JUNli  I,  1896.] 
the  tropical  agriculturist. 
>839 
CHINA  KN.  INDIAN  AND  CEVLUN  TEAS. 
The  he^ivy  hlow.s,  military  atul  liuaucial,  under 
which  China  has  lately  sulTered  do  not  seem  likely 
to  bo  atoned  for  by  any  great  expansion  in  her 
staple  iiKiuslr).  the  tea  trade.  On  the  contrary,  the 
rivalry  of  iiidia  and  Ceylon,  especially  the  former, 
i.s  growing  more  formidable  year  by  year.  Tnai  ihe 
growth  of  the  Indian  tea  trade  is  not  based  entirely 
on  the  excellence  of  the  product,  but  is  in  great 
measure  an  illustration  of  the  trite  maxim  that 
“ trade  I'ollows  the  ll.ig,”  is  established  by  the  f.act 
that  some  ninety-two  per  cent,  of  tlie  entire  Indian 
export  of  tea  is  shipped  to  the  United  Kingdom.  In 
the  colonies  and  America,  where  tea-drinkers  who 
can  appreciate  fine  shades  of  quality  are  compara- 
tively few,  the  Chinese  product  still  holds  its  own, 
though  in  the  United  States  and  Cairada  the  Iiidrau 
trade,  though  as  yet  comparatively  surall,  has  of  late 
years  developed  very  rapidly.  New  markets  for 
Indian  tea  are  being  opened  up,  however,  in  the  Persian 
Gulf,  in  AsiaTc  Turkey,  and  even  in  Asiatic  liussia, 
the  import  at  Bandar  Abbas  in  particul  ir  being  last 
year  double  that  of  the  previous  year  Such  faci.s  us 
these  offer  a most  encouraging  prospect  to  ail  in- 
terested iir  the  great  Indian  Cingalese  tea-growing 
industry,  wliich  now  occupies  so  commanding  a posi- 
tion in  some  of  the  greatest  tea  markets  in  the 
■w-orkl.  How  far  the  prospects  of  Indian  tea  in  Russia, 
which  is  one  of  the  greatest  tea-consuming  countries 
in  .he  world,  wiU  he  affected  by  the  constniction  cf 
the  great  Siberian  railway  cannot  at  present  be  fore- 
seen, but  unless  Russian  tariff  arrangements  prore 
pronibitive,  an  inexhaustible  llskl  for  extension  should 
ue  opened  cia  Batoum  and  the  Caspbiu  Sea.  Not- 
wilhslauding  that  a good  deal  has  been  said  in  trade 
circles  of  the  gratifring  revival  of  the  last  year  or 
two  in  the  Chinese  tea  li  adc,  there  seems  every  reason, 
therefore,  to  anticipate  that  the  Iiidiaii  product  will 
not  only  hold  its  own,  but  will  experience  a steady 
growth  in  popularity  throughout  the  world,  with  a 
corresponding  advantage  to  its  producers  and  to  the 
great  Br.tish  dependency  in  which  it  is  grown. — 
Liveqjool  Pont,  April  13. 
UNITE!)  STATES  IMPORTS  OF 
COl'FEE,  ISA'). 
The  above  table,*  compiled  by  YTortlungton  C. 
Ford,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  Washington, 
D C..  affords  a graphic  and  interesting  history  of 
coffee  in  the  Fnited  States  for  ten  years  past.  It  will 
be  noted  tliat  the  total  imports  for  the  period  do  not 
indicate  a remarkable  increase  iu  supply,  for  the  im- 
ports in  ]5l)5  ; were  only  ll,yi)d,lH7  pounds  more  than 
in  18fl‘2 ; 73  811,521  pounds  more  than  the  im- 
ports in  1880,  Which  wme  only  13,689,321  pounds  more 
than  iu  18Sl>.  S >mc  countries,  however,  show  a marked 
development  of  the  industry,  but  the  total  supply 
does  not  show  aifferences  greater  than  would  naturally 
arise  from  variations  iu  crops.  The  general  drift,  how- 
ever, is  toward  increasing  supiDlies.  Note,  again,  that 
the  per  capita  consumption  in  1886  was  9.".(i  pounds, 
against  9.20  pounds  in  1895 ; while  in  1692  it  was  9.61 
pounds.  In  1888,  a year  of  short  crops,  it  dropped  to 
6.81  pounds.  , 
A significant  fact  is  that  while  Java  eolteo  is  sold 
everywhere,  the  total  imports  cf  coffee  from  the  F.ast 
Indies  and  the  Netlierlaiids  were  1^.895.525  pounds,  or 
2.7  percent  of  the  total  imports.  Evidently  a snpplj 
of  Java  from  some  other  couii'.ries  is  req  fired  to  meet 
the  demand. 
