Aug. I, 1903.] THE TROPICAL 
AGEICULTURIST. 
9k 
109 
INDIAN TEA IN RUSSIA. 
INTERVIEW WITH MK. WALTER CARTER. 
We extract the following passages from the inter- 
view in the Calcutta Enylishnan with Mr Walter 
Carter, of Messrs Cresawell and Co., who had just 
returned from a. trip to Eu=sia : — 
The first thing that struck me was the thorough 
business-way the trade was worked, from the large 
merchant to the smallest of shopkeepers. The latter 
in the matter of window decorations and advertise- 
ments do not fall short of London. I did not see any 
Indian tea advertised. But at present all the Indian 
tea sent there is blended with China and Ceylon. At 
the same time we should shove along and do all we 
can for our particular produce. Ceylon is 
doing it, and China will no doubt make a great 
fight. We must encourage the Blender and prove to 
him that our teas are the finest the world produces, 
BLENDING IN RUSSIA. 
" After some trouble I managed to get a permit to 
go over two large blending establishments — for like 
in London these places are jealously kept. Never was 
I more astonished than when I found myself inside 
one of these places. Blending by machinery was goinp 
on, automatic weighing machines weighing from one 
ounce to two pounds, hundreds of men snd boys 
dressed in clean white smocks packing into lead and 
paper packets as fast as their hands could do it. Each 
packet has to have a Government stamp on it guaran- 
teeing weight, however small it may be, revenue offi- 
cers being kept on the premises for the purpose of con- 
tinually testing the scales and weights. The whole 
thing is an object lesson, fori had an idea that such 
things were only done in London, This was only one 
of many such places and the organisation, skill, and 
ability, as well as the enormity of the business 
done would have done credit to any London 
blendiEig house. The sort of tea they drink is mostly 
China which you and myself would not look at, but 
they are used to if, and it will take some little time 
to change their taste, and this can only be done by 
the Bleeder. But it seems the pretty general idea 
that the quality of China tea is not what it was, 
and that Ceylons are not quite what they were when 
first introduced, 
BRICK TEA. 
" I was fortunate enough in getting an introduction 
to one of the largest importers of brick tea who showed 
me numerous samples. The weight of an ordinary 
brick of compressed dnst varies from 3 to 5 lb. in 
« weight and is so highly compressed and so beautifully 
figured with trade marks that it resembles a piece ot 
carved black oak more than anything else. The bulk 
of this tea is China dust, although I saw samples 
of China, Ceylon and Indian mixed. There is 
BO doubt that Indian and Ceylon biick tea 
would soon oust China, which is of the poorest 
quality. It is not sold much in the towns, but used 
mostly by the poorer class of peasants, who take it at 
meals like soup with milk and spices, The duty is 
much less than on whole leaf tea, being only overland 
via Port Dalny (Arthur) three roubles 70 kopecks for 
40 English pounds, which is equal to only 2gd per 
lb ; or if sent via Odessa 10 roubles 73 kopecks for 
the same amount or 6d per lb. Another class of 
brick tea is what they call green black, which is 
nothing more or less than compresed prunings or 
anything else that may be handy at the time of 
manufacture. The quality of liquor obtained from 
this is better left to the imagination than described 
It would not pay India to make such stuff. 
" The large importers," Mr Carter went on to say, 
" are fully alive to the fact that Ceylon and Indian 
tea must play an important part in the future of the 
industry, more especially as the art of blending is 
proving so popular^.aa well rb r«ma,pei:atiYe, The 
general opinion of importers is that Indian planters 
do not study enough the requirements of the Russian 
markets, and that buyers very often ship them most 
unsuitable and almost nnsaieable kinds. I explained, 
of course, that the planter was only too willing to 
do what he could to help the industry, but forgot to 
mention that in the majority of cates he had to maka 
what he was told, which was generally quantity. 
Duty of course is very high, being about one shilling 
and eight-pence per lb via Odessa, but three farthings 
per lb less if shipped via Port Dalny (Arthur). I 
understand that some importers have been agitating 
for a reduction, but it is thought that Government 
will not moke any change. It is cheaper to ship 
via Port Dalny than via Odessa as you save 
-|d. in duty to start with via Dalny. It is. 
cheaper for a Moscow merchant to buy in London 
or Calcutta, and I am told that a penny half- 
penny is saved by buying in Calcutta. I am not 
quite sure about the freight yet, and ca.nnot say for 
certain. What we want is to be able to take out a 
through bill of lading from Calcutta to Moscow via 
Shanghai and Port Dalny, and with this object in 
view I called on the agents in Moscow ot the liusaian 
Volunteer Fleet, and also two other Russian lines of 
steamers, and asked them if it were not feasible to 
come to some arrangement with the lines at present 
running to the Far East from here, and so facilitate 
trade. They have this under consideration. Taking 
it all round I was very favourably impressed indeed? 
Russia has come to stay provided we supply her 
requirements with suitable stuff, which we can easily 
do, and the more we encourage the blender, the tighter 
will be the grip." 

TEA PLANTING IN JAMAICA, 
The outlook for tea planting in .Jamaica is 
under consideration, and it is said that Sir Alfred 
Jones is moving in the matter. An expert is, 
according to report, on the spot with a view to 
finding out if the conditions are favourable to tea 
growing. — H. and C. Mail, June 12. 
. — » 
CINNAMON IN LONDON, 
Although it is only too true that the 
Cinnamon Sales held quarterly in London 
.T.re not of the importance now, that they 
were up to the 'seventies, and even 'eighties, 
they continue to be of interest to the most 
prominent individual producers of the spice 
in Ceylon. Ever since the opening of the 
Suez Canal in 1870, London has been gradu- 
ally losing its position as the central, if not 
only, emporium for the spice. Direct ship- 
ments to the chief Continental Ports steadily 
advanced till they reached to one-fourth ol our 
total exports, then to one-third, and one-half, 
until last year, as we saw ki our annual review 
of our export trade for 1902, the quantity 
of quilled Cinnamon sent to London was 
only about one-sixth of our total outturn, 
and of chips about one-tenth ! Indeed, 
individual countries had equalled or out- 
distanced the United Kingdom — Germany 
having last year taken 895,639 lb. to Great 
Britain's 413,531 lb,, and America and Spain 
413,340 and .324,902 lb. respectively. This 
refers to quilled bark only. In chips, the 
divergence is still greater, Germany trebling 
the figures tov Great Britain, and Belgium 
/ 
