May 1, J 902.1 TFIE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. ?25 
Wilson, Smithett & Go's Ceylon Tea Memoranda for 1901. 
LoKuoK, Maech, 1902. 
A vcvicw of the course of the Ceylon tea inavket 
diu-iajg the year 1901 is somewhat depressing, and is 
only relieved by the hope that the experience gained 
by the crisis, through which the industry has been 
passing, may prove of real and lasting benefit in the 
future. The evils caused by the over-production 
which resulted from the extensions indulged in, both 
in Ceylon and India, during the era of prosperity 
enjoyed by tea-growers a few years ago, wei'e con- 
siderably aggravated during the past two years hy che 
disorganizatioii of the home trade in the early months 
of each year, occasioned by the anticipation by dis- 
tributors of an increased Duty in the Budget pro- 
posals, resulting in a large volmne of artificial 
business for the purpose of duty paying, and corres- 
ponding heavy capital expenditure, which reduced 
purchasing powers and aifccted trade in the comitry 
for a considerable time at a period of the year when 
the arrivals from Ceylon were heaviest. 
' The average Price of all Ceylon Tea sold on 
Garden Account in 1901 was 6.80d per lb., 
against 7.25d in 1900 and 8d in 1899, 
During the year under review the ill-effects of the 
Duty scare were even more marked than in the pre- 
ceding year. The full effect of the coarser plucking 
resorted to both in Ceylon and India, after the 
period of high prices in 1899, was not experienced 
until the early months of 1901, when the heavy 
arrivals of inferior to common tea were neglected in 
the rush to pay duty on previous and current pur- 
chases of more desirable qualities. At the commence- 
ment of the year the quotation for commonest Sou- 
chong stood at the very low figure of 4d per lb., and 
during the following two months it gradually declined 
to the hitherto unrecorded level of 3d per lb., whilst 
the coarsest qualities, of which unfortunately there 
was no small supply, sold at still lower rates. Had 
these ruinously low prices been confined to the 
abnormally coarse leaf, which was primarily respon- 
sible for the fall, there would have been slight occa- 
sion for regret, but the establishment of such low 
quotations had the effect of reducing the values of the 
necessary grades of ui=eful Pekoe Souchongs and 
Pekoes to 4d and li}d per lb,, and several months 
elapsed before any distinct recovery set in, too late to 
save many gardens from incurring actual loss in the 
year's working. 
The serious crisis with which planters wore cou- 
frojited and the obvious nature of its primary cause, 
ensured such steps being taken, without any collective 
fiction, as to modify to some extent the output of the 
9i 
season 1901-2. Manuring operations were to some 
extent restricted, coarse plucking was reduced, and, 
finally. Nature herself intervened with climatic con- 
ditions unfavourable to heavy flushing, and assisted 
in putting the industry again in a slightly more satis- 
factory statistical position, thus not only limiting the 
supply, but giving the bushes a much needed rest, 
which should be compensated for by improved body 
and flavour in the near future. 
If, however, a system of rather finer plucking was 
adopted during the past year on those estates most 
responsible for the commonest leaf in the previous 
season, it does not seem as if that policy was uni- 
versal, at all events on those estates ^vhich were 
remarkable for good tea during that peroid, and 
which then actually benefited by the inferiority of 
the bulk of the crop. The quality of the great 
majority of up-country teas was distinctly inferior 
in the autumn of 1901 to that of the previous year, 
and owing to the improvement in the classes below, 
the crack marks were considerably less prominent 
for quality, and consequently commanded less com- 
petition and realised lower prices. The district o£ 
Uda Pussellawa was most remarkable in this 
respect, the teas of this district being much less 
distinguished for their usual characteristic point 
and flavour ; possibly the cause may be attributed 
to climatic exigencies unlikely to be repeated in the 
ensaing season, with which we are not acquainted. 
The rest, to which the bushes have for some time 
past been involuntarily subjected, will, in the or- 
dinary course of events, be probably followed by 
prolific flushing, and it seems advisable therefore 
that consideration should be given this year to the 
expediency of resorting to a system of plucking, 
more like that which used to obtain in the earlier 
days of the industry, when a maturer leaf was 
gathered, more especially in the case of those high- 
country estates to which we have been accustomed 
to look for a supply of fine Ceylon tea, but which 
have of late produced so much ordinary quality leaf. 
Although, owing to vuifavourable climatic con- 
ditions, the actual output from Ceylon has, during 
the past few months, fallen considerably short of 
estimates, Stock ov all Geom-ths, visible and 
invisible, remains very large — some 30, 000, OUU lbs. 
in excess of that existing three years ago, when the 
important advance in the price of common tea took 
place, and it seems reasonable to ' expect that by 
Midcuramer, uules'^ -fry unlikely circumstances 
should arise, an ample supply of common Ceylon 
will be assured, to provide for the requirements oj 
