Feb. 2, 1903.1 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUlilSt. 
537 
with the hot water with which the leaf is satu- 
rated. Simple as this fact may seern, it makes 
all the dilference in the cup character between 
Chinese and Japanese tea. In Japanese tea 
manufacture, as stated, a good deal of the juice 
of the tea leaf is expressed and much of the bitter 
property is lost, tlie resulting tea being much 
more delicate in flavour than the Chinese variety, 
in which all these bitter properties are preserved. 
An analysis of the juice naturally expressed with 
the excess of water shows it to consist chi<^fly of 
tannin, a substance w'lich is not advisable in 
excess in any tea. Japanese tea is thei efore more 
wholesome as well as more distinguished in tlivour 
than Chinese, and the fact made it a universal 
favourite in the great tea-drinking countries of 
America. The .Japanese system of green tea- 
making is very fairly represented by tlie Ceylon 
patent steam process of Mr. Drummond Deane, 
and the teas so produced answer very well to 
Japanese teas in cup characteristics. To show 
the confusion of thought which exists in India, 
and flie dansrer which arises from arguing on 
a priori principles frotn very insufficient know- 
ledge, I may here state that some of the juice 
expressed in the steam process of green tea-making 
was submitted to a scientific man for analysis 
and report. He stated it to consist chiefly of 
tannin, but volunteered the statement that the 
system of tea manufacture by which this juice was 
expressed was erroneous and faulty, because in 
his opinion all the constituents of the leaf 
should be preserved. This was indeed a case 
of the cobbler going beyond his last, for be it 
noted the "expert" condemned the very ijrocess 
by which the superior delicacy and purir.y of 
Japanese teas are secured. The lesson to be learned 
from this case, of course, is that it is necessary 
to know the history and actual living facts of an 
article before setting up as a critic on its manu- 
facture. Japanese tea has obtained its vogue by 
its special characteristics, and these characteristics 
are obtained by the incidental circumstances of 
its manufacture, the loss of a certain iiroportion 
of tannin, etc., in manipulating the wet le if. It 
follows, therefore, that when we are endeavour- 
ing to reproduce this article, which is such 
an established f ivourite, it is absurd to say 
ofF-liand that it is wrong in principle to 
lose any of the constituents of the leaf ; when 
by the very loss of that excess the superior 
delicacy characteristic of the article is produced. 
There are thus two well-established descriptions 
of green tea, the strong, darkish liquoring bitter 
teas of China, rolled round or curly ; and the 
delicate, pale liqn'u-iug, pungent teas of Japan, 
rolled straight. The latter roll can be very well 
reproduced in an ordinary black tea rolling 
machine, but as yet the China roll can only be 
imitated by hand. The steam process possesses 
f^reat advantages in convenience, for the penetra- 
tive action of the vapour renders the sterilising 
of the leaf very rapid indeed, and large quantities 
can be readily dealt with. But the teas so made, 
possessing Japanese characteristics in cup, it stands 
to reason should be rolled in the Japanese manner 
to secure the familiar Japanese appearance. To 
roll steam teas to the China appearance most 
necessarily make a tea which is neither Jai)anese 
nor Chinese in style. The addition of panning 
either by hand or machine gives the dry leaf the 
appearance of the Chinese and Japanese teas, and 
where these couutriea add foreign ingredients to 
secure colour, we can very readily secure the .same 
pure, but I deprecate the mixing up of styles, 
that i.*, the roll of one with the cup of iheoiher. 
Thua Viridis. 
— Iiidiaii Planting and Gardening, Jan. 10. 
RUBBER MARKETS 
[MESSRS, LEWIS & PEAT BKPORT.] 
Deo 12. — Ceylon — 21 cases bought in. Borneo — 8 
cases bought in. 
Nyaasaland — 247 baga sold ; small red and white 
clean ball, 23 lid to 23 lljd ; ditto part heated 
23 6d to 23 9d ; good rooty ball 23 7d ; strong 
white ball 23 9|d to 29 lOJ per pound. 
Deo. 19. — Para. — We have had an excited market 
during the week, and prices have rapidly advanced 
fully 3d to id per pound on the average. Fine hard 
from 33 5d to 33 8d spot, and 33 8.§d forward ; 
fine [soft, 33 2d to 33 d spot and forward ; 
scrapy and Peruvian ball, 2s 9d to Ss ; Mollendo 
33 2id to 33 5jd. Receipts continue very moderate 
and all medium grades are in active request, but 
very scarce. — India-BiMer Journal, Dec. 22. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
The report on last year's TRADE IN KHORASSAN 
sent by Lieutenant-Colonel Whyte, Acting British 
OonsulGrenetal at Meshed, shows that althoi gh there is 
a preponderance of Russian trade in Khorassan, practi- 
cally the entire foreign trade ot Seistan is in British 
bands. The value of British and British Indian im- 
ports during 19U1-2 was £131,775. Chief among 
British and British Indian imports to Khorassan and 
Seistan is tea. This is and should continue to be as 
safe a British monopoly as sugar is a Russian mono- 
poly. There is said to have been a large aooumulation 
o£ India tea in Meshed at the end of 1900 01, and the 
tea trade during 19U1-02 is described as not having 
been as brisk in consequence as in recent years. The 
taste for tea is strongly developed, even among the 
poorer classes of Persians, and there is always likely 
to be a strong and steady demand for it in Khorassan 
and Seistan. The value of the tea imported by the 
Bandar Abbas, Bushire and Seistan routes, was 
£.50,267, but a considerable proportion of the tea 
brought by the two former routes is said to have 
been Chinese tea for exportation to Trans-Caspia 
and Turkestan. The following note of prices ruling 
in Meshed in November, 1902, has been prepared by 
Mr. T J Greensill, Government canvasser for trade in 
Khorassan and Seistan : — Tea. — There are several 
kinds of both black and green sold here, but the most 
in demand are the followiu" :— Black Tea. — Fine 
Pekoe leaf — wiry and even with few tips — known here 
as " Kulami'" present rate 20 krans (kran equals 4d 
to 5d) per MesHed " man " (the Meshed tea " man '' is 
7 lb), with a credit of fifteen momhs, equivalent to 
17 krans cash. Leafy kinds are not much in demand, 
but some would sell at 20 krans, carrying twenty to 
twenty-five months' credit equivalent to 15 to 16 
krans cash. Green Tea. — Gunpowder — buld, even leaf, 
coloured greenish - known as Sabz," present rata 
21 krans per Meshed '• man " (7 lb), with four months' 
credit, equivalent to about 20 krans cash. For natural 
nnfaoed or faced there is no demand, but coloured 
after the China style, in India known as Bombay tea, 
would find ready sale if not too expensive. Heavy 
soap-stoned greens are rejected at once. White or 
silver-tipped tea, known here as " Lamsa," is really a 
mixed tea, consisting of about 15 per cent silver tips 
and about 85 per cent uneven orange Pekoe andPekoa 
leaf, and comes chictly from Java, usually packed in 
5 lb lead-lined wooden boxes, and sells hero at 40 
krans per " man " (7 lb), with twelve mouths' credit, 
which is equivalent to about 35 krans cash. Those 
with mora white tips fetoh slightly better rates, 
the ^emanS is very limited. 
