54* 
tME TROPICAL AQRICULTURIST. [February i, 1892. 
Riga, eto. Governments where tliis tea is now 
mostly known, drunk pure and appreciated by thoa- 
Bandaof people. 
I have^ agents in all the abovenamed Govemmen's, 
and Depots for the sale of Geylon Tea— on commis. 
sion or otherwise — are permanently opened in everyone 
of their principal towns. In Nijini-Novgorod, after the 
fair at the speoial request of the general public, I have 
also opened, on my own account, a reta'l-wholesnle 
Magazine where I have sold from the 12th September 
up to 3l8t October an average of 2501b per week, which 
I consider as being a very good begincing, very encour- 
aging for the future, making me hopeful of doing 
there before long a considerable business, this Govern- 
ment being the centre of tea operations and the very 
one from and for in which a new article has to be 
introduced into Russia. 
A fact, however, worthy of notice is that St. Peters- 
bnrg and its Government has been, up to date, rather- 
more difficult to convince ; the public seems to be there 
more conservative as regards their taste for tea, and 
this field would thus require to be especially worked 
with extensive reclaim and largo aacrificea. 
Out of the 42,0001b. of tea I have imported into Russia 
up to date, the quantity sold in retail (packets) as 
shown above, iince the opening of my business was 
all for the general consumption, viz : the sorts from 
Rb. 1-60 to Rb. 3. to the better public and the tea from 
Rb 1-20 to Rb 1-50 to tbo lower classes, workmin, 
peasants, etc. The wholesnle? (part in packets and 
part in case*) about 15,000 lb. were made mostly to 
dealers and Tractirs (Public houses). 
The Moscow wholesale and retail merchants, large 
firms like Wogau & Co., K. and S. Prpoff & Co., 
Goubkine, Rastargonieff, Bobkine, etc., have, I am 
Borry to notice, not begun yet to buy from me, and 
this for the only reason that they are b11 against me 
on account of my having opened magazines for the 
sale in retail of pure Ceylon Tea, thus setting in 
competition with them against their rubbish "Chinesa" 
and for mixtures of "Ceylon and Chinese," but now 
they import largely Ceylon binds from London," 
used here for blending purposes, and it is an indis- 
puable fact, the accompanying extracts of a letter 
from Mr. Seaton, es- Assam tea planter, who interest- 
ed himself so much in the welfare of the introduc- 
tion of Oeylon and Indian Teas in Russia and who 
was here, last year with me, will testify it, that 
since I am here the export of " Ceylon tea " from 
London to Russia has considerably increased. I wish 
I could furnish statistics of import in Russia, but 
these are very difficult to procure here; it would be 
easier to get statistics in Loudon of the exports to 
Russia. 
Smaller houses have often bought my tea in quan- 
tities of 10 to 15 cases.at a time ; also for the blending 
of Chinese. This is done now so largely and in such 
proportions for " Ceylon " that all these firms are 
damaging their names as well as their marks for good 
Ohincse, thus likely without seeing it, accustoming by 
degree the Russian public to the tns^e of " Ceylon " 
and therefore helping me greatly ami serving ron- 
eiderably our cause and interests. This also will be 
testified by the letter (translation attached) of a Karkoff 
Russian merchant, who takes the greatest interest in 
the Ceylon staple. 
Reoaeding Peices. — Six months, ago, when the etbr- 
ling exchange was at Rb. 8-50 per £ at. «nd the gold 
agio (duty is always paid in gold) relatively low about 
35 o/o, n tea costing in London 10 i. could be laid 
down in Moscow atRb. 1-10 kop. Russian lb. duty paid, 
now that the exnbange has gone (o over Kb. 10-50 
por £ bt. and the agio is fluctuating up to 73 o/o, 
the very same tea turns up to Kb. 150 kop., duty 
{aid, in Moscow, a difference of fully 40 o/o. The 
above pricea for " Coylon" oomp-sred with the prices for 
"Ghintfio" ure in favour of the former, because notwith- 
standing their purity and economy, it is now atcur- 
taiued by many that a Ceylon Tea sold hero at 
f»y Rb. 2 per lb. is of far better quality than any 
• Which the figures for exports from Hritran to 
^OflBia do not ieem to bear out.— Ed, T. A. 
mixture of Chinese and Oeylon sold at same price ; 
I have been often told that my pure Ceylon at say 
Rb. 160 per lb. is of much better quality than tea 
at Rb. 2 from PopofF, Tillippoff or other retailers. 
