[May  I,  1896. 
782  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
TEA  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
THE  STORM  IN  THE  TEACUP. 
CONTRIBUTED  BY  AN  AMERICAN  CORRESPONDENT. 
“Oh,  that  mine  adversary  would  write  a book.” 
Well,  he  has  not  done  so,  but  he  has  made  a con- 
fession. The  leading  importers  of  China  and  .Japan 
teas  have  admitted,  in  a report  to  Congress,  that 
they  are  unable  to  supply  the  country  with  clean 
uncoloured  teas.  Does  not  this  also  imply  that 
they  have  been  importing  bad  and  filthy  teas 
for  years? 
The  difficulty  they  now  admit  has  not  ariseu  sud- 
denly. Importers  into  England,  Australia,  and  many 
other  countries  found  it  out  long  ago.  It  was  a 
curious  question  to  inquire  into  the  subtle  probings 
of  the  importing  mind  which  prompted  this  confes- 
sion at  this  juncture.  Can  it  any  way  be  connected 
with  alleged  holdings  of  immense  stocks  of  cheap 
Amoys,  as  some  cynics  assert,  or  has  the  importing 
conscience  been  stirred  by  parallel  movements 
in  municipal  government  tending  towards  purification 
of  the  streets,  closing  of  saloons  and  brothels,  the 
weeding  out  of  police,  &c.?  There  is  no  doubt  when 
a sudden  enthusiasm  for  cleanliness  and  purification 
sets  in,  it  sweeps  by  eddies  ai.d  side  currents  into 
channels  which  it  was  hardly  expected  to  reach. 
Explanation  of  the  phenomo  a might  well  be 
sought  i’J  that  direction  but  we  are  ioclined  to  as- 
cribe it  rather  to  bitter  disappointment  on  the  part 
of  the  small  importing  body  because  after  honest 
and  strenuous  efforts  maintained  for  years  to 
procure  clean  and  wholesome  teas  from  the  far 
Orient,  they  find  it  is  impossible.  The  habits  and 
circumsiances  of  the  owenrs  of  the  small  tea  gardens 
in  China  and  Japan  are  such  that  cleanlines  in 
manufacture  is  unattainable.  The  empitation  to 
colour  teas  artificially  by  the  addition  of  plumbago 
and  many  other  substances  is  irresistible  and  in 
the  absence  of  rolling  and  firing  machinery,  these 
operations  must  be  carried  out  by  filthy  and  sweat- 
ing hands,  arms,  and  feet,  often  covered  with 
dangerous  sores.  ISlo  wonder  that  one  of  these 
importing  gentlemen  says,  “ The  tea  testers  would 
as  soon  quench  their  thirst  from  a Chinaman’s  bath 
as  swallow  the  stuff  they  supply  to  the  public.” 
But,  as  these  importing  gentlemen  have  now 
made  confession,  we  must  credit  them  with  the 
intention  of  amendment ; and  setting  aside  the 
question  of  why  they  have  so  long  clung  to  these 
unclean  teas,  let  us  see  whether  there  is  any  truth 
in  the  alleged  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  pure  and 
wholesome  article.  At  the  pi'ice  they  admit  such 
teas  have  been  sold  wholesale,  viz,,  10c  per  lb,  we 
at  once  admit  the  difficulty.  Erom  lOo  substract 
profits  here,  charges  in  importing  froiU  China, 
export  duties  there  (which  are  heavy),  cost  of  rc- 
firing  and  packing  at  shipping  port,  profits  of 
middlemen  who  buy  the  teas  from  the  small 
farmers  in  the  interior,  Ac.,  transport  from  in- 
terior, and  it  will  be  seen  that  its  original  grower 
cannot  get  2c  per  lb.  for  his  tea.  Can  Jap  or  John 
be  blamed  if  for  such  a price  he  is  not  over  con- 
cerned as  to  the  quality 
The  average  amount  of  leaf  gathered  daily  by  a 
labourer  is  about  10  lb.,  which  gives  1 lb.  of  dry  tea. 
Supposing  the  wage  paid  be  only  4c  a day,  this  re- 
duces the  grow'er’s  price  by  half,  or  leaves  him  Ic 
per  lb.  and  it  is  well  known  that  this  is  about  the 
amount  he  gets  on  an  average. 
