Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
211 
QUALITIES  OF  TEA : CEYLON  V.  CHINA. 
The  ever-increasing  partiality  for  Indian  and  Ceylon 
teas,  in  preference  to  China  growths,  displayed  by  the 
British  public,  appears  to  be  somewhat  of  a puzzle  to 
our  contemporary  the  American  Grocer ; but  then  in 
this  country  we  do  not  succeed  in  getting  that  deli- 
cious fragrance  out  of  China  tea  which  is  dwelt  upon 
so  eloquently  in  the  article  from  our  contemporary 
which  we  quoted  last  week.  Formosa  Oolongs,  we 
allow,  are  fragrant — the  best  of  them  used  to  be  a 
perfect  bouquet — but  preserve  us  from  the  average 
China  Congou  which  is  sent  to  America  1 Its  fra- 
grance usually  partakes  too  much  of  the  characteristics 
of  old  boots  or  newly-tarred  rope.  According  to  one 
of  our  leading  packers,  Ceylon  tea  “ recalls  the  deli- 
cious flavour  of  the  finest  Chinas  of  thirty  years  ago;” 
and  whether  this  be  so  or  not,  fine  Ceylons  have 
undoubtedly  both  flavour  and  fragrance.  Of  late, 
unfortunately,  fine  teas  have  been  conspicuously  scarce, 
and  producers  are  apparently  doing  their  best — by 
plucking  common  leaf  and  sacrificing  quality  to 
quautity — to  destroy  the  reputation  gained  by  the  island. 
As  far  as  we  know,  the  tastes  in  the  two  countries, 
Great  Britain  and  America,  are  exactly  opposite, 
the  average  Englishman  taking  his  tea,  like  his  beer, 
strong.  “ As  black  as  your  ’at  and  as  strong  as  ’Ercules” 
used  to  be  the  want ; but  as  the  art  of  making  tea 
has  become  better  appreciated,  so  the  average  cup  one 
can  buy  is  far  ahead  of  a few  years  since.  Not  very 
long  ago  a piece  of  soda  was  considered  a sine  qua  non 
in  the  pot.  What  would  our  American  friends  think  of 
that  resource  ? 
It  took  Borne  years,  though  not  many,  to  bring  the 
British  public  on  to  Indian  teas.  Ceylons  weDt  well 
from  the  first,  and  we  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
a comparatively  short  time  will  see  a complete  revul- 
sion in  American  taste.  Of  late  the  export  demand 
for  both  Indians  and  Ceylons  has  increased  enor- 
mously, and  it  is  expected  that  the  Chicago  Exhibition 
will  open  up  the  trade  in  an  immense  number  of  new 
quarters.  We  know  nothing  of  the  effect,  harmless  or 
otherwise,  on  the  constitution  ; but  we  do  know  that 
almost  anywhere  throughout  this  country  one  can  now 
walk  into  a restaurant  (always  excepting  railway  sta- 
tions) or  a cake  shop  and  get  served  with  a deoent  pot 
of  tea.  Not  often  could  that  be  obtained  in  the  good 
old  days  even  when  China  tea  was  at  its  best. 
Tea  drinkers  are  getting  more  and  more  educated,  and 
this  fact  will  prevent  China  tea  from  ever  coming  to  the 
fore  again.  We  have  never  heard  of  a solitary  instance 
of  anyone  who  has  onoe  been  converted  to  Ceylon  tea 
going  back  again  to  the  China  leaf,  and  many  grocers 
have  informed  us  that  they  are  very  soon  told  of  it  by 
their  customers  should  they  put  a sprinkling  too  much 
of  China  even  in  their  commonest  blends.—  Grocer's 
Gazette , July  16. 
♦ 
Bad  Tea  and  Coffee  at  the  Houses  of  the 
Upper  Classes  in  London. — “ Miss  Mantalini  ” 
writes  in  the  Pall  Mall  Budget  of  14th  July : — 
11  And  such  bad  tea,  too,”  as  the  Duchess  remarks 
in  Mr.  Oscar  Wilde’s  much-abused  success  at  the  St. 
James’s.  Speaking  with  “a  sad  sincerity”  (to  quote 
Emerson),  I eannot  fail  to  endorse  the  sentiments 
of  that  noble  lady.  Tea  at  fashionable  afternoons 
is  bad.  Bad  ? The  term,  like  the  infusion  it  attempts 
to  describe,  is  not  strong  enough — vile,  detestable, 
are  more  truly  descriptive  of  the  miserable  hot  fluid 
provided  at  so  many  houses  for  afternoon  callers. 
The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  The  brew  is  generally 
left  to  servants,  and  servants  have  as  much  idea,  as 
a rule,  of  making  tea  as  a Zulu  of  making  corsets. 
