July 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
43 
CEYLON Vs. INDIA IN THE TEA 
CONTEST. 
We are favoured with the following re- 
marks by aa observant planting correspond- 
ent :— 
" In the race for the survival we have this 
pull over India: owing to their short season 
and longer transport, I assume that most of 
their estates have to be financed in advance for 
the cost of production, whereas we can to 
a greater extent live from hand to mouth ; 
but I am afraid the weaker in both cases 
will go to the wall. Gow, Wilson in their 
circular of the 10th show an annual increase 
in consumption, varying from nine to 26 mil- 
lions Ceylon is not likely to exceed last year's 
exports ; what is India going to do ? Some of 
the Indian growers must have made serious 
losses in 1900. You published some months 
ago the profits per acre for the leading Indian 
Companies for 1899 : these, with one or two 
exceptions, were shown at less than 30s per 
acre, say equal to Id a lb. on a yield of 360 lb., 
less if the average yield was larger. Since 
then Indian teas for season 1900 dropped a 
Id— where is the profit ? " 
There is much truth in what our correspondent 
says about "financing" and the advantage 
Ceylon has by its nine or ten months' pluck- 
ing season. As for profits, we hear very little 
of such this year in connection with many 
Indian Companies. We notice that a Cal- 
cutta contemporary ("Indian Gardening 
and Planting") has been taking up the 
ridiculous view that, if India had gone in 
for extensive planting operations fifteen or 
twenty years ago, it could have closed 
Ceylon. The writer shows himself ignorant 
of the conditions prevailing in Ceylon, where 
250,000 acres of land lying fallow (after the 
coffee collapse) did not require to be cleared, 
but were simply ready for planting at our 
planters' hands and the planting had to be 
done or the property thrown away. More- 
over we do not see that Indian Tea planters 
have restrained themselves very much in 
their annual planting at any rate in recent 
years, when we find that since 1897, they 
have put in 100,000 acres of tea on new 
land, and in two years no less than 73,000, 
although in 1899 it came down to 19,000 
and we suppose to less in 1900 with the 
shock which non-paying prices must have 
administered. 
THE ST. PETERSBURG EXHIBITION. 
INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH THE IMPERIAL 
CONSULAR AGENT AT COLOMBO, 
" We are officially authorised to state that 
the English exhibition which was to be held 
in Sfe. Petersburg in November next, and 
about which full particulars have been pub- 
lished in the Daily Mail, has been postponed 
until March next. It has been found im- 
possible to prepare the Tauride Palace, which 
the Czarina had promised to lend for the 
exhibition, by the date originally fixed. The 
decision is on many grounds to be regretted, 
although some of the Russian supporters of 
the scheme declare that March will be a better 
time for the exhibition to be held. Be this 
as it may, the novelty of an exhibition held 
at the height of the mid winter season in 
St. Petersburg will be lost." 
The above appears in the latest issue of 
the Daily Mail to hand by the last (French) 
mail and is dated May I8th. 
We called this morning on Mr. Tchokoff, 
of the local Russian firm of Messrs. Stcher- 
batchoff, Tchokotf «fe Co.. and Imperial Con- 
sular Agent for Russia, to learn if he was 
able to give us any further particulars of 
the Exhibition,— to be represented at which 
we understand Ceylon is already making a 
move. At least, the official papers dealing 
with the subject have already been received 
by the local Chamber of Commerce and we 
understand that the Chairman of the Plan- 
ters' Association has been asked to give the 
subject his early consideration. 
" Mr. Bois was anxious to hear all we could 
tell them about the Exhibition," Mr. Tcho- 
koff said, " but as nothing has appeared in 
the Russian newspapers or reached us 
officially from home as yet, we were un- 
able to assist. But, as I have told Mr. 
Waldock, Ceylon should be well represented 
at St. Petersburg, for it must do it a great 
deal of good as regards the sale of tea in 
Russia. I was eleven years at St. Peters- 
burg," said our informant, in response to a 
query, "and I know the Tauride Palace 
well. It is the largest palace in St. Peters- 
burg "—and here followed a significant pause, 
tor St. Petersburg as every one knows is a 
city of great buildings— " and could cover 
half Colombo !"— Mr. Tchokoff remarked, 
laughing, but adding: "No, not quite that, 
but most offthe Fort, certainly. ' 
"On what scale will the Exhibition be?" 
"Well, of course, it will not be anything 
like as big as the Paris Exhibition. It is 
purely a British Exhibition, for which the 
Czarina lends her palace. But for Ceylon it is 
quite as important as the Paris Exhibition 
and perhaps even more important. There 
will, of course, be a number of visitors from 
all parts of Europe, but it is chiefly for the 
information of the Russian people that the 
Exhibition will be of use. There are quite 
enough people in Russia of the classes to be 
reached by Ceylon tea to make it worth 
while for Ceylon to be well represented at 
St. Petersburg." 
SALE OP TEA AT THE EXHIBITION. 
"Will the sale of Ceylon tea be permitted 
at the Exhibition ? " 
"Well, of that lam not sure. I have had 
no first-hand information on the subject. 
The papers which are in the hands of the 
Chamber of Commerce say that the sale of 
refreshments is not to be allowed ; but this 
refers probably to intoxicating' liquors and 
with due application from the Ceylon re- 
presentative [ have little doubt that not 
only will the sale of tea in packets be per- 
mitted, but a considerable business may be 
done in making known Ceylon tea to Russian 
visitors, 
CEYLONS PREFERRED TO CHINAS IN RUSSIA. 
Mr. Tchokolf, we should mention, has great 
belief in the future of Ceylon tea in Russia. 
It is not be, he thinks, a mere passing 
