Nov.  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
35 1 
the  believers  in  this  infernal  cosmetic  have  taken  so 
many  pinches  that  they  have  become  seriously  ill. 
Nevertheless  they  have  still  elected  to  suffer  to  be- 
come beautiful,  and  strong  locks  have  had  to  be 
laced  on  tea-caddies  by  stern  mistresses  and  house- 
eepers.  Indeed,  the  desire  for  the  leaf  seems  gradu- 
ally to  assume  the  form  of  a craze.  It  resembles 
opium-smoking  or  dram-drinking,  and  is  thoroughly 
ernicious.  Is  it  impossible  that  the  appetite  may 
ave  originally  been  created  by  the  “facing”  of 
Chinese  teas  with  arsenic— a long-reputed  skin-im- 
prover ?” — II.  and  C.  Mail,  Oct.  7. 
• ■,> 
THE  ATTACK  ON  INDIA  AND  CEYLON  TEA- 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Home  # Colonial  Mail. 
Sir, — We  have  read  Mr.  Stuart  Cranston's,  of 
the  firm  of  Stuart,  Cranston  & Co.,  remarks  on 
China  tea  v.  Indian.  We  are  surprised  that  a 
man  in  his  position  could  be  so  ignorant  of  what  he 
has  been  writing  about.  Mr.  Cranston  can  no  more 
persuade  the  British  public  to  give  up  drinking 
Indian  tea  and  go  back  to  China  tea  than  he  can 
persuade  people  to  believe  that  black  is  white. 
Facts  are  stubborn  things,  and,  write  as  he  likes  he 
must  acknowledge  that  the  United  Kingdom  consumes 
about  double  the  quantity  of  Indian  tea  it  does  of 
China,  although  a few  years  ago  the  reverse  was 
the  case. 
Mr.  Cranston  tries  to  make  the  consumer  believe 
that  Indian  tea  i3  more  injurious  to  health  than 
China  tea,  and  talks  about  tannin  and  theine  as  if 
he  were  an  analyst.  He  tells  us  that  Indian  tea 
contains  two  or  three  times  u s much  tannin  as  China 
tea;  such  is  not  the  case.  Ind.an  tea  certainly  does 
contain  a little  more  tannin  than  China,  but  the 
proportion,  instead  of  being  two  or  three  times  as 
much,  as  Mr.  Cranston  states,  is  only  about  a fourth 
more  than  China,  and,  considering  that  Indian  tea 
contains  more  theine  and  extract  we  think  that  a 
comparison  between  Indian  and  China  tea,  even  from 
an  analyst’s  standpoint,  would  not  be  unfavourable 
towards  the  former. 
Mr.  Cranston  seems  to  think  that  the  tannin 
could  be  extracted  from  Indian  teas  by  the  planters 
before  shipping  to  this  country,  and  talks  about  the 
Chinese  extracting  this  tannin  from  their  teas.  Such 
an  idea  is  absurd,  and  it  is  well  seen  that  he  has 
never  been  a practical  grower  of  tea  h’mseif  or  he 
would  never  write  such  nonsense.  His  advice  to  Indian 
growers  is  really  amusing,  and  if  any  of  them  would 
follow  it  (which  I don’t  think  they  will),  he  tells 
them  they  will  be  rewarded  by  their  Indian  becoming 
like  China  tea,  soft  and  harmless. 
If  the  Indian  planters  will  not  follow  his 
advice,  he  tries  to  frighten  them  by  stating  that 
the  Chinese  will  soon  learn,  in  self-defence,  to 
retain  the  tannin,  and  send  to  this  country  hard  teas 
to  compete  with  Indians.  We  have  read  all  kinds 
of  nonsense  written  about  teas  and  tea-growing, 
but  Mr.  Cranston’s  remarks  are  about  the  worst  we 
have  read  for  some  time.  We  should  strongly  advbe 
him  to  go  with  the  times,  and  let  the  Chinese  look 
after  their  own  interests.  If  he  remains  much  longer 
in  the  tea  trade  he  must  sooner  or  later  grasp  the 
fact  that  the  consumers  of  tea  in  this  country  will 
not  drink  China  tea  when  they  can  get  gcod  Indian 
tea  at  reasonab’e  prices  ; and  why  should  they,  as 
there  is  no  comparison  in  the  relative  value  between 
Iudian  tea  and  China. 
With  reference  to  another  matter  to  which  one 
of  your  correspondents  recently  called  attention 
viz.,  “Tea  and  the  Water  used  in  Infusing  it,”  we 
have  experienced  similar  results  to  those  of  your 
correspondent  from  many  samples  not  ODly  from 
Assam,  but  from  all  the  districts  of  India.  There  is, 
however,  one  fact  which  we  would  like  to  draw  atten- 
tion to — namely,  really  fine,  pure,  indigenous  Indian 
tea  will  come  out  well  in  any  water ; and  it  is  only 
the  hybrid  teas,  or  teas  of  some  peculiar  flavour, 
which  come  out  so  differently  in  different  waters. — 
Hoping  you  will  excuse  us  taking  up  so  much  space 
in  your  valuable  paper,  we  are,  Sir,  yours,  &c., 
Belfast,  Oct.  5.  Valentine  and  Co. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Home  and  Colonial  Mail. 
