February i, 1892.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
589 
— -» — ^ — 
To the Editor. 
TEA. DUST EXPORTED IN BAGS. 
London, E.G., Deo. 4ih. 
BiR, Yesterday we received iuto our warehouse 
the tea du6t which had been packed for ua by 
Messra. Buchanan, Frazer & Co., Colombo, into 
ootton canvas bags, christiated. W. B. Appleton 
& Co., tea dealers in the City, came in and 
examined the packages, took eamplea and tasted the 
tea and expressed themselves very much pleased, 
as it was in splendid order. I think that this 
will show that tea duet can be safely sent home 
in bags if properly waterproofed with a mnteria! 
which has no smell whatever. Other tea brokers 
examined the tea and pronounced it in very good 
condition bec!iU3e the packages were air-tight ; they 
said tbttt if they gave ma a report there would be 
an upset in the trade. Some people fear to advance 
out of the old groove,— Yours truly truly, 
THUS. CHRISTY. 
MR. LIPTON AND THE CHICAGO 
EXHIBITION. 
Dickapittia, Haputale, Dec. 14th. 
Sir, — The following was embodied in a letter 
received by me yesterday. It is possibly not yet too 
late to suggest the name of Mr. Liptou in connec- 
tion with our representation at the Ohioago Exhibi- 
tion. As is well-known he is a capitalist with 
large established interests in that city, also that 
he is one of the largest if not the largest tea dealer 
in the United Kmgdom, moreover that he is inter- 
ested in Ceylon. 
But selling an article which is considered the best 
value in the trade and which owes its exaellence 
to the mixture of Ceylon tea in it ha has gained 
in a few years the prominence he now occupies 
in the trade. It would no doubt benefit the in- 
dustry on which Ceylon is chiefly dopendeut if the 
influence of a capitalist like Mr. liipton with his in- 
terests iu Chicago, Ceylon and in tho tea trade 
could be secured. The suggestion miy be objected 
to on the grounds Ihut it would be advertising 
Mr. Lipton, who may possibly start on his own 
aooount to boom his teas in America; but as 
they are largely a mixture of Ceylon tea and 
those now consumed in that country are almost 
entirely Japan teas every pound ho sold would 
benefit this country, and extended consumption of 
our produce is what we want whether pure or as 
a mixture. 
We have juat reseived the telegram announcing 
the unanimous selection by the Planters' Association 
of Mr. Grinlinton as Commissioner to Chicago. I 
am sure he would be glad of Mr. Liptou's co- 
operation. 
The idea above expretEal seems to be an excellent 
one; and if you think so, Mr. Editor, I trust you 
will ventilate the matter and givo it your support. -■ 
I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
JAMES DUNCAN. 
[We have no doubt that Mr, Uriiilinton, if ap 
pointed Comniirisioner, as he ia pretty sure to be 
in doforeuuo to the wishes of those connected with 
our chief enterprise, will givo full consideration to 
this suggestion But if Mr. Liptou's co operation is 
invoked it will undoubtedly bo on the principle of 
promoting the sale of pure Uoylon tea, unblended 
and unmixed with any other. This as wo showed 
recently, Mr. Lipton doos not do,— all tho toaa he 
73 
advertises in his circular are blonds. — Sinoe writing 
the above we have seen tho proceedings of the 
Tea Fund Committee, amongst which is a notice 
of the withdrawal of subscription on account of 
Mr. Liptou's Pooprassie group of estales. This, 
we should say, settles the question of Mr. Lipton's 
attitude in regard to the Ceylon tea enterprise. 
He is interested in our tea, no doubt, but only 
as it serves his own personal profit, in the shapa 
of a blend ; such are cot the men to help in 
extending the use of pure Ceylon tea. — Ed. T. .4.] 
TOBACCO IN NORTH BORNEO. 
Kandy, Deo. 22nd. 
Dear Si , — The last advice I have from North 
Borneo re tobacco is as follows : — " We are glad to 
say that our North Borneo tobacco is topping the 
market and beating Sumatra. Although the prices 
paid, in tho faca of 40,(J00 bales, arc low, it ia 
satisfactory to know that they are better thaa 
others. We are expecting an Australian-China 
steamer here on the 6th, to load timber for the 
Australian market. The latest reports from tba 
tobacco estates are encouraging. The weather 
continues favourable, the rains having not set in yet 
Mr. Pryer returned from England yesterday repre- 
senting a planting and development company." — 
Yours truly, W. D. GIBBON. 
THE PRICE OP PEKOE SOUCHONG. , 
Dear Sir, —Now that we are on the job we may 
as well thrash this matter out to the end, especially 
as "A Buyer" has dropped tho mild sarcasm usually 
indulged in by tea buyers when noticing any 
animadversions dating from upcountry. This ia 
novel and refreshing, and I will endeavour to imitate 
his moderation. The fact that my first letter caused 
him genuine surprise simply goes to show how 
little sympathy exists between tea buyers and tea 
producers. Well, I will not lift much of tha curtain 
to show all that is behind it ; but to euppose that 
there can be much community of " feeling " between 
a buyer getting a haul of average pekoe souchong at 
22 cents a pound (while the equivalent London 
value is 30 cents) — and the planter whom it has 
cost 30 cents to produce, is of oourse out of the 
question. "Well, but it is not so," says "A 
Buyer," "our margin ia much smaller than that." 
What the margin is with which he is satisfied is 
not stated, unless wo may infer it from the 5^d 
sample sent to him as his "buying standard" up 
to 2.3c, This would leave a loss I instead of 
8 cents profit, against which I for one have nothing 
to say. 
But WHY "Buyer's" principals in London 
should send him out a "standard sample" at 5.Jd 
when the London average is for "one unifoi-m qualitij 
which never va<ie$," as he asserts, and is at the 
time quoted 6J i remains for " A Buyer" to explain. 
The instruciions look like :— " buy quotabla l?ekoe 
Souchong at 25 cents." 
But may I ask "A Buyer" not to wander 
too far afield. I might as well ask him to come 
upcountry and grow tea (which perhaps he does, 
by the way — such things are!) as he to ask me to 
"biiij " at any price, while I am in the position of 
being obliged to "ell at any price. H this were 
not so ttien "A Buyer's" occupation would be gone. 
Notwithstanding all that "A Buyer" has said— and I 
tliiiik his letter is fair and candid— ho has not yet 
answered my question. I have looked for, but 
cannot now find the qu'ilifying words which formerly 
appeared on the London Price Lists, namely ; — 
"Fair Pekoe Souohoug <;/'(/(<■ (jaaliiy ii.<uiil!ii madii 
ill " * * j'luiorie".^' Now this description of tho 
