Novembers, 1891.] THI TR&nOAL AQRI0ULTUR18T. 
33t 
THE PEOSPECTS OF CEYLON TEA 
IN AUSTRIA. 
All the way up from Brindisi to Venioe, but 
more especially from Venice to Karlsbad, we have, 
without intruding the subject unpleasantly, preached 
the merits and ' economy ' of Ceylon tea 1 With- 
out venturing to anticipate great results, we may 
at least say that we have thoroughly interested a 
large number of persons, among our fellow- 
travellers, and still more residents in Vienna, 
Prague and among the floating population of 
Karlsbad, in the subject. " The planters of Ceylon 
want everybody in Austria to drink Ceylon tea " 
was usually the semi-jocular remark with which 
interesting conversations closed. "Oh," said a 
Styrian vineyard proprietor, one of a group of 
eager listeners and questioners on the Semmering, 
" that is what we desire and have not yet 
managed for our wines." 
To several tea-dealers we have ventured to give 
the address of Colombo firms, and more parti- 
cularly of that (Messrs. Volkart Bros.) represent- 
ing the Austro-Hungarian Consulate and Lloyds, 
when the question was asked where they could 
get samples and prices, or a certain quantity of 
the tea on trial. This was the case with the 
principal tea importer in Graz (the capital of 
Styria) who, fortunately, travelled with us to the 
neighbourhood of Vienna. He expressed himself 
as especially interested in all we told him, and 
as determined to make a trial of the tea among 
his customers. 
IN VIENNA. 
la Vienna] we devoted a day to a round oi 
visits among the principal tea importers and 
dealers. We found their addresses readily enough 
in the City Directory; In the case of the town 
dealers, even those doing business on an extensive 
scale, the curious combination holds good, which 
prevails all over the Continent, of " Tea and 
Bum" as the two articles to be imported, dis- 
tributed and sold together. The fact is that, save 
in Bussia, tea is regarded more or less as a 
medicine— so we found it in Central France pro- 
curable only at the Apothecaries', — and although 
it is not so in Paris or Vienna, yet the addition 
of some rum is evidently considered needful to 
render the tea palatable or to counteract its effects 
on the nerves 1 At any rate, we have everywhere 
to face in business here — wholesale and retail — 
the combination which will be so shocking to tee- 
totallers, of " Thee und Bum." Our first visit 
was a most pleasant one and gave us a pre-taste 
of the courtesy and attention which awaited us 
everywhere in Vienna. Very soon, several mem- 
bers of the firm and staff were listening and 
questioning on the subject, interested especially 
in the news of the vast expansion of the 
Ceylon tea production, and; alas 1 in the fall- 
ing off in coffee, By-and-bye, a partner turned 
up who spoke English well and he took us 
the round of their stock of coflee which included a 
considerable number of barrels of Ceylon finest — 
Dimbula, UJapuesellawa and Haputale marks. I 
noted especially " Meeriabedde " and they were 
interested that I should know the very plantations 
from which their coffee came. Austria takes a very 
large quantity of the very best coffee in the world, 
and let us trust that the day is not far distant 
when she may require an appreciable stock of the 
very best tea. Our friends directed us for our second 
visit to the firm who, they said, did more in 
importing and distributing tea than any other in 
Vienna. This house (I give no names all through) 
we found did a largs if not all its busiaess through 
Mincing Lane ; and we were introduced to the 
Austrian gentleman who acted as their agent or 
buyer in London, and who was known familiarly to 
them in Vienna as " Eobertson," because as I 
inferred he bought through the well-known Colombo 
house of the name. That must refer chiefly to 
coffee, for though Ceylon tea was not unknown, 
there was not much in stock, nor did it seem in 
such favour as Indian tea, their stock of which 
included some Darjiling. These teas were, however, 
for blending, and we could not here get much 
encouragement to the hope that Ceylon tea would 
soon take its place, on its own merits and be drunk 
pure in considerable quantities. " A good article 
will make its way by degrees, but there is no use 
trying to force it by new plans and new waya" was 
the sum of the opinions expressed by the chief tea 
importer here, who is clearly a thorough conserva- 
tive, as most merchants with a sound, well-established 
and prosperous business are inclined to be. We, 
however, instanced what had happened in the 
United Kingdom, in Australia, and what Ceylon 
planters were trying to do in America and Kussia, 
by new and revolutionary means ; and we parted 
with the assurance that they would probably get an 
increasing quantity of Ceylon tea, but for blending 
purposes rather than for distributing by itself, we 
inferred. 
The third firm on whom we called, though in a 
smaller way, evidently did an extensive distributing 
business in tea and rum, and the managing partner 
was the most interested yet, in all my interpreter 
had to tell about Ceylon tea. He had heard and 
read somewhat about it, but as yet had bought none. 
He was much more of our opinion that so good and 
comparatively cheap an article might well ba 
brought before the Austrian public by every possible 
means, by advertising even, distributing information 
in pamphlet form, opening a Ceylon Eestaurant or 
Retail Store, &c. As regards the first, he instanoed 
very appositely, the case of " Van Houten's Oocoa," 
which, as we had noticed, is largely placarded all 
over Vienna, and is perhaps the only tropical 
product so advertised and no doubt with profitable 
results. There can be no doubt that if Cetlon 
Tea were similarly advertised, the attention of 
the people could not fail to be drawn to it, 
and 'if the needful information and supply were 
simultaneously made readily available, enquiry 
and demand would follow. [I found the readier 
access to the opinions of the different merohanta 
being able to announce that I was not a tea 
dealer or planter, but a journalist interested in 
the welfare of Ceylon's chief industry.] 
Our fourth visit was to a dealer of a lower 
class— a respectable family grocer in a big way, 
but who kept his teas for sale in very large 
glass-stoppered bottles and who retailed China and 
blended teas at from 5s to 6a the lb., the demand 
being for small quantities. He did not think 
much of a sample of Ceylon high-grown we had 
with us ; said it was too much of a hay flavour, 
and that the decoction would be far too bitter 
and strong to suit the Austrian taste. 
Far more encouraging was the opinion of a dealer 
in a more fashionable street, who might be called an 
Austro-American, he having been several years in 
Chicago before opening in Vienna. He knew a little 
about Ceylon tea, was much interested in our sample, 
had indeed sold some tea got from London, as 
V Ceylon," very freely among his customers and he 
would certainly go in for more, and try if possible 
to make a business with Colombo direct, though 
his requirements would be small to begin with; 
He had introduced Californian " preserved fruits" 
into Vienna, and it was his intention to have a 
stand at the approaching Exhibition with Food- 
