Sept. 2, 1901-1 
THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 
187 
To the Editor. 
HOW TO CAPTURE THE UNITED 
STATES MARKET FOR THE 
TEAS OF INDIA AND 
CEYLON. 
ADVERTISE-WIDELY AND BOLDLY. 
MESSRS. P. C. LARKIN & CO.'s VIEWS. 
Toronto, June 12th. 
Dear Sir, — We are enclosing; herewith a 
copy of a letter which we have written to 
the Home and Colonial Mail of London, 
England, as we thought it might be of 
interest to your readers also. — Yours very 
truly, 
P. C. LARKIN & CO. 
(To the Editor "■the Home <L- Colonial MaiV) 
June 12th. 
Dkar Sir,— I have been reading with a great 
deal of interest the many suggestions made by the 
friends of the tea trade, to bring that Industry 
into a better condition than it has been in ot late. I 
read with special interest the letter signed " Koss 
\V. Hayter," and agree with everythiiig Mr. 
Hayter says. In the first place I believe tliat the 
only cure-all India and Ceylon can find is in the 
conversion of the hundred million pounds of Japan 
and Oiiina Tea, used in the United States 
arinually, to the consumption of the products of 
India and Ceylon. That this is feasible is beyond 
question, and is best evidenced by the progress 
that has been made in the United States during 
the past six or seven years, for I consider that 
wonderful progress has been made for the amount 
of money that has been expended. Surely the 
newspaper writers, who occasionally give expres- 
sion to their unsatisfied expectations, can 
know little of business, and less of this Conti- 
nent, when they expect such wonderful 
results (as they apparently do) from the small 
efforts, in the "shape of expendituie, chat have 
been put forth by these two tea-growing coun- 
tries. No sum less than Mr Hayter mentioned, 
viz. forty or fifty thousand pounds sterling per 
year, and continued for at least five years, can 
have the effect of converting this Continent to 
the use of Indian and Ceylon Tea. And to put 
this into the hands of an inexperienced man, 
and allow him to purchase his experience on 
arrival here, would be a great was be. The money 
should be given to a man with a wide experience. 
To give you an idea of what amounts are expended 
by single firms, who exploit much more insig- 
nificant articles than tea, we might quote what 
is a well-known fact among advertisers ; and it is 
that the Royal Baking Powder Co. spends in the 
United States and Canada five hundred thousand 
dollars, or one hundred thousand pounds sterling, 
annually in explniling "Royal Baking Powder" ; 
and they have done it consistently for years, and 
have found it most profitable. In our small way, 
IN CANADA, 
we spend and have for many years p.ast, an 
average of twenty-five thousand dollars per 
24 
year on newspaper advertising alone. In addi- 
tion to this we expend large sums on 
sampling, sliowcards, street-car advertisements, 
demonstrations, etc., etc. Now, it we, in our 
small way, find this profitable (and the best 
evidence of the fact that we have found it 
so is that we are at it today, after nine years) 
how very much more profitable could the Planters 
of India find it, if they took the matter up in 
a whole-souled manner. Mr. Hayter suggests the 
collecting of one-sixteenth of a penny per pound 
on all exports from India, which would amount, 
roughly speaking, to about forty thousand pounds 
sterling per annum. This sum would be excel- 
lent, and, if continued for five years, would liave 
a wonderful eilect. But I venture to say that, 
if, instead of one-sixteenth, one-eighth of a penny 
was collected, the much desired state of affairs 
would be brought around much more quickly ; 
for not only would the Loudon market be — re- 
lieved of an enormous quantity of tea in a few 
years, tut I believe that the advertising would 
greatly increase the consumption of tea per head 
per annum in the United States. The vast 
majority of teas sold in the United States today 
are poor teas, and to an amateur it seems the 
easiest thing in the world to convert the con- 
sumers of this poor stuff to become consumers 
of good teas ; but Mr. Amateur has only to 
try it to be convinced that it is by no means 
an easy thing. Getting at the people of the 
United States is a most expensive process, and 
it has to be kept up for a number of years 
before the desired object can be achieved. 
In conclusion, I can only say that I agree 
thoroughly with Mr. Hayter that India has had 
wonderful results for the amount expended. 
This continent consumes now close upon twenty 
million pounds of Indian and Ceylon black and 
green tea per annum, as a result of a few years' 
work and only a moderate amount of money 
expended. If it is desired to increase this five- 
fold, increase the amount five-fold. There is no 
" royal road " to it. There is only the every-day 
road travelled by many, who, when advertising 
was first suggested to. them, said they could not 
afford it ; but they soon found that they could 
still less afford to do without it, and that ad- 
vertising made them rich, always providing they 
had a good article to offer the public. 
I might mention that in Canada the Ceylon 
green tea is meeting with the most vi'onderful suc- 
cess, and in a very few years it will have driven 
out ten million pounds of Japan tea entirely. 
Now I have seen some of the most beautiful 
green tea, the product of Travancore ; and there- 
fore the Indian planters can supply both black and 
green tea to the United States. The deplorable 
condition of the Indian tea market, I think, calls 
for fresh, vigorous efforts to be made to exploit 
the great market of the United States. 
The India planters must go whole-souledly into 
this matter, or else the results will be as they 
have been before; that is, "small expenditure 
and only comparatively good returns." If you 
were to ask a man, who has successfully ex- 
ploited any article in the markets of the World, 
what he would do if he owned Ihe entire tea 
product of India, I feel sure his answer would 
be. — " I would exploit the United States market 
by advertising." — Yours truly, 
C. LARKIN, 
