December i, 1890 .] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
441 
To the Editor. 
THE CEYLON TEA INDUSTRY FROM THE 
POINT OF VIEW OF AN EXPERIENCED 
LONDON BROKER. 
12, Great Tower Street, London, B 0., Sept. 26th, 1890' 
Sir, — May I trespass again on a space in your 
paper respecting the tsa industry of Ceylon. 
It appears to me that the fears of tho planters 
have again been disturbed by what appears to me 
an unnecessary alarm, chiefly caused by the great 
rise in exchange. The enhanced rate of exchange 
is certainly an important item in the increased 
cost of the tea in the selling market, and to 
compensate for this, the planter or shipper requires 
an equivalent increase in price. But I would ask 
the question whether this does not also affect 
the price of tea from India and China : therefore, 
on that point Ceylon is no worse off than the 
other two places of production. Indeed a rise in 
the exchange is more detrimental to the low-priced 
China teas than to the better grades which 
India and Ceylon produce, and therefore it is not 
likely that China will materially increase its supplies 
to this country. 
Again, in looking at the effect which the increased 
cost will have upon consumption, it must be borne 
in mind that the reduction in the duty here, will 
up to the present time fully meet the difference 
of exchange, so that practically the consumer is 
now paying no more than he did before the duty 
was reduced, and it is a very doubtful question 
whether the reduction alone of 2 d per lb would 
have led to any marked increased consumption. 
Further it must not be forgotten that there has of 
late been a great increase of wages in this country, 
and increased wages mean increased spending power 
in the hands of the masses, who exercise that power 
to a considerable extent, and purchase the better 
descriptions of consumable articles, than when wages 
are low : and this is the case notably in sugar 
and tea. 
As Ceylon tea continues to gain favour throughout 
the country, the consumption under these circum- 
stances necessarily increases ; therefore I fail to see 
how Ceylon tea especially can in any way be in- 
juriously aflected. On the contrary, there is now 
more hopefulness for a full maintenance of present 
values which already show an improvement, nearly, 
if not quite, equivalent to the difference in exchange: 
and any temporary depression in the market can 
scarcely be considered as sufficient ground for 
despondency. 
The following figures will show the deliveries of 
tea in London for eight months, by which it will 
bo seou that tho percentage in the increase this year 
of Ceylon tea over the deliveries of last year is more 
than double of the percentage in the increase of 
Indian tea for the corresponding periods. 
Deliverie.s of Tea in Loudon for each month from 
January to August in 1890 and 1889 : — 
China. Indian. 
1890. 
1889. 
1890. 
1889. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
January 
7,136,143., 
..8,837,000 
8,831,223., 
..8,0:32 000 
February 
6,898,341. 
..7,399,000 
8,187,293.. 
.8,007 000 
March 
G,:)l9,764. 
..7,939,000 
7,111,9:3.. 
.8,143,000 
* April 
4,681,753. 
..7,.5G5,000 
5,155,941.. 
.7.721,000 
*May 
11,494,064. 
..7,901,000 
11,492,028.. 
,.8,741,000 
Juno 
6,047,080. 
..5,871.000 
8,6:30,442., 
..7,256 000 
July 
7,811,703. 
..7,338,000 
7,291,524., 
..7.379,000 
August 
7,311,749. 
..5,931,000 
6.861,027. 
..6,0:30,387 
57,900,897 
58,781,000 
06,591,131 
62,209,387 
5(i 
Decrease in 1890 of Increase in 1890 of 
880,103 lb. 4,382,041 lb. 
Ceylon. 
1890, 
1889. 
.January 
2,215,670 
1,945,932 
February 
2,126,498 
1,915,114 
March 
2,081,078 
2.137,8:32 
»April 
1,331,678 
9,105 016 
*May 
5.019,890 
2,893,198 
June 
3,613,768 
2,667,890 
July 
3.932,286 
3,677,728 
August 
3,793,038 
3,200,918 
24,116,906 
20,543,628 
Iiicreaie in 1890 of 3,573,278 lb. 
— Yours obediently, J. HENRY ROBERTS, 
(S. Rucker & Co.) 
GREEN TEAS IN TRAVANCORE. 
October 9th. 
Dear Sir, — As you kindly inserted a letter a 
few month.s ago from Travancore regarding Mr. 
Robt. S. Imray’s first experiment and samples in 
green tea when so favourably reported on by Mr. 
F. F. Street, it may interest your readers to know 
what further advance, ho has made in the manu- 
facture of it. The enclosed is nn article which 
appeared in the Madras Times of the flth. I may 
mention that Mr. Imray's first break of green tea 
fetched a very fair price in the London market 
so that there is every reason to expect that his 
second break from which the present sample I 
believe was taken and sent to Mr. F. F. Street, 
will fetch a much higher price still, judging from 
Mr. F. F, Street’s report and valuation of it. — 
Yours faithfully, TRAVANCORE. 
INDIAN TEA EXPORTS. 
Indian Tea Association, Calcutta, Oct. 11th. 
Dear Sirs, — The General Committee have the 
pleasure to hand you their usual Monthly Return of 
shipments of tea from Calcutta, and also a Return 
of Exports of Ceylon Tea for four years up to tho 
18th September 1893. 
Exports oe Indian 
Exports toGi-eat Britain iii 
Sept. 
Exports to Great Britain 
from 1st May to 30lh 
Sept. 
Exports to Australia and 
New Zealand in Sept. ... 
Exports to Australia and 
New Zealand from 1st 
May to .lOtli Sept. 
Exports to America in 
fc'cpt. 
Exports to America from 
1st May to 30di Sept. ... 
Exports to other places in 
Sept. 
Exporls to other places 
from 1st May to 30lli 
Sept. 
Tea From Calcutta. 
1890 
1889 
1888 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
14.263,059 
16,2.53,978 
12,188, .328 
10,415,251 
40,761,034 
40,025,482 
712,300 
806,863 
495,061 
2,293,446 
1,807,392 
1,344, .561 
25,837 
23,5! 6 
19,990 
62.072 
90,847. 
63,119 
195,095 
154,311 
158,867 
526,277 
1,001,601 
464,217 
Total Exports from 1st 
May to 30th Sopt. ... 43/297,010 43,7L'1,777 41,897,382 
— Yours faithfully, S. E. J. CLARKE, Secretary. 
A Collection op Seeds of Indian Aquatic Plants, 
such as tho Sinhara nuts and others, are to be 
sent ftom India to New South Wales for experi- 
mental cultivation there under tho local Agricultural 
Deparlmeut. — Pioneer, Nov. 0th, 
