THE  TROPICAL  AGRlCULTURlS  1’. 
[May  I,  i8y6. 
790 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE, 
Tte  Magnitude  of  the  Indian  Tea  Industuy.— 
Mr.  O’Conor’s  statistics  on  tea  cultivation  In  India, 
particulars  of  which  we  gave  in  our  issue  of  February 
7th,  have  had  the  effect  of  impressing  people  at  home 
with  the  importance  of  the  tea  planting  industry 
in  India.  The  Gardener's  Magazine  calls  the  atten- 
tion of  its  readers  to  this.  It  says  : “ Tea  culti- 
vation forms  one  of  the  greatest  industries  in  the 
India  Empire,  yet  few  imagine  the  enormeus  areas 
of  land  devoted  to  the  tea  plant.  According  to  in- 
foimation  published  by  the  Revenue  and  Agricul- 
ture Department  of  the  Indian  Government,  it  appears 
that  at  the  end  of  1894  not  less  than  422,551  acres 
were  planted  with  tea,  the  principal  districts  being 
Assam,  Cachar,  Sylhet  and  Bengal,  with  smaller 
areas  in  the  Punjab,  Madras,  Travancore  and 
Cochin.  During  the  past  ten  years  the  area  has  in- 
creased nearly  49  per  cent.,  and  during  that  period 
the  tea  produced  has  increased  over  88  per  cent.  In 
1894  383,605  persons  were  permanently  employed  on 
the  plantations,  in  addition  to  150,120  others  who 
received  employment  temporarily.  Of  the  total  Indian 
tea  production  about  96  per  cent,  is  exported  to  the 
United  Kingdom.  The  homo  consumption  of  tea  in 
India  is  estimated  at  seven  million  pounds,  and  of 
this  quantity  about  two  and  a half  million  pounds 
are  foreign  produce,  although  one  million  pounds  of 
the  latter  is  from  Ceylon.  Roughly  speaking,  the 
Indian  consumption  per  annum  is  one-foriieth  of  a 
pound  to  each  person,  while  in  the  United  Kingdom 
the  annual  consumption  per  head  is  from  5Jlb  to 
5ilb.”  Taking  its  cue  from  the  same  source,  the 
Board  of  Trade  Journal  states  that  the  prices 
of  tea  in  Calcutta  have  fluctuated  greatly  since 
1873.  Taking  the  price  in  March,  1873,  to  be  re- 
presented by  100.  it  appears  that  until  1884  the  level 
was  well  above  that  point,  varying  from  110  to  148- 
Coincidently  with  the  great  fall  in  exchange  and  in 
general  prices  in  1885  the  level  fell  to  99,  and 
though  in  1886  it  rose  to  96,  a low  level  was  main- 
tained in  the  following  years  until  1894.  In  1895 
the  level  rose  to  97.  These  figures  all  represent 
the  course  of  prices  of  fine  Rekoe  in  January  of 
each  year  as  given  by  the  Bengal  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. In  the  Statistical  Bureau  the  average  prices 
of  the  various  descriptions  of  tea  sold  at  the  public 
sales  held  in  Calcutta  during  the  tea  season  have 
been  computed  for  some  years  past,  and  the  results 
are  regularly  published  in  the  review  of  the  trade 
of  India. 
More  Figures. — The  Gazette  of  India  contains  a 
note  by  Mr.  O'Conor  on  tea  cultivation  in  India, 
which  shows  that  the  area  under  tea  is  somewhat 
less  than  half  a million  acres,  about  two-thirds  of 
which  is  in  the  Brahmaputr.a  and  Surma  Valleys — 
that  is,  in  Assam,  Cachar,  and  Sylhet.  The  figures 
given  by  Mr.  O'Conor  show  that  te.i  cultivation  is 
almost  "wholly  confined  to  Bengal  and  Assam,  the 
tea  gardens  elsewhere  being  only  7 per  cent  of 
the  area  under  tea.  At  present  the  cultivation  in 
India  is  concentrated  almost  entirely  in  districts  with 
a damp  and  equable  climate,  where  repeated  pickings 
are  possible.  One  point  brought  out  clearly  by  the 
returns  is  that  for  years  past  there  has  been  no 
check  to  the  growth  of  the  industry,  which  annually 
shows  a considerable  expansion.  Every  year  since 
1885  has  seen  an  increase  in  the  area  cultivated, 
ranging  from  over  9,000  acres  in  1889  to  nearly  27,OCO 
acres  in  1894 ; and  the  percentage  of  increase  is 
growing.  The  largest  increase  of  all,  Mr.  Conor 
observes,  was  in  1893  and  1894,  “ the  former  of 
these  being  the  years  in  which  the  mints  were 
closed,  an  event  which  was  regarded  by  some 
as  the  herald  of  disaster  to  the  tea  industry." 
One  table  given  by  Mr.  O’Conor  shows  how  com- 
pletely the  tea  gardens  of  India  are  dependent  on 
the  external  demand,  the  consumption  of  India  being 
trifling  in  comparison  with  the  whole  production. 
