6q2 
TLIE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIrlT. 
April  i,  1896. 
aware  that  the  quantity  of  China  tea  entered  for 
home  consuii)))tion  is  only  about  one-third  of 
what  is  taken  from  our  prodnee.  Taking  the 
lignre  for  the  eight  months  from  1st  June  1895 
to  81st  January  189b  for  the  last  four  years,  we 
find  that  in  1892  93,  tlie  quantity  of  Indian  tea 
on  whicli  duty  was  j>aid  at  all  Bonded  Warehouses 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  amounted  to  71,351,321 
lb.,  against  43,339,624  lb.  from  Ceylon,  and 
23,389,347  from  China.  The  percentages  were 
thus  52,  31,  and  17  respectively  of  the  total 
quantity.  Eacli  year  has  seen  a rise  in  Ceylon 
teas  and  a fall  in  Cliina  teas,  until  for  tlic  8 
months  ended  the  31st  January  last,  our  ratio 
stood  at  35  per  cent,  against  China’s  12  per  cent. 
Our  gain  has  thus  been  4 ])er  cent,  and  China  s loss 
5 per  cent — India  having  gained  during  the  year 
1 per  cent.  And  it  is  herein,  we  have  can^e  for 
special  satisfaction,  that  w'e  do  not  yield  even 
to  our  big  neighbour  ! We  are  quite  prepared 
to  rejoice  over  India’s  succe.sses,  as  everything 
that  makes  for  the  larger  consumption  of  British 
grown  teas  is  again,  so  far  as  it  means  tlie  dis- 
placement of  Cliina  ; but  despite  brotherly  feel- 
ing and  comradeship,  comparisons  are  inevitable 
between  the  two  countries,  and  Ceylon  shows 
to  advantage  in  the  coniiarison.  From  ,52  per 
cent  4 years  ago,  India  advanced  to  53  per  cent 
the  following  year  ; but  she  lias  not  been  able 
to  gain  on  it-53  being  the  percentage  for  the 
last  tw'O  eiglit-monthly  periods.  Not  that  lier 
figures  have  been  stationary,  for  slie  has  ad- 
vanced, year  by  year,  from  71  million  lo.  in 
1892-93  to  80  'miilion  lb.  in  1895-90;  but  her 
advance  has  only  kept  jiace  with  the  increased 
consumption.  Ours  has  gone  ahead  of  it  ! Hence 
it  is  that  our  percentage  has  increased  by  4, 
while  India’s  has  advanced  by  one.  Tims, 
whereas  the  total  quantity  on  w'hich  duty  is  paid 
has  risen  from  139  million  lb.  to  151  million 
within  the  four  years,  the  increase  in  Indian 
tea  has  been  (roughly)  9 million  lb.,  .and  in  Ceylon, 
too,  9 million,  wdiile  the  decrease  in  China  has 
been  about  5 million  Ih.  The  pro)>ortionate  .ad- 
vance of  Ceylon  has  heen  greater  than  fh.at  of 
India. 
When  W'e  turn  to  the  quantity  of  Tea  exported 
from  (treat  Britain— the  ligures  are,  of  course, 
quite  independent  of  those  relating  to  homo  cmi- 
sumption — we  again  lind  Ceylon  ahead  of  India, 
and  in  this  comp.arison  it  is  more  distinctly  so. 
Thus,  while  in  1892-93,  the  re-exports  were  almost 
the  same— the  ligures  for  India  being  2,167,931 
lb.,  and  for  Ceylon  2,205,760— every  year  the 
distance  between  the  two  countries  has  ^videnetl, 
till  the  eight  months  under  notice  show  4,785,867 
lb.  of  Ceylon  Tea  exported  from  Creat  Britain, 
against  2,593,201  lb.  of  Indian.  For  homo  con- 
sumption, the  proportionate  rise  of  our  Te.as  has 
been  greater  than  that  of  Indians,  and  for  ex- 
port our  Teas  have  been  more  largely  in  demand. 
So  long  as  the  former  fact  remains,  the  latter 
cannot  be  turned  to  our  repro.acli,  as  indicating 
a desii'e  to  get  rid  of  our  Teas,  (cliina  leas  seem 
to  be  imported  chiefly  now  for  re-exi)ortation  ; 
but  even  there  the  tr.ade  has  been  dw'indling 
down  ; for  whereas  nearly  20  million  lb.  of  China 
were  exported  in  1892-93,  the  figures  for  1895-96 
are  12J  million.  This  fact  and  the  diminishing 
consumption  of  China  Teas  in  Great  Britain,  as 
evidenced  by  the  ligures  we  have  quoted  in  the 
first  paragraph  of  our  article,  show  how 
.steadily  British  grown  'Peas  are  rising  in  jmblic 
favour. 
