May 1, 1899.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
795 
TEA-DRINKING IN RUSSIA. 
March 28. 
Sib,— See that article in the H. & C. 3Iail 
oi March 10 about tea-drinking in Russia? 
Wlien are you— as the first avithority on 
Tropical Agriculture as well as Trade Statistics 
— going to prick this bladder about the gi'eatest 
tea-drinking natiou in the world being Russia? 
You nuist know better than most people 
that, if Russia consumed thi'ee j)ounds a 
head against seven pounds per head in Aus- 
tralia, and nearly six in the United King- 
do m, there would not be enough tea grown to 
go round. And yet there is not the slight- 
est protest on the part of the local or any 
other press when we are periodically treated 
(generally in the pages of the singulai'ly ill-in- 
formed H. cfc C. Mail) to this sort of thing : — 
" The Russian drinks enormous quantities of 
tea sufficient to frighten any Englishman," or 
"The Russian working man takes 20 tumblers 
of tea a day." I suppose these mis-statements 
are too gigantic to be tackled, and therefore 
they are let pass. And the " Samovar " is 
responsible for a good deal of misinforma- 
tion one gets about Russian tea drinking. As 
a matter of fact the " Samovar " is about as 
common in the house of the ordinary 
Russian peasant or Monjik, as a claret jug 
is in the cottage of a Suffolk farm labourer. 
Surely the actual figures can be got and 
published as regards consuniption per head 
in Russia. We all want the Russians to take 
our tea, but with the present duty on it, it 
is absurd to suppose that the Russian work- 
ing man (about the poorest in the world) can 
treat himself to much of it, if any. Very 
strange it is with a lot of slack writing 
there is about tea. Anything seems good 
enough or wrong enough to set down. 
For example the London Correspondent 
of the local " Times " can describe a race — a 
cricket match— a garden party, or a play, or 
anything that he has not seen and knows 
nothing about quite as well as the average 
London Reporter. But when he gets on to 
Tea, about which he is sujiposed to really 
know a bit, this is the sort of thing he treats 
us to (quoting from his letter of March 10, 
1899): — "It would have been well if some of 
the optimistic writers and others, who ai'e so 
ready to hit an article when it is down, to 
see the scramble for the lots." 
Witkthe number of Russian buyers now in 
Colonibo, it Avoidd surely not be difficult to 
get some coiTcct information as to whnt 
classes in Russia diink tea, and how much 
they consmne. Put youi- clever "Cyclist" 
on to tiiem. — Yoiu'S obedientlv 
FARMER. 
THE BLENDING OF TEA IN 
COLOMBO. 
Dear Sir, — I have always been luidei' the im- 
pression that "the blending of tea" was a siieci- 
ality indulged in only by experts; but now it 
woiild apj)oar from" " SV.F T-."s labom'ed re- 
niarks that even 1 nuiv settle down in Co- 
lombo, connect with iiabugama and blend 
tea* for the million. 
It sounds so sweetly simple and remuner- 
ative, I have the greatest dilficulty in res- 
training myself from embarking in it forth- 
with. 
Reason, however, comes to the rescue and 
asks is it true, or is it not, that all big blend- 
ers get samples of water from the particular 
district they purpose exploiting and blend 
a.ccordingiy ? Is Ijabugama, the lake and 
those delightfully green canals in Colombo 
equal to such varying requirements ? I trow 
not, as any noAice knows some teas taste 
ever so much nicer when made with certain 
water than they do elsev^•here and thei'ein 
lies the secret of blending. 
Is Colombo a suitable place to keep and 
expose tea in for any length of time. 
Most certainly not, and here is my reason 
for saying so. A few mouths ago a small por- 
tion of a break of tea got slightly wet on 
the way to Colombo, and I consequently 
had the whole lot examined and partly re- 
fired there and the result v/as jd per lb. 
less for that lot than for anything for some 
time before or afterwards. London report ; 
"These teas have a rivther dull smell which 
we fear may detract from their value, &c." 
A recent lot which lay in Colombo for 
about a fortnight owing to lack- of freight, 
was reported on thus : — " Tlie firing is 
fairly satisfactory though they do not 
smell quite as fresh as many teas we have 
received from^ this estate and the result is 
just ^d per lb. less than for the following lot 
sold in the same sale." 
In neither case was the Broker aware of 
anything unusual having happened to the 
tea; so evidently some folks know the rudi- 
ments of their business which is more than 
I can give "W. F. L." credit for. 
If Colombo is to become the hub of the 
universe in tea, special warehouses will have 
to be constructed for its manipulation as at- 
present I would sooner see my teas buliced 
in London than blended in Colombo and 
that is saying a good deal. — Yours faithfuUv, 
OLD FOGIE.' 
[We have no doubt that if Colombo 
were made a free port for teas, the 
construction of special warehouses or the 
alteration of existing stores would fol- 
low. Our correspondent forgets that there 
are tea experts already among Colombo 
buyers and that a good deal of blending 
is already done, no doubt to the satisfaction 
of Australian buyers and consvuners and to 
the profit of the blenders.— Ed. T.A.] 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA. 
THE PACIFIC ROUTE ADVOCATED. 
Kandy, April 7. 
Sir, — Under separate cover I send to your 
address an American N(>wspaper with some 
colunms in regard to .v ^Ir. Tissei'a, who. I 
think, in'oceeded to Chicago as one of Sir 
.Tohu Grinlinton's staff, which may not have 
been seen by von. — 1 am. sir, vonrs fathfuUv. 
"A. PHILIP ■ 
The ai'ticle refened to begins by refen-iiif; to 
the iivvivftl in Seattle (Washington) of " a niiipt 
businosa-like {oteif;ner." who " it is not imjirobuble 
mtiy prove ft potent factor in the nnfoljinfr of thnt 
great volume of Tianspacific Commerce of \vliich 
the world is now beginning concede tliiU Soattlo to 
