36 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [July 1, 1899. 
India and Ceylon teas are black teas, and, as Dr. 
Goodfellow says, they are stronger than China teas. 
As a matter of fact> one pound of the former will make 
from two to four times as much liquid tea as the same 
quantity of China or Jip.ai leaf. Assuming for argu- 
ment sii-ke tba.t Ceylon and India tea contains more 
tannin than China black tea, aud as it takes iiom 
one-half to two-lliiras ic!Sr> of the lormer than of Chin?; 
tea. to make au equal quantity of iiqnid tea, i.s ii, not 
obvious that a cup of Geyion-Tjidia, must ncceuavily 
contain much less tannin than a cnp of China tea ? 
Further, as Ceylon and India teas are unquestion- 
ably stronger and require a shorter steeping or in- 
fusion than China teas, and Dr. Goodfellow has laid 
down that the active desirable principlos in tea are 
readily dissolved and the undesirable principle (tannin) 
dissolves more slowly, is it not also evident that tea 
which is prepared with short steeping is more hygienic 
than that which takes a long infusion to make a liquid 
sufficiently strong to satisfy the ordinary tea drinker ? 
Tea Drinker. 
Our own compilation is as fGllow.s 
THE DISTKIBUTION OF INDIAN AND 
CEYLON TEA. 
in an interesting article in a recent num- 
ber of the Times of India, dealing with 
" Some Facts about Indian Trade," we observe 
some suggestive facts on the exports of tea. 
Dui'ing the past three years, tlie quantity 
exported from India has risen between 
8 and 9 million lb. — from 148 millions to 157, 
to deal with round numbers. During the 
same period we have advanced from II to 12 
million lb., that is from 108 millions to 119. 
Ovtr big neighbour congratulates itself, as we 
do oui'selves, on the growing quaiitities 
which find buyers outside the United 
Kingdom ; and with good reason. Without 
a growing demand for our teas from all 
parts of the world, a fall in prices is inevitable 
— more correctly a further fall, as the down- 
Ward tendency which producers have had to 
face during the past decade is primarily 
traceable to the supply having outrun the 
demand. The increased consumption in the 
United Kingdom cannot account for the whole 
of the growing output of British-grown teas. 
Other markets are essential ; but it is curious 
that, while the Indian exports to Great 
]Britain have steadily advanced during the 
past three years at the rate of about 2 million 
lb. annually, our own exports, after having 
leapt from 94 million lb. in 1896 to 99 millions 
in 1897, fell back to 96 million lb. last year. 
The decrease affords no ground for regi-et, 
as its explanation is. not any weakening 
of the popularity of our teas in the 
mother country, but a growth in direct 
shipments hence to countries which 
formerly drew almost all their supplies 
through London. A comparison of the 
figures in the table published by our Indian 
contemporary, with those in a table we have 
compiled, will show how much stronger 
has been our advance in other countries than 
that of India. The following is the table 
from the Tiinca of Lidia :~ 
1896-97. 1897-98. 1898-99. 
lb. lb. lb. 
To United Kingdom 135,456,884 137,655,867 139,245,995 
Russia 
United States . , 
Persia 
Turkey in Asia 
Australia 
Other Countries 
457,034 
784,962 
1,993,823 
1,981,197 
6,155,895 
2,078,066 
689,271 
929,704 
1,464,,394 
l,,i36,970 
6,792,654 
2,582,967 
600,889 
1,413,624 
3,456,791 
2,598,281 
6,306,135 
3,948,957 
To United Kingdom 
,, Ruf-sir 
„ Ui.ited States . . 
,, AustraiiP: 
,, Other couutries 
1896. 
lb. 
93,936,361 
246,233 
718 600 
11,002.532 
2,177.386 
1697. 
lb. 
98,930,059 
139,349 
830,673 
13,258,456 
2,595,630 
1898. 
lb. 
96,133,833 
2,714003 
2,180,188 
15,126,891 
3.614. '66 
Total .. 108,141.412 116,054,567 119 76;Ui71 
Persia and Turkey in Asia find no place in 
our Expoi't tables, though Turkey (in 
Europe), from very small beginnings, took 
over 73,000 lb. last year ; l)ut India is a grow- 
ing customer of om-.s with 924,0001b., 980,CKX)lb. 
and 1,091,0001b. the last three years. It will be 
seen at a glance how far ahead we are of 
India in Exports to Russia, the United 
States and Australia, and what strides we 
took last year in all three. On re-expoi-ts 
our Indian contemporaiy wi-ites :— 
Another branch of the tea trade seems to be in need 
of greater elucidation — that dealt with in the returns 
of re-exports of foreign merchandise. We received 
last year 3| million pounds of tea from other countries, 
principally from Cpylon and China. Of this quantity 
2^ million pounds was re exported, almost entirely to 
Persia. Presumably the bulk of these re-exports 
found their way into Russia. But the re-export trade 
in tea is in a very difierent position from that which 
it occupied in 1896-97, when we received for re- 
exportation over six million pounds from China alone. 
Quantity in lb, 
1898 
19,954,565 
1897 
24.317,104 
1896 
22,667,535 
1895 
20,610,733 
1894 
20,459,530 
1893 
18,034,697 
1892 
22,593,619 
1891 
18,042,043 
1890 
18,451,378 
Tptal .. 148,908,461 151,451,817 157,470,672 
NINE YEARS OF TEA IMPORTS INTO 
CANADA. 
CONSUMPTION 4 LBS. PER HEAD PER ANNUM. 
Imports of tea into the Dominion daring the fiscal 
year ending June 30th, 1898, were 19,954,565 lbs 
valued at $2,721,189. , o ids. 
In quantity, this is the smallest since J 893 when 
the figures were 18,034,8971b. 
The imports of tea into Canada during the nine 
years ending June 30th, 1898, were as follows :— 
Value in. 
2,721,189 
3,310,348 
3,252,133 
3,115,025 
3,039,928 
2,975,452 
3,650.940 
2,981,415 
3,073,643 
The decline in the importation for 1898 cannot be 
ascribed to a falling oil in the consumption of tea 
It was undoubtedly due to the heavy purchases 
which were made during the previous year iu expecta- 
tion of a duty for revenue purposes hbm<r' placed 
upon that commodity. Heavy stocks was the natural 
concomitant, which, in turn, caused a decline in im- 
portations. Consumptive requirements are limited" 
and, when one year the market is over-supplied it 
is only to be expected that the next will be" charac- 
terized by more cautious buying. Notwithstiindine 
the decline, however, the average for the past two 
years exceeds that of the previous two, the avera,crfi 
for 1897-98 being 22,135,834 lb., against 21,639 134 iTi 
for 1895-96. ' 
The present fiscal year promises to witness another 
large importation of tea, the quantity brought iu dur- 
ing the nine months ending March last bsiog valued 
at p,965,068. The monthly returns from which the 
figures for the past nine mouths are gathered do 
not give the quantities. In value, it will be noticed 
the figures exceed those for the 12 months of 1898* 
The monthly average for 12 months of 1898 was 
Si221,765, and for 1897 it was §226,425. Forthenine 
mouths of this year it is $328,345 
