OCTOBER I, iSgr.J THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURI8T. 
245 
able, but nevertheless prices for these kinds liave re- 
maioed 8!«o,dy. Good new seaiou'a teas have been in 
a«tive demand and have realised firm to advanced rates, 
while n few parcels of Darjeeling growth of unusually 
good quality have fetched higher prices than the trade 
hare been acoufltomed to pay for Boaao time past, the 
average for one invoice of about 60 pickoges being over 
23. 2 I. p-r lb. At the public salea about 18,200 packages 
were offered nearly the whole of which were sold at firm 
to advanced rates. There has been a distinct revival 
in the enquiry for Ceylon teas, and as the quantities 
brought forward have not been at all excessive there 
has been a renewal of confidence on the part of 
buyers ; prices have shown an improvement for all 
kinds, except perhaps for teas at from 6Jd. to Cjd., 
which are slightly easier. Very high rates have 
again been piitl for the finest specimens, which are 
only fine, however, in respect of being tippy teas 
as real quality is still conspicuously absent. Brokens, 
of all grades and Pekoes at from 8J upwards have 
advanced considerably. Reports from Ceylon B'ill 
point to large supplies for the next few week*, and 
as the stook ia equal to abont throe months' 
consumption, there seems little reason to anticipate 
a repetition of the rise which has characterised 
this time of year for the last two eeason". 
The CoNsuMpnON of Tea— The British p?ople 
now consume rathtr more than 5 lb. of tea per 
head each year, "When the tea duty wag reduced 
from 6i to 4d per lb., it was said that such a 
small remission would sosrcely influence consun ption. 
The thirty-flith report of the Commissioners of 
Customs jiiatifles Dr. Goscheu'g more liberal 
aTtioipations- lu the year under review the imports 
showed an inoro.ise of over 23,000,000 lb. 
Ceylon Cocoa. — We reproduce elsewhere some re- 
marks from the Financial News on the subject of ths 
Ceylon cocofi industry and Ceylon tea. We presume 
that, apart from tho fioanoijl aspect of the question, 
the future of Ceylon cocoa cinnot have very much 
interest for readers o£ the Financial IVews. Perhaps 
we are to have a boom in Ceylon cocoa ! The oon- 
clud'ng remarks of the writers are as follows : — " The 
reason why eo little information as to tho possibilities 
of Oeyloa cocoa reaches the investin^r public is 
that the holders of stook in the prosperous companies 
are satisfied with their securities, and prefer to keep 
the good things to themselves." Is an endeavour abont 
to be made to induce some of these holders of stock 
to pirt with it for a c nsideration and will the Invest- 
ing public be askod to participate in the "good things " 
hithertD hidden from them ? 
THE CONSUMPTION OF TEA AND 
COFFEE. 
(From the OrocerJ 
Our anticipation of the effect of the redaction of 
the duly on tea to fonrpenoe per pound, wbicli we 
expressed last year, has been fully borne out by the 
substantial increase in the consumption which has 
already tiken place. In fact tea has now become 
such a popular beverage that it is almost difficult 
to say to what extent the consumption will grow. 
