102 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[August  i,  1892. 
opinion  of  Ceylon  as  a tea-producing  country,  and 
his  reply  to  this  question  was  long  and  somewhat 
startling.  Condensed,  it  appeared  to  me  to  be  much 
as  follows : — 
“You  ask  me  for  my  candid  opinion  of  Ceylon  and 
its  tea  prospects  in  particular.  Ceylon  appears  to  me 
to  be  considerably  overrated.  It  is  by  no  means  the 
bngbear  to  Indian  enterprise,  which  you  Indian  planters 
appear  to  consider  it.  Planters  are  opening  there  Btill 
for  tea,  but  they  never  will  be  able  to  supply  the 
estimated  amount,  if  their  export  of  that  product  is 
put  down  at  85  million  lb.  for  the  current  year  and 
from  100  to  150  million  lb.  for  1892-1893.  Thisytar’s 
export  will  probably  reach  hardly  70  million  lb.  so 
that  the  150  or  even  100  million  lb.  crop  is  far  from 
likely  ever  to  be  realised,  especially  when  it  is  taken 
into  consideration,  the  fearful  manner  in  which  the 
bushes  have  to  be  systematically  bully  ragged  even 
to  be  able  to  get  the  present  yield.  It  only  requires 
a little  thought  for  one  to  arrive  at  an  idea  of 
the  unsuitablity  of  the  soil  left  in  most  of  the 
island  to  produce  a continuous  and  paying  supp’y, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  for  generations  the  civi- 
lised portions  of  Ceylon  have  been  subjected  to  a con- 
tinuous drain,  first  from  coffee,  then  cinchona,  and 
now  tea ; and  this  without  any  opportunity  of  re- 
cuperation of  all  the  chemical  constituents  so  essential 
to  the  production  of  good  tea,  and  that  it  is  now  so 
thoroughly  impoverished  as  to  be  incapable  of  supply- 
ing the  world  with  anything  better  than  a mere  weedy 
sickly-looking  representation  of  tea.  There  are,  of 
course,  estates  which  are  the  exception,  aDd  those 
exceptions  may  perhaps  weather  the  trying  times  which 
are  not  far  distant. 
“It  is  a well-known  fact  that  the  home  markets 
have  been  grnmbliDg  for  some  time,  at  the  utter  rubbish 
that  is  now  being  shipped  in  the  name  of  tea. 
This  cannot  be  improved  upon,  in  Ceylon  without 
manure,  and  it  is  admitted,  though  unwillingly,  that 
instead  of  s tendency  to  improvement  by  age  (as  in 
India)  the  bushes  are  gradually  but  certainly  deteri- 
orating. No  factory  with  the  best  machines  going, 
can  possibly  turn  out  flavourv  teas  from  leaves  with- 
out body,  oce  must  go  to  the  field  for  that.  But  when 
it  is  not  in  the  soil  to  produce  the  body  well,  but  one 
conclusion  can  be  drawn!  ” 
“I  saw,-’  continued  my  friend,  “some  of  the  best 
tea  and  soil  on  the  island,  and  on  one  estate,  whioli 
has  to  send  its  leaf  to  a factory  several  miles  off, 
only  140  to  200  lb.  per  acre  can  be  got,  as  it  has 
to  be  plucked  so  very  fine,  and  a coolie  who  gets 
from  5£  to  6J  annas  a day  only  brings  in  8 to  9 lb. 
of  leaf  per  diem ; thus  costing  from  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  an  anna  per  lb.,  for  pluckmg  alone ; so 
small  is  the  leaf  and  poor  the  flushes.  Then  again, 
the  poor  bushes  never  get  a rest.  The  buds  are  con- 
tinually pluobed  until  the  bush  becomes  so  weak 
that  it  can  produce  no  more.  It  is  then  pruned, 
generally  every  eecoud  year,  to  give  it  a sort  of 
filip,  and  if  it  survives  the  pruning,  the  unmerciful 
plucking  reoommenoes.  You  may  imagine  what  the 
flushes  are  like,  and  that  fine  plucking  is  necessary 
when  only  the  tip  and  two  leaves  have  anything 
like  sap  in  them.  When  I first  arrived  in  Ceylon, 
on  note-taking  bent,  I was  very  favourably  struck 
by  the  manner  in  which  they  went  in  for  tea,  and 
was  quite  prepared  to  believe  all  that  was  said  and 
promised  of  the  island  in  that  line,  bet  I have  just 
passed  through  their  best  tea  flushing  time,  and  have 
seen  for  myself  how  very  near  they  must  be  to  a crisis.” 
From  what  I could  gather  from  my  friend,  Ceylon 
in  no  way  beats  Wynaad  in  climate  for  tea,  and  our 
soil,  those  large  portions  of  it,  which  have  now  laid 
fallow  for  many  years,  must  be  infinitely  superior  to 
that  of  the  island,  whilst  the  labour  is  so  immensely 
cheaper  and  easier  to  obtain,  that  it  seems  at  first  sight 
6imply  extraordinary  that  we  should  be  so  far  behind 
our  Ceylon  brethren  in  enterprise  and  success.  But 
here  my  friend  solved  the  problem. 
