June i, 1^91.] 
THP TROPJCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
84? 
The quality ot the buiU. ol the crop of 1890 
has been toltrably salisfaolory aud, geutra'Iy, sale- 
able. There Klill stems to be a waat of euriu- 
ranoe about it however, aud if by auy new method 
of working the leaf planters oculd ensure its keeping 
its flavour until the cousumer could get it into the tea- 
pjt, it would be worth trying for; and if once the 
produoe of certain gardens acquired the reputation 
of beeping its quality well, is is more than likely 
that the attention of buyers would fasteu on them. 
It cannot be too frequently reiterated that tea is, 
in its highest seuse, a “ beverage ” “ cheering, but 
uainebriatmg " as Dou Franco beautifully puts it. 
It follows, therefore that in so far as tne beverage 
proves to be refreshing aud cheering, jutt so far 
does it fulfil its purpose. Golden tips are, no 
doubt, very beautiful to look upon, and very accept- 
able to school-boys. Some older boys, too, like Master 
"Watty will even spend their pocket-money very freely 
in buying them, to look at aud talk about, but 
nobody at the family tea-table cares ior appearances 
so long as he feels refreshed and cheered, and the 
only ten-guinea leaf for which there is likely to he 
a permanent demand bears the Bank of England 
water-mark. 
A review of season 1890 would be incomplete if 
reference were not made to the improvemeute effected 
in quickening the delivery of tea after public tale. 
It has always been a gratifying feature of the business 
that tiiose engaged m tea importing were thorough y 
interested in taeir work. They were no doubt actuated 
by a sufficiently high seuse of duty to let the public 
have the offer of their tea iu sale, ludeed, the readi- 
ness occasionally displayed to show samples almost 
as soon as the ship was reported in the docks was 
misunderstood, aud made the occasion of grumbling by 
those who had nothing to lose. 
It was after the public sale, however, that natural 
feeling asserted itself in a disinclination to part 
with what was loved and hst, until the very 
last moment allowed by the unfeeling clause in the 
sale conditions. It was felt at last some modifica- 
tion was desirable. Frequent conferences were held, 
at which free e.xpressiou of opinion took place 
between all those who seemed interested in the subject, 
and a final agreement was come to by which tlie 
importers agreed to surrender their property in three 
days instead of seven ; thereby peacetully and satis- 
factorily cutting off an almost constant hot water 
supply. 
Heterence should also be made to the opening last 
November of the new Indian tea plunge iu connection 
with the Bundou Prophets Gk-acing House. Several 
members of the Tea Tasters’ Oompany had previously 
expel ieuced the cleaning out process privately at 
the Stock Exchange Batlis, wheie the accretions of 
oil were speedily removed and the toiler lightened 
of his lo.ad. It was a happy thought, therefore, to 
bring home to Minciog Lane the hygienic benefits of 
Baden Baden. The operators in China tea were the 
flrst to embrace advantages of the new prooes.s. And 
to their honour it must be recorded that so 
far from desiring to keep all the benefits to 
themselves, they desired quite sincerely to let 
in the outsiders. Iu November it was proposed 
to open the Indian saloon. A code of rules duly 
appeared aud operations were commenced. The Tea 
Tasters’ Company has taken no official notice of the 
proceedings so far, but a few of tba member.'i have 
engaged m the game ou their own account. A daily 
contest is held at which some well known and honest 
person is voted to the Chair. The proeeeding.s com- 
mence usually with a certain amount of fencing ; 
indeed ou soms occasions ujthiuK has been douo hut 
the shouiing of challenges to one another. It, however, 
a cliallenge be given by one party to plunge iu lor, 
say (our months lor a certain sum, aud an opponent 
tu nks it a dotitaole contest, the cbnllenge is answered, 
and the seconds specuily book the names aud take 
the stakes, aud both at ouco plunge iu. Considerable 
interest is taken in the game, niul, as ihe li do 
ebus aud Hows all thr..ugli the weary inuuths, 
both parties waich it with the keoiu st eyes. I’er- 
Jiops they indulge their fancy by thinking they aro 
adding tu the lu.tre of England’s ccmmerce. They 
are noiug nothing of the sort. Far otherwise. They 
are really engaged in a game of chame, iu which 
vphat one man wins the other losses, and, when at the 
end of the four months the experts decide that the 
loser shall baud over so many hundreds ol pounds to 
the winner, both have to accept the uecisiou or for- 
feit their stakes. It is, perhaps, too soon to pronounce 
an opinion ou the effect produced by the.-e gamesters 
on the legitimate market. Up to the present there 
have been some outsiders well cleaned, but the in- 
siders evidently wish to study the development of 
operations still further. To the ordinary tea dealer 
the fluctations iu value, caused by so many outsiders 
plunging in and splashing about, have caused very 
serious perplexity. Jiut even in this the back will 
eventually adjust itself to the burden ; aud there, for 
the present, it must bo left. 
