ITov. 1, 1898.1 
THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 
323 
MAKING GREEN AND UNFERMENTED 
TEA FOR AMERICA: 
PROPOSED BY A NEW YORK BROKER 
IN 1S81 AND SECONDED BY THE TEA 
ASSOCIATIONS IN 1898. 
over 34,000,000 lb. As Indian tea is intrinsically 
?nperior to Japan fiiocluce ; the fimirc of Indian 
tea in America ought to lie undoubted, seeing 
that our cousins are 'cute enoni,'h to know a 
<:!enuine article when they see it." 
THE PROBLEM. 
Within 2 years to displace 40 million pounds 
of tea from our London Market, and place this 
amount at a profit on the American market as 
an annual demand. 
INDIAN TEA IN AMERICA. 
" In giving you such information as I possess 
relative to Indian teas in this country, 1 would 
say that of late there have been many efforts 
made to increase its consumption, and I believe 
these efforts have been to a certain limited ex- 
tent sueces.sfnl. I say 'successtul' and yet with 
•limited' because with the present taste of the 
American public, there would appear to be little 
hope of the distrilmtion of the ordinary Indian 
black tea, say, Congou, Souchong, and Pekoe, 
ever being other than limited, its use probably 
being confined to mixing with low grade black 
China teas. In taking up your questions as 
asked, 1st as to the best kinds of teas to send, 
of course this is the all important question and 
perhaps the answer that will convey the best idea 
to you will be to give you approximately our 
consnmption of each kind. 
Japan estimated roughly at 34,000,000 
Green ,, „ „ 16,000,roo 
Formosa Colony ,, ,, 10,000,000 
Anioy and Foochow Colony 6 000,000 
Congou ... ... 4,000,000 
" Now your Indian tea approximates most closely 
to Congou, which has the smallest consumption 
of all, and is indeed almost confined in its use 
to two or three of our large Eastern cities. You 
•will note that Japan supplies about one-half of 
our wants ; it is the tea of the country, com- 
pletely eclipsing 'Green,' although in itself it is 
really nothing more than a green tea. People 
have got the idea that it is uncoloured, at all 
events it is taken in all sections, and is in- 
creasing in popularity. 
" Now the suggestion I have made is this : 
The Japanese have endeavoured to manufacture 
a Congou that shall compete in the English 
market with China tea, and failed badly enough ; 
but the tea they produced certainly approximated in 
many of its characteristics to an Indian tea, lighter 
and thinner in the cup, but of similar character. 
" Now why should not Indian Plantei-s manu- 
facture a tea that should compete favourably 
with Japan in this market ? 
■ ' It will be necessary to bear in mind the necessity 
for a light-coloured liquor even at the expense 
of 'body.' As to the size of breaks.it might 
be well to begin with -In to 50 lialf chests; if 
successful, these might be increased 150 to '203 
half chests. The packages should re.'-emble the 
usual American order package weighing a.bout 
70 to 75 lb. gross, tare 15 to 17 lb. i)apered, 
malted and rattaned. The expense will be re- 
funded l>y the extra jtrice, but great care should 
be taken that they run to even weights to save 
loss in taring. 
" It is a tact worthy of the attention of Indian 
growers that 18 years ago, the teas of Japan 
were scarcely known in the American market, 
au*l now the consumption of them amounts to 
The above is an extract from a letter of a 
leading New York Tea Broker, and I have ex- 
tra( ted it from the " Indian Tea Cyclopjedia " 
published in 1881. 
The words sound as if tliey should have been 
uttered by iMr. Blecliynden, who recently said 
that his views had changed, and he was now of 
opinion that a great deal was to be said in favour 
of the preparation of green tea, and he thought 
it was a matter to be brought permanently be- 
fore the attention of planters. 
It is useless row to search for the reasons of 
those who firmly opposed the idea five years 
ago, when the matter of the American cani]>aign 
was so prominent. 
In studying the subject, I referred to my old 
friend, the Tea Cyclopa'dia of 1881 and the letter 
which I have given above struck me as the only 
rational niethoil of gainincr our object. In 1894 
I gave my views in ihe Ccyloii Observer — 13 yesivs 
had alreaily been lost, and now another four 
have ])asseil and at last we are reduced to the 
necessiti/ of giving way ; of humbling our pride 
to such an extent as to give people what they 
want, and not to force them to take what we 
design to supply. 
Here is no necessity now to urge the making 
of suitable tea; "Norwood" tea has sold for 
80 cents, and all the tea world will rush to make 
80 cents per pounds. 
It is time now to say. "steady — boys- steady"! 
Let us think out our problem ; and go tor it, 
bearing the end in view. 
Gur end is to place at lease 40 million pounds 
of suitable tea jiennaneuth/ on the American 
market within a space of two years. Mr. Mack- 
enzie suggests that some sujjport might be given 
to the producers of this green tea, in the form 
of a guarantee against loss in its experimental 
(ireparation. 
Logically then, Mr. Mackenzie, you should 
suggest that those who gain largely by these 
experiments shall contiibute a share of the 
gains to the good of the new departurel Witness 
" Norwooil " tea. Boili these suggestions would 
be fulfilled by initting the experimental tea into the 
hands of an Association formed for the j)urpose 
of sellincr the new teas, and also for giving 
instructions in the art of making suitable tea. 
We have got to wake up. The Proprietor.*, 
the ^Managers, Assistants, Associations, all have 
to wake up and decide once for all to make 
sure of gaining our end. 
In four years, we find that we have j)laced 
10 million pounds of tci in America, are we to 
go on wasting money and time on a rotten venture. 
Until the fact is aceoniplislied each individual 
must give up the idea of individual gain, and 
work merely for the general good. 
We have waggfd our lieads and opened our pur- 
ses to no efl:ect so far and will it be said of Britishers 
that we have " failed ' and can't see our way 
out of the wood ? 
I am anxious to see the Programme wliicli will 
give us soine hope that l(i thousand tons of our 
tea will be taken by .America in additiou to the 
small amount of black ti>a which Mr. blecliynden 
has roniovod trom our shouldeis with ilie help of 
pictures, lime light, and ((uenehing tlieiiiirsiof 
women's ineetings. The failure is not his fault; be 
