350 
THE TROPICAL AaPJCULTUEIST. Nov. 1, 1901. 
eonfii-med by Mr Walters, Manager of the Hong- 
kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, who has 
been in Japan. 
I find by the Yokohama Prices Current of the 
13th August, that common teas including re-firing 
&c., cost 28 yen per picul ; tliis at an exchange of 
25d is equal to 5*26d per pound. Good medium 
tea at 2"3 yen equals 6'37d, and finest at 40 yen 
equal 7"52d. 
Taking good medium to corr^pond with the 
quality usually shipped from Colombo, it would 
appear that there is not much difference between 
the cost of Japan, and Ceylon Greens. 
It is authoritatively stated that, to capture the 
Japanese stronshold, it will be necessary to 
expend a very large sum iu advertisements, and 
that Ceylon Green Tea must be made to re- 
semble in every way Japanese, and moreover, for 
a considera'ule time, Ceylon planters will have 
to carry on the trade on philanthropic, and not on 
business, principles. 
I will not dwell in this letter on the subject 
of the bonus paid by the " Tliirty Committee" 
of the Planters' Association, because in a letter 
to the Financial Times in April last, copy of 
which you obtained, I fully explained its nature 
and object. I would simply ask what effect 
could the substitution of a couple of million 
pounds of Green for Black Tea have in counter- 
acting the over-suppiy to Great Britain ? 
Those who are old enough to recall the time 
when China was the only source of supply, will 
remember that the consumption of Green went 
pari passu with Black. 
Outside the producing countries, and North 
America, who now drinks Green Tea ? I gather 
from the subjoined statement, taken from the 
Yokohoma Chamber of Commerce Prices Current, 
that, even in the United Statesand Canada, the taste 
for it is diminishing; whilst that for Black, ag 
in all other Anglo-Saxon countries, is increasinrr. 
Is it worth while Ceylon's spending large sums 
to try and revivily a declining trade ? 
I learn from Ferguson's " Encyclopedia Ceylo- 
nica that the American campaign costs no less 
that £20,000 per annum.* This amount if diverted 
to practical. purposes, would pay live per cent divi- 
dend on £400,000 of capital. 
Your Committee can imagine what this vast 
sum could be made to do in promotin» t^e 
con mption of Ceylon tea in Muhammedan 
cousuries. 
It appears that the chief part of the annual 
cost of the campaign, is the secret services ' One 
year s savings would cover the expense of ereet- 
ing in Colombo a Brick Tea Factory, to use up 
those grades which every one, but the Chinese 
are anxious to get rid of. Those astute people are, 
I ^atiier from the Ceylon newspapers, beginnin 
to '"'d out their value. 
_ It would only cost £2,500 per annum to sub- 
sidise a Joint Stock Company with a capital of 
£5i),000 to work the factory.— Yours faithfully, 
C. SHAND. 
* £10,000 per annum 'is' more 'like the amount: 
£20,OfJO IB above tho total realised for the Cess 
lafjt yoar,— Ku. '1\A, 
TOTAL EXPORTS OF JAPAN TEA FOR THE PAST 
SIX SEASONS. 
Shipments. 1900-1901. 1899-1900. 1898-1 8'.t9. 
To U. S. America... 19,859,749 19,846,372 15,9-17,030 
To Canada .. 5,424,678 6,859,829 7,979,284 
1897-1S98. 1896-1897. 1S95 189S. 
To U. S. America.. 21,890.958 19,641,751 23,436,023 
To Canada ... 5,5ti5,810 7,708,207 6,500,277 
You know, that of the 84 million pounds of 
tea imported into America 50 millions i^i from 
China — the consumption of tea in tiie U. S. 
appears to have made no progre.ss during the last 
twelve years. 
BLANTYRE AND EAST AFRICA, 
LIMITED. 
Dear Sir, — I send under separate c )ver pro- 
spectus of the ab;)ve Company. It was only 
begun to be issued by the jniblic yesterday and 
it remain.s to be seen whether suHicient capital 
will be raised. The opening of the Railway to 
Blantyre would greatly impiove the jirospects of 
planters there and I don't think anyone could 
say the Company was over capitalised. The 
Nyssaland Coffee Company's estate has not been 
a success, but there may have been reasons for 
that such as the opening of too n)uch land at 
once, and unsuitable sites. — I am, yours truly, 
\. L. C. 
[We give a brief summary of the prospectus. — 
Ed. T.A.'\ 
Blantyhe and East Afhica, Limited, has sprung 
from aa amalgamation of some of the best Planting 
Interests in Bi-iti=h Central Africa, The main ob- 
jects of the Company are the caltivatiou of coffee 
tobacco, rubber, Chillies, Capsicums, sugar, tea, cocoa, 
camphor, and other products. 
Buchanan Brothers. — These early Planters are 
dead, and their Trustees wish to realise their Assets, 
and have been wiUing to accept £21,2.30 — a very reason- 
able sum — for their extensive interests. 
Hynde & Stakk have sent the best coffee lately to 
the London market, and have made large profits on 
their tobacco. Their senior partner, a man of large 
experience and maoh energy, is to be t'ue Company's 
Manager la Africa. 
John W Moiu, by properly preparing and grading 
coffee on the spot, has seoursa the highest prices in 
in the South African Blarket. 
The Scottish Ckkte.^l African Syndicate Li- 
mited, is a newer Company, whose estates are not 
fally developed. This Compaay has been reorgan- 
ised, and has become the nucleus to which the other 
estates have been added. 
The land under coffee amounts to over 3,000 acres, 
and only costs the company an average of about 
£13 OS, per acre or £39,970. There are also included 
154,385 acres of uncultivated land costing on average 
about Is 4d. per acre, or £10,047, although part of this 
acreage, being Township blocks, is worth about £100 
per acre. 
The Shir6 Highlands Eailway, which has just been 
contracted for with H. M. Foreign Office, will increase 
immensely the value of these lands, besides rendering 
the working of this large Company more economi- 
cal and more effective. 
Central African coffee has already male a great 
name for itself iu the coffee market, and this new 
Company, with its Experienced Staff, and with the 
economies and improvements to be effe'-.ted, should 
give excellent results and substantial Dividends in 
the near future, for Coffee is indigenous, the quality 
is excellent, while labour is plentiful, and costs under 
twopence per day. 
The detailed ProS;-e. tus, on page 14, shows an esti- 
mated Profit on the fivst complete year's working of 
