842 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Ji'ke 1. 1899. 
to say against pmining as practised, the 
sistex- "District records distinctly severe im uii- 
ing in some cases, with an evident heUef 
in its efficacy under certain circumstances. 
We are told th.it "heroic jnuning requires 
tin great skill ;is heroic surgery, and very 
careful tip])ing after"; hut, we fancy, that 
it is only under very exceptional coiiditions 
that severe pruning is now i)ractised ? 
Both districts claim to he admirahly 
suited for tea ; and tiie claim is proved ))y 
the crops, which' average .'MX) to (io** Ih. an 
acres ; hut (pi.ility is not on a par with 
quantity. In reg.ird to that no surjjrise 
need he felt, as elevation and climate are 
nnportnnt factors in Havoiu'; and it is satis- 
factory to le.irn, not only that laivers get 
better' vahie than they (^ver did hefore in 
the history of tea— the rem.irks were ))enned 
six month's ago— hut also that greater c;ire 
is generally exerci.sed in manufacture th;in 
ever previously. If th(' prices of medium teas 
do not show an.idvanee, it is because there is 
less comi)e(ition for them in the market. 
THE TEA TRADE. 
The In3iaii and Ceylon tea induatries have for 
several yeara past suffered from gradually irK^reasing 
production, cultivation haviiiK gone ahead more 
rapidly than conaumpUon. Although both 
INDIAN AND CEVI.ON PL.VNTKUS 
have done tlieir best to open up new outlets for their 
produce, it was touud impossible to develop these suffi- 
ciently rapidly to keep pace with production. The na- 
tural result was accumnlating stocks an t lower markets. 
The last two seasons therefore proved very b 'd for pro- 
ducers, aa a consequence both of higher costs and lower 
prices. The check thus caused has now borne its natural 
consequence. Since the beginning of this year, by 
which time the heaviest quantities of Indian teas had 
bjen sold, a very sharp recovery has taken place in 
the market for commoner grades of both Indian and 
Ceylon teas. These have advanced between 40 and 50 
per cant. from the lowest prices at which they were 
selling in November and December last. This has 
been brought about by the increase in demand, and 
by a shorter supply than was expected from both 
India and Ceylon. For months past the trade in 
England had been suffering from the extremely heavy 
Blocks, especially of Indian tea; but the deliveries of 
Indian tea in London for the present season, of which 
nine months have already passed, have been 12 rnil- 
lions ahead of the same period last season, resulting 
in a dearth of the lower grades, and contributing to 
the improvement in prices. The conditions under 
which the tea trade is carried on at home have been 
changing materially during the last few years, through 
the importation into the trade of large " blending" 
houses, who have made it their business to blend the 
teas for the retailer and supply him with mixtures 
suitable for his special trade, thus saving the grocer 
the necessity of purchasing a stock of different kinds 
of tea in order to keep up his own blends. The 
natural sequel has bean to obviate the need 
for a large stock of tea in the grocer's own ware- 
house, puch stock being now held by a few 
hlenders instead of by a large number of small 
grocers. In other words, it has enabled the country 
retiiler to do an equally large business upon a less 
amount of stock, so that the buyers are more de- 
pendent upon arrivals to supply their wants. Con- 
sequently the pulse of the country responds much 
more quickly to any shortage in supplies, and it is 
doubtless partially owing to consumption increasing 
that the sharp advance iu quotations has taken 
place. 
Crop.s Received. — As far as can be ascertained, not 
only is the stock of Biiiish grown tea in London 
decidedly short, especially that of Indian teas, but 
the duty-paid total held by retailers in their own 
shops appearu to be distinctly less than wns tb« c&ae 
some time previously, bo that retailera are compelled 
to buy, whatever maybe the coudition of the mui ket, 
as they h:ive apparently very little of their owu 
stores to fall b:ick upon. .Vlmost all the I'CHtioii'a 
crop has arrived from India, and there will be ve»y 
little to receive from this quarter uutil Augast 
next. The quantity to 
COMF. IN VIIOM CEYLON 
is likely to be less than last year, us eo macli id being 
taken away for new markrts ; while the n* w seaBon'a 
tea from China will not arrive until abont July. 
Con9<-qiiently there is not much to draw upon besides 
the existing stocks — mainly held in Loiidon — and the 
8 or 0 millions amoruh which may coine fr om Ci j Ion ; 
60 that everylhiiig points to a contiiiu mce during 
the next few mouths of the strong diuiand »! 
present existing, and there docs not fcfpour to be any 
reason to snppofe there will be a set-ba/ k iu pi ices. 
It must also be remembered that many of the whole- 
sale houses B'.'IJ large porliuiiu of tbtiriitocks at a 
protit as soon ae the rise set in, and their only op- 
poitiniity of replacing thesr" has tpen by purchaking 
at higher prices; so that the usual practice on the 
part of holders of tea, of reducing llitir *t<)( k about 
thi^ time of ycir. will not take placf, they haung 
already parted with a large portion of their auiplus. 
This still further inilitateu against the probability of 
any fall in pricep, and appesra likely to strengthen 
competition amongst buyerH rather than otherwise. 
Markkt Outlook — The iiome'liaie prospects of the 
trade, therefore, appear to be that price* will b* 
sustained at the present level, at any r«te until the 
arrival of the new Indian crop, which cannot rejt«k 
here in quantity until late in Augmt next. Of course, 
the question of prices for the coming season will 
mainly depend upon fuch increases in production as 
may take place in India and Ceylon. There is little 
doubt that the enhanced prices of the last few months 
will indue? cultivators to send home all the tea they 
can produce ; but (although it is early to form any 
estimate of the (o:niug crop) there does not appear 
to be any reason to suppose that the increase over 
last year will be excessive. Indeed, many ptopc-riiet 
have suffered so severely from the depression of the 
last two years that it is doubtful whether they sao 
find the means to increase their production at present; 
hence it seems probable that prices will remain during 
the next few years upon a higher level than has been 
the case ; that the downward coarse, which has been 
going on for many years past, is at last arrested ; and 
that a somewhat higher average will be obtained for 
the next few years' crops, with more profitable 
results to caltivators. Indeed, bad prices continued 
to recede, large areas of tea plantations would 
doubtless have gone out of cultivation, many estates 
being quite unable to make ends meet at the 
disastrous prices of 1898. The general condition of 
the industry, therefore, appears to have at last be- 
come much more healthy, and if only production is 
kept within reasonable bounds there is little fear but 
that results of tea growing will continue to be profita- 
ble, particularly if the efforts of Indian and Ceylon 
planters to open up new markets are continued with 
the same spirit as has been the case during the last 
few years. There is strong reason for believing that 
many foreign and colonial markets will largely 
increase their consumption of British-grown tea, and 
if due advantage be taken of these fields for enter- 
prise, the industry appears likely soon to revert to 
the prosperous condition experienced some four or 
five years ago. — Statist April 
India Rubrer in Goa.— The Goa papers an- 
nounce that Captain Moraes has discovered in the 
wilds of tlie Portuguese territory of Goa a tree which 
yields India rubber in considerable quantities. The 
tree is described as Randaliia, and it is stated that 
the Portuguese authorities are about to encour- 
aG;e its cultivation on a large scale, — Indian 
Engineering. 
