July  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
ha  said,  was  a very  able  Ceylon  manager,  and  when 
lia  came  home,  they  would  be  glad  to  learn  from  him 
various  matters  about  their  property  which  they  could 
not  obtain  by  means  of  correspondence- 
Mr.  BERnERT  Anderson  seconded  tbe  motion,  which 
was  adopted. 
After  the  reappointment  of  the  auditor, 
Mr.  Lucas  proposed  a vote  of  thanks  to  the  chairman 
frr  his  conduct  in  the  chair,  and  for  the  satisfactory 
account  he  had  given  them  of  the  affairs  of  the  com- 
pany. 
The  motion  was  seconded  by  Mr.  Harvey,  end 
carried. 
Mr.  0.  J.  Scott  then  proposed  a vote  of  thinks  to 
the  officers  and  staff  in  Ceylon  and  London. 
The  motion  was  seconded  and  agreed  to. 
The  Chairman  stated  that  the  board  would  inform 
tbe  managers  and  staff  in  Ceylon  that  a vote  of  thanks 
had  been  unanimously  accorded  to  them,  and  he  was 
sure  that  they  would  highly  appreciate  it. 
The  proceedings  then  terminated. 
<*• 
NOTES  ON  PRODUCE  AND  FINANCE. 
A Good  Investment. — Shareholders  in  the  Ceylon 
Tea  Plantations  Company  have  reason  to  be  well 
pleased  with  the  result  of  the  past  year’s  working,  as 
shown  in  the  dividend  just  declared.  A company  that 
can  pay  15  per  cent,  in  bad  times  may  be  reasonably 
expected  to  do  still  better  things  if  the  market  should 
prove  kinder. 
Travancore  Planters’  Association. — We  recently 
referred  to  the  newly  formed  Travancore  Planters’ 
Association  in  London,  of  which  Mr.  Ewen  Cattanach 
of  3,  Great  St.  Helen’s,  is  the  lion,  secretary.  The 
object  of  the  association  is  to  watch  and  protect  the 
interests,  in  London,  of  tea,  coffee,  and  cinchona 
planters,  Ac.  The  president  is  Mr.  Patrick  Grant. 
The  committee  is  as  follows  ; — Messrs.  Hugh  Crawford, 
6,  Shakespeare  Road,  Bedford ; Leopold  F.  Davies, 
Messrs.  Gow,  Wilson,  and  Stanton ; J.  B.  Keith, 
Messrs.  Arbuthnot,  Latham,  and  Co.;  Patrick  Leslie, 
Messrs.  Leslie  and  Anderson  ; W.  B.  Miller,  Travan- 
core Plantation  Company,  Limited  ; W.  Cotton  Rohde, 
97,  Biskopsgate  Street,  E.C.;  and  Sidney  Wilson, Messrs. 
Wilson,  Smithett,  and  C o.  The  present  members  are: — 
Messrs.  Arbuthnut,  Latham,  and  Co.,  Hugh  Crawford, 
Fleming,  Milligan,  and  Co.,  Gow,  Wikon,  and  Stanton, 
Patrick  Grant,  Harvey  Brothers,  Leslie  and  Anderson, 
Nagamally  Tea  Company,  Limited,  Patry  and  Pasteur, 
W.  Cotton  Rolide,  and  Wilson,  Smithett,  and  Co. 
Paraguayan  Tea. — Although  the  cultivation  of  Para- 
guayan tea  produces  about  25,000,000  lb.  yearly,  and 
the  qualities  of  this  tea  are  spoken  highly  of,  no 
attempt  has  yet  been  made  to  introduce  it  into  this 
country.  It  takes  an  ordinary  consumer  some  time 
to  get  used  to  mate,  and  people  are  in  too  much  of 
a hurry  in  these  days  to  apprentice  their  palates  to 
a new  beverage.  Mate,  having  no  resemblance  to  any 
of  the  breakfast  drinks  now  in  vogue,  and  not  being 
particularly  palatable  to  a strange  tongue,  is  not  likely 
to  find  a market  here. 
— - - — - 
THE  TEA  TRADE. 
Tea  is  such  a universally  accepted  friend  and  com- 
forter to  our  moit'il  that  those  of  us  wbo  have 
hitherto  been  accustomed  to  sip  it  morning  and  after- 
noon, without  a thought,  perhaps,  of  the  vastness  of 
he  trade  it  represents,  a d tbe  enormous  capital 
involved  therein,  may  be  intested  by  a few  remarks 
on  the  subject.  The  position  of  the  tea  trade  at  the 
present  time  is  well  worthy  of  attention,  not  or  ly  by 
tbe  outside  public,  but  by  those  mi  re  intimately  con- 
nected with  its  production,  importation  and  sale  here 
and  elewhere.  There  lias  been  during  the  last 
few  years  a perfect  revolution,  not  only  in  the 
public  taste  ior  tea,  but  in  all  that  appertains  to  it, 
from  the  circumstances  attending  its  plucking 
and  manufacture  to  the  time  and  manner  of  its 
being  offered,  either  wholesale  or  retail,  for  sale  ou 
this  market,  The  public  taste  has  generally  turned 
II 
rorn  the  delicate  flivonred  China  teas  to  the  mono 
full-flavoured  British-grown  Ceylon  and  the  strong 
pungent  Indian  teas  ; for  the  latter  are  mostly  of  this 
description,  although  some  floe,  delicate  invoices  arrive 
from  the  Darjeeling  district?.  The  general  quality  of 
the  China  teas  liar  r ipidly  declined  during  tbe  last 
five  years,  and  the  bu'k  of  the  imports  remaining  here, 
After  the  best  chops  have  been  selected  for  export, 
have  been  year  by  y ear  more  difficult  to  dispose  of 
at  profi'able  rates,  until,  during  this  past  season, 
China  teas  may  be  said  to  have  received  their  liual 
coup  mortd,  and  the  average  rales,  especially  of  tbe 
medium  and  fine  leaf  teas,  have  often  shown  very 
disastrous  results  to  shippers.  When  last  July  and 
August  imports  have  had  to  be  realised,  real  losses  of 
fiom  8d.  to  10J.  per  lb.  have  not  been  uncommon  ex- 
periences. Tbe  finest  teas  from  II,  nkow  twenty  or 
thirty  years  ago  were  of  rich,  full  Pekoe  flavour,  and 
delicious  to  drink,  but  they  could  not  be  sold  under  2s. 
