December i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
403 
NOTES ON PKODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Poor China! Accordii g to a telegram from New 
York the prospects of a through trade in tea between 
China and Europe over the Canadian Pacific lino are 
not progressing favourably. Thi.s is short and sweet, 
at least to planters in India and Ceylon who wish 
to keen the supply of tea to European markets 
as much in their own hands as possible. If Ceylon 
planters conquer as many countries as they have 
laid siege to, the direct trade in China tea will not 
be very large anywhere. 
No Presumption. “ Is it presumption in an English 
man to say that he can teach the Chinese bow to 
grow tea?” asks an evening paper. We should say 
not, indeed. The planters of India and Ceylon could 
teach the Chinese not only how to grow tea but 
where to find the best market for it, but they would 
much rather not. It pays them better to grow tea 
themselves, and to beat the Chinaman out of the 
field. — H, and C. Mail, Oct lOlli, 
❖ 
“ TEA OE COFFEE ” IN AMEEICA. 
[In order that you may know all that is going 
on as promptly as possible, I send the enclosed which 
will appear in the Standard- Union tomorrow. Copies 
of the paper containing it will follow by first mail. 
I am very sorry that in consequence of business 
engagements I failed to meet Mr. Grinlinton, but 
I have the best reason for believing that his visit 
hero was pleasant to him and satisfactory in its 
result. — New York Cor.] 
An Amebican-Ceylon Company Soon to Go into 
Active Operation. 
WHAT HON. MR. GRINLINTON THINKS OF AMERICA AND 
AMEBIC \NS— REMARKABLE DECADENCE IN THE PRO- 
DUCTION OF COFFEE — GROWTH OF CEYLON TEA 
EXPORTATION. 
The project, of which some account has already 
appeared iu Ihe Siaiidard-Uaioii, ol handhcgtho leas 
of Coylon on a largo scale in this market, is progres- 
sing favorably, and the enterprise will doubtless 
soon be in actual and successful operation. Tho 
Ceylon Tea Planters’ Company (Limited) has been 
organized under the laws of the Urited States, and 
agencies will soon be opened in all the principal cities 
of the country. Mr. Pineo, formerly a Ceylon planter, 
and who has exerted himself with much success in 
making Ceylon teis known throughout the world, will 
be the general manager of the company with head- 
quarters at New York. Hon. J. J. Grinlinton, of the 
Legislative Council of Ceylon and for many years a 
planter in that island, sailed the other day on his way 
home after a most satisfactory and encouraging visit 
to the United States in the interest of the proposed 
new departure in the tea traffic. Before his depar- 
ture Mr. Grinlinton favored a representative of t:e 
SLiOidard-Union with an interview, in which some 
highly interesting facts were disclosed. 
“ After a residence of over thirty^ years in Ceylon,” 
said Mr. Grinlinton, “I have the colfeo, tea and cin- 
chona business at my fingers’ ends. Some few years 
ago the annual export of cofteo from the island of 
Ceylon was 1,000,000 hundredweight, last year it was 
only one-tonth as much. Tho coffee grows there at an 
altitude of from 1,700 to 5,000 feet above tho sea. The 
chief reason for the decadence of coffee is that some 
few years ago a fungus parasite att.acked the ydaut and 
is gradually killing it. Not only is this true of Ceylon, 
but it is also the case in Brazil and other coltee produ- 
oing countries. The consequence of this seems to be 
that people must learn to replace the use of coffee 
with that of tea. The price of coffee has been gradually 
ascending of late and will continue to do so, and the 
time is not far distant when the production will have 
been reduced to such an extent as to bring coffee beyond 
tho reach of ordinary people. When this parasite 
atUoked the coffee berry of Ceylon, the planters oast 
about for something else to replace the coffee plant. 
This they found in tea. Only a short time ago the ex- 
portation of tea from Ceylon amounted to but 
50,000 pounds annually, while this year it will 
reach the enormous quantity of 40,000,000 pounds, 
the majority of Ihe higher qualities being 
purchased in Mincing Lane, London, for the Rus- 
sian and Irish markets, these being the countries 
which consume the finest qualities of teas and con- 
sequently, preferred that of Ceylon to allotheis. Our; 
crop of Ceylon leas is increasing to such an 
extent that we have had to reach farther afield 
for other markets in order to prevent the supply from 
exceeding the demand. I trust the American publio 
will appreciate the efforts we have made to place within 
their reach the superior qualities of teas produced on 
our island. Heretofore, the formation of such oon- 
cetns has taken place in foreign ccunirlos, formed ex- 
clusively of foreigners, with agencies in the United 
States, thereby virtually asking tho American public 
to lay out their money for the support of a foreign 
corporation ; and we trust that when the fact is gene- 
rally known that the Cej Ion Planters’ American Tea 
Company has been formed in tlie United States and 
composed of American, ns well as English and Ceylon 
capitalists, every iioasible encouragement will be 
afforded it.” Mr. Griuliuton, iu speak ng of other 
products of tho island of Ceylon, said: “ We export 
much cinchona, and I am glad to learn that your 
Senatehas just decided not to take quinine off the free 
list. Colombo,” said he, *’ is now the emporium of the 
East, with a population of 150,000 people, but, strange 
to say, of all this number but one IS an American, and 
he the representative of the United States in the island 
of Ceylon, The European population is composed 
chiefly of Englishmen, and the natives are the most 
honest and respectful of all the natives of the East, 
and any lady would bo perfectly safe iu journeying 
alone from one end of tho island to the other.” 
It is not difficult to nudersiand the reasons of 
Mr. Grinlinton’s popularity iu his island home, 
as a more bluff, hearty and genial English gentle- 
man it would be difficult to find anywhere. In 
speaking of his trip through the United States 
he commenced by saying, iu a quaint manner 
peculiar to himself: “Why, actually, upon slapping 
from the steamer to the dock in New York the customs 
officers insisted on examining all my luggage, which 
seemed rather strange, as no officer in Colombo would 
think of to examine my band-bag; but of course, 
I submitted gracefully and must say that I found the 
examining officer the most courteous and polite of 
gentlemen, who explained that be was but doing what 
his position compelled him to do, and in all my journey 
through tho country I met with universally courteous 
treatment, even upon one occasion where it was 
necessary in making connections to take a train in the 
middle of the night, and having neglected to secure 
beforehand a sleeping berth, I was compelled to take 
the only seat to be found, which was in the smoking 
car, which was otherwise filled with what appeared to 
me to be a rough-looking lot of people, an opinion 
which was quickly shown to be erroneous, as, iu 
order to make mo comfortable, some of them 
insisted upon doubling up, as you call it, iu order to 
place two seats at my diapo.sal ; and i am now about 
to start on my 11,000-milo journey for borne, with 
the kindest thoughts for all of you Americans and a 
regret that I cannot remain longer with you.” 
Evidence of Ihe merit of the Ceylon teas is also 
found in the effort before the Senate to add to tho 
tariff a discriminating duty of 10 per cent on teas 
grown or produce.! east of the Cape of Good Hope 
imported from couutries west of the Cape. The 
c'aim is made that tho section of tho bill has been 
added at tho instigation of a few interested tea 
dealers who wish to confine tho importation of tea 
to those countries where it is the most difficult for 
the smaller dealer to send orders, and is in reality 
aimed at the London markets ; that Great Britain, 
against which the section is directed, admit every 
product of the United States except spirits and tobacco 
tree, and that, therefore, no principle of proteofiOQ U 
