Nov.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
349 
they  dow  propose  to  buy  the  rights,  which  have  been 
patented  in  most  of  the  European  countries  and  in  the 
United  States,  and  form  a Company  on  the  lines  set 
out  in  the  prospectus.  The  prospects  of  the  enterpri-e 
are  apparently  far  from  exaggerated  by  the  promoters. 
Already  large  cable  companies  in  Europe  ha’e  turned 
their  attention  to  it,  and  are  desirous  of  purchasing 
the  product.  They  have  offered  as  much  as  1,200 
franos  per  picul  for  the  new  gutta-percha  in  large 
quantities — a price  leaving  a profit  of  not  lees  than 
150  per  cent  and  possibly  of  a3  mu'h  as  200  or  300,  if 
•the  process  is  further  improved. — Singapore  Free  Press , 
CHINA  V.  INDIA  AND  CEYLON  TEA. 
The  correspondence  which  has  taken  place  in 
our  columns  upon  the  trade  in  Chiua  tea  has  re- 
ference to  one  of  the  most-  remarkable  features  of 
modern  commercial  history.  Less  than  fifty  years 
ago  Indian  tea  was  practically  unknown  to  the 
consumer.  It  is  true  that  in  1838  a small  parcel 
was  exported  to  England,  aud  that  thenceforward  a 
trade  in  it  gradually  arose ; but  only  within  the 
last  twenty  years  has  there  grown  _ up  a general 
knowledge  of  the  capacity  of  the  Indian  Empire 
to  oust  China  from  the  tea  market.  Most  of  us 
remember  the  time  when  tea  was  nearly  everywhere 
understood  to  be  exclusively  the  product  of  China, 
and  when  no  proprietor  of  packet  tea  would  have 
thought  of  submitting  the  article  without  a pictorial 
representation  of  showy  Mandarins  and  equally 
gaudy  labourers  obviously  belonging  to  the  Celestial 
Empire.  In  many  cases  the  tea  was  altogether,  or 
in  part,  the  produce  of  India,  for  even  then  con- 
siderable quantities  of  the  unrecognised  leaf  were 
being  placed  upon  the  market,  and  the  pictures  were 
devised  merely  for  the  purpose  of  satisfying  the 
popular  demand.  Within  the  last  few  years,  how- 
ever, the  trade  has  been  founded  on  a proper  basis, 
and  the  public  now  hear  so  much  about  Iudian  and 
Ceylon  tea  that  there  is  a danger  of  their  forgetting 
China  in  that  connection.  Indian  names  are 
given  to  proprietary  blends,  and  the  Mandarin 
is  falling  into  complete  obscuriiy,  aud  making  way  for 
pictures  of  dusky  maidens.  This  change  is  com- 
pletely just'fied  by  the  extraordinary  transformation 
which  the  trade  itself  has  undergone.  Fifty  years  ago, 
as  we  have  faid,  our  tea  supply  was  derived  entirely 
from  Ohina ; but  in  the  first  eight  mouths  of  the 
present  year  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  Kingdom 
consumed  seventy  one  and  a half  miili  on  pounds 
of  Indian  tea,  and  only  about  twenty-two  and  a half 
million  pounds  of  the  article  were  imported  from 
China.  Two  years  since  wo  imported  from  China 
considerably  more  than  half  as  much  tea  as  came  from 
India,  but  this  year  the  proportion,  so  far,  id  much 
below  a third.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  Indian  trade, 
however,  has  been  less  remarkable  than  that  of  the 
Cayloa  trade.  Tea  was  not  cultivated  on  the  island, 
which  has  gained  a somewhat  unmerited  reputation 
for  “ spicy  breeze?,”  until  irretrievable  disaster  over- 
took the  coffee  plantations.  In  1873  the  first  parcel  of 
tea,  weighing  only  twenty-three  pounds,  was  ex- 
ported; yet  in  the  Uuiled  Kingdom  alone  the 
consumption  of  Geyloa  leaf  in  the  first  eight 
months  of  this  year  was,  in  round  figures,  forty- 
one  and  a quarter  million  pounds  or  nearly 
twice  as  great  as  the  consumption  of  Ohina  tea. 
About  two  years  back  the  proportion  was  exactly  the 
other  way.  Perhaps  it  is  useless  to  iuquire  into  the 
causes  which  have  brought. about  such  a revolution  of 
trade  ; but  we  believe  these  causes  are  not  to  bo  found 
solely  in  the  relative  merits  of  China  aud  other  teas. 
The  public  taste  has  been  educated  to  the  more  pun- 
gent Indian  and  Ceylon  growths,  aud  is  willing  to 
sacrifice  something  of  the  delicacy  which  is  undoubtedly 
possesied  in  a high  degree  by  the  fiuest  teas  of  China. 