The  Chinaman’s  garden  is  anything  from  a quarter 
of  an  acre  upwards.  The  Europcon  planters  in  Ceylon 
and  India  own  gardens  running  from  20U  acres  to 
thousands  of  acres.  On  these  they  erect  largo  facto- 
ries equipped  with  rolling,  firing,  and  sifting  machi- 
nery. The  fully-equipped  factory  costs  about  40  dols. 
per  acre  on  planted  area.  Good  India  and  Ceylon 
leas  grown  on  a large  scale,  and  nianufaetured  by 
steam-driven  machinery,  cannot  possibly  be  laid  down 
in  New  York  at  a price  which  would  enable  im- 
porters to  sell  at  wholesale  at  10c,  nor  even  at 
12c  or  lie.  Very  low  grade  teas,  unsnited  for  the 
English  market,  are  occasionally  brought,  over  and 
sold  here  at  12c  to  11c;  but,  excluding  dust  and 
fauuings,  which  are  little  used  here,  the  average 
price  of  clean  machine-made  tea  in  the  London 
wholesale  market  is  about  Od  to  lOd,  while  fine  teas 
may  run  up  to  Is  t>d  or  even  2s.  Fair  average  teas 
can  be  landed  here  at  18c  to  22c,  and  might  well  be 
retailed  profitably  at  less  than  the  50c  which  the 
importers  of  China  and  .Japan  teas  say  is  the  usual 
retail  price  for  the  trash  they  admit  they  sell  whole- 
sale at  10c.  If  importers  arc  sincerely  anxious,  as 
they  aver,  to  supply  the  public  with  i>ure  tea,  they 
will  not  grudge  the  prices  mentioned  at  which  the  teas 
can  be  procured  without  any  difficulty  ; and  seeing 
that  from  their  greater  strength  such  teas  go  nearly 
twice  as  far  as  Japan  or  Chita,  much  less  Oeing  re- 
quired in  the  pot,  they  are  really  more  economical 
than  the  cheaper  coloured  teas. 
The  following  figures  show  that  pure  teas  are 
making  their  way  in  the  world.  From  Ceylon 
thirteen  years  ago  1,000,000  lb.  were  shipped ; in 
1895,  98,000,000  lb.,  of  which  78,000,000  lb.  were  con- 
signed to  England,  and  20,000,000  lb.  to  other  coun- 
tries. Indian  teas  entered  in  Britain  in  1874. 
18,000,000  lb  , now  118,000,000  lb.  In  1879,  186,000,000 
lb.  of  China  tea  were  consumed  in  Great  Britain, 
now  the  quantity  is  about  26,000,000  lb.,  yet  the 
total  consumption  of  Britain  is  some  80,0  00,000  lb. 
more  than  in  1879. 
In  the  United  States  and  Canada  the  following 
figures  show  that  the  people  are  beginning  to  dis- 
criminate and  follow  the  lead  of  other  countries. 
1892  . , ■ . . . . 0,200,000 
1893  . . . . . . 4,300,000 
1894  . . . . . . 5,380,000 
1895  . . . . . . 9,280,000 
Tea  is  a soothing,  upholding,  and  invigorating 
beverage,  and  drinkers  of  it  should  buy  the  best, 
say  from  60c.  to  1 dol.  per  lb.  Of  these  pure  teas, 
as  they  are  very  strong,  much  less  should  be  put 
into  the  pot,  and  the  tea  should  be  poured  into  the 
cup  within  four  minutes.  People  accustomed  to 
China  and  Japan  teas  may  not  like  the  first  cup 
of  pure  machiiic-madc  tea,  because  of  its  novelty, 
but  the  second  they  will  find  tolerable,  and  after 
the  third  they  will  want  it,  and  there  will  be  no 
relapse. — 11.  C.  Hail,  April  3. 
^ 
THE  NUWAUA  ELIVA  TEA  ESTATES 
COMPANY. 
The  first  statutory  meeting  of  tliis  Company 
rvas  lield  on  the  2.')tli  nil.  under  tlie  pre.sidency 
of  Mr.  C.  .\.  W'.  Cameron,  wlio  explained  )io\v 
far  the  stiitements  in  the  pi’ospectn.s  Iiad  been 
earrieil  ont  and  stated  tliat  the  wdiole  of  tlie 
capital  had  Ijeen  i)laced  without  payment  of  any 
underwriting  or  other  commission. 
^ 
THE  TEA  MAKKET 
closes  for  the  Easter  holidays  for  a better  tone  and 
favourable  prospects  for  future  business,  as  prices 
rule  at  so  moderate  a range.  It  is  from  Ceylon  that 
new  supplies  will  reach  in  any  quantity  till  the  new 
season,  meanwhile  the  stock  in  bond  must  be  drawn 
rom  largely  to  meet  the  ever  increasing  demand. 
This  market  at  the  present  is  the  cheapest  in  the 
world,  and  affording  shippers  every  facility  to  supply 
their  wants,  be  they  large  or  small.— A.  tt  C.  E.vnress, 
April  3. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
From  our  'I’ea  DcleguLe  in  Americii  wo  liave 
received  three  jiapcr.s  wliioli  .--liow  liow  largely 
our  staide  product  is  being  adverlised  iu"tb'e 
West.  A lot  of  \ alnable  facts  is  given  in 
the  notices,  and  several  of  them  are  illustrated; 
One  has  a rather  attractive,  sketcli  of  a draw- 
ing-room from  which  representalives  of  .laiian 
and  China  are  taking  their  exit  thus  addressed  by 
the  hostess— “ Co  ; We  now'  u.se  Ceylon  tea  e.x- 
elusively,  because  of  its  purity.  It  has  n 