Thus,  in  1891  nearly  125  million  pounds  of  tea  were 
produced  in  India,  of  which  all  but  ll  million  pounds 
were  exported.  If  to  this  be  added  the  amount  of 
Ceylon  tea  consumed  in  India— nearly  2i  million 
pounds — it  is  seen  that  the  ))opulation  of  India  con- 
sumes about  7 million  pounds  a year,  or  about  one- 
fortieth  of  a pound  per  head,  or  one-hundredth  part 
of  the  consumption  of  the  United  Kingdom.  Indeed, 
if  the  quantity  consumed  by  the  small  European 
population  of  India,  including  the  army,  be  deducted, 
there  would  not  be  very  much  left  for  the  native  popu- 
lation. Mr.  O’Conor,  however,  records  that  the  con- 
sumption of  tea  is  increasing  amongst  the  native 
population  in  the  larger  towns*  especially  amongst 
the  Mohammedans. 
Indian  Tea  in  South  Africa. — Ainvpos  of  foreign 
markets  a gentleman  formerly  connected  with  plant- 
ing in  Assam,  who  has  recently  returned  fiom  South 
Africa,  has  been  much  impressed  with  the  ijossibilty 
of  establishing  a new  market  for  British-grown  tea 
in  that  part  of  the  world.  In  a letter  addressed  to 
Indian  Tea  Association  he  says  “ I have  lately  re- 
turned from  that  country;  and  cannot  understand  how 
it  is  that  it  should  not  have  been  discovered  as  an  out- 
let for  British  tea  before.  You  have  an  ever  in- 
creasing British  population  in  that  country,  and 
everything  in  favour  of  it  becoming  a very 
considerable  relief  to  the  London  maket.  To 
begin  with,  you  have  in  South  Africa  an  essentially 
tea-drinking  population,  which  is  the  reverse  to  the 
American  taste,  who,  I believe,  prefer  green  to  black. 
During  my  stay  in  South  Africa  I had  exceptional 
opportunities  for  finding  out  whether  tea  was  really 
wanted.  I have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the 
people  of  South  Africa  will  only  be  too  glad  to  get 
good  tea  if  it  is  only  brought  to  them,  and  will  pay 
w-ell  for  it.  But  unless  it  is  pushed  they  will  be 
content  to  drink  the  present  inferior  China  and  Natal 
tea  or  none  at  all.  In  Jahannesburg  you  have  a 
large  mining  population,  and  Rhodesia  is  fast  becom- 
ing the  same,  and,  as  everyone  knows,  the  miner 
prefers  tea  to  alcohol,  and  with  liquor  at  the  enor- 
mous prices  it  is  he  will  drink  more  tea  if  he  can 
get  it  good.” — II.  and  C.  Mail,  April  10. 

CEYLON  TEA. 
(From  the  Grocer.) 
At  this  season  of  the  year  it  is  the  eustom  with 
some  of  the  leading  brokers  interested  in  Ceylon  tea 
to  take  a review  of  the  trade  in  that  article  for  the 
previous  eight  months,  the  period  for  the  heaviest 
shipments  to  the  United  Kingdom  being  nearly 
over,  w’hilst  the  time  is  drawing  nigh  for  much 
lighter  sui'plies  ol  tea  to  come  forward  from  that 
island.  From  the  different  statements  that  have 
been  prepared  we  gather  that  the  total  qu-antity 
disposed  of  in  London  by  auction  during  1895 
was  950,000  p.rckages,  as  contrasted  with  876,000 
packages  in  1894,  and  834,000  packages  in  1893. 
The  equivalent  weight  of  the  last  year’s  supply  in 
pounds  avoirdupois  was  about  80,(XK),000  lb,  in 
comparison  with  74,000,0001b.  and  69,000,000  lb.  in 
the  other  seasons;  w'hile  the  average  price  obtained 
was  only  8Jd  to  8gd  in  1894  and  1895,  andOgdperlb. 
in  the  preceding  year  This  depreciation  in  value 
was,  of  course,  due  to  a deterioration  in  the  character 
of  the  earlier  arrivals,  which  contained  a larger  pro- 
portion of  inferior  grades  than  before  ; and,  in  the 
glut  that  followed  the  liberal  importations  of  com- 
mon sorts  of  Indian  teas  later  on,  prices  were 
constantly  beaten  down  to  very  low  points.  Where, 
however,  the  quality  possessed  any  degree  of  strength, 
or  was  fairly  rich  in  cuj),  it  was  sure  to  command 
special  attention,  more  particularly  so  when  exporters 
were  in  the  market  as  competitors  for  the  higher  class 
descriptions,  and  medium  to  fine  growths  of  pekoe 
and  pekoe  souchongs  went  at  relatively  firm  rates, 
whilst  anything  that  was  exceptionally  choice  and 
scarce  withal  fetched  a decided  advance. 
The  most  astonishing  fact,  however,  in  connection 
with  the  industry  in  Ceylon  tea  is  the  rapid  and 
extraordinary  rate  at  which  the  article  has  been 
produced.  For  it  was  no  longer  ago  than  1876-78  that 
the  first  consignments  arrived  in  this  country,  and 
these,  too,  were  very  petty,  comprising  in  the  three 
years  only  about  5,500  lb  in  all.  Hut  in  1881-82  the 
]>arcels  imported  increased  to  623,000 lb;  again  every 
year  afterwards  the  sup|ily  was  doubled  or  trebled, 
till  in  1887-88  it  was  augmented  to  15, 611,0001b  ; and, 
leaping  forwards  with  gigantic  strides,  it  reached 