Sir, — As  you  point  out,  the  importers  of  China 
tea  have  dropped  into  pamphleteering  because  they 
have  no  other  resource.  Mr.  Cranston’s  pamphlet 
will  have  no  effect.  Indian  and  Ceylon  teas  have 
too  firm  a hold  on  the  market  to  be  disturbed  by 
such  a tirade.  What  is  the  value  of  the  analysis 
he  produces  ? It  is  a well-known  fact  that  different 
analysts,  even  with  the  best  intentions,  produce 
marvellously  different  results.  The  pamphlet  appears 
to  me  to  be  a dead  failure,  and  it  is  particularly 
appropriate  to  the  close  of  the  silly  Beaeon. — Yours, 
— H.  and  C.  Mail,  Oct.  7.  Mincing  Lane. 
TEA  COMPANIES’  REPORTS. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Home  and  Colonial  Mail. 
Sir, — In  perusing  the  various  Caloutta  financial 
papers,  Buch  as  Capital  end  others,  I notice  that  et 
this  period  of  the  year  almost  all  the  Calcutta  tea 
compauiea  publish  for  the  benefit  of  their  share 
holders,  and  no  doubt  also  for  the  instruction  of 
their  managers  or  directors,  pretty  ample  interim 
reports,  in  which  the  general  situ,  tiou  as  regards 
crop,  outturn,  prioe  realised  for  the  produce  up  to 
date,  and  frequently  also  the  expenditure  compared 
with  the  estimates,  are  referred  to.  A epecial 
advantage  of  this  system  is  that  it  keeps  up  the 
interest  of  shareholders  in  the  progress  of  their  affairs 
and  final  results  at  the  end  of  the  season,  whether 
good  or  evil  come  upon  them,  with  somewhat  less  of 
a shock  than  would  otherwise  be  the  case. 
The  system  is  a very  good  one,  and  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  most  of  the  London  tea  companies  defer  the 
publication  of  their  final  reports  and  accounts  until 
very  far  on  in  the  spring,  it  might,  I think,  be  very 
well  imitated  by  them. 
Would  you  kindly  give  publicity  in  your  columns 
to  this  suggestion,  and  if  possible  ascertain  whether 
the  idea  commends  itself  to  any  or  many  of  vonr  cor- 
respondents who  have  interest  in  the  London  tea 
companies  ? 
It  is  only  right  to  mention,  perhaps,  that  a limited 
number  of  the  more  go-ahead  and  well-known  com- 
panies do  publish  such  interim  reports,  although  as  a 
rule  they  are  a little  late  in  issuing  them,  and  I would 
suggest  that  the  date  of  such  issue  should  be,  as  near 
as  possible,  just  six  months  from  the  approximate  date 
of  the  issue  of  the  annual  report  or  of  the  annual 
general  meeting. 
Such  reports  need  not  necessarily  give  agents  or 
secretaries  very  much  trouble  to  compile,  as  only  brief 
and  general  figures,  such  as  are  no  doubt  readily  avail- 
able in  the  companies’  books,  are  all  that  would  be 
wanted. — I am,  Sir,  yours,  &c.,  A Shareholder. 
— it.  and  C.  Hail,  Oct.  7. 
CHINA  TEA. 
Sir  Charles  Dilko  once  spent  twenty-four  hours  in 
Shanghai,  and  thereby  qualified  himself,  as  we  all 
know,  to  speak  authoritatively  on  Chinese  questions. 
But  though  aware  of  that  fact  we  had  not,  perhaps, 
realised  that  it  involved,  as  a necessary  consequence, 
exceptional  knowledge  about  Tea.  It  was  at  the 
Chelsea  Board  of  Guardians,  last  week,  that  he  was 
able  to  silence  all  dbputauta  by  the  extent  of  his 
acquirements  on  that  point.  “The  consumption  of 
China  tea  was  (he  said)  almost  extinct  in  this  country, 
Ceylon  sending  three  times  as  much  as  Chino,  and 
India  three  times  as  much  as  Ceylon !”  Whereupon 
a Guardian  who  had  been  presuming  to  criticise  the 
quality  of  the  tea  supplied  withdrew  from  the  discus- 
eion  in  deference  to  the  Chairman's  “exceptional  know 
ledge  cn  the  subject.” — The  incident  is,  perhaps,  not  of 
much  importance,  exoept  as  illustrating  thetruly  ‘'excep- 
tional” knowledge  which  is  commonly  displayed  by 
speakers  who  venture  to  deliver  themselves  on  Chinese 
topics.  For  let  us  see  how  Sir  Charles’  figures  work 
out.  The  delivery  of  China  tea  during  the  first 
eight  months  of  this  year  was,  in  round  numbers, 
40,000,080  lb.  Three  times  that  quantity  would  give 
Ceylon  120,000,000  lb.,  and  three  times  that  quantity 
