JVNE  1,1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
743 
during  the  present  year  in  view  of  the  low  range 
of  Ceylon  prices. 
As  respects  Java  teas,  we  call  attention  to 
the  letter  of  “ Planter"  elsewhere : we  do  not 
think,  however,  that  the  ohoice  of  seed  has 
no  effect  on  the  quality  of  the  tea.  We  know 
what  vigorous  bushes  are  grown  from  a good  jat 
judiciously  seleoted  with  reference  to  soil,  climate 
and  elevation,  and  it  stands  to  experience  that  a 
vigorous  bush  produces  the  leaf  from  which  good 
teas  can  be  prepared.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  Java  teas  have  greatly  improved  in  quality 
since  the  planters  there  discarded  their  China 
jat,  introducing  instead  Assam  seed  and  at  the 
same  time,  proper  preparing  machinery  for  their 
factories  which  have  so  great  an  influence  in 
turning  out  good  t<aaB.  Of  course  the  London 
market  is  open  to  the  Java  tea  planters,  but  we 
hold  very  strongly  that  they  ought  to  make 
muoh  more  of  their  Amsterdam  market  and  that, 
following  the  examp’ie  of  Ceylon  planters,  they 
ought  to  institute  a regular  campaign  with  a 
view  to  get  their  teas  drunk  throughout  Holland, 
Belgium  and  especially  North-Western  Germany 
where,  at  present,  inferior  China  teas  are  very 
largely  consumed.  Of  oourse,  London  Brokers  do 
not  oare  to  see  trade  even  in  “ Javas  ” go  past 
them ; but  the  sooner  Java  planters  do  their 
duty  in  making  an  extending  market  for  their 
teas  (to  the  superoension  of  China)  on  the  Conti- 
nent of  Europe,  th  a better  for  Dutch  as  well  as 
British  grown  teas. 
As  usual  Messrs.  Geo.  White  & Co.  give  some 
useful  hints  in  reference  to  “ size  of  breaks,” 
paokages,  warehouse  charges,  &c. 
It  is  interesting  to  refer  to  their  tables  of 
monthly  averages  for  the  different  Indian  districts 
separately,  as  well  as  for  India,  Ceylon  and  Java 
as  a whole.  It  will  be  seen  that  Darjiling  comes 
in  an  easy  first  and  we  may  indeed  tabulate  the 
results  as  follows  according  to  merit:  — 
District. 
Packages, 
Average  for  1 
Darjiimg 
, 58,113 
Is  Ojd 
Assam 
..  297,809 
llfd 
Ceylon 
..  503,700 
9id 
Cachsr  and  Sylbet. 
..  161,089 
9id 
Dooars 
..  69,256 
94d 
Kangra  Valley 
...  2,158 
9d 
Travanoore  and  S. 
India 
,.  19.770 
8§d 
Java 
,.  35,900 
7id 
[All  India 
..  608,195 
10gd] 
The  Estimate  of  the  requirements  of  the  London 
market  for  the  home  trade  as  well  as  re-export, 
during  the  present  year,  has  attracted  a good  deal 
of  attention  and  so  far  as  we  oan  judge  in  the 
case  of  Ceylon,  the  figures  for  the  supply  of 
the  same  may  be  taken  as  very  reliable,  though 
we  should  not  be  sorry  to  see  China’s  share 
drop  to  40  to  45  million  lb.  (not  at  all  likely, 
however,  in  view  of  moderate  estimates  and  ex- 
pectations from  India  and  Ceylon):— 
Indian  ...  ...  lib', 000, 000  lb. 
Ceylon  ...  ...  74,600,000  „ 
Java  ...  ...  4,500,000 
China  ...  ...  60,000,000  „ 
245,000,000  „ 
We  now  return  again  to  the  Report  of  Messrs. 
Wilson,  Smithett  & Co.,  and  first  in  point  of 
local  interest  is  the  analysis  of  Ceylon  Districts 
with  their  orop  yield  and  average  in  price.  As 
usual  “Bogawantalawa  ” heads  the  list;  but  as 
Mr.  R.  W.  Wickham  fairly  points  out  to  a con- 
temporary, there  is  no  reason  why  Dimbula  should 
be  treated  as  a whole,  if  Dikoya  and  Bogawan- 
talawa are  to  be  separated.  He  therefore  sepa- 
rates Agrapatana  (the  division  of  Dimbula  parallel 
to  Bogawantalawa)  with  the  result  that  it  be- 
comes the  premier  one  in  respeot  of  highest 
average  prioe  for  its  teas  last  year,  as  the 
following  figures  show,  based  on  Messrs.  Wilson, 
Smithett  & Co.’s  memoranda 
Average 
price  per  lb. 
