March 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
615 
To the Editor. 
TEA PROSPECTS AND OVER- 
PRODUCTION. 
Dear Sir, — It is only natural that current rates 
for low-priced tea slioukl cause producers in India 
and Ceylon some alarm, and, as many enquiries 
have reached nie regarding the reason for, and 
probable duration of, tiie present state of things, 
I should be obliged if you could find space in 
your valuable paper for this letter which may 
interest some of your readers and, at the same 
time, be a reply to ail my correspondents. 
The usual London statistics being merely rough 
estimates based on a supposed average nott weieht, 
I have obtained the otfieial figures from the Board 
of Trade returns, and they show that notwith- 
standing the increase of Sd per lb in the Duty, 
the actual consumption of Inlian tea in the United 
Kingdom during 1900 showed an increase of 
4,006,105 lb and of Ceylon tea an increase of 
7,332,06,3 lb or a total of 11,338,168 lb (whilst 
China tea shewed a decline of 4,106,895 lb) and 
the export also shows a moderate increase of 
2,548,002 1b Indian and 1,631,026 lb Ceylon; so 
that London practically disposed of a total of 15| 
millions out of the 21;^ millions increased ship- 
ments from India an^ Ceylon. These figures, in 
my opinion, should at once remove any serious 
cause of alarm ; ihe expanding consumption of the 
article disclosed by the figures of the Board of 
Trade being an unanswerable argument as to the 
inheient soundness of the industry. The extremely 
high prices ruling for common tea during the 
latter part of 1898 and the commencement of 1899 
induced most gardens to go in tor making the 
maximum quantity at the minimum cost, and of 
the lowest quality. Helped by an abnormally 
favourable si-ason and also, to some extent, by 
the .aid of manure, the result has been an increased 
shipment from Ceylon to the United Kingdom dur- 
ing 1900 of 10,850 000 lb, and from India 10,397,000 
lb totalling 21,247,000 lb, thus leaving a very dis- 
tinct surplus over and above the increased con- 
sumption : and this surplus is made up entirely of 
common tea, which is demonstrated by the satis- 
factory rates ruling throughout the year for all teas 
with any pretensions to quality. The theory ad- 
vanced by some that a large quantity of the tea ex- 
ported from Ceylon and India this year is too com- 
mon to be consumed readily may be dismissed ;for 
in 1898, teas which today are difficult to realize at 
from 3d to 4d per lb were readily taken by the 
trade at from 6d to 7d ; and were the position 
today the same as in 1898 the samn rates would 
be obtainable, The position, however, is altered. 
Instead of a scarcity of common tea every market 
is glutted with it; and as the addition of 2d per 
lb to tlie English Duty has resulted in the pric- 
tiea' abolition of all the retail canisters under 
Is 4(1 — for which canister competition forces the 
trade to pay from 6d to 7d per lb. The consequence 
is that the best value offering at about that range 
finds a ready market, whereas anything distinctly 
inferior is almost entirely neglected, its chief out- 
let being for export. 
The duration nf present prices rests entirely with 
planters, and will continue as long as the policy of 
flooding the English market is persisted in, only 
more so. Many suggestions have been made to 
78 
rectify the present state of tilings, the most re- 
markable being that 10 per cent of the land under 
cultivation should be abandoned. This does not, I 
imagine, come within the range of practical politics, 
nor, in my opinion, is it necessary. By combination 
in both Ceylon and India, in three months a totally 
different range of prices for common tea could be 
established. Are the Associations in Ceylon and 
India sufficiently strong to bring this about ? An 
agreement universally to adopt fine plucking for 
the period stated would have an immediate effect, 
if it were known in London that it would be rigidly 
adhered to. 
To deal, however, with the output of the in- 
creased area under cultivation '(which, in both 
Ceylon and India is as yet not in bearing or only 
partially so) the further development of the 
markets in Colombo and Calcutta is essential. 
Not only should more teas of all descriptions be 
offered locally, Init steps should be taken to make 
conditions for buyers in the Eastern markets as 
favourable as tliose in force in London. All teas 
offered in Colombo and Calcutta should be more 
carefully bulked on the estates and more care- 
fully graded and packed even than those shipped 
to London. The object in selling locally is to de- 
velop a foreign trade, where uniformity of leaf, 
freedom from dust, and good packing are all points 
of the greatest importance. At present, while 
care is taken in the bulking and packing, &c., of 
teas destined tor direct shipment to London, this 
care by many estates is considered unneces- 
sary in teas intended for local sale. As a 
matter of fact it is more important that care 
should be exercised there ; for in foreign markets we 
meet in competition China and .Japan teas, which, 
as regards packing, freedom from dust, and uni- 
formity of leaf, are immensely superior to Indian 
or Ceylon teas. 
The chief aim of India and Ceylon should be 
to avoid sending to England more than she re- 
quires ; for to do so means lowering the price of 
British-grown tea throughout the world. London 
is still the barometer of the world, as far as 
British-grown tea is concerned, with the excep- 
tion of Australia ; lower that barometer by over- 
supplying her market, and prices drop all round. 
Far wiser, in need, to sell a few millions 
cheap in Calcutta and Colombo and so encourage 
the development of a foreign trade than send to 
London a few millions over her visible require- 
ments, which means reducing the price generally 
on an immense quantity of tea. There are many 
interests which tend to draw tea to London, but 
the price obtainable is not always one of them. 
If, however, the policy of flooding the ruling and 
most important market of the world is continued, 
no material alteration or improvement can be 
looked for until consumption again overtakes 
production. Apologising for trespassing at sucfi 
length upon your space. — I remain, yours truly, 
ARTHUR LAMPARD. 
CACAO 
POLLINATION AND 10 CWT PER ACRE. 
Dear Sir,— Mr. Carruthers, among other things, 
I believe, is devoting his attention to pollination 
of cacao flowers, and I have ventured to collect 
a few ideas on the subject. 
If only a tenth of the female flowers that 
annually appear on a cacao-tree set, lOcwt per 
acre would be common. Bub there are dangers 