The  Iudian  and  Ceylon  planters,  however,  owe  their 
success  primirily  to  their  owu  enterprise.  They  have 
always  been  ready  to  adopt  improvements  in  the 
methods  of  growth  and  preparation,  while  their  rivals 
have  obstinately  persisted  in  following  the  practices 
which  had  been  pursued  in  their  country  from  time  im- 
memorial. As  a result,  the  trade  of  our  Empire  and 
C lony  has  advanced  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  that  of 
China  has,  so  far  as  the  United  Kingdom  is  oonoerned, 
receded  almost  as  rapidly.  Four  or  five  years  ago  the 
authorities  in  Ohina  awoke  to  the  disastrous  results 
which  were  attending  the  indifference,  and  worse  than 
indifference,  of  the  growers,  and  efforts  have  since  been 
made  to  introduce  improvements  and  to  provide 
greater  security  as  to  quality.  Whatever  may  be  done 
in  this  dircciion,  it  is  probably  too  late  for  the  people 
of  I he  Celestial  Empire  to  regain  a preponderance  in 
the  tea  trade  of  this  oountry.  They  have  simply  been 
supplanted  by  rivals  whom,  only  a few  years  ago,  they 
regarded  with  contempt.— Standard,  Oct.  1. 
PLANTING  IN  FIJI. 
Aug.  1892. 
Coconuts. — We  escaped  a blow  this  last  season, 
and  the  consequence  is  that  the  export  of  copra 
will,  I should  say,  be  greater  than  it  lias 
been  since  1886,  when  we  had  an  awful  hurricane. 
All  the  coconut  planters  are  in  better  spirits  than 
they  have  been  for  years  past  ; and  the  trees  are 
looking  and  bearing  like  they  used  to  do  informer 
years. 
Tobacco. — The  Fiji  Tobacco  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Lanyon,  a former  Ceylon  planter,  is  the  manager, 
has  fairly  started,  and  hopes  are  entertained  that 
the  Company  will  be  fairly  successful  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  kind  of  tobacco  they  are  growing 
(for  wrappers)  is  at  a low  price  at  the  pre- 
sent time.  An  experienced  tobacco  planter  has 
started  on  his  own  account,  and  is  making  cigars  for 
the  local  market  out  of  leaf  grown  by  himself.  He 
cannot  supply  the  demand  for  his  cigars  which  are 
highly  spoken  of.  The  only  fault  I can  find  with 
them  is  that  they  want  ripening.  He  makes  them 
well  and  packs  them  in  very  neat  well  got  up  hoxes. 
Tea  holds  its  own,  and  nearly  all  that  is  grown 
meets  a ready,  local  sale.  Alpha  has  not  extended 
its  operations,  but  another  estate  called  Masusu  has 
planted  up  another  100  acres  or  so  ; and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  o thers  will  enter  into  tea  planting. 
Sugar. — O n the  liewa  the  large  Company  are  offer- 
ing higher  r ates  per  ton  of  cane  to  induce  the  small 
planters  to  enter  into  the  cultivation  again.  The 
former  contracts  have  expired,  and  from  what  I hear 
the  higher  rater  offered  will  have  the  desired  effect. 
The  smaller  plantations  and  mills  will  this  year,  if  all 
goes  well,  do  much  better  than  last  season. 
The  Colonial  Sugar  Company  are  opening  up  their 
new  place  at  Labasa  very  fast.  A lot  of  new  coolies 
have  gone  there  this  year,  and  in  1893  I expect  every- 
thing will  be  in  full  swing. 
Labour. — Three  vessels  with  full  complements  of 
coolies  came  in  this  year.  Most  of  them  were 
ordered  by  the  C.  S.  R.  Company.  Only  one 
schooner  recruited  Polynesians,  and  she  was 
fairly  successful.  The  men  cost  £15  a head  and 
were  engaged  for  three  years.  The  same  vessel  will  be 
leaving  again  shortly.  The  price  has  been  raised  to 
£20  a head,  and  the  Government  Agent  is  to  get 
instructions  to  try  and  get  the  men  to  serve  for  five 
years.  No  Line  Islanders  (Tokolano)  have  come  in 
this  year.  They  are  a bad-tempered  lot  of  men  as  a 
rule,  and  are  not  liked,  and  are  only  really  suitable 
for  coconut  plantations  and  in  districts  where  there  is 
only  a small  rainfall. 
Gubernatorial.  — Our  present  Governor’s  time  will 
soon  expire,  and  we  are  wondering  who  will  be  his  suc- 
cessor. During  his  term  of  office,  Sir  J.  B.  Thurston 
has  put  the  financial  position  of  the  colony  on  a satis- 
’ factory  footing.  He  has  worked  very  hard ; has  been 
Governor,  Colonial  Secretary  and  Native  Adminis- 
trator all  combined,  and  thus  saved  the  colony  a 
lot  of  money  which  would  have  been  expended  in 
salaries.  He  has  served  the  planters  in  that  he 
has  not  needlessly  interfered  with  our  labourers. 
Ordinances  have  been  passed  by  which  we  can 
work  our  men  better  than  formerly,  and  are  able 
to  get  men  who  systematically  shirk  their  work 
properly  punished.  For  all  these  points  great 
credit  is  due  to  him,  hut  nevertheless  Fiji  has  not 
taken  those  strides  ahead  which  I expected. 