in  1892 
Agrapatana  ...  ...  alone  llj* 
Bogawantalawa  ...  ...  „ 11 
Dimbula  ...  ...  „ 10 
Dikoya  ...  9| 
Dimbula  including  Agrapatana  ...  „ 104 
Dikoya  including  Bogawantalawa  „ 101 
The  detailed  summary  in  the  Report  itself  may 
be  repeated  here  for  convenience  of  reference  t — 
Estimated  relative  yield  and  average  price  realised 
for  the  different  Ceylon  Tea  Districts,  compiled  from 
the  Public  Auotions  held  in  London  between  January 
1st  and  December  31st,  1892  : — 
Av.  price  V lb. 
Ib.  , * . 
Bogawantalawa 
Nnwara  Eliya,  Maturata 
and  Uda  Fussellawa  ... 
Dimbula 
Dikoya 
Uva 
Maskeliya 
Hewaheta  ... 
Pussellawa,  Kotmale. 
Pundaloya,  and  Ram- 
boda, 
Ambagamuwa  and  Lower 
Dikoya 
Dolosbage  and  Yakdessa 
Knuckles,  Kallebokka, 
Rangalla,  &c. 
Nilambe  and  Hantane... 
Kalutara 
Matale  and  Hnnasgeri... 
Kaduganawa  and  Alagalla 
Kelani  Valley 
Sabaragamuwa 
Galle 
about  about 
in  1891. 
3.000. 000  0/11  0/111 
2.500.000  0/10f  0/1 1J 
10,500,000  0/10i  0/10f 
4.500.000  0/  9|  0/10i 
2.500.000  0/  9f  0/10J 
4.000. 000  0/  91  O/lOl 
1.500.000  0/  9j  0/10 
6.000. 000  0/  9 0/10 
3.000. 000  0/  9 0/  9| 
3.600.000  0/  8|  0/  9i 
2.500.000  0/  8|  0/  9£ 
2.000. 000  0/  8£  0/  9i 
2.000. 000  0/  8k  0/  9f 
3.000. 000  0/  8j  0/  91 
1.500.000  0/  84  0/  9| 
6.000. 000  0/  8 0/9 
1,500,000  0/  8 0 ' 9 
305,000  0/  7 0/  8J 
N.  B.-~  Untraceable  marks  to  the  extent  of  about 
5,000,000  lb.  averaging  7fd  per  lb.  are  not  inoluded  in 
the  above  estimate* 
We  do  see  why  the  district  represented  by  the 
Nuwara  Eliya  Planters’  Association  should  not  be  in 
the  first  rank;  and  we  suspeot  that  that  would  be 
the  ease  if  the  portions  of  Maturata  and  Uda- 
pusBellawa  which  run  down  comparatively,  to  quite 
a medium  elevation,  were  omitted.  The  Nuwara 
Eliya  Association  must  try  to  establish  the  repu- 
tation of  what  ought  to  be  regarded  as  the 
district  representing  Darjiling  in  Ceylon. 
We  must  call  attention  to  the  extraordinary  discre- 
pancy, as  it  seems  to  us,  between  description  and 
facts  in  the  early  portion  of  the  Report  before 
us.  Messrs.  Wilson,  Smithett  & Co.  refer  to  the 
“ sanguine  estimates  ” of  Ceylon  crop  early  last 
year  as  “hanging  like  a cloud  over  the 
market  till  the  autumn.”  [Not  a word  as  to 
their  effect  in  checking  the  purchases  of  China 
tea  at  the  opening  of  the  season.]  But  when  we 
come  to  the  actual  facts  of  the  market  as  de- 
scribed by  themselves,  what  do  we  find  ? Why 
that  the  year  opened  well  with  brisk  competition 
at  hardening  rates ; that  subsequently  heavier 
auctions  (not  estimates)  cheoked  rising  prices ; 
but  the  better  teas  commanded  “firm  rates  ” and 
these  continued  through  February,  Maroh  and 
April,  only  common  teas  falling  or  tending 
lower.  In  May  (not  in  autumn)  they  reoognised 
the  Ceylon  over-estimate  and  the  average  improved. 
But  look  at  the  contrast  this  year:  the  Ceylon 
orop  has  been  most  oarefully  (probably  under) 
