484 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
IJAN.  2,  1893. 
contact  with  the  lead,  an  acid,  which  perforates  through 
minute  punctures  into  the  tea  itself,  and  cr.  att-s 
whit  is  commonly  koown  as  a ‘ cheesintsi  ’ in  the 
flavour.  May  I ask  yoato  be  good  enough  to  bring 
this  subject  under  the  noice  of  tea  growers,  with 
the  view  of  their  recognising  the  neceesity  of  only 
using  wood  which  is  properly  seasoned,  and  this  request 
I venture  to  make  both  in  the  interest  of  the  importer 
as  well  as  the  buyer.”  , 
The  Tea  Duty. — There  are  many  who  hold  the 
opinion  that  the  entire  abolition  of  the  tea  duty  would 
be  the  best  thing  possible  for  Indian  and  Ceylon.  Tbis 
opiuieu  is  not  shared  by  all  tho.-e  in'erestedin  tea,  but 
it  is  advocated  by  Mr.  C.  J.  Roc.  o,  who  writes  as 
follows: — ‘Pessimists  who  objected  to  the  rsduc- 
tion  of  the  tea  duty  in  ' 1890  on  the  ground  that  the 
remission  of  2d  per  lb  would  iufallibly  result  in  a 
largely  increased  home  consumption  of  cheap  China 
teas,  at  the  expense  of  British-grown  teas  from 
Iuo'ia  and  Ceylon,  must  now  be  anxious  to  explain 
away  their  prophecies.  So  far  from  the  ruin  of  ihe 
tta  industries  of  Ceylon  and  India  havng  been 
achieved  by  John  Chinaman,  the  exact  opposite  has 
been  the  reBUit.  The  reduction  became  operative  in 
May,  1890.  For  tbe  year  tnding  June,  1890,  the 
home  c iusump  ion  of  Cnioa  teas  was,  appi oximateh , 
60,000.0001b.  For  the  year  ending  June,  1892,  it  was 
4u,0n0,000ib.,  thus  showing  a reduction  in  the  two 
oomph  ted  aeasous  following  the  remission  of  33  per 
cem.  From  Jan.  1st  to  the  end  of  October  iu  tbe 
present  year  rather  over  28, 000, 000. b.  of  China  tea 
has  been  consumed  at  home.  At  the  same  rate  for 
the  remaining  two  months  of  the  year  the  home 
cousump  ion  will  be  about  33,000,0001 1>.  a falling  off, 
as  compared  with  1889,  of  45  per  cent.  Oo  the 
other  hand,  the  growth  of  British-grown  teas  in  public 
favour  has  undoubtedly  been  tne  factor  that  has 
procured  the  displacement.  Their  quality,  as  evi- 
denced by  market  price— the  riflex  of  quality — has 
enabled  them,  since  reduction  of  duty,  to  come  into 
enormously  increased  use  iu  the  United  Kingdom 
and  practioally,  to  drive  China  teas  out  of  the  fill1. 
The  increase  in  Indiau  teas  consumed  at  home  for 
the  season  1891  2,  as  oocupared  with  the  season  o 
1889-90,  was  5|  per  ceut.  But  in  Ceylon  teas — 
articles  of  superior  qualny  to  Iudian  teas— the  in- 
crease over  the  corresponding  period  Was  no  less  than 
88  per  cent  and,  if  the  rate  uf  home  consumption 
ot  Ceylons  for  the  present  year  be  maintained  for 
the  remaining  t vo  months,  tbe  rate  of  increase  for 
1892  over  tne  1889-90  season  works  out  105  p>  r 
ceut — i.  f.,  63,500,000  lb.,  against  31,000,000  lb.  If 
there  is  one  thing  penectly  dear  about  thei-e  figures  it 
is  that  the  remission  of  duty  was  favourable  to  the  con- 
sumption of  the  best  and  unfavourable  to  the  con- 
sumption of  the  worst  teas.  I am  therefore  fully  justi- 
fied in  assuming  that  the  entire  abolition  of  tne  re- 
maining duty  ot  4d  per  lb,  would  operate  as  a very 
g ed  stimulus  lo  the  fuither  consumption  of  higb- 
qualiiy  -eas  ; to  the  disuse,  by  consequence,  of  inferior 
teas.  A<loug  as  any  uuty  is  maintained  it  will  act  as 
a handicap,  pro  tanto,  in  favour  of  the  worst  and  against 
the  best  art. cleo — a premium  on  rubbish,  in  fact.  Is 
not  that  an  all-suffioient  rea'Ou  for  effeetiug  the  entire 
abolition  of  tbe  duty  iuthe  1393  Budget?’ 
Tea  Statistics. — The  imports  of  tea  from  the 
British  East  Indies  into  the  United  Kingdom  during 
the  first  ten  mouihs  or  the  year  were  little  above  those 
in  1891,  viz.,  ^80, 651, 2501b.,  against  79,241, 100lb., 
though,  as  compared  with  73,Ull,20Q  o,  iu  the 
same  period  of  1890,  there  Was  an  increase  of 
7,640,C50lb.  On  the  other  hand,  the  deliveries  of 
lnamn  tea  for  borne  consumption  in  the  past  ten 
months  were  considerably  augmeoted,  and  tbe 
total  amonnted  to  90,13I,250ib.  m contrast  with 
80,621,200ib.  last  year,  which  exhibits  an  increase  at 
ttie  rote  of  1,000,0001b.  per  mo-  th  ; and  with  a 
heavier  quantity  enp  ireed,  say,  3,127  900  lb.,  against 
2,394,200  lb.  in  1891,  it  is  not  ourpri-ing  that  the 
surplus  stock  in  bond  is  much  reduced.  No  separate 
account,  says  the  Grocer  iu  an  article  on  Indiau 
tea,  is  officially  kept  of  each  description  of  tea 
Jjiug  the  ponded  firehouses,  so  as  to  show  how 
one  sort  stands  in  respect  to  another  at  the  same 
time,  as  all  kinds  are  included  in  a single  total, 
which  on  the  31st  ultimo  was  86,610,3000  lb.,  in 
comparison  with  95,067,700  lb.  in  the  previous  year, 
and  the  nearest  approximation  to  the  s’oek  of  Indian 
tea  by  itself  is  that  retnrned  in  London,  as  con- 
tained in  our  usu»l  mo  .thly  statement,  which  at 
the  latest  date  referred  to  comprisi-d  33,393,200  lb. 
