330 
THE TROPICAL AGRICUI.TUlilST. [Nov. ], lOOO. 
being pressed for. But a uumber of other suggestions 
had also bean made; and it was decided to submit the 
replies, for report, to a Sub-Committee consisting of 
Mr. A Tocher and Mr R Magor, who had been pre- 
viously asked to take up the matter. 
Considered file of papers regarding a proposed visit 
of Dr. Geo. Watt, C I E, the Reporter on Economic 
Products to the Government of India, to the Darjeeling 
Tea District. Dr Watt had informed the Committee 
that he was engaged on the preparation of a new edi- 
tion of his book on " The Pests and Blights of the Tea 
Plant ;" and as he had not hitherto visited the Dar- 
jeeling Tea District, he was desirous of seeing some of 
the chief estates there before republishing the book. 
He proposed to spend six weeks in the district, leaving 
Calcutta on the 8th October ; and he asked that a tour 
extending over that period should be arranged for 
him. The Committee had been in communication with 
the President of the Darjeeling Planters' Association 
on the subject ; and had been informed that arraugu- 
meut were being made for Dr. Watt to visit a number 
of gardens, the names of which, and further particnlars 
would be furnished as soon as possible. This inlorma- 
tion was to be conveyed to Dr Watt. It had been 
arranged that Mr. Mann should accompany Dr. Watt 
throughout at least a portion of the tour. 
Considered letter, dated 17th September, from the 
Honorary Secretary, Central Travancore Planters' 
Association, regarding the figures of tea production 
for Travancore given in the return of the Director- 
General of Statistics entitled " Statistics of Tea pro- 
duction in India." It was suggested that Mr O'Conor 
i ,b/3 asked to give detailed figures from the various dis- 
tricts in Travancore, viz, Central Travancore, South 
Travancore, and Kanan Devan. By so doing it was 
thought it would be possible to ascertain from which 
of the three districts the returns had been received 
which made the statistics for the whole area appear in 
tha statement as 13,657,1031b. of uncured leaf and 
8,775,7891b. of manufactured tea. It was added in the 
letter that these figures were manifestly inaccurate; 
. and the assistance of this Association was asked in 
the matter. The committee decided to draw the 
jiattention of the Director-General of Statistics to the 
figures which appeared to them to be clearly in- 
accurate. — Indian Gardening and Plantinc/, Oct. 4. 
INDIAN AND CEYLON TEA. 
It is a fortunate circumstance that as the pro- 
duction of tea in our gardens in India Ceylon increases, 
so also does the demand grow — fortunate, that is, 
for the producer of the leaf. In Great Britain the 
" cup which cheers " is becoming ever more popular, 
while on the continent of Europe, in Australasia 
abd elsewhere the demand is steadily increasing. 
China as a producer of tea Is now very far behind, 
■although it is noteworthy that during 1899-1900 the 
imports from China into this country were higher 
by more than SJ million pounds than in 1898-9, 
when 34 million pounds were imported. 
The continuous progress made by British tea is 
especially remarkable in countries which, a few years 
ago, did not know what the British grown tea was. 
A striking example of this is afforded by America, 
where in 1894 the consumption was 4,723,000 lb. In 
1896 the quantity had more than doubled, and stood 
at 9,474,000 lb. while last year no less than 17,226,000 
lb. of Indian and Ceylon tea were required. 
British planters can fairly be proud of this fact. 
It is due to their activity and foresight that the 
American market has been established. An extensive 
system of advertising was adopted, and the praises 
of British tea sung loudly and incessantly in the 
years of our friends across the Herring Pond, and, 
as it was found that the tea fully bore out the good 
things which were said about it, a demand for it 
became felt, which is now growing in the manner 
indicated by the eloquent figures we have quoted. 
.A circular issued early in the present year by 
a New York house drew an interesting parallel 
.between the condition of the Bast Indian tea 
trade in Great Britain waa thirty years ago and 
that in' America at the present time. We reproduce 
the figures quoted : — 
Gt. Bi itain. Lb. used America Lb. used 
1866 ... 4,ri84.(i00 1694 ... 4.723 000 
1867 ... 6,350,000 1895 ... 7.792 000 
1868 ... 7,746,000 1896 ... 9,474,000 
1869 ... 10,715.0' !0 1897 ... ll,362,(it)U 
1870 ... 13,500.000 1898 ... 13,6l!;i.U0() 
1871 13,956 000 1899 ... 17,2:^6,000 
From these figures one obvious deduction may be 
drawn. It is that if the teas are poshed in America 
as they have been of recent years, the parallel 
betv.'een the two countries' tea history will continue 
to exist, and all the leaf which is likely to be produced 
in India and Ceyl-jn will fiod a leady market with 
Anglo-Saxon buyers. The advertisement expenses 
are met by a system of levying a "tax" upon tea 
growers, which in India is 4 annas ppr ac;e of cultiva- 
tion, and i anna per maund of tea maiinfactured, but 
the 'I'ca AMdOciatiourt ol' India and t>y]on, which wok 
togoilier amicaljly in llicir siege of the woiid'd ti a 
markets. While we are dealing with America, it ib 
well that we should note the demand existing there 
for green tea, to which British planters are paying 
earnest attention. Experiments have not been alto- 
gether successful hitherto, but efforts in this direc- 
tion are not being relaxed. 
On the continent of Europe, British tea is alsT 
making headway. The opportunity afforded by the 
Paris Exhibition is being made the most of in the Tea 
Court, which is under the snpervit^iou of a gentleman 
experienced in exhibition work. British tea in cup is 
offered to all and sundry, while tastefully prepared 
samples are distributed gratis to visitors to the Court, 
Ceylon tea especially is making rapid headway in 
France, although it will have a hard and long fight 
to out China. The Frenchman has not yet learned to 
love tea as a beverage ; he looks upon it more as a 
medicine. The Tea Court at the Exhibition will doubt- 
less go far to disabuse his mind of this idea. China 
provides a very large proportion of the tea consnmed 
in Russia, Germany, Austria and Bclgi'jm, bat in 
these countries also, in spite of many difficulties and 
prejudice India and Ceylon are going ahead. BIr. J E 
M Harrington has been commissiened by the Indian 
Tea Association (London) to tour through Europe with 
a view to learning what steps can be taken to facili- 
tate the supply and increase the consumption of the 
tea in which the Association is interested. Mr. Har- 
rington's report will be awaited with much interest. 
At home the consumption continues to increase, 
although not by any means in the same ratio as the 
production in India and Ceylon. It is with a view to 
the absorption of this surplus production that such 
strenuous efforts are being made to foster the demand 
in other countries, the only alternative being much 
lower prices in London, to the delight of house- 
keepers and the dismay of producers. We repro- 
duce a comparative statement of deliveries 
of tea in the United Kingdom fur 
home consumption only. The table is taken from 
the report of the Indian Tea Association (London). 
1S95-93 lSt)e-a7 3S97-98 1S98-99 1899-1900 
lb. lb. I'o. lb. lb. 
•.g U21,CeO,000 123,760,000 127,300,000 13?,6J5,197 14,5,520,457 
76,000,000 83,500,000 S7,n0\000 80,108,167 92,103,165 
l&7,Cn0,0CU 207,- 50,000 214,500,000 218,713,364 237,625,622 
a }■ 26,000,000 24,000,060 20, 50", 000 2), 50", 953 22,857,' 
5 o I 
. is > 223,000,000 231,250,010 235,000,000 240,2S3,317 260,4>3,'i28 
The above totals do not, of course, represent imm 
