THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 1, 1899. 
AdvcrtiseraeutB have continued to bo iuBerted in 
principal papers, and are followed by those of houses 
dealing in British-grown tea. 
The committee call attention to Mr. Blecbynden's 
remarks in his repoit on unftrmented or Oolong tea, 
for which a demand cxiBts, althougli it must be borne 
in mind that this is a distant cIusr of tea for con- 
Buniption in America alone, and (ailing a sale there, 
cannot be diverted to other maikete. 
The committee have to thank Messrs. Gow, Wilson 
and Stanton for the ioUowitig figures, which show 
concisely the progress made in the use of India and 
Ceylon tea in North America: — 
India and Ceylon tea taken by the United States 
and Canada each of the hist seven year^: — 
1808. 1H'.)7 1896. 
lb. lb. lb. 
Indian .. 5,972,000 .. 5,G0:j,0fJ0 .. S.S.W.OOO 
Ceylon .. 7,G37,0OO .. 5 099,000 .. 4,365,000 
I'otal .. la,609,C00 .. 11,302,000 .. 9.024,000 
1895. 
lb. 
Indian 4.072,000 
Ceylon 3,745,000 
1894. lh'.i:l. 1892. 
lb. lb. lb. 
2,428,000 .. 2,111,001) .. 1,680,000 
2,295,000 .. 1,871,000 .. 1,490,000 
Totals 7,817,000 .. 4:72.3,000 ... :!,982,0C0 ... 3,076,000 
The above figures show tliat a trade has now been 
establised which may be expected to continue to in- 
crease. Your committee are of opinion that the work 
Mr. Blechynden has been engaged in during the last 
five years, since bis return to America in 'Vlay, 1894, has 
been productive of much bent tit to the industry and 
has been well performed, but there are now so many 
well-established and powerful agencies ;it work in the 
United States and Canada, whose interest it is to push 
Biitish-grown tea, both by means of travellers and by 
the distribution of samples through the post and other- 
wise, that the committee consider the further expansion 
of the trade may safely be l-'ft iu their hands, 
and that it is not necessary for the Association to con- 
tinue a special agency for the purpose. Any further 
ansistanee that may be required should, your committee 
think, take the form of subsidies. 
Your committee hope to give more attention in 
future to the other new m:ukets for our teas that 
are opening out on the Continent, particularly in 
Russia and France, and especially in connection 
with the forthcoming Paris Exhibition in 1900, 
where it is hoped that a good imprus? ion may be 
made by the arrangements that ure in contempla- 
tion for serving Indian tea in connection with the 
building for Indian Imperial exhibits. It is expected 
that 38 millions of persons will visit Paris next year. 
Funds will be needed for these purposes and for 
assisting in the work of pushing the sale of our 
teas in France, Kussia, Germany, Turkey, South 
Africa, or elsewhere. 
Your committee therefore recommend that a 
levy be raised in Calcutta on the same lines as 
before, but on the understanding that the funds 
shall be employed to push Indiun teas iu any part 
of the world and not in the United States only. 
A Bryans, G W Christison, D Cruickshank, R 
Lyell, J Riddell, A J Stanton, J N Stuart, V/ H 
Vevner, C W Wallace, Members of the Committee. — • 
H. and C. Mail, March 10. 
ANOTHER TEA CIRCULAR, 
DISTRICT INQUIRY AS TO FACILITIES FOR 
MAKING GOOD TEA. 
In continuation of the Circulars yve had 
previously issued, and which had resulted in 
the collection of a mass of most useful in- 
formation from a variety of sources, Avhich 
we published for the benefit specially of our 
planting readers, we seat out a series of 
questions of more general import bearing on 
tea toward the end of last year. The re- 
^tdts we are able only now to make p\iblic. 
ovviiiK to Ih.' pr< .^..ujv uf HuhiiM-u demanding 
attention durm- tli.- f-w i„<.ii(bs, in lonii.-t-- 
tion with tiR I - Piauu>i-.s' 
MeeUngs Pail . 
matterbof intfir ; . i, i,, , i , ,; ^ 
to day. Nor d«j mi- regret i 
occurred in dealing with ; , ,j 
Bupphed J,y our obliging coi , „ls ; 
for although it may at fii-8t ^1 m as 
It the unnrovement in tea juic . rc jidei-s 
•some of tlie caution.s and Jiints emlKjdied in 
tlie answei;s lather out of thttf, it in really 
not Hu A\e may I.ojk- Uiat the axlvaiiee in 
prHe.s has <ome to »stav; l.iil tliere is no 
guarantee that such will 1h' the < ase ; and 
political and econoniie developments entin-ly 
outside the island may unset our calculations. 
Indeed, what has bwn the chief factor which 
h.as contributed to the crLsis thiough 
which tea recently pa.ssed, and from which 
It cannot be .said to have yet wholly emeigi-d 
Jt has been the rise in exchange, br.iiight 
about by iiidiaii legislation whic h we wei-e 
Jielpless to control, m- even U> delav So it 
may ju-ove in the fiituie. Outside ' circum- 
stances, entirely l>eyond our knowledge or 
guidance, might once again indu<-e a crisis 
inore or less svidden, an.l more or less vro- 
longed. 
Quite apart, liowevei-, from such consider- 
ations and from uuj)le;i,siint surprises, we 
have a contmiial war to wage with our 
rivals. Our efforts must not l>e relaxed to 
oust China and Japan fiom the best markets • 
and we can accomplish that only bv estab- 
lishing and mainlaiiiing the supenoritv of 
our teas. That, of course. c;m be done onlv 
by conscientious attention to details- while 
there are few estates, and certainly no 
districts, which can declare perfect content- 
ment with prices, yield, quality, and piofits. 
In this view, even iu our present good 
humour, and in om- present satisfaction « ith 
the outlook, the following questions cannot 
be considered wholly out-of-pl;K-e :— 
What are any drawbacks to making betier-tea than 
the average now turned out, in your neighbourhood' 
Is the jat generally good? or inferior? Is the soil 
generally poor on estates in your division ' Are aav 
estates worn out ? Would raanuiiug improve the tea 
and be protitable, in your opinion? Are factories 
ou the whole deficient in withering room*' Are 
factories on the whole, defi.-icnt in machinery •■' or in 
motive power? Is the labour force sufficient to 
secure regular cultivation and careful plucking Has 
the pruning been too severe, or tooftequent ? Or has 
the pruning been too long neglected ? Any general 
remarks on your neighbourhood ana its suitablenesa 
for tea ? 
We must content ourselves today with the 
answers which have come fronr the two 
rather out-of-the-way districts of Rakv^-ana 
and JMorawaKa, whose possibilities in respect 
of tea are far different from what thev were 
with coffee which practically depended on 
one blossoming season— a prolonged di-ouo-ht 
scorchmg all the blossom, and too much 
ram resultmg iu its running into leaf And 
often the memory of past failiu-es han^s over 
a place, as it sticks to a man ; for Rakwana 
m holding the London Market (the combini 
ation of big buyers, we presume) to be the chief 
ch-avi'back to the manufacture of better tea 
declares its average out-turn "good stuff'' 
and that, at the price it fetches, it is 
simply given away, not sold! The jat is 