and  2-.  Cd.  per  lb.  in  bond,  aud  being  in  limited 
quantities,  only  reached  a certain  portion  of  tbe  public 
in  their  pure  state,  the  price  being  prohibitive.  This 
class  of  tea  has  chiefly  gone  direct  or  been  reskipped 
from  here  to  Russia,  &e,,  the  British  public  requirii  g a 
much  stronger  drink  and  at  a less  cost.  At  the  present 
time  they  can  easily  obtain  this,  very  good  to  fine 
blends  of  Ceylon  cniy  or  of  Indian  aud  Ceylon  teas 
being  procurable  at  from  2a  Id  per  lb.  downwards, 
duty  paid. 
There  are  three  special  sorts  of  Ceylon  teus — broken 
Pekoe-,  Ptkoe-e,  ami  Pekoe  Souchongs.  The  leaf  of  the 
firmer  it  generally  too  small  and  the  liquor  too 
strong  to  drink  alone,  end  it  is,  therefore,  used  al- 
most entirely  for  blending  with  tbe  two  other  Italy 
kinds,  and  \vi  k similar  Indian  or  China  teas!  The 
Pekoe  Souchong  is  g nerally  too  bold  in  leaf, 
and,  like  ihe  common  and  medium  grades  of  Pek- 
oes, too  light  in  cup  for  separate  use  ; but  the 
finest  Ceylon  Pekoes,  realising  now  in  the  Mincing 
Lana  auctious  from  Is  Id  to  la  4d  per  lb.  in  bond,  are 
mostly  of  delicate  aud  choice  Pekoe  flavour,  similar 
to  that  of  the  finest  China  Ningchows  of  days  gone 
by,  but  posiessing  more  Vo  iy  in  iiquor.  These,  again, 
are  in  small  supply,  and  the  public  see  little  of 
them  in  their  pur  imported  stile,  the  general  call 
being’  for  something  s rorger,  a want  which  is  met 
by  buying  them  I leaded.  In  18S2  the  home  e n- 
sumption  of  CLiina  teas  was  II  1 462,000  lb.  and  of 
Indian  tea3  only  50,4.0,000  lb.  In  1886  the  chief 
supply  of  tea  to  this  country  was  still  from  Ohina  ; 
but  since  1887  the  importation  and  c nsumpiion  of  Ohina 
teas,  so  I at  as  this  ojuutry  s concerned,  have 
steadily  declined,  and  during  last  year  (1891)  the  total 
consumption  of  ail  tea  was  203.500,000 ’b.  of  which 
150.000. 000  lb.  ware  Indian  and  Oeyion,  and  only  about 
52.000. 000  lb.  China.  In  1891  the  consumption  of 
Ceylon  tea3  alone  iacroasi d 50,000,000  1b.,  while  that 
of  China  showed  a reduction  of  40,000,000  lb.  What- 
ever the  cause,  whether  it  is  what-  has  been  termed 
by  thoso  only  interested  in  China  teas  “ the  coarse 
taste  of  the  average  British  consumer,”  or,  more 
probably,  the  natural  in  qniremeut  of  something 
moie  stimulating,  the  cry  is  more  and  more  pro- 
nounced for  Indian  aud  Ceylon  tens — which  is  highly 
encouraging  and  satisfactory  to  our  British  tea  in- 
dustries in  those  colonies.  The  change  in  thu  cus- 
toms duty  in  1890  fr  in  6d  to  4 i per  lb,  has  enabled 
grocers,  aud  especially  the  princip  .1  blending  firms, 
•o  give  to  the  public  by  means  of  blending  a 
much  more,  useful  ilavcury  tea  than  they  were 
a few  years  ago  cb'.e  to  provide.  Formerlv,  when 
little  else  but  China  tea  was  used,  the  fine  aud 
finest  qunli  ies  were  too  expensive,  and  the  poor 
could  only  olrain  Ilia  inferior  sorts.  Now,  by  this 
b’ending  system,  which  has  become  of  late  a large 
industry  ia  it  at  Jf,  the  working  classes  can  buy  a very 
superior  tea  ut  much  less  cost  than  they  paid  a few 
years  since  fora  very  inferior  .substitute.  The  quoted 
prices  one  generally  sees  now  range  from  Is  2d  to  Is 
6d  per  lb.  for  good  useful  to  medium,  and  from  Is  9d 
to  ,3s  per  lb.  for  letter  (o  finest  blended  teas.  Won 
this  fact,  which  is  already  attracting  attention,  is 
still  more  fully  recognised,  we  shall,  without  doubt 