As to suggestions to planters for next season, the 
Oompany of Tea Tasters’ cordially send their greet- 
ings to their many frii nds in India and elsewhere, 
w’ho have in the past striven with heroic fortitude to 
do their best. Naturally they sre much better judges 
of how to do their work than even the most eminent 
broker in the City of Bondou. Bet them continue to 
do their best in every respect, produce a good liquor 
with a fair leaf, packed in sound chests that will 
neither taint the tea nor allow it to deteriorate in 
quality, and their growing industry shall be well 
supported by the Bondon market, fud in due time 
by all the world. (Signed) 
For the Worshipful Company of Tea Tasters, 
H. and C. Mail, A. Pookbman, Llerk. 
« ^ 
BAD NEWS OF NEW SEASON’S 
CHINA TEAS. 
The Foochotv Echo says : — llecent information re- 
ceived about the picking of the new leaf, from the 
variooa tea districts, is truly lamentable, iu fact it 
is so bad, that one is almost inclined to believe that 
no new teas can be expected iu the market. We 
know that natives have the unenviable reputation of 
being capable of spreading false news. But, after 
allowing a huudreil per cent of what we have been 
mfuimed to be false there yet remains a very gloomy 
prospect for the native tea hongs heie, and for the 
growers in the country. Of the former, we understand, 
that only two hongs out of ten have made some 
very small advances to those tea men of good stand- 
ing, and these under conditions, that the costs shall 
not exceed those ruling last season. This no doubt 
is a wise step, as it will prevent the usual compe- 
tition in the hills, which may be fairly assumed to 
have been the chief cause why teas were laid down 
in this market at such high costs every year. It 
is also further stated that a well-known and wealthy 
tea hong has refused iatoto, to grant any . advances ; 
nor does this hong care to have anything to do with 
tea at all during the approaching season. Tuis 
action has disappeiuted many tea men, who are now 
entirely without hope of obtaining any advances. From 
the country, we learn that owing to the establish- 
ment of a low scale of wages, much difficulty has 
been creatod iu obSaiuing labourers, and we under- 
stand that many of these have left the tea districts 
iu search of other work. In fact the whole business 
is iu so unsatisfactory a slate that the amount of 
triasure which has been sent up country does not 
exceed five hundred tliousand dollors, (merely a drop 
iu an ocean). That this will curtail to a great 
exteut the galheriug of, at least, the first crop leaf, 
cannot bo doubted . — China Mail. 
«- 
Per.\k Tea. — A small consignment of Perak 
tea has beeu received in London, but has not been 
placed publicly on the market as yet. Some ex- 
perts and others have sampled the lot, and pronounce 
It of good quality. It IS tf good colour, though 
slightly strung, and brews out well ; U will bear 
compursion wah equal growth of India and Ceylon, 
—Stiaiti Independent, 2oih April, 
