July  i,  1892. | 
IMF  TROPICAL  AGRiCULTURlST* 
33 
NEW  MARKET  FOR  CEYLON  TEA  : 
THE  COUNTRIES  TO  WHICH  IT  WAS 
EXPORTED  IN  1891. 
Mr.  John  Ferguson,  in  his  letter  “ From  the 
Metropolis,”  has  already  noticed  the  main  features 
of  the  very  interesting  and  valuable  ciroular  which, 
by  arrangement  with  Messrs.  Gow,  Wilson  & 
Stantor,  we  are  able  to  give  as  a Supplement. 
But  there  are  some  points  to  which  atten- 
tion oan  still  with  advantage  be  drawn.  And 
first  as  to  the  comparatively  good  show  of  the 
yellow  colour  which  represents  Ceylon  tea  in  the 
first  diagram.  In  the  large,  increasing  and 
promising  markets  of  the  Australian  colonies, 
especially,  the  position  of  Ceylon  tea,  considering 
the  recentness  of  our  island  enterprise,  com. 
pares  exceedingly  well  with  that  of  our  Indian 
competitor.  But  we  ought  not  to  be  contented 
until  a far  larger  proportion  than  10  per  cent 
of  the  30  millions  of  pounds  of  tea  consumed  in 
the  colonists  of  the  south  consist  of  Ceylon  tea. 
In  the  other  great  British  colony  of  Canada 
we  also  compare  favourably  with  India,  but 
the  proportion  of  either  is  as  nothing  to 
what  it  ought  to  be.  Of  20  million  pounds  con- 
sumption Ceylon  furnishes  only  the  fraotion  of 
410.000  lb.  The  truth  seems  to  be  that  in  the 
matter  of  preference  for  tea,  as  in  many  other 
respects.  Canada  assimilates  to  tho  United  State?, 
and  the  mission  to  Chicago  must  bo  regarded  as 
direoted  to  the  capture  of  the  combined  markets 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada  with  their  aggre- 
gate annual  consumption  of  80  millions  of  pounds, 
such  markets  as  Sooth  and  Central  America  pre- 
sent being  also  favourably  affected.  In  the  United 
States  we  run  Indian  tea  very  close  ; but  our  posi- 
tion is  still  most  unsatisfactory  considering  all  the 
efforts  which  have  been  made.  Indian  tea  seems 
to  have  nearly  a monopoly  of  the  Persian  markets  ; 
but  it  is  possible  that  some  of  the  shipments 
of  Ceylon  tea  to  India  may  find  their  way  to 
Persia,  and  also  to  Turkey,  where,  in  the 
diagram,  our  yellow  doe3  not  show  at  all. 
In  Germany  we  show  considerably  better  than 
India,  but  our  readers  will  notice  that  the  Brokers 
believe  that  much  of  the  tea  exported  to  Germany 
is  ultimately  destined  for  Russia.  In  that  great 
tea-drinking  country  as  well  as  in  the  countries 
of  the  European  Continent  generally  there  is  muoh 
room  for  enterprise  on  the  part  of  our  planters  and 
merchants.  Austria  curiously  enough  is  all  yellow, 
showing  that  she  takes  no  Indian  tea,  whilo  in 
immediate  contact  and  oontrast  Arabia  is  all 
red.  This  reminds  us,  that  wheu  we  wrote 
recently  of  Indian-grown  coffee  being  exported  to 
Egypt  and  Arabia  to  be  sold  as  Mocha,  the  composi- 
tors chaDgedArabia  into  Australia,  in  which  form,  if 
allowed,  they  would  generally  print  Austria, 
Russia  and  Mauritius  are  both  yellow,  showing 
that  neither  takes  any  Indian  tea  at  yet.  In 
South  Amerioa,  South  Africa  and  Holland,  Ceylon 
tea  shows  in  fair  proportion  to  Indian,  but  there 
is  great  room  for  expansion.  Natal  will  no  doubt 
try  her  "level  best”  to  supply  the  South  African 
markets  but  it  seems  doubtful  if  labour,  even  Tamil 
labour,  is  not  too  dear  for  continued  success.  There 
would  be  more  to  fear  from  the  Central  African 
5 
settlements,  if  the  natives  could  be  got  to  settle 
down  to  the  steady  continuous  work  necessary  for 
the  successful  culture  of  the  tea  plant.  We  take  it 
for  granted  that  the  figures  in  the  circular  represent 
exports  from  the  colony  as  well  as  from  London. 
