533 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. IFeb. 2, 1903. 
reading, and have had for their key-notes 
the imperative need for a reduced output 
and a higher quality of tea, are now becom- 
ing quite chirpy in the giowing brightness 
of the dawn of better times. Private ad- 
vices also, which had acquired a stereotyped 
style— apologetic in tone for the wretched 
market and its low rates, with a saving 
clause that the teas arriving were poor— are 
today much changed. Planters are said to 
read them now with real pleasure and every 
tea-maker swaggers around with an uncon- 
cealed air of being masterof theci'aftof manu- 
facture ! A leading London agency firm, 
writing last mail on the prospects in view, 
said :— " About half the Indian crop remains 
to be sold between this time and Slst May, 
.and the quantity offered each week will 
probably average 37,000 packages. This 
makes a total much less than last season's 
and as supplies of Ceylon teas are at present 
not in excess, there is reason for a continu- 
ance of good markets." Tbe present year, 
therefore, has opened both in London and 
Colombo— to judge by yesterday's sales — 
with much promise ; and, given a fair 
weather record and an increased influx of 
Tamil immigrants, its close should be more 
heavily gilt, than the year which has just 
expired. 
As regards Estim.'Vtes of the Exports for 
the current year, there are several, we hear, 
floating about Fort offices of more or less 
authority. Iti our last Overland summary, 
we ventured on the best approximation 
within our scope a t the present time. Against 
a total of 148,994,730 lb. of all kinds of tea 
shipped in 1902, we put do.vn 153 millions 
for 1903 ; but of this 8 millions are given 
as green tea— leaving 14.5 millions (100 to 
United Kingdom against 103 millions in 19U2; 
and 45 against 431 millions to other places) 
for Exports of Black tea to all countries. It 
may be said, indeed, that as not much green 
tea goes to the United Kingdom we put down 
nearly 52 millions lb. altogether of oiu' teas as 
likely to be sent to " Other Countries " 
during the present year. This is surely a 
liberal enough estimate ? A merchant with 
special interest in tea crops, who has seen 
our figures and who remarks on the dis- 
crepancy between the Chamber's and P. A. 
figures for "gceens" (so much green tea 
really shipped as "black") writes: — 
" Bounty was paid in 1902 on .3,914,062 lb. 
green?. Shipments of green.s have therefore prob- 
ably been about .3|j- millions, against 2,806,844 lb. 
per Chamber of Conmieree. A good many fresh 
estates are makinc^ gr^ens, but the 388,806 lb. 
for the lasb half of December may be partly 
accounted for by a rush of applications before 
the bounty is reduced to 4 cents. I see Mr. Philip 
doe.s not give the lbs. on which 5 cents bounty 
can still be paid, as he usually does? I think 
yeur e.stiinate of 1''>.3,C00 000 lb. a very fair one 
and reasonably, I don't think ciop will be more." 
For further details, we can only refer to 
last Overland Summary, meantime empha- 
sizing the fact that if weather prove im- 
favourable, or laliour runs short by April- 
May, we may not even see 150 millions 
of exports realised. At the same time the 
London market cannot complain if we only 
send them 100 millions lb. of black and per- 
haps li million lb. of green tea, during 19(Q. 
TEA IN PARIS. 
Under the heaiing '* Paris at Five o'clock." 
Mrs Alec Tweedie described last week in the Pall 
Mall Gazette the craze tor tea-drinking in the 
gay city. In ^lie course of her article Mrs Tweediii 
said :— " Tiiere have been several revolutions in 
Paris ; but none more complete than the 
REVOLUTION OF THE TKA CUP. 
Tea cost forty francs a pound at the time of the 
coup d'etat, and was only indulged in on rare 
occasions by the wealthy. Afternoon tea was 
almost unheard of tea years ago in Paris, and yet 
today it is the fashion everywhere. There is no 
doubt about it : afternoon tea is a particularly 
British instil ui ion. Rich and poor alike enjoy thaB 
stimulating beverage between four and five o'clock, 
and look upon it as a necessity of existence. This 
has been the custom for yeirs, ever since the 
duty went down and the imports from China 
went up; but until lately Britain has stood alone 
as a drinker of afternoon tea. Is the present craze 
in Paris the outcome of the International Ex- 
hibition of 1900? Is it the result of the British 
invasion at that time, which clamoured for after- 
noon tea, a habit followe.l by other weary 
sightseeing folk, who iu their turn found it so 
refreshing that they have kept to the habit ? Or 
is it that fashionable Parisians dine so much later 
nowadays, they find refreshment of some sort is 
necessary between a twelve o'clock ddjeuner and 
an eight o'clock dinner? Whatever the cause, the 
revolution is complete, and Paris has succumbed. 
In many of the fashionable hotels a notice is 
posted in tiie hall intimating that the band 
will play from four to six o'clock, when 
tea will be served. The idea of smart hotels 
is being quickly followed by smaller shops, 
and bills announcing in English ' Five o'Clock 
Tea' may be seen on every side. So 
completely have Parisians adopted our custom, 
tliey spciik of the meal as ' le five o'clock,' the 
word ' tea ' being often omitted altogether. 
"THE REVOLUTION IN TEA" 
has gone even further. We have lately stayed in 
three delightful old French chateaux, where 
nothing is more noticeable within the last few 
years than the decline of coffee and the ascend- 
ency of tea. Formerly everyone took ' caf6 ad 
lait' at their early breakfast in their own 
rooms ; now tea is almost as universally drunk 
as coffee. Formerly everyone drank caffe- 
noir after d^jeAner and dinner ; rOw, ap- 
parently, only half of the people do so. Formerly 
coffee was excellent it was a treat to go to France 
for the sake of the coffee alone ; but this is changed. 
So many people have given up drinking ofifee 
and those take it black so often drown its flivour 
with liqueurs, that a cup of really good coffee in 
now the exception and not the rule. The tea 
has improved as much as the coffee appears to 
have deteriorated. The afternoon tea custom 
which has started in Paris has spread to the 
country house. Every afternoon we found the 
valet de chambre brought in his silver tray with 
tea-things arranged upon it as in England. 
The daughter of the house deftly dispensed 
her wares, and the other noticeable differ- 
ences between England and France were-— 
