MAY 2, 1892.] THE TROPICAL AtSmC«Jl.TUR18T, 
839 
The difference in price of teas from eaoh country 
was merely fractioual, and need not bo consiricred, 
The great and serious difference between the two 
oountri<-a, apart from that of quality, is in the cost 
of production. 1 gathered from the excellent table of 
figures ot twonty-aeven lodiantea oompanios, published 
by Mr. Henry Earnshaw, that the cost of production 
for Indian tea is 9d. per lb., and from other reliable 
sources that Oeylon lays its teas iu Loudon at r cost 
of6'-dper lb. 
Now, what do these figures mean ? They show that 
India, on its 1801 crop of 109 million lb., made a profit 
of about £454,000 , while Ceylon, on its crop of 68 
millions, made a profit of £990,000. 
Should the price of tea, therefore, fall another Id per 
lb., Indian planters would cease to earn a profit, 
while the Oeylon tea planting industry would be 
profiting to the extent of 2id per lb. on, say, 80 million 
lb. of tea, equal to £817,0o0per annum. 
If we carry the argument still further, we shall find 
that, if the price of tea reached the low limit of 6^d 
per lb. (and the Indian properties remained under 
' caltivation) they weuld be suffeiing a loss of 
over £1,(100,000 per annum when Ceylon found itself 
in the position ot simply p»yii)g expenses. 
I do not say that the price ot tea will recede to this 
extent, but I do not believe prices have yet touched 
bottom, and will oot, I think, do so until a halt is 
I made in the expansion of the production of British- 
. grown teas. In about three years' time India and 
I Oeylon will be exporting 25 per cent, more tea than 
they did in the past year. New markets develop slowly, 
and consumption will probably be unable to keep 
pace with this extra supply, unless very strenuous 
efforts are made to push the teas into consumption 
in new fields. 
Ceylon has certainly done her share nobly in this 
I respect, and it behoves her bigger sister, India, to 
move forward in the lead thus given her. 
It requires no great foresight to predict what will 
happen when prices recede further, and that India 
will be the first to suffer from her lethargy in not 
having pushed her teas earlier into new markets. 
Although Ceylon all round will make a profit should 
the price of tea go down another twopence per lb., 
' there will be a considerable acreage, however, giving 
Small yields and prices below the average, that will be 
worked at a loes. 
In India, aicain, the majority of properties will be 
suffering heavy losses. 
Planters, however, will no doubt continue to onlti- 
vate, hoping for better days, and will be slow to 
abandon even non-paying properties. 
The poDrer fields will cease first of all to be culti- 
vated ; and on estates where this coarse does not stop 
the loss, a point will soon be reached when the 
unfortunate proprietor or company can hold out no 
longer, and the garden will become abandoned. 
The low prices will have the immediate effect ot 
preventing new lands being opened out for planting, 
■^80 that in the course of a few years, when certain 
areas are thrown out of cultivation, we shall probably 
not only have no increase, but possibly a decrease, 
in the output of British-grow\i teas. 
When this time has been reached, the new markets 
will be making themselves felt, and couPumption will 
have overtnken supply, so that the position will from 
that period graduaily strengthen, and good profits 
will be made by those proprietors who have been able 
to tide ovor the few bad years. 
The land thrown out of cultivation when unpro- 
ductive of profit will gradually be reopened, as tea 
bu.Hhes. unlike coffee, are not killed by neglect, and 
may possibly improve by allowing them to follow a 
natural state of existence for a few yon-rs. 
There nro many gardens in India which doubtless 
produce ton as cheaply as those in Oeylon. I, how- 
ever, am not dealing with individual properties, for, 
in disouBsiiig this snbjtet, tho average results from 
each couu'ry cnn only enter into the comparison. 
From what I have stated, it would appear that 
Ceylon holds an cmmently strong position, which 
will onablo It to engage, without fear, in tliu struggle 
lor tho survival of tho fittest. 
If it be true that the English nation and 
Australian Colonies will not again jgo back to the 
common grades of China tea, even if they could be 
had pence per lb. under the price of British-grown 
teas, then (he tea planters of India and Oeylon may 
look with unconcern on the future. It will not do, 
however, for them to listlessly look on and allow 
the tea trade to drift until 'it settles down somehow. 
It they hope to stave off bad times, I would venture 
to suggest' the following advice: — 1. To absolutely 
cease planting up more land with tea. 2. To endea- 
vour to keep a good standard of quality, and not be 
tempted, when prices improve, to sacrifice quality for 
quantity. 3. To maintain, with liberal funds, their 
organisation for pushing teas into new markets. 4. 
To effect eoonomies, if possible, in the cost of pro- 
duction. 
I have faith in Ceylon planters working shoulder 
to shoulder, as they have so often done befbre, when 
they see clearly that a united effort and a strong 
pull all together will bring them through their dan- 
gers ; but the absence of cohesion among Indian 
planters, I fear, will only accentuate the possibility 
of their drifting into asperilous position. 
The tea enterprise in both couDtries is (taken as a 
whole) sound, but as critioal times, although only tem- 
porary, seem to be in store, more specially for India, 
it might be well for the leading companies, proprietors, 
or planting associations to collectively endeavour to see 
how best they may mitigate, if not altogether avert, 
what might otherwise prove to be a situation of no in- 
considerable gravity.— "Sours, &c. Scrdtatoe. 
- London, March 15th. 
THE GIBBS DEYING MACHINE 
is thus noticed in The Suyar Cane:— 
This machinery, which is adopted for all manufac- 
tures in which the products are required to be dried, 
and which for several years has been adopted in Lon- 
don and in Australia, Java, and other countries for 
the drying of sugar and megass, has recently under- 
gone improvements in its application to tea-drying. 
The Gibbs Patent Pure Hot Air Furnace, after many 
experiments, has proved a perfect success in supplying 
the means of obtaining either from coal or wood, or 
both, a hot air so pure that it can be inhaled with- 
out injury or inconvenience, and is therefore suitable 
for application to the most delicately flavoured tea, 
coffee, (fee, or other produce without possibility of 
taint. ' It is now not only possible but easy and eco- 
nomical to obtain the utmost amount of heat from 
coal without any deleterious accompaniments. It may 
interest our readers to learn that most favourable 
reports have been received from various parts of 
India and from Natal. 
The latest use to which the Patent Drying Cylin- 
ders (see advertisement columns) have been success- 
fully adapted is that of coffee drying. 
Some months ago Messrs. Gibbs sent out one 
of their Dryers to a large house in Rio de Janeiro, 
Brazil, and by the last mail from this coimtry they 
have been advised that at a public trial held the 
machine gave great satisfaction, the opinion being 
that it is the best of the many dryers in the market. 
The apparatus in question consists of a horizontal 
rotating cylinder 36 ft. long by 3 ft. 6 in. diameter, 
through the centre of which at one end a circular 
tube or air-duct projects some 12 feet; this tube is 
open at one end and connected with a fan, which 
draws a supply of heated air from a specially con- 
structed fiu-nace, capable of burning wood, coal, or 
other fuel. 
' The opposite end of the air-duct is fitted with a 
perforated iron plate through which the heated air- 
currcnts are distributed into tho cylinder. 
Both ends of tho cylinder are partially closed with 
wire niosh discs, which, while retaining the cofl'eo, 
allow free escape for any vapour. 
Ill tho shell of tho cylinder ore a series of apertures 
or ports covered by slides. 
Tlio modus operandi is briefly as follows: — 
Tho cylinder is first placed npou a slight incli- 
