102 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURIST. [AuR. 1, 1869. 
tlenian, v ho for forty years had been connected 
with the Ceylon plantinj? industry, and during tlie 
years 1874-76 had represented tha^t industry in the 
Jiegiisiative Council. 
HOW IT STRUCK AN AMERICAN. 
[EXTRACT FROM A LETTER RECEIVED FROM 
, GENERAL NAGLE BY MR. R. E. PINEO.] 
" My Dear Sir,— I was qaite tleliglited with 
yonr beautiful city, and with the evideneep oi 
prosperity which we saw on every hand. 
"I have just read an article ficm your pen 
entitled ' Ceylon Tea in AiU' nca.' Being an 
American, 1 was struck with the force of your 
suggestions concerning the most efi'ective adver- 
tising of Ceylon tea in America. 
" There is no qufstion but that you people fur- 
nish a tea that is supeiiorin quality and flavour 
to anything that comes to our shores, which, if 
properly advertised — its merits well demonstrated 
— would secure for it a very large sale indeed. 
" Your Exhibit at tlie World's Fair in Chicago 
in '93 certainly must have augmented the de- 
mand for it very mucli, BUT A LIKE AMOUNT 
SPENT AS YOU SUGGEST WOULD BRING FAR 
GREATER RETURNS. The .States are of very wide 
extent, lilled with seventy millions of prosperous 
consumers. There is no way to make an impres- 
sion on them in favour of Ceylon tea, but by 
hanging your banner on the outer wall and keep- 
■in/j.M'e CONTINUALLY. Ill e people ivjw drink 
tea must seethe 6anwer— not the jobber alone — 
and it will be of inlinitely more advantage if 
they can be induced to sample the tea. In 
almost every case this will result in securing a 
new customer, whicli will swell the demand for 
the tea, and will furnish an incentive to the retail^ r 
and who'esaler a'i'ke to push Ceylon lea. Ihe 
advertisement in thefocalncirsjxipcr uith the dealer s 
name attacltecl trill be worth far more ihaii any 
general advertising you can do. 
" I have been a maker of American uewspa^jers 
the greaferpart of niy life, and feel that 1 know 
something of the subject in hand. 1 think I am 
safe in saying that, if Ceylon tea is properly put 
before the American people, you will liave gained 
a pernranent customer that will make tlie beauti- 
ful island of Ceylon, with its enterprising and 
interesting people, wealthy beyond expectation." 
INDIA AND THE TEA CAMPAIGN. 
At the annual general meeting of the Indian Tea As- 
Bociation, held on 29th May, Mr. Ashton drew attention 
to the fact that though Mr. Blechynden's engage- 
ment had terminated this by no means meant 
that the efforts to push our teas in America were 
to be abondoned. The new levy will be used for 
America, for Russia, and for the Paris Exhibition 
and India will work with Ceylon, Mr. Ashton points 
out in view of the criticisms which have beeu 
made m ih<j newspapers, and by some Assjoiation 
members since they beard of the termination of 
Mr. Blechynden's engagement — that the London 
Committee,' who are "the executive in all matters 
coimeotbd with Europe ard America, are not in the 
happy position of our Ceylon friends. They do 
not know frora year to year that they will get 
all the iriouey they will require. They have to send 
oat a hivy, and they never kuow whetlier mem- 
bers of the Afisociiition even will respond fully to 
their rerjuest for funds. Mr. Ashton says : "Obviously 
this is very cramping when they have to make up a 
programme; and I think the details they have sent 
ija are all we can expect at this stage of affairs. 
I desire, therefore to appeal most strongly to pro- 
prietors if they accept the principle of joint 
advertising, to trust to the London executive, and 
not to cavil at details. The detail o£ a programme 
can never satisfy everybody, and I confess to being 
a little suspicious of people who tell you that they 
approve of a general idea, that they are the last 
people in the world who seek to benefit by other 
people's expenditure, but that they have not sub- 
s<. r.beJ btican=e so aod so is done, or has not 
beca does. I suggest to yon to subscribe first." 
The waif- of teainlauia v.'aR next i-e /iev.sd, aud the 
disiriDnfcion of pice-pr-ikets of qricinc; — chrouga the 
agenc? or the Post Olhce — -.lud th.; refasal of aiC GrCV- 
trLiEirtUt to Kauclion tea being rOla in the s.ime way 
thri;ugh po3tmu,sters noted. M'-. Astiton dues not 
seem very much surprieed that we trdve noi ueeu ablo 
to develop the local tea tr^de quiaker. He says: 
— " I have often noticed in the criticisms p'j.ople make 
on this matter, and the pwallels they draw bptween 
what is done in India ana in foieign markers, they 
leave out of sight tne fact that foreign dnarkets we 
compete against beer, coffee, spirits, wine and so on. 
These are all very much more expensive articles than 
tea, and the difficulty in those markets is not one of 
price but one of taste. We liave to divert or create 
the taste of the people. In India it is quite different 
because here the natives are almost entirely water 
drinkers, and tea, although it is cheap, cannot com- 
pete with water on price. The consequence is that 
whereas the important matter in foreign markets is 
taste, the important matter in India is price. It 
seems to me that to induce people — and a very slow- 
moving people too— to spend more money on drink 
than they like is harder, if you take profits into 
account, than to divert taste, say from coffee to tea 
when you at the same time save people's pockets," — 
Planter, Jane 10, 
Casuarinas. — A con-espondent ehewhf^re 
giv^es us some very laterest^ug' iaformatiuu 
about Casuarinas iu C.-ylon. We I'eoall the 
fact that a Ceylon plaaler made ''a' Uttle 
fortmie" 30 years ago fchrouqli a jjl.< ;: 
ot Casuarinas he nad planted near :. 
coast outside Madras city. 
Over-plucking Tea.— A Ceylon planter 
writes to an Indian contemporary : — 
" I have heard it said in more places than one and 
particularly from Indian tea planters who have now 
and again visited this district that in Ceylon we over- 
pluck, this, too, not so much from the older trees but 
from the younger ones partiouiariy. Now as this has 
not come from one Indian tea planter, but from 
nearly all, surely their views should be received with 
attention, instead of our calmly ignoring the state- 
ment altogether. I have a friend who is in Assam 
and has been there for many years wh'.) writes me 
that he cannot believe that I am getting 500 lb. tea 
per acre off my estate, which is a young one. He 
tells me that he would never pluck it up to that bat 
be content with 200 to 300 lb. and even off fall-bearing 
tea he would not take more th ^n 100 to 500 ib. at the 
most now. I would ask are we on ihe right taek? 
Are we doing the correct thing, and that which is 
likely to ultimately benefit the estate owners ? That 
good tea estates in Ceylon will bear up to 700 lb. 
per acre is, 1 think, beyond doubt, but I want to 
know whethei- we are right in taking lhat quantity ; 
will it not in all probability impoverisii our trees in a 
few years ? " 
What does this Ceylon jjlanter say to the 
100 acres tea field oa Mariawatte plucked at 
a rate averagina' over 1,100 lb, per acre for 
16 years and stilt vig'oroiis! — or, higher up, 
the :jO-year old field on Loolecondera giving 
between 400 and 500 lb, and looking remark- 
ably well ? 