Of  course,  there  are  honourable  exceptions,  but  they 
are  few  and  far  between.  After  dinner,  coffee  at  most 
houses  occupies  the  same  “ bad  eminence  ” as  after- 
noon tea,  and  yet  as  I write  I bethink  me  of  a 
modest  establishment  in  “Greater  London”  where 
the  coffee  used  is  sent  to  England  by  an  English 
official  at  Aden,  to  whom  it  is  presented  by  a native 
merchant — a house  where  it  is  roasted  and  ground 
as  required,  and  is  made  by  the  hostess  herself. 
Such  ooffee  is  indeed  a luxury. 
TEA  CULTIVATION. 
The  Planters  of  Wynaad  have  to  thank  you  for  tha 
attention  that  has  been  directed  to  their  district  by  the 
leaders  and  correspondence  in  your  columns,  especially 
in  the  matter  of  tea  cultivation  there,  which  you  have 
so  successfully  fostered. 
Tea  cultivation  is  now  beiDg  undertaken  on  a con- 
siderable scale,  but  there  are  still  many  men  of  authority 
who  are  doubtful  of  its  success. 
The  first  argument  used  is  that  the  production  of  tea 
has  increased  to  enormously  of  late  years,  principally 
iu  Ceylon,  ihat  there  is  no  hope  of  the  demand  increas- 
ing in  pioportion  with  the  supply  ; and  that  the  price 
of  tea  must  fall,  so  as  to  be  no  longer  remunerative  to 
the  producer. 
The  following  figures  are  quoted  as  the  average  prioe 
of  Ceylon  tea  during  the  past  eight  years,  and  the 
steady  fall  in  value  is  striking : — s.  d. 
Average  price  Ceylon  tea 
1885 
1 Zi 
do 
do 
1986 
1 1 
do 
do 
1887 
1 01 
do 
do 
1888 
111 
do 
do 
1889 
11 
do 
do 
1890 
1C| 
do 
do 
1891 
9i 
do 
do 
1892 
9 
At  the  tame  time  exports  of  tea  from  Ceylon  have  in- 
creased in  an  enormous  ratio  : — 
lb. 
The  export  of 
tea  from  Ceylon 
1885 
4 411,578 
do 
do 
1886 
8,111,137 
do 
do 
1887 
13,800,545 
do 
do 
1888 
24,381,296 
do 
do 
1869 
34,048,085 
do 
do 
1890 
46,901,554 
do 
do 
1891 
68,274,420 
and  these  figures  are  accepted  as  evidenoe  that  the 
cultivation  of  tea  is  being  overdone,  and  that  the  price 
must  oontinue  to  fall.  Bat  there  is  another  aspect 
of  the  matter.  Notwithstanding  the  enormous  increase 
in  production  in  Ceylon,  and  a very  large  increase 
in  India,  the  stooks  of  tea  in  the  world  have  not 
materially  increased.  The  stronger  quality  and  cheaper 
cost  of  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  has  driven  the  China 
tea  from  the  market  ; the  supply  of  China  tea  to  tha 
English  market  has  fallen  by  one  half. 
The  total  consumption  of  tea  in  the  world  is  about 
400  million  pounds  per  year,  of  which  China  used 
to  provide  about  300  million  pounds  yearly.  Of  this 
quantity  England  alone  consumes  two  hundred  mil- 
lion pounds  yearly,  and  the  consumption,  for  many 
years  past,  has  increased  at  the  rate  of  about  ten  per 
cent,  yearly.  India  and  Ceylon  had  to  find  a market 
for  their  tea  in  competition  with  the  established 
China  trade,  and  to  do  this  they  had  to  foroe  China 
to  produce  less  tea  ; a great  decline  in  price  was  there- 
fore inevitable,  and  the  fall  that  has  occurred  in  the 
last  few  years  has  brought  the  price  below  China 
cost,  so  that  their  tea  must  be  sold  at  a loss  to 
the  China  grower,  or  to  the  China  merobant,  unless 
it  fetches  a better  price  than  average  Ceylon  and 
India  tea. 
The  force  of  circumstances  and  necessity  has  caused 
the  Ceylon  Tea  Planters  to  introduce  so  admirable 
a system  in  the  cultivation  of  their  estates,  and  so 
efficient,  and  yet  cheap  manufacture  of  their  tea, 
by  the  introduction  of  almost  perfect  and  automatia 
machinery,  and  the  most  oareful  study  of  economy 
in  every  detail,  that  their  tea  can  be  placed  on  the 
market  at  a cost  that  was  cousidered  impossible  in 
former  times.  Not  satisfied  with  having  established 
the  command  of  tbe  English  market,  the  Ceylon 
and  Indian  Planters  are  now  striving  to  open  markets 
for  their  wares  in  other  countries,  where  China  teas 
are  still  in  general  consumption.  America  and  Aus- 
tralia are  being  thoroughly  exploited,  and  efforts 
are  also  being  made  to  displaoe  China  tea  in  the 
Russian  markets.  It  is  a struggle  which  must  end 
in  the  survival  of  the  fittest,  and  already  the  great 
tea  trade  of  China  is  admittedly  doomed. 
Even  in  the  present  low  price  of  tea,  the  cultivation 
in  both  Ceylon  and  India  is  pajing  exceedingly  well, 
