Sir, 
yours iaithfnlly, (Si^uej) per p:o. Bjih^ate Pirn, & 
Co., F. STREBX. 
P.S.— We have mislaid the cuttiag of le»d referred 
to, but will post you same hter. (Sgd.) F. Sibeet, 