Said  he:— “Yon  Wynaad  planters  are  like  men 
without  legs,  trying  to  run  a race.  Ceylon  has  neither 
your  climate,  nor  jour  soil,  nor  your  facilities  for  la- 
bour. Put  Ceylon  has  two  immensely  strong  supports, 
which  you  unfortunately  wholly  lack,  the  Government, 
and  the  Press  ; Government,  and  the  planters  are 
or  e,  and  the  trinity  is  completed  by  the  Ceylon  Observer. 
In  Ceylon,  the  p'anter  is  a personage,  the  press 
watches  his  interests.  The  press  blows  his  fame 
abroad,  and  sends  the  electric  light  of  itspowerful  influ- 
ence upon  those  interests.  The  Government  backs  the 
press,  what  would  Ceylon  be  without  the  planter  P He 
is  fostered  and  carnd  for.  He  is  not  allowed  to  tumble 
down  and  hurt  himself.  Whereas  in  India  every  < fficial 
regards  the  planter  as  an  interloper,  a troublesom  ! 
worrying  tramp  only  fit  to  be  deported.  Who  is  he  ? 
oh  ! only  a planter  : well  then,  tell  him  to  move  on. 
And  as  far  as  the  press,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Madras  Times,  what  paper  considers  it  worth  while  to 
take  up  the  cudgels  in  the  defence  and  interests  of  the 
planter  ? You  are  poor,  and  yon  struggle  bravely,  but 
wbat  of  that,  wheD  no  hand  is  stretched  out  to  give 
you  a friendly  lift.  If  your  Government  would  encour- 
age your  claims  to  notice,  capitalists  would  soon  find 
out  the  rich  capabilities  of  your  soil,  and  the  advant- 
ages of  your  climate  and  labour.  If  some  one  would 
set  the  ball  rolling,  Ihe  thing  would  grow  of  itself.  Bnt 
unfortunately,  therein  lies  j our  principal  difficulty.  In 
Oeylon  a vast  amount  of  invested  capital  is  interested 
in  keeping  the  ball  rolling.  What  would  the  bank?,  and 
the  big  companies  do  if  it  and  when  it  stops!  As  I 
said  before,  Government  is  one  of  the  legs  which  you 
require  to  win  jour  race,  the  press  is  the  other.  Let 
the  Madras  Times,  for  instance,  goon  as  it  has  beguD, 
and  more,  in  the  ioterests  of  planters,  and  you  will 
inevitably  find  yourselves  pushed  forward  into  the 
notice  which  at  present  is  so  absolutely  essential 
to  your  well-being.  The  capitalists  will  have  their 
eyes  opened  to  advantages  to  which  they  now  re- 
main obstinately  blind,  and  the  future  of  Wynaad 
would  become  assured,  and  its  now  barren  acres 
flourish  exceedingly.  It  behoves  you  edl,  to  put  your 
shoulders  to  the  wheel.  Let  your  Associations  make 
tea  a subject  for  especial  consideration.  Worry  when- 
ever worrv  can  prevail.  Good  times  must  come  for 
you,  but  I grant  you  the  Indian  planters  are  very 
severely  handicapped.  Thero  are  lots  of  young  fellows 
in  Ceylon,  with  money  earned  by  the  sweat  of  their 
( fathers’ ) brows.  These  would  be  the  men  for  Wy- 
Daad,  and  Wynaad  the  place  for  them,  if  they  knew 
wbat  was  good  for  them.  But  naturally  Oeylen  does 
not  care  to  see  its  plnmp  pigeons  become  birds  of 
passage  and  the  pigeons  themselves  prefer  a merry 
life  on  their  own  little  island.  “It’s  so  jolly  here,” 
I’ve  heard  them  say,  as  if  beiDg  jolly  was  all  a 
planter  had  to  think  about  ” 
So  spoke  my  friend.  And  in  spite  of  a fear  lest 
my  editor  should  cry,  “ hold  enough,”  I venture  to 
supplement  his  remarks  with  a few  of  my  owd.  I 
have  lately  seen  a report  by  a well-known  Mincing 
Lane  firm,  on  some  experimental  samples  lately  sent 
by  a neighbour.  I do  n’t  think  anyone  need  say  that 
Wynaad  is  unsuitable  for  producing  good  tea  after 
this.  While  as  to  quantity  there  is  no  fear  on  that 
score.  Here  with  the  report,  dated  March,  1892 : — 
Description.  Value  per  lb. 
Pekoe  Souchong 
Ptkoe 
Orange  Pekoe 
Broken  Pekoe 
...  Is  2d  at  Is  8d 
...  Is  8d  at  Is  9d 
...  2s  4d  at  2s  6d 
...  Is  8d 
“These  teas  are  evidently  from  finely  picked  leaf’ 
and  are  well  made.  The  liquors  have  good  strength 
and  flavour,  and  are  in  every  way  satisfactory.  We  may 
add  that  we  now  rarely  see  better  tea.” 
Wbat  has  been  don©  under  discouraging  circum- 
stances, may  surely  be  yet  improved  upon,  with 
decent  encouragement.  Verb.  Sap. — Madras  Times, 
June  14. 
[We  quote  the  above  because  it  is  well  to  hear  all  that 
is  said  against  as  well  as  in  favour  of  Oeylon  as  a 
tea  producer  ; but  we  need  scarcely  Bay  that  we  en. 
tiredy  disagree  with  the  pessimist  view  expressed  re- 
garding the  soil  and  climate  of  Oeylon  for  tea-grow- 
ing and  the  progress  and  permanency  of  the  enter- 
prise.—Ed.  T,  A.] 
