Jan. 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
469 
INDIAN TEA ON THE CONTINENT OF 
EUROPE. 
MR. HARBINGTON'S REPORT. 
There appeared to be a feeiing (in India) that the 
American tea trade required special efforts uo longer, 
but only ordinary businesi? enterprise ; that the 
Special Commissioner who had worked things up 
there might now do greater service elsewhere, and 
that the tea trade of the United States might, with- 
out prejudice to the interests of tea-planters iu India 
and Ceylon, be left to the American tea-dealer, 
aided or encom-aged in some particular ways by the 
Associations referred to above. How far this idea 
was correct rtmains to be seen. A change of pro- 
gramme was introduced. The "American Pcind of the 
Indian Tea Association " became the " Ame)ican and 
Foreign Market Fund," .and the Association declared 
in favonr of the policy of canvassing vigorously for 
the lion's share of the existing tea-trade of Germany, 
France <S"c., and advocating tea in preference to the 
rival beverages, coffee and cocoa. Accordingly. Mr. 
John E M Harrington was appointed special " tourist" 
to the Indian Tea Association (Calcutta andLo ndon) 
and on the 20th Blarch last was instructed to make 
a tour through various parts of the Continent of 
Europe with a view to («) ascertaining by enquiry 
on the spot the present position and statistics of the 
tea trade in each country visited and {b) to report as to 
the most practical method of developing both the 
taste for tea in general and the demand for Indian tea 
in particulpr. It was a somewhat " large order," but 
the absolute necessity for some such investigation as 
was undertaken was shown by the fact that, whereas 
iu the British Empire some 90 per cent, of the tea 
consumed is British grown, in all the States of 
Europe practi cally 90 per cent, is supplied by one or 
more of the following producing centres : — China, 
Japan and Java, less than 10 per cent, falling to the 
share of India and Ceylon. 
The space at our disposal will not admit of a de- 
tailed review of Mr. Hahkington's interesting and 
instructive Report on his tour. The route followed 
included Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, 
Germany and Holland, and the time occupied was 
less than four months. This brief time was evidently 
fully utilised, for the Report contains a large amount 
of most useful information. In some respects, it 
shows previous ideas as to the potentialities ot some 
of the above countries as tea-consumera to he open 
to rev sion ; but, generally, it may be said to confirm 
the opinions we expressed long ago, that there is a 
market to be had on the Continent of Europe, but 
that it is not to be had for the mere asking. Success 
can only be achieved by systematic effort and a 
certain amount of outlay. It is not a case of advocating 
the merits of British-grown teas in tea-drinkiug 
countries where peoples have a natural inclination to 
give the preference to products of portions of the 
Empire to which they belong. The work that has 
to be done is to popularise tea among peoples 
more accustomed to drink coffee, cocoa, beer or wines ; 
among peoples largely prejudiced against, rather than 
predisposed in favour of, British products, and in 
countries where tea is to some extent heavily handi- 
capped by local fiscal tariffs. These are conditions 
that preclude the hope of more than slow progress 
even with the most determined effort. iVIr. Harring- 
ton's Report shows that there is ground for this 
hope, and on the whole, it may be regarded as 
more encoiirauing than it was, perhaps, generally 
expected to be. Facts and statistics are given, 
Buggestious are made, and the future will depend 
largely not merely upon the action taken upon the 
extent to which planters provide " the sinews of war " 
so essential to success in the conduct of a campaign 
such as that which the Indian Tea Association has 
undertaken. Conditions vary not only in different 
countries, but in different towns in the same 
country, For instance, Mr. Harrington writes 
leaa hopefally about Naples than about Rome, 
in which latter place there are more English 
Hnd American travellers and a larger fashionable 
Society to follow the general example of such Society 
in other countries and adopt " Afternoon tea " or, as 
the French say, the " five o'clockie." Turkey offers 
a fair field, and, moreover, does no small amount of 
"transit" trade on behalf of Southern Russia and 
Persia. Low sorts are most in favour and long wiry 
leaf has a preference iu the Persian trade, where 
Camel transport tends to break up the tea. Bulgaria 
is mostly a coffee consuming country, the tariff on 
tea is high, and the language and trade customs are 
diffioulties to the British trader. Mr. Harrington 
cannot recommend direct expenditure of time or money 
upon so small a field, but thinks the tnarket may be 
reached indirectly from Constantinople. As regards 
Austria Hungary, various diffioulties are pointed out, 
and it is remarked that "no practical method is ap- 
parent by which Indian tea could be rapidly and 
successfully introduced." Very different is the case 
with respect to Germany, where Mr. Harrington 
thinks a good trade might "be developed if proper ar- 
rangements were made and a liberal outlay faced for 
thefirst three or five years. — Madras Mail, Nov. 36. 
A BRAZILIAN RUBBER PLANTATION 
(To the Editor of the India Rubber World.) 
Is it possible to find in tlie United States, or 
elsewlierr, some one who would be interested in 
a plantation of Oeara rubber? In March, 1899, 
we established a plantation in the state of Per- 
nambueo, about 12 kilometers from (he capita), 
where we now have more than 100,000 trees of 
Manihot Glaziovil, vigorous and growing welJ. 
Having now, however, other needs for our capital, 
we should be willing to sell the phintation, though 
our preference sliould be to retain our present 
nterest in it, provided parties can be found to 
join us as partneis, or found a company, with a 
view to supply the money needed for n)eeting 
the expenses involved during the few re- 
tn,-dnii)g years, until the trees become productive. 
The plantation really promises a very handsome 
profit. The estate is now in fine condition, witli 
laborers' cottages and stables built by us, and 
pasture land fenced in and stocked with cattle. 
The location is healthful and only about 3,000 
meters distant from a railway station. The ex- 
tension of the railway past the estate is projected. 
\Viihin three or four years the trees are ex- 
pected to begin yielding from 1 to Z pounds of 
rubber per year. The labor of gathering the crop 
will be slight, because the trees will simply be 
tapped and the rubber will coagulate on the trunk, 
when it can be pulled off dry. With the monthly 
expenditure of ^500 to 11,6 0, not only can the 
plantation be kept in condition, liut, w'ithin two 
years, our original plan of increasing the number 
of trees planted to 500,000 could be carried out. 
We prefer for tlie present not to publish our 
names in this connection, but will be pleased to 
have this appear in The India Eubhcr World, 
and to have you receive for us any correspondecce 
which may result. M. & Co. 
, Brazil, October 1st 1900. 
<» 
ESSENTIAL OILS. 
From Semi-Annual Report of Sohimmel & Co. 
(Fritsche Brothers) Leip"zig, New York, London, 
for October 1900, we take the following :— 
Cinnamon Oil, Ceylon. — There has been an ex- 
ceptionally large demand for this article, to satisfy 
which we have been carrying on the distillation 
without interruption since the beginning of the 
year. The priges o£ the beat cxualilies of chipa flue- 