That  taken  for  granted,  it  seems  that  20  millions 
of  pounds  of  British-grown  t6a  were  exported  to  other 
than  the  London  market  in  1891,  and  that  the 
surplus  over  British  consumption  (200,000,0001b  ) 
will  be  40  millions  of  pounds  in  1892,  which  it  is 
hoped  may  be  advantageously  exported.  The  pro- 
portions of  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  exported  last  year 
were  13  millions  Indian  and  seven  Ceylon.  If  the 
same  proportions  prevail  in  1892,  the  figures  will 
be  26  millions  for  Indian  and  14  for  Ceylon  ; but  it 
is  probable  the  proportion  of  Ceylon  may  increase. 
The  Brokers  calculate  that  Britain’s  consumption 
of  200  millions  of  pounds  per  aDnum  is  within  50 
millions  of  the  aggregate  consumption  of  all  other 
non-produoing  countries  1 The  consumption  in 
India  is,  unhappily,  insignificant;  so  with  Ceylon, 
although  bettor  in  proportion.  What  the  con- 
sumption in  China  may  be,  oan  only  be  guessed. 
But  the  calculations  have  been  generally  extravagant, 
for  there  are  millions  upon  millions  in  China  too 
poor  to  taste  even  the  watery  tea  in  general  use 
by  the  masses.  The  consumption  in  non-produc- 
ing countries  being  dose  on  500,000,000  lb,  wa 
should  say  that  a couple  more  millions  at  the 
utmost,  added  to  this,  would  represent  the  con- 
sumption of  true  lea  in  the  whole  world,  We  say 
true  tea,  because  mate  and  other  substitutes  are 
in  use.  If  peaoe  could  be  preserved,  the  demand 
for  tea  must  increase  with  advancing  civilization. 
Remembering  the  history  of  the  Ceylon  coffee 
enterprise,  we  feel  inclined  to  agree  with  the 
authors  of  the  circular,  that  recent  low  prices  of 
our  produot,  calculated  as  they  are  to  extend  its 
use,  and  thus  oreate  a taste  which  must  sub- 
sequently be  gratified,  may  turn  out  to  have  been 
“ a blessing  in  disguise.”  Of  course  prudenoe  as 
well  as  energy  is  requisite  in  the  cultivation  of  new 
markets.  Messrs  Gow,  Wilson  & Stanton,  it  will 
be  seen,  wrote  before  the  Indian  planters  had 
really  bestirred  themselves  and  determined  that  they 
also  and  their  product  should  be  represented  at 
Chicago.  Let  us  hope  that  the  brokers  are  right, 
and  that  the  depression  which  has  prevailed  is  but 
the  harbinger  of  renewed  and  increased  prosperity, 
in  the  shape  of  extended  markets  and  prices  rising  in 
proportion  to  increased  demand. 
It  seems  fitting  that  to  Messrs.  Gow,  Wilson  and 
Stanton’s  generalizations  we  should  add  the  details 
of  the  history  of  Ceylon  tea  in  1891  a3  embodied 
in  the  customs  report  recently  issued. 
The  increase  in  the  production  of  our  staple 
and  the  corresponding  decrease  in  customs  valua- 
tions have  for  the  past  thvee  years  been  as  fol- 
lows : — 
1839  34,315,000  lb.  rate  per  lb.  52  cents  R17,859,000 
1890  45,799,000  „ „ 50  „ ,,22,889,000 
1891  67,718,000  „ „ 45  „ „ 30,473,000 
Notwithstanding  the  great  fall  in  rated  value  tea 
figures  for  nearly  30J  millions  of  rupees  in  our 
export  commerce,  out  of  a total  value  of  Ceylon 
productions  of  56  millions.  We  must  oopy  in  full 
the  extraordinary  list  of  countries,  no  fewer  than 
thirty-eight,  to  which  we  sent  more  or  less  tea  in 
1891 
lea.— There  is  a large  inorease  both  in  quantity 
and  value,  tie  increase  in  quantity  amounting  to 
33,372,519  lb.,  as  compared  with  the  year  1889,  and 
21,913,853  lb.  with  last  year,  aid  in  value  to 
R12, 6 13,424  and  R7, 573, 508  respectively.  The  value 
would  have  been  greater  bad  not  the  average  price 
