May 1, 1902.J 
THE TROPICAL AGKICULTURIST. 
745 
and with its leaves which fall, that is when a bianch 
fall, they cover the houses ; and these ward off water 
for half a year O. 
—Capital, March 27. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
Rumour is again busy about (the new taxes. 
Twenty milliena of fcha deficit in the Exchequer 
have, it is •atimated, to be raised' by now taxation 
and once more there has been 
TALK OF A FURTHER TAX ON TEA. 
The on« thing certain is that everything coanected 
with taxation proposals is gloriously uncertain. 
Money has to be raised somehow, and if, in tht 
general rake-in of fand«, the Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer, as is hoped, leaves the tea duty where it 
is now, there will be much ,to bts thankful for. 
April 10 is mentioned as the probable date of the 
Budget speech. 
A new paragraph has been addad to tha regula- 
tions for the entry aad 
EXAMINATION OF IMPORTSD TEAS, AS ADOPTED 
BY THE UNITED STATES 
Treasury Department. The regulations ars prac- 
tically the same as those of last year, v;ith tha 
exception of the following : '' In examining Japan's 
Green Teas and Congous, while limiting the com- 
parisons in the matter of infused leaf and scum to 
the speuiflc standard called for, examiners are to 
admit teas npon the question of quality, in the three 
kinds above cited, provided the^ are equal, in the 
case of Japans, to either the fan Fired or the Basket 
Fired standard; in greens to either the Country Tea 
or the Ping Buey standard ; and in Ooiigoas to either 
the North China or the South China standard. 
ON THE PROSPECTS OF THE TEA TRADE, 
the Grocer points out that the sta'iatical position of 
tea is difficult to gauge just now, in consequence of 
the dislocation of tr.ade through the exceptional cir- 
cumstances under which duty payments on .the article 
were made a twelvemonth ago. "Despite the false 
impression which the statistics are calculated to create, 
the pro=pecfcs for Indian and Ceylon tea must be pro- 
nounced," our contemporary says, as very good. Al- 
though much difference of opinion has existed respect- 
ing the Indian crop as to shortage, the ultimate deicit 
does not turn out to be so large *8 was thought 
earlier in the season, and, according to the latest 
circular issued by the Indian Tea Association of 
Calcutta, the total crop of 1901-02 was 165.250,090 1b 
as compared with 177,5«^,0tO lb in 1900-01. it may 
be added that the exports to London from April 1 
last to February 28 this year reached 152,251,000 lb, 
in comparison with 160,830.0001b in 1901. A year 
ago the tea trade was in a very unsatisfactory stat?, 
with prices at an unprecedentedly low point — i.e., 
2id to S^d per lb for common sorts —owing entirely 
to over-production. Since last August, how- 
ever, quotations have been at a more 
normal level, with a slight upward tendency 
and occasional set-backs. Approaching nearer 
to the present date, there has been an increasing 
demand for the commoner kinds, which have become 
scarcer, and are much wanted for the chief ' c^iuister.' 
In proof of this statement we have only to add that 
the value within the past fortnight has advanced 
about id to ^ d per lb., and for the next montii 
or two all the lower grades of tea available will be 
required for immBdiate use. Ceylon shipments h ive 
of late been on a somewhat diminished scale, in spite of 
a liu-hier quantity and outturn in 1901 f<s compared 
with tha previous season and the scaicity of finer 
qualities of both Indian and Csylon descriptions 
has turned out to be unmistakable. lu view of this 
fact it would pay growers to make superior teas, 
instead of resorting to indiscriminate plucking, 
whereby the m-ukeis at times are flooded with 
coarse, commou ^orts, which often happen to be 
far too abundant to be thoroughly appieciated. 
Last spring, it will be remembered, enormous 
quantities of tea were being taken out of bond 
to evade the payment of an extra duty, should 
it be imposed, and so disarranged was the customary 
order of business that it was several months 
after before the rate of delivei'y righted itself ; but 
no such disorganisation of the home trade will be 
experienced this year. About Cliristiuas-time and 
shortly afterwards there were some attempts to clear 
tea out of bond, but they did not assume any formi- 
dable shape, and since then the duty payments have 
been of not more than average amount. Thus, money 
in tea, which early in 1901 was practically locked np 
and useless, will now be liberated, and can be applied 
to the more legitimate purpose of buying and fur- 
thering the progress of the trade as well 
as protecting the interest* of consumers aa a body. 
By these means the tea market genearally will be 
kept in a sounder and more healthy condition than it 
has been for twa or there years past."— and C 
Mail, March 21. 
TEA IN AMERICA. 
New York, Feb, 19. 
There has been a little more doing in an invoice 
way. Market firm and unchanged, Thesame standards 
have been adopted for next season as have been in 
use the past year. 
IMPORTS OF TEA SINCB THE EXHIBITION YEAR. 
te , 
.2 1 
CD 
» a) 
I- a 
ira 
OUE 
2i 
188>S 
88,131,088 
1894 
' '.il 801,565 
1895 
y6,4o7,0-t2 
1896 
. 93,340 2-J8 
1897 
112,907 518 
1898 
07,697,295 
mo 
72,834,816 
iJKJO 
S4,84,-;,4:'l 
1(*01 
*9,084,947 
—-American Orocer, 
13,651,800 
13,857.893 
13,029,868 
12,5^^5,741 
14,737,062 
9,608,530 
9,523,313 
10,557,741 
10,862,455 
•'-^ <U Q 
<l a 
160 
15.1 
13'5 
13-5 
131 
142 
131 
12-4 
122 
c3 
a-^ a 
3 B 
b a o 
<U o Qj 
P^ a 
138 
1-34 
1-38 
1-31 
1'55 
091 
99« 
1-09 
1-17 
CEYLON TEA IN 1901; 
HIGHEST CROPS AND AVERAGES 
According to the Annual Report of Messrs. 
Wjlson, bmithetL&Co. (which we are renro 
ducuig in thi. issue), the Diyagama Factory 
(■New pif'bula Company)seut the largest quaii- 
i/l'7''am'^y. year-no less than 
1,247,000 lb. realising the splendid all-round 
average ot O^d per lb. ; while Goatfell gave the 
highest actual average Is O^d for 100,000 lb 
1 he other high returns were Sutton 1 lid for 
108,500 lb, ; Talawakelle's lO^d for 467 000 lb • 
Waverley Ogd for 400,000 lb. ; Concordia lOM 
for 21.5,'vOO lb.; Henfold lO^d for 258,000 lb • 
Lippajielle 9^d for 240,00u lb ; Mount Vernon 
9|d for 248,500 lb. ; Poitmore ml 7^ 
241,00011,.; Ragalla 9id for 304,000 lb. fDiva^ 
nillakelle lOd for 129,000 lb. ; Perham lOd 
for 121, uOO lb. ; Holrawood lO^d for 120 000 lb • 
^"S'QQnn,fih^'V>!°f f'^'^^P,' P'taratmalie 9M 
for 139,000 lb ; Thotulagalla lo^d for 95,500 lb. 
