s6 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.’ 
[July  i,  1892- 
the  success  of  the  Chicago  project.  When  the 
question  of  out-bidding  Ceylon  at  Chicago  was  first 
raised  in  these  columns,  it  was  pointed  out  that  India 
can  produce  finer  tea  than  our  southerly  neighbour. 
Unfortunately  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  tea  pro- 
duced in  recent  years  has  not  always  been  of  a quality 
that  would  bear  comparison  with  the  finer  samples  of 
Ceylon.  As  our  correspondent  ‘'Enterprise  ” wrote  on 
the  29  th  ultimo: — “ Your  article  on  the  quality  of  Ceylon 
tea  will  be  read  with  interest  by  all  concerned  in  the 
welfare  of  Indian  tea.  That  India  can  produce 
finer  teas  than  Ceylon  there  is  no  doubt,  but  mana- 
gers of  late  years  have  been  sacrificing  quality  for 
quantity,  which  has  proved  a fatal  and  ruinous 
mistake.  There  is  no  doubt,  moreover,  that  Ceylon 
owes  much  to  advertising  and  push  ; and  India,  it 
may  be  hoped,  has  learnt  a lesson  which  should 
make  her  put  forth  all  her  energies.  The  forthcom- 
ing Exhibition  at  Chicago  should  be  a favourable  op- 
portunity for  retrieving  lost  ground.”  It  is  true  that 
India  has  lost  ground  in  the  competition  with  Cey- 
lon, and  that  with  half  the  courage  snd  energy 
displyed  by  Ceylon,  we  should  by  this  time  have 
secured  a very  different  place  in  the  markets 
of  the  world. 
There  is  something  absurd  in  the  spectaole  of  India 
engaging  in  a struggle  for  supremacy  with  Ceylou. 
Had  we  bestirred  ourselves  at  the  proper  time,  the 
necessity  for  such  a contest  would  never  have  arisen. 
But  while  we  chose  to  rely  upon  our  natural  ad- 
vantages, and  were  content  to  wait  till  China  tea 
had  lost  its  hold  of  the  market  in  the  mere  lapse 
of  time,  our  aggressive  rival  in  the  South  adopted  a 
much  more  rational  policy.  Striking  out  vigorously 
and  letting  all  the  world  hear  of  its  virtues,  Ceylou 
rapidly  secured  a front  place  in  the  trade,  and  it  is 
somewhat  humiliating  to  have  to  confess  that  India 
has  benefitted  in  no  small  degree  by  the  extensive 
advertising’of  her  rival.  Thesuperior  qualities  of  Ceylon 
tea  being  constantly  and  loudly  trumpeted  to  people  who 
had  hitherto  believed  in  nothing  but  China,  it  is  obvi- 
ous that  the  popular  taste  by  an  easy  step  in  progres- 
sion would  extend  to  the  tea  of  Assam.  To  the  near- 
sighted and  economical  there  was  even  something 
pleasant  in  the  idea  that  we  were  gaining  by  a side- 
wind from  the  advertisements  for  which  cur  rival 
had  to  pay.  It  was  not  observed  that  we  were  losing 
a great  deal  more  than  we  were  gaining,  or  that 
Ceylon  was  taking  the  lead  in  the  display  of  all  the 
qualities  which  contribute  to  the  success  of  a large 
enterprise.  Oar  conversion  has  only  come  with  the 
consciousness  that  we  are  being  beaten  in  the  race. 
We  have  much  to  learn  from  Ceylon,  especially  in  the 
arts  by  which  she  has  advanced  her  fortunes,  and  in 
the  methods  of  powerful  combination  which  alone 
rendered  complete  and  rapid  success  possible  in  such 
an  undertaking.  In  one  respect  Ceylon  is  to  be 
envied.  The  looal  Government  is  evidently  proud  of 
the  spirit  which  has  signallised  the  new  departure,  and 
ia  prepared  to  encourage  the  trade  by  a liberal 
measure  of  assistance.  The  contribution  of  the  Gov- 
ernment to  the  fund  in  connection  with  the  Chicago 
Exhibition  is  on  a generous  scale,  and  will  enable 
Ceylon  to  offer  a formidable  opposition  to  allcomers 
in  the  oontest  for  the  great  American  market  And 
the  object  is  certainly  well  worth  a struggle.  It  has 
long  been  a reproach  to  India  that  her  exports  of 
tea  to  America  have  been  so  insignificant.  The  inhabit- 
ants  of  the  United  States,  while  they  abhor  the 
Chinese,  are  somewhat  behind  the  time  in  their 
preference  for  the  tea  of  the  Flowery  Land.  In 
this  respeot  their  education  has  been  sadly  neglected, 
and  it  is  high  time  that  tho  deficiency  was  being 
looked  to  by  Indian  emissaries.  The  conquest  of  a 
Continent  is  a notable  ambition,  and  the  United 
States  with  its  population  of  sixty-three  millions 
offers  an  .inviting  field  for  Indian  enterprise. — 
Englishman. 
-e- 
NEW  SEASON  FOR  CHINA  TEAS. 