During  the  ten  year.s  1886-95,  Costa  Rica  has  in- 
creased its  exports  to  this  country  nearly  fourfoid,  or 
from  4,750,59-1  pounds  to  17,332,632  pounds;  Salvador 
has  doubled  its  exports  to  the  United  States,  and 
Mexico  has  more  than  doubled,  the  imports  iu  1895 
being  35.262,229  pounds,  against  15,(bG,902  pounds  iu 
1886.  lionduras  has  more  than  doubled,  but  Guate- 
mala furnished  only  2,889,113  more  than  iu  1886  and 
orly  584,384  pounds  more  than  in  1887.  Possibly  tlie 
import  tax  levied  under  ihe  Reciprocity  Act  scut  con- 
siderable Central  American  coffee  to  Europe.  The 
supply  from  Brazil  has  been  very  irregular,  dropping 
lUG 
to  2-10, 17‘.), Oil  pounds  in  1888,  and  reaching  its  maxi- 
mum export  to  this  country  in  1892.  It  is  evident 
that  tneio  is  coiisiuerable  coffee  shipped  and  re- 
shipped into  Europe  that  tiually  nuds  its  way  into  con- 
£uuq..tiou  here.  Tlie  taffies  * themselves  affora  amply 
stuclj  tor  such  as  are  interested  in  keeinug  posted 
about  tlie  coffee  supply. — Americcm  Grocer,  April  1. 
INDIAN  PATENTS. 
The  fees  prescribed  have  been  paid  tor  the  continu- 
ance of  exclusive  ptiviiege  iu  respect  of  the  unuermeii- 
tioaed  iuveutioiis  for  the  periods  shown  against  each  : — 
F’or  improvements  in  the  method  of  an  apparatus 
for  drying  tea  leaf. — No.  80  of  1888. — Henry  Thomp- 
son, engineer,  of  Trinity  Street,  Gainsborough,  m 
the  county  of  Lincoln,  England,  for  improvements 
in  the  method  of  an  apparatus  for  dryiug  tea  leaf. 
(From  17th  April  1896  to  16th  April  IS'dl .)— Indian 
j)  Eastern  Engineer,  May  2. 
CEY  LON  TEA  IN  AMERICA. 
Thk  Views  oe  our  Delegate. 
Through  Llio  coiuTesy  of  the  Cluuniian  of  the 
Planter.s’  Association  we  are  able  to  publish 
an  iiitere.stiiig  and  iiujiortaiit  letter  from  our  Tea 
Delegate  in  America  elsewhere,  and  we  triust  that 
from  planters  and  merchants  it  will  receive  the 
most  careful  comsuleration  as  coming  from  one 
who,  iu  accordance  with  his  commission,  has 
made  it  his  special  business  to  study 
everything  that  tends  to  hinder,  as  well  as  all 
circumstances  that  are  calculated  to  promote, 
the  s.ale  of  our  teas  in  the  American  market. 
Mr.  Mackenzie  writes  cautiously,  being  anxious 
that  “views,”  “snrmi.scs’’  and  “ opinions”  should 
not  he  taken  fur  facts  which  are  diflicnit  to 
get  a hold  of.  It  is  because  he  is  so  cautious 
and  so  keenly  oh, servant  that  the  jilanting  com- 
munity have  so  much  faith  in  him  as  their 
delegate,  and  great  weight  will  therefore  be 
attached  to  all  that  he  writes  and  reports  re- 
garding the  ways  and  means  of  increasing  the 
sale  ot  our  staple  product  in  the  great  Western 
Continent,  Tlie  progress  we  have  already  made 
is  indeed  gratifying,  and  the  closing  jjart  of  Mr. 
Mackenzie’s  letter  in  which  he  states  “the 
sediment  of  fact”  that  there  are  many  more 
dealers  handling  our  teas  puie  and  in  blends 
than  there  were  a year  ago,  and  that  “all  are 
pushing  energetically  in  the  various  methods 
Ainericams  adopt,”  alTords  very  reasonable  ground 
for  the  hope,  at  all  events,  that  there  will  be  no 
falling-olT  ill  the  rate  of  progress,  if  it  is  notin- 
creased  by  acting  on  the  siigge,stions  which  are 
made  as  to  green  teas,  for  millions  of  pounds 
of  whicli  a ready  sale  can  be  found,  ami  as  to 
transhipping  at  London  should  the  v.ilnes  based 
on  sam]des  sent  a week  before  the  teas  leave 
f.'alcuUa  or  Colombo,  and  wired  from  New 
York,  he  higher  (li.an  the  values  placed  on  dupli- 
cate samples  in  London.  YV’e  commend  this  part 
of  j\lr.  Mackenzie’s  communication  particularly 
to  Ihe  coiisidenuioii  of  sliippers,  and  we  shall 
he  glad  to  hear  v\  hetlicr  they  are  prepared  to 
give  the  plan  a trial  at  least.  Commenting 
upon  the  large  increase  in  the  imports  of  British- 
grown  macliine-niade  teas  into  the  States  and 
Canada  last  year  our  delegate  is  of  opinion  that  this 
is  attrihutahle  to  the  low  prices  which  ruled 
liaving  led  to  buying  in  excess  of  requirements  ; 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  if  there  is  still 
any  large  i|uantity  remaining  unsohl  this  will 
tell  against  the  ini|iorts  in  the  early  months  of 
this  year ; hut,  as  we  liave  already  said,  the 
energetic  manner  in  which  our  interests 
are  henig  attended  to  leads  im  to  believe  tliat 
our  progress  will  lie  well  maintained. 
Not  reproduced. — En.  I. A. 
Not  reproduced.— Eff.  T.A, 
