THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1, 1900. 
(1) The Peincipal Localitieb of Growth. 
In the popular mind China still stands as the 
great producer, and, although reliable statistics of 
internal production and consumption are difficult to 
obtain, it is probable, having in view the immense 
population of that vast empire, and the very general 
use there of Tea, that the Chinese production is in 
respect to total quantity much the most important, 
But China is no longer regarded as the home of 
the Tea plant. Investigations have fairly and reason- 
ably proved that Tea is indigenous to the valleyes 
of Upper Assam, and, proceeding upon the theory 
that a plant will thrive and develop best in what 
is its place of origin, the conclusion has been formed 
that the Tea plant of China is merely a debased 
variety of the indigenous Indian growth. 
Probably Manipur was the birthplace of the Tea 
plant, as the variety of Tea known by the name 
of that native state has been the moat successful 
and the most continually in favour with the plant- 
ers. This state, lying just outside the tropics — an 
extensive valley with numerous hill ranges around 
it, densely clothed with jungle and large timber — 
seems to have developed those striking character- 
istics of the Tliea Assamica which differentiate it so 
markedly from Thea Sinensis. In a climate where 
there is an abundant and fairly well regulated rain- 
fall and a moist, steamy atmosphere with a cold, 
dry season to rest and ripen after growth, the Tea 
plant attained its highest development. Its existence 
in India and the native states bordering there upon 
was unknown or at least unacknowledged till 1834 ; 
but as the Province of Assam was gradually ex- 
plored and became developed by the constantly in- 
creasing Tea industry, there were found scattered 
through it and the adjacent districts many tracts 
of indigenous Tea. (See Note at end.) 
Those considerations have given a fairly reasonable 
basis for the theory that the Tea plant made its 
way gradually eastwards along the lower slopes of 
the mountainous range lying just north of the Tropic 
of Cancer for some 30 degrees of longitude from 
the Brahmapootra Valley eastwards. At various points 
of the intervening distance can be found connecting 
links — say in Upper iJurmah — until Tea is found in 
cultivation in Yunnan, the westernmost province of 
China. But the Tea, which in the jungles of Assam 
is often a tree 9 metres and upwards in height, has 
become merely a bush and so different in its general 
appearance that the botanists to whom the early 
discovered specimens of Thea Assamica were sub- 
mitted may be pardoned for deciding that the latter 
was not 'lea at all. The climate and soil of China, 
though suited to maintain life in the plant, do not 
induce the rank, quick, vigorous growth which an 
Indian plantation exhibits during fully half of each 
year, and in China the recovery of the bushes after 
plucking is much slower. The individual leaves are 
smaller and the flavour of the infusion made from 
these is so absolutely different from the other that 
even an untrained palate can recognise the contrast. 
Minor differences however in that respect exist 
between the Teas grown in different districts of the 
same country, and even between plantations on op- 
posite sides of the same valley or the same hill ; 
situation, soil, elevation, climate and temporary cli- 
mateic or weather conditions, all having a material 
influence upon both the appearance and the flavour 
of the manufactured article, and altering more or 
less its characteristics. 
From Yunnan the cultivation of Tea doubtless 
spread eastwards and northwards, crossing ultimately 
from the mainland to the Island of Formosa altid 
later to Japan. 
Until well on in this century no effort appears 
to have been made to remove from Mongolian hands 
the monopoly of the Tea production, but when the 
Honourable East India Company lost in 1833 their 
monopoly of the China Tea Trade, the Directors set 
thomaelves to ascertain whether or not it was 
possible to secure for their own territories the sap- 
plying of a portion of what had become to them 
a very material business. 
Vigorous but ill-advised efforts were made to in- 
troduce the cultivation of Tea into India, and seeds 
and plants of the debased Chiua variety were im- 
ported. With those came Chinamen and Chinese 
methods of planting, cultivation and manufacture — 
rnucb to the dcteriment of the industry, the following 
40 or 50 years being occupied in getting away from 
everything Chinese, and through the costly ex- 
perience of mistaken and misdirected effort, the poor 
planter and investor acquired the excellent methods 
upon which the Indian Tea production is now worked 
— worked so excellently indeed as to have proctically 
destroyed the export trade for certain classes of the 
Tea produce of China. Clearances of jungle were 
made, including tracts of the indigenous Assam 
variety not then recognised, and the extensive pro- 
vince of Assam with its magnificent waterway was 
gradually opened up, the greater part of its area 
being carefully explored in the light of Tea possi- 
bilities with a thoroughness that might gratify any 
geographical society. 
Following the success in Assam, Tea was planted 
in various parta of Bengal and other provinces of 
India, with more or less success until in 1897 the 
area was officially stated to be equal to 200,000 
hectares. The greatest success has been along the 
line just north of the Tropic of Cancer, in the lati- 
tude where the principal part of the Chinese culti- 
vation lay. 
So far. reference has been made merely to Tea 
grown either in its natural habitat or in territories 
to which it may be said to have extended naturally, 
or by assistance, in a lateral direction. 
But the two largest developments of production 
outside of India, China and Japan, have been on the 
Islands of Ceylon and Java,* both lying as to Ion gi- 
tude in or near what might be termed the Tea belt, 
and about equidistant from the Equator, one to the 
north and the other to the south. In those the 
existence of high mountains, heavy rainfalls and 
climates forcing continuous growth have made the 
production of Tea commercially successful, although 
on lines materially differing from those followed in 
both China and India. 
Other minor cultivations of Tea, have been at- 
tempted in Natal, Mauritius, the Straits Settlements, 
the Caucasus, Fiji, Johore, Brazil and many other 
places, including South Carolina, (O.S.A.), but none 
of them can be regarded as commercially successful 
on a Free Trade basis.f 
(2) The Principal Areas of Cosscmption. 
If it is a curious and interesting fact that almost 
the entire production for the world, of Tea, is raised 
within an area confined by 40 degrees of latitude 
and 60 degrees of logitude, it is equallv curious that 
the consumption shows itself to have "strictly geo- 
graphical limitations. Outside of the domestic con- 
sumption of China and Japan, regarding with no 
reliable statistics can be obtained, the principal Tea 
drinkers are the people of Great Britain, Ireland 
and of the British Colonies, the people of Russia 
and those of the United States of America. 
Excluding the requirements of thoss Mongolian 
peoples, the world's consumption of Tea may be taken 
roughly at 230,000,000 kilogrammes of Tea per annum, 
a quantity which, including cost of transportation 
to the countries of consumption, but excluding re- 
venue duties and distributive profits, may be valued 
at about £17,000,000. The huge volume of this will 
be better appriciated when it is stated that the large 
* Java is far behind Ceylon in the production of 
tea.— Ed. T.A. 
t In the discussion upon the paper Captain Vas- 
concellos. Secretary of the Geographical Society of 
Lisbon, of the Portuguese Colonial Office, added to 
this list, the Azores, where, on the Island of San 
Miguel, Tea has been produced in sufficient quantity 
to allow of exporation to Portugal of an exctsa 
beyond local requirements. 