against  31  534,000  lb.  iu  1891,  and  26,057,200  lb.  at 
the  end  of  October  1890.  At  the  end  of  last  year 
and  the  beginning  of  the  p esent  one,  the  excess  in 
the  London  stock  of  Assam  and  suoh-like  teas  was 
large,  consisting  of  about  10,000,000  lb.  ; but  now, 
from  the  par  iculars  just  given, the  overplus  does  not 
appear  to  bo  more  than  1,859,200  lb.  From  tbese  few 
facts  it  is  easy  to  infer  that  the  statistical  position  of 
Indian  tea  is  greatly  iinprovtd  in  the  interests  of 
holders,  whether  they  be  importers  or  wholesale  dealers, 
and  further  evidence  on  this  point  may  not  be  unin- 
teresting 10  those  who  are  anxious  to  know  if  the 
market  is  likely  to  m-intain  an  upward  tendency  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  1892. 
Wrong  Estimates. — It  is  well  known,  says  the  au- 
thority we  have  quoted,  that  early  in  the  present  year 
very  extravagant  estimates  were  put  forth  of  the  pro- 
bable yield  of  the  tea  crops  in  different  parts  of 
India,  some  authorities  placing  the  aggregate  produc- 
tion at  129,000,0001b.  or  10,000,000  lb.  above  that  in 
1891  92  ; and  although  the  Dews  tor  learit  should  create 
a panic  among  the  home  trade  at  tbe  idea  of  such  on  over- 
whelming supply  looming  in  the  future,  was  partly  sup- 
pressed, and  was  only  allowed  to  leak  out  gradually, 
jet,  when  it  become  more  widely  spread,  it  did  not 
fail  to  have  a depressing  effect  on  the  artiole  gene- 
1 ally,  and  for  mouths  afterwards  prices  were  droop- 
ing, until  In  Aagust  they  descended  to  an  unprece- 
dentedly low  level.  After  that  a material  reduction 
was  made  from  the  original  estimates  of  this  season’s 
crops,  when  the  out-turn  was  finally  fixed  av  about 
118, 2(16, 0001b.  Almost  simultaneously  with  the  above 
cutting  down  of  the  estimates  came  reports  of  a con- 
siderable tailing  off  in  the  crop  of  Ceylon  tea  fol- 
lowed by  the  loss  of  the  11  Augiia”  with  617,0001b.  in 
the  river  Hooghly,  when  it  was  reckoned  that  the 
aetual  shipments  from  India  to  Great  Britain  for 
this  season  would  not  exceed  1 OS, 000, 0001b.,  and 
a conviction  began  to  settle  in  men’s  minds  tnat 
prices  had  touched  their  lowest  point,  being,  as  they 
were,  several  pence  per  pound  lower  than  in  1891. 
In  the  meantime  the  unheard-of  cheapness  of  tea  of 
every  kind  had  acted  as  a powerful  stimulus  to  tbe 
daiiy  consumption  throughout  the  country,  and  an  ex- 
tensive demand  having  been  built  up  everywhere 
there  was  nothing  to  oppose  a stroug  reaotion  in 
favour  of  higher  rates.  Week  by  week  and  month  by 
month,  as  the  proportion  of  common  to  floe  and  finest 
qualities  in  the  rdgular  supply  by  auction  appeared 
smaller  than  hitherto,  the  competition  for  the  tormer 
grades  peroeptibly  increased,  and  the  value  unmistak- 
ably advanced  until  it  ranged  fully  31.  per  lb.  above 
that  in  August  last — sound  common  quality  of  tea, 
wlncn  then  went  at  about  5d.,  subsequently  bringing 
8o.  to  8Jd. 
Prices  Wile  Be,  Steady. — The  question  has  there- 
fore come  to  this:  Whether  quotations  will  recede, 
iemain  where  they  are,  or  go  higher  still?  For  prices 
to  deoliue  one  of  two  things  must  happen,  viz.,  eitner 
excessive  supplies  and  forced  sales,  or  a diminution 
in  the  deliveries  of  tea  for  home  use.  In  the  latter 
case  it  would,  says  our  contemporary,  no  doubt,  be 
tbe  result  of  the  late  sharp  rise  in  the  current  rates, 
aua  for  that  reason  we  do  not  think  that  the  dis- 
tributing section  of  the  trade  wonld  bear  an  addi- 
tional advance  without  setting  np  some  resistance,  as 
it  would  assuredly  tend  to  whittle  away  their  profits 
to  next  to  nothing-  Further,  if  holders  arenot  too  eager 
to  sell  at  the  top  of  the  market,  as  it  were,  bat  wish 
to  inspire  confidence  all  round,  they  must  adhere,  to 
the  agreement  entered  into  we  ks  ago  to  resiriotthe 
weekly  public  sales  to  an  average  of  35,000  packages 
and  not  stretch  the  offerings  to  dO,0U0  packages  beyond 
that  limit  otherwise  buyers  may  suddenly  take  fright 
l especially  if  the  very  latest  estimates  of  the  crop 
