408 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. 1, 1898. 
In Natal, tliouj^h tlie press does not make so much 
of it, the enterprise is in reality nuicli more 
inipoitant, beinj( represented by a million lb. of 
tea per annum. Bab " a swurn tea broker of 
the city of London" \vonder.s why Natal (having 
begun tea two years before Ceylon) should have 
allowed herself to lie so greatly di.stanced. Well, 
surely the explanation is on tlie veiy surface. 
How is it possible for Natal to compete witii 
Ceylon in cheapness of labour? Surely Mr. John 
Fraser, now of Natal, will admit as much, and 
no man is better able to make a comparison. 
Even if Indian coolies be allowed to work on Natal 
tea gardens, their wages must- be much in e.vcess 
of what is paiil in Ceylon. It is curious to find 
that tea was first begnn in Natal tor the same 
reason as in C'eylon, namely, the failure of coffee. 
The Natal Mercuf;/ in reviewing " the situation " 
ad'ords some useful information and pungent 
criticism, the latter none the less useful, because 
" pungent." We quote as follows : — 
Five years ago one of our local tea planters stated 
that the acreage of tea iu Natal s lould supply the re- 
quirements of the wliole of the tea, drinking popula- 
tion in South Africa, and that witliin the next two 
or three years considerable quantities would be ex- 
ported to London, where the success of Natal teas 
would have to be proved. The manner iu which the 
trade statistins of the Colon , are compiled makes it 
impossible to say how much Natal tea was actually 
exported or where it was sent to, but in any case the 
local product has not as yet made a name in the 
London markets, uor is it yet exported in consider- 
able quanti iea. Apart, however, from either the 
London or other foreign markets, there is a very big 
market in South Africa which has hardly yet 
been touched. During 1896 the Capo imported 
3,000,0001b. and Natal 1,148,000 1b., so that we 
are sure we are under the mark in saying that there 
is a market in South Africa alone for at least 
.5,0 '0,0001b. of tea, and in this market the Natal 
producer has advantages that neither the Ceylon, 
Indian, uor Chinese growers have. This will be parti- 
cularly the case when the Customs Convention comes 
into force. The Natal grower then will have a clear 
start of 6d. per lb over all competitors, but as 
matters stand just now it is quesiioi able if the 
Natal grower is in a position to. supply the Cape 
and Free State markets opened up to him on 
such favourable terms. The Grrahamstown Exhibition 
affords a most favourable and opportune chance of 
advertising the Colony's products, yet the applications 
for space by planters and other producers have been so 
meagre that in order to save an utter failure the Gov- 
ernment have had to step in aijd offer producers free 
space in order that they may advertise their goods. 
The Ceylon and Indian tea planters have associations, 
and these associations, with increasing energy and 
entei prise, have opened up new markets all over the 
world. Bvery exhibition has been visited, space taken, 
and the teas advertised in a manner that has compelled 
public attention. We want something of the kind here, 
otherwise the tea industry will never get out of the 
crawling stage. We have written in no spirit of 
depreciation of the industry. All honour to those 
who introduced it, and to many who amid diflScul- 
ties have laboured to make it a success, but we can- 
not say honestly that after twenty years it has made, 
the progress expected, nor that it has expanded as 
fully as could be desired. Of late there have been 
signs that an era of improvement in the quality and 
quantity of the tea produced has set in. The widening 
of the protected area has been long desired by the 
plant'"r3. They have virtually got it now, and it 
remciiiia to b3 seen whether having got it they will 
take the advantage of it the colony has been led to 
expect, and so develop the industry that, like Ceylon, 
they will be able to go over the sea and enter 
the world's markets in open competition with all 
cQmers. 
MANURING TEA. 
In answer to a rather absurd letter in the " Times" 
trying to shew tliat Manuring does not piiy, the 
well known V.A., "E.S.G." has tent the following 
in correction : — 
For the sake of convenience I reproduce bis figures, 
and alongside them will be found the neoeasary 
corrections : 
F. B. E. E 
320,000 lb. of tea at 25 cents .. .. 80,UO 
Manure and application , , , . 12,000 
Interest on advances .. ,. KJO 
Depreciation on Lines .. .. 100 
Do Factory .. ., 100 
Do Machinery .. tOO 
Total cost of 320,000 lb. of ten at 29 cts. a lb. 9S,800 
N«tt profit (at 5 cts. a lb.) on 320,000 lb. of tea 16,000 
Original profit on 180,000 lb. tea at 9 cents 1(5,200 
Balance in favor of Manuring . . .. ' 
couBecrED figuber. 
180,000 lb of tea at 2.5 cents 
140,000 lb of tea at 15 cents .. 
Manure and application 
Other items as per F. S. E.'s Memo 
Total cost of 320,000 lb. of tea at, say, 
24 CO .. 
45,'i03 
21,000 
12,000 
800 
78,8fJ0 
Nett profit at 9 40 cents on 320 0 0 lb of 
tea. Bay .. .. .. 30,000 
Original profit on 180,000 lb. tea at 9 cents.. 16,200 
Balance in favor of Manuring . . .. li'.QOO 
As will be seen from the foregoing, the error 
" F.S.E." has fallen into is in ins estimate of the 
cost of obtaining the extra 140,000 lb. of tea which 
the manure has produced. The allowance I have made, 
viz., 15 cts. a lb. for this increase of yield is eufficienJ 
to cover the cost of plucking, manufacture and trans- 
port, &c., and there is nothing else to enter against 
it, superintendence, weeding, pruning. A'c, not being 
influenced by the additional crop— ihough the super- 
intendent might be entitled to commission on the 
increased yield. The f.o.b. cost of the whole crop 
therefore instead of being 29 cts. a lb, as he estimates 
(which would be an abnormally high figure for an 
estate giving 800 lb. an acre) is reduced to 24-60 cts 
leaving a margin of 9 40 cts. per lb. for profit, ae 
against o cts. a lb. only before manuring was intro- 
duced. I have taken the figures "F.S.E." has fur- 
nished us with, not because I agree with all that they 
imply, but in order to shew that even with a low 
selling price of 34 cts. nett, profitable results cannot 
fail to follow the application of manure if it produces 
an increase of 350 lb. an acre on the natural yield 
of an estate. Whether so large an addition can be 
reckoned on is open to very grave doubt. Personally 
I do not know of a case where such results have 
been produced, and anyone contemplating manuring 
operations in the hope of making the profits " F S E ' 
foreshadows may be grievously disappointed The 
broad question as to whether manure pays or not 
is one which circumstances must decide the element 
of chief importance being the selling value of the teas 
Judiciously earned out, there can be little doubt 
that Manuring is a profitable operation. In fact 
the question has been asked as to what is the use 
of stopping plantiug"Extensions,"ifinstead,plantera 
generally take to "Manuring" ? Say that 100,000 
acres were manured so as to add, on an average, 
even 150 lb. an acre to the crop, and we should' 
get an additional output of 15 million lb of tea 
or the equivalent of 43,000 additional acres at 
350 lb. per acre !— Perhaps, from this point of 
view, manuring wouWcease to pay. 