Rkclame. — This, as I have already po'uted out, is 
the "key" to the sucoeBS, the " main hinge" in the 
enterprise. To push an article, to introduce a new 
product, reclame and advertisements are absolutely 
uecesf ary ; it is the sirae in eviry eouutry of the world; 
and in Rus.siti when, I may say, this is oarriei by all 
on a very large and extensive scale — perfectly well 
understood enormous sums being given away for this 
purpose — it oujht certainly to be done especially when 
the object in question is to change the taste of 
thousands of people accustomed to an article solely 
known by them which never had a like one to compete 
with. For Ceylon tea it is not thousands, but many 
thru-ands of Roubles which ought to be fjoent now — 
after its introduction — for its extension all over this 
country, and I wish I could do as much as the enter- 
priaing American mer- chant who is now spending a 
sura of 40,000 Dollars in the reclame for Ceylon tea in 
the United States, as will be shown by the interes'.ing 
:irticle published recently in 1he"Pycckoe Odozpirine"* 
Russian Review, of which I attach herewith a transla- 
tion. 
I annex accounts showing first expenditure made in 
trying to attain these ends, and I will draw again 
the attention of your Committee on the neceseity of 
much more funds to be sacrificed in order to con- 
tinue the work and obtain the desired results, as it 
must be well understood that although some progress 
has evidently been made, much more remains to be 
done before Russia gets its tea supplies direct and 
regularly from Ceylon. 
After having prelirainanly advertised in newspapers 
and by other different means, my reclame began 
with the opsninc; of my magazine ( Maroseika, House 
Lebledieff) of which the acompanying photos perhaps 
will prove of some interest in Oeyloni in order to 
give the public the possibility of bujiug this tea in 
packets and driiik it pure. Placards, prioe-currents, 
fly-bills, reclame, books, eto. (as per accompanying 
fpeoimen) have been printed and distributed abundantly 
all over the country and especially in the Kiosk 
opened at the French Exhibition in Moscow where 
te» in packets aad in cup was sold and presented 
to the publio duiiog five months. 
In a commercial point of view this KioEk was 
a complete failure, Rb. 2,000 and more have been 
dropped, but it was and is still very not'ceable 
that it did a great deal of good as well in BIoscow 
as in the province, the sale having thus much increased. 
Another reclame of great weight was the Nijini 
Novgorod Fair about which I have already written 
above ; there I may say, selling tea in packets of |lb. 
ilb. |lb and lib. I have given to many thous nds of 
people of all classes and of almost all parts of the 
country, the means of tasting the pure and genuine 
article and I do not think it is boisterous f of myself 
to predict for the next Fair there, a very consider- 
able business, if I am in a position to bring on that 
market the necessary quantity of tea to do it. If 
calculate that about 50,000 lb. could easily be sold 
there (retail and wholesale) during the forty days 
the Fair lasts. 
Paid Agents were also engaged by me to visit Moscow 
and the Province, offering my tea , in private house?, 
restiu ants, bote's, tractirs, ttc. in fact in every 
place where tea is drunk, and^ the result was that 
Diauy of these have been gained to the cause of 
Oeylon tea and became my regular customtrs, as 
they very soon found out the great and indisputable 
economy in using it. Many, however, are still re- 
luotar.t to its ppcular taste compared with ' Chi'e*e" 
and it will require a great deal more work of per- 
* Mr. Rogivue eridently wrote the name in 
Russian. "Pycckoe" should be "Ruseky." " OJoz- 
piriue " is beyond us.— Ed. T. A. 
t Mr. Rogivue meant to say "boastful,"— Ed. T,A. 
