Feb, 1, 1901. 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
5§d 
OUR TEA EXPORT FOR 1901 : 
CEYLON LIKELY TO SHIP LESS THAN 
IN WOO BY 5 OR 6 MILLION LB. 
Such is the belief of Messrs. Forbes and 
Walker (who estimate our total export of 
tea at 112 million lb. of which only 100 millions 
are likely to go to London) and this, we think, 
is a very reasonable calculation, considering 
the general determination to be more careful 
about plucking and the probabdity ot poor 
fields being al)andoned, tipart from the 
proposed " ten per cwt." reduction taking 
effect. Our leading Colombo Tea Brokers 
deserve credit for the promptitude with 
which they put forward their Tea Exports 
Estimate each year ; and it will be seen 
from the following table that, although on 
the whole they have been farther from the 
mark than the Planters' Association — due 
perhaps to any revision on their part not 
being taken into account, — yet, in two 
seasons at least, their estimate was nearest 
to the actual result. In the following table 
we cannot give the P.A. estimate for 1901, 
because it will not appear for some days 
yet : — 
Ckylon' Tea Exports. 
'"Si 
"S a '3 
c ca o 
^ Ph 
a. O03 
-=5 2 
O 
lb. 
lOra 
1900 
1899 
1898 
1897 
1896 
1895 
1894 
1893 
1892 
1891 
1890 
1889 
lb. lb. 
— 142,O00,n00* — 
142,000 000 125,000,000 148,431,639 
)s!5,000,000 124,000,000 129,894,156 
120,00 ',000 120,(100.000 119,769,071 
119,0!'0,000 lOo 00 1,000 116,054,5j7 
101,000,000 89,000,000 108,141,412 
90,00ii,000 90,000,000 97,939,871 
88,000,000 90,000,000 84,991,714 
77,000,000 78,000,000 84,406,064 
" Obsen'er" Office Estimates : 
8O,0OO,OO0t 71,153,657 
68,000,000 68,274,420 
46,500,000 46,901,554 
32,000,000 34,048,085 
* CD 
lb. 
129,661,907 
122,113573 
114,466,318 
11,0095,358 
98,581,060 
85.376,322 
82,269,353 
72,279,984 
67,719,371 
45,799,512 
34,345,859 
It may be explained that the Customs enter the 
exports as each siiipment is put on board a vessel 
in the liarbour ; while the Chamber only takes cog- 
nizance of the vesi^els and cargoes as they clear 
from the port. 
Seeing that 31,671,446 lb. of our crop in 1900 
went to Other Countries than the United 
Kingdom (or an increase of 8,725,414 lb. over 
1899), it is a * very reasonable estimate to 
put down 42 millions as going to Other 
Countries in 1901. But that would leave 
only 100 million lb. for London against 
113,760,193 million lb. sent in the past year— 
or a decrease of nearly 1.3J million lb. So mote 
it be ; for certainly that would be a great 
relief. We see the next Indian Tea Crop 
is spoken of as likely to be 5 million lb. in 
excess from new acreage in bearing ; but that 
* Of which 100 mTUion lb. to United Kingdom ; 
and 42,000,000, to Other Countries, t Planters 
and merchants whom we consulted were greatly 
out in theii anticipations, for this year. 
more than this is likely to be reduced 
through careful plucking, so that the London 
market in 1901 should see no surplus of tea 
supplies from either Ceylon or India. 
THE PAST YE\R'S TEA TRADE. 
In Messrs. Govv, Wilson and Stanton's 
circular which we issue as a Supplement, 
some interesting observations are made 
regarding the progress of the Indian and 
Ceylon tea trade during the past year. 
The total crop for expoj-t is estin.ated td 
reach 325,000,0001b. (183,0001b. being from 
India and 14J,000lb. from Ceylon) as against 
305,000,0001b. in the previous year; while the 
consumption at home and abroad was 
310,000,000 lb. so that there was a surplus 
production of 15,000,000 lb. or two millions less 
than in the previous year. Reference is made 
to the adverse effect which the increase in 
duty has had upon the industry, and on the 
other hand to the satisfactory increase 
(13,000 ,00'J lb.) that has taken place in the 
quantity taken by new markets, the greatest 
expansion being in Russia, and to the relief 
afforded by the reduction in warehouse 
charges. Dealing with Ceylon teas in parti- 
cular the well known Rood Lane brokers ex- 
press the opinion that the heavy crop was due 
to the unusually favourable weather for flush- 
ing and the extensive use of manure, and while 
they admit that the quality from some estates 
has been very good, they show that on the 
other hand there was a larger proportion of 
poor liquoring teas. The manufacture of 
green te^ is considered likely to .afford 
much reuef to the industry by reducing 
the production of black tea. Planters are 
also counselled to avoid coarse plucking. 
Figures are given of the imports, deliveries 
and stocks since 1897-8, and those for last year 
are given up to November. 
CONTINENTAL MARKETS FOR INDIAN 
TEA. 
(To the Editor •t the Borne and Colonial Mail.) 
SiE, — A good deal of intereat attaches to the recent 
resport by Mr. Harrington on " The Position and Pro- 
spects of the Continental Markets for Indian Tea." 
The real hope for the future ot Indian tea lies in 
those markets. I have been a planter in India for 
many years, and have watched with much interest 
the gradual development of the market for 
our teas in England itself. One thing which ha* 
all along struck me forcibly is that our Indian teaa 
cannot force any market by a direct frontal attack. 
In England we had from the first a great deal in our 
favour, from the mere fact that Indian tea is grown 
by our own countrymen and with our own capital, 
but for all that it took many years to educate people 
up to the fact that the Indian article was better than 
the China. People now fully acknowledge that it 
was only by blending Indians with Chinas that tha 
market was captured at all ; so that until about eight 
or ten years ago it was practically impossible to buy 
pure unmixed Indian tea in any town outside 
London. 
It was the same with the American campaign ; no 
success attended the efforts of the coramissioneri 
for India and Ceylon until they worked through the 
existing trade, and subsidised the dealers^ who were 
already in possession of the market for Chinas, when 
they made purchases of Indians, either for selling 
pure or for blending as they might think fit. 