The  news  that  the  market  at  Kiukiaug  is  on  the 
eve  of  being  opened,  as  reported  by  special  telergam, 
reminds  us  that  the  period  for  the  commei  cement 
of  another  season  for  China  teas  is  drawing  near 
ana  that  before  they  have  advanced  far  into  the 
present  month  the  trade  will  be  calculating  the  lime 
when  the  first  vessel  with  the  new  season’s  Monings 
will  probably  arrive  in  the  “Thames."  But  although  it 
is  formally  announced,  according  to  old-established 
usage,  that  the  market  for  Chinese  teas  is  opened 
so  eariy  this  month  for  the  year  1892-93,  it  does  not 
follow  that  business  will  immediately  begin,  for,  from 
wbat  we  hear,  the  Russians  are  nothing  like  so  eager 
to  operate  as  they  were  in  1891  or  most  previous  vears 
having,  on  the  contrary  determined  to  adopt  verv 
different  tact:C3  with  the  traders  of  the  Flowery  Land 
from  what  they  did  last  year.  Then  the  Russian  houses 
made  a grand  demonstrat'on  in  favour  of  the  new  teas 
and  paid  as  much  as  2s  2d  to  2s  6d  and  even  upon  to 
3s  per  lb.  for  what  they  required— prices  almost  as  high 
as  the  Chinese  in  their  “ hongs  ” were  pleased  to  ask. 
This  bold  not  to  say  rash,  ac  ion  of  theirs  entirely 
spoiled  the  market  for  English  purchasers,  whose 
instructions  as  to  buying  did  not  admit  of  their  giv- 
ing more  than  Is  6d  to  2s  per  lb.  at  the  outside  fer 
the  finest  chops,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  first 
crop  teas,  as  may  be  imagined,  passed  into  the  hands 
cf  the  Muscovite  merchants,  who  in  the  excitement 
of  the  hour,  no  doubt  fondly  imagined  that  they  had 
secured  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  best  bargains  in  new 
teas. 
These  fierce  Russian  operators,  however,  not  long 
afterwards  found  out  the  mistake  they  had  committed 
iu  buying  hand-over-head  at  such  extravagant  figures 
as  the  above,  and  as  the  season  1891-92  progressed  they 
discovered  to  their  dismay  that  when  the  teas  arrived 
at  Moscow  and  other  principsl  cities,  and  sales  had  to 
be  pressed,  the  highest  bids  that  could  be  extracted 
from  local  buyers  were  Is.  to  Is.  6d.  per  lb.,  or  50 
pec  cent,  below  what  the  black  and  red  leafs  had  cost 
in  China  some  months  back.  It  was  generally 
remarked  by  those  who  held  akof  that  the  opening 
rates  for  China  tea  last  year  were  quite  unwar- 
ranted, for,  besides  giving  a deal  more  money 
themselves  for  the  earliest  shipments,  the  Russians 
not  only  “ burnt  their  own  fingers,”  as  the  saying 
is,  in  making  their  contracts,  but  also  caused  their 
rivals  or  competitors  to  do  the  same  by  sanctioning 
a range  of  prices  which  was  injurious  to  all  parties  ; 
and  mauy  London  firms,  wholesale  dealers  as  well 
as  import  merchants,  have  had  to  rue  the  day 
when  they  rashly  gave  for  choice  Mooing  and 
Kaisow  sorts  quite  Is.  per  lb.  more  than  they  were 
really  worth.  Iu  fact,  the  whole  season  may  be 
said  to  have  been  wasted,  so  far  as  the  European 
trade  were  concerned,  by  fruitless  attempts  to 
realise  the  1891-92  teas  at  anything  like  remunerative 
rates,  and  a serious  contraction  of  operations  has  been 
experienced  accordingly.  Instead  of  confidence  pre- 
vailing, nothing  but  mistrust  has  been  bred,  and  the 
Lew  season  for  1892-93  opera  with  a determination 
on  the  part  of  Western  buyers  not  to  purchase  an 
ounce  of  tea  except  on  pretty  much  their  own  terms. 
Nearly  all  bidders  for  the  Dew  teas  at  Hankow  will  now 
be  seen  playing  a waiting  game,  as  ihe  English  have 
already  let  it  te  clearly  understood  that  they  will 
net  be  the  first  to  go  in  and  buy.  whilst  the  deplor- 
able state  of  commercial  affairs  at  home,  through 
the  ravages  and  distress  occasioned  by  the  rye  famine 
last  year,  will  prevent  the  Russians  from  taking  the 
lead  in  clearing  eff  the  tea  as  it  arrives  from  up  the 
country  to  the  shipping  ports.  When  it  is  remembered 
that  most  of  the  China  tea  in  London  has  been  sold 
during  the  sesEon  now  closing  at  marvellously  cheap 
rates  10d.  to  Is.  per  lb.,  end  several  pence  under, — it 
is  not  the  least  surprising  to  h ar  that  the  merchants 
this  year  intend  adopting  a strictly  cautious  policy, 
and  will  be  careful  not  to  pin  ge  too  deeply  into  en- 
gagements until  other  persons  have  satisfied  their  most 
pressing  wants.  This  may  not  be  until  the  second- 
crop  teas  come  down  for  sale  at  such  rates  as  would 
accord  with  the  value  here,  which,  at  the  utmost  stretch 
of  the  merchants’  limits,  is  net  above  Is.  6d.  to  Is.  7d. 
per  lb.  for  the  finest  qualities;  and  offers  on  this 
basis  will  no  doubt  act  as  a great  shock  to  the  ideas  of 