The  one  point  in  the  situation  wdiich,  .as  hinted 
above,  fails  to  give  satisfaction,  is  ^fhe  price  of 
our  Teas  .as  compared  with  India.  The  “.stand- 
out” Teas  of  India  ai'e  almost  invariably  higher 
indeed  than  ours  ; and  in  the  c.atalogue  before 
us,  we  have  marks  which  fetched  from  Is  2Jd 
to  Is  .'Ud  per  lb  ; w'hereas  our  highest  figures 
are  Is  Ovd  to  Is  l.jd.  Often,  the  diflerence  is 
even  greater  than  a penny  or  two.  One  expl.x- 
mation  may  be  that  with  a much  larger  outturn, 
liner  Teas  can  be  more  easily  manufactured;  but 
that  explanation  c.annot  avoid  the  signihc.ance  of 
the  otlier  fact,  that  the  Indian  w'eekly  average 
is,  too.  almost  always  higher.  For  the  week 
under  notice,  the  Indian  aveivage  was  9iil  ag.xinst 
Hid  for  the  corresponding  week  last  year;  while 
our  average  h.ad  fallen  from  9d  last  year  to  8Jd. 
A larger  outturn  might  excuse  a low  er  average  ; 
but  here  India  claims  a higher  average.  We  do 
not  seek  to  explain  the  fact,  but  we  desire 
to  bring  it  prominently  to  the  notice 
of  our  planting  friends,  so  th.at  they  m.ay  make 
note  of  it,  ascertain  the  cause,  anci,  if  possible, 
devise  .a  remetly.  The  Island  has  for  a long  time 
maint.ained  not  only  a high  position,  but  even  a 
pie-eminence,  for  its  products.  We  need  only 
mention  coflee,  cinnamon,  cocoa,  plnmbago,  .and, 
to  some  extent,  tea.  Is  tliere  any  reason  why 
our  te.as  should  take  second  place?  We  are,  of 
course,  aw'aie  that  w'e  are  India’s  junior  in  the 
contest ; that  elevation  tells,  and  Indi.a  has  a 
wider  range  of  highlands  ; and  that  the  bushes 
in  India  have  an  apiirecialjle  rest,  while  ours 
are  cropjioil  all  the  ye.ar  round.  Is  the  expla- 
nation to  be  fouml  in  these  ciiv.u instances  ? If 
not,  has  there  been  any  grow'ing  carelessness  in 
manufacture,  or  in  cultivation,  or  in  packing, 
which  h.as  been  operating  against  us  ? It  is  for 
tea  cx])orts  to  decide.  Then,  what  about  all  our 
teas  being  forced  for  sale  into  one  d.ay  in  the 
week?  Can  justice  be  done  to  them  within  the 
time  allowed  for  tasting  and  bidding?  These  are 
some  of  the  questions  which  demand  an  answer  ; 
and  it  will  be  foi  the  Flanters’  Association  to 
say  whether  they  should  not  he  investig.ated  by 
a Committee. 
TO.MATO  GBOWING  AT  THE  AGBI- 
CLILT(JU.\L  SCHOOL. 
Wo  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and  t.asting 
some  splendid  tomatoes  grown  on  “Cinnamon 
Sand”  at  the  Agricnltur.al  .School— by  Mr  Kodrigo, 
the  D.airy  Manager,  wdio  has  had  a very  sne- 
ces.sful  .season  w ith  a garden  of  tomatoe.s.  The  7 
fruits  sent  us  which  do  not  of  cour.se  re|)ie.sent 
the  average  siuo,  weighed  over  3lb.  and  were  very 
fine  in  taste. 
THE  HOME  COFFF.E  DUTY. 
Although  ii  is  certainly  the  case  that  our 
interest  in  the  above  topic  is  relatively  small 
to  wliat  it  was  in  tlie  palmy  d.ays  cif  coffee 
growing  in  this  isl.and,  we  are  plea-<ed  to  think 
that  some  of  that  interest  yet  survives,  ami 
that  it  may  even  some  day  incre.ase.  Without 
doubt  there  is  a survival  of  it  snlli<’iont  to  en- 
sure some  local  sympathy  with  the  elfort  ni.ade 
by  a deimtation  which  recently  waited  upon 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  to  advocate  the 
.abolition  of  the  existing  duty  on  the  article. 
From  some  c.ause  or  other  the  consumption  of 
coffee  has  been  for  many  ye.ars  steadily  on  the 
decline  in  the  United  Kingdom  It  was  stated 
by  the  deimtation  that  thi.s  decline  hail  .amonntcsl 
to  about  a million  hundred wciglil . since  1873. 
It  is  dillicult  to  realize  that  the  imposition  of 
the  existing  duty  can  account  for  this.  The 