In 1860 the average oonaumption per head of the 
population of the United Kingdom was 2-67lb., 
in 1870 it reached 3-81, in 1880 4'59, and in 1890 it was 
over 51b per head. The weight of tea consumed in 1860 
was only 77,000,000Ib., whilst in 1870, 1880. and 1890 
It was 112,000,000, 180,000,000, and 194,000,0001b., res- 
psctively. This wonderful increase w«p, of course, 
raiiiuly due to thi reduced cost of the article. We 
find, on reference to the books of one of the largest 
wholesale teadealers in London, thst the average cost 
in the three periods mentioned was, omitting small 
fractions, Is lOd, Is, and 9Jd per lb. in bond, and 
the duty was in the first instance Is, then 6d, and 
in the last mentioned year 4d per lb. ; so that the cost 
oa the market has fallen from 23 lOd to Is l§d duty 
paid. As the duty was only reduced for part of the 
j'ear 1990, the consumption for th^ first bMf canoot 
^sla^ be compued with the corresponding period of 
looy, but taking the six months ending June affth 
last with the same period in 1889, when the d»tv wai 
8,000,000 more pounds at the fourpenny rate - and 
fts the market for tea during the early months ot 
tins year was very firm, the increase U even more 
remarkable. ^^^a 
There is another important element to l»ejr in 
mind, that a potiud of Indian or Ceylon tra will 
make m ro cup.s than the same weight of China 
produce ; and it is marvellous how the consumption 
of the former has increased. For instance, twenty- 
tive years ago the consumption of Indian and Oevlon 
tea was 25,600,000 (in 1865), against 120,000,000 from 
China, whilst in 1890 the coueumption of Indi .nand 
Ceylon was 137,000,000, and the total from Chica had 
deotined to 55,000,000 lb. There ii a large field for 
grooer« in this business, and, notwithstanding the re- 
duced price, it is still a trade well worth cultivating 
JNo one ought to know better what kind of tea suits 
tbe customer and the water of the district (which is 
very importmt) than the grocer who is on the spot. Of 
late we have heard that some person", under the guise of 
philanthropists, are sending te\ direct from the place of 
growth to the consumer at ridiculously low price? 
with tbe view of cutting out the distributor in thii 
couutiy ; but we do n >t think a grocer who knows 
what hia customers' wants are need fear this oppo- 
sition. When ihe price of tea was much higher than 
it 18 now, retailers had an opportunity of making a 
good profit oa the s^le. This by competition and 
other causes has been considerably reduced and the 
interest of the grocer has in many instances propor- 
tionately diminished, but tbe increase in tho consump- 
tion should etirai.late the desire to push a trade which 
even now bears a fair percentage of profit, and if 
energetically cultivated, would still contribute in a 
satisfactory measure to the weekly takings. 
As a contrast to tho substantial increase in the con 
sumption of tea in the United Kingdom, it is inter- 
esiing to compare it with that of coffee, which 
in 1864 was about 14,000 tons, and tho aver- 
age price in bond 74* per cwt. with a duly of 
a8s making 102a per cwt.; in 1873, when the duty 
Was 148, the price in bond had risen to lOoi per 
cwf and the consumption had only reached 14 433 
tons; while last year the average price was. 'sin- 
gularly, the same as in 1873, viz., 105s, and the 
doty 14s, or a total of 119a per cwt, but the cm. 
sum ption had declined to 12,810 tons. It is a well known 
fact- that a pound of tea will make a larger number 
ot cups to drink than the same weight of coffee 
and taking into consideration the loss in weight which 
coffee suetains in the process of roasting, it will be seen 
tliat tea is now much tho cheaper commodity. The 
imperfect manner in which coffee is generally made 
in this country helps to retard consumption, for in 
Holland, where it is almost the national beverage 
It 13 roasted, ground, and made within a few 
minutes, in order that the aroma may be re- 
tained. In England it is roasted, and often ground 
for weeks before it is required, and instead 
of being made by simply passing boiling water 
through the coffee, it is practically stewed, and 
undesirable elements are extracted which really snoil 
the liquor. This decoction is met with at railway 
stations, &c., and travellers are led to entertain a dislike 
to a drink which on the Continent, where properly 
made is so generally used and appreciated. We have 
indicated some of the oiuses which have led to tea 
making such rapid strides in advance of its rival drink 
coffee, and although the price of tea cannot be reduced' 
in the same proportion as during tha past twenty-fire 
or thirty years, t'snre is Still room for a reduction or 
abolition of the fourpenny duty ; and while we do not 
advocate this at present, we know there is strong 
pressure brought to bear upon the Ohanoellor of the 
liixohequer every year by the advocates ot the free 
breakfast-table. When the dnty is removed we shall 
be surprised if a further marked increase in the con- 
sumption does not take place. It is therefore highly 
doBirable, as we have pointed out, that grocers should, 
by all meaaa in their power, oultiyate a trade whiol* 
