THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
Sept,  i,  1896.) 
185 
PUKE  MACHINE-MADE  TEAS. 
INTEllVIKW  WITH  MR.  R.  V.  WERSTKR. 
There  sailed  from  this  port  on  Saturday  last  a 
presentative  planter  of  Ceylon,  Mr.  K.  Valentine 
Webster,  of  the  Ceylon  Tea  Gardens  Company,  of 
Colombo,  Ceylon  (formerly  known  as  Ceylon  Co- 
operative Tea  Gardens  Company),  and  through  whose 
courtesy  we  are  permitted  to  present  some  facts  of 
general  interest  about  Ceylon  and  its  greatest  and 
most  prosperous  industry.  Mr.  Webster,  called  by 
many  the  “Prince  of  India,”  on  account  of  his 
travelling  all  over  the  globe  in  the  interest  of  Ifritsh 
grown  tea,  states  as  the  result  of  his  s x years’ 
experience  that  Ceylon  and  India  teas  are  steadily 
gaining  favor  with  consumers  in  all  tea  using 
countries' 
“ Within  six  years,”  said  Mr.  Webster,  “ India 
and  Ceylon  teas  have  come  into  general  use  in 
Australasia,  New  Zealand,  South  Africa,  the  West 
Indies,  Egypt  and  Canada,  while  there  is  an  increas- 
ing interest  manifested  in  Ceylon  and  India  teas  in 
France,  Spain,  Italy  and  in  liussia,  which  takes  the 
higher  grades.  Australasia  takes  the  cheaper  grades 
and  thereby  makes  a great  mistake.  It  is  folly  to 
attempt  to  bring  Ceylon  and  India  teas  into  perma- 
nent tfavor  unless  it  is  by  cultivating  a demand  for 
the  high  grades  of  tea. 
“ Four  years  ago,  during  my  visit  to  the  United 
States,  I could  get  nobody  to  listen  with  patience 
to  my  advocacy  of  Coylon  tea,  either  in  bulk  or 
packets.  Your  dealers  claimed  that  the  United  States 
was  a user  of  green  tea,  and  therefore  would  never  take 
kindly  to  machine-made  teas.  I explained  that  other 
countries  which  had  been  partial  to  green  teas  had  made 
the  change  and  that  I could  see  no  reason  why  the 
United  States  should  be  an  exception.  This,  they  claimed , 
was  because  other  countries  had  been  using  Oolong 
tea  and  not  Japan  and  China  greens,  as  was  the 
case  in  this  country.  I maintained,  however,  that 
the  United  States  was  the  only  exception  in  the 
W'orld,  and  that  within  three  years  the  United 
States  would  be  importing  large  quantities  of  Ceylon 
tea  ; that  Ceylon  could  manufacture  underferraented 
tea  in  obedience  to  the  demand  of  the  American 
market  quite  as  readily  as  it  could  change  the  charac- 
ter of  tea  to  meet  the  requirements  of  London.  My 
prediction  has  come  about  and  in  short  time.  Why, 
last  year  the  sales  showed  an  increase  of  72  per  cent, 
over  1894,  while  up  to  date  this  year  my  company 
alone  has  sold  four  times  the  amount  of  tea  that  it 
did  last  year,  and  the  general  demand  is  steadily 
enlarging. 
“ I would  remind  my  American  friends  that  in 
Ceylon  and  India  trvo  distinct  varieties  of  tea  are 
made,  the  one,  ‘‘  mild  flavored,”  is  grown  on  the 
higher  elevations,  and  where  tea  is  produced  better- 
suited  to  the  American  market  than  the  stronger, 
more  pungent  teas  grown  on  the  lower  elevations, 
which  are  better  adapted  to  the  English,  Irish, 
Australasian  and  Canadian  markets.  But  I would 
remind  you  that  America  is  not  the  only  country 
which  goes  in  for  these  light-liquored  teas,  for  in 
Italy,  France,  Egypt  and  Germany  they  are  pre- 
ferred to  the  heavier  bodied  teas  so  popular  in  the 
United  Kingdom. 
“ I have  been  frequently  asked  by  people  in  the 
States  whether  I can  send  samples  of  first  crop  of 
Ceylon  teas.  Now,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  first 
crop  of  Ceylon  tea.  Ceylon  is  only  four  degrees — 
or,  strictly  speaking,  three  and  a half  degrees — 
north  of  the  equator,  where  wo  have  perpetual 
summer,  and  pick  tea  all  the  year  round.  In 
Assam,  in  the  northern  part  of  India,  the  tea 
plants  do  not  ‘ flush  ’ (tea  planter’s  term  for  sprout- 
ing) during  the  winter.  There  they  begin  to  pick 
tea  about  May  1st  and  keep  it  up  till  about  Janu- 
ary 1st.  The  1896  crop  of  India  tea  will  be  on  the 
English  market  this  month.” 
In  reply  to  the  query  if  it  were  possible  for  Indian 
planters  to  manufacture  a grade  of  tea  similar  in 
character  to  that  now  largely  used  by  American 
people,  and  to  maintain  uniform  grades  year  after- 
year  with  tea  from  the  same  gardens,  he  siid 
“ Yes,  it  is  possible,  and  we  can  so  manufacture 
it  that  it  will  keep  good  and  in  souud  condition.  If 
24 
a.ny  of  your  tea  jobbers  in  the  United  States  would 
Ike  to  secure  any  particular  style  of  tea,  I would 
be  very  nmeh  pleased  if  they  would  send  a sample 
to  tne  Ceylon  Tea  Gardens  Company,  Colombo, 
Ceylon,  and  if  it  is  not  possible  to  procure  it  from 
tea  grown  on  its  estates,  I will  advise  them  where  it 
can  be  procured. 
“ piere  are  teas  grown  and  cured  on  certain 
^tates  that  vary  very  much  from  season  to  season. 
I his  13  partly  due  to  the  manager  changing  the 
make  of  his  teas  to  suit  the  demand  of  the  London 
inaiket.  I here  are  certain  companies  that  only  go 
in  for  standard  teas,  and  do  not  study  carefully  the 
peculianties  of  the  various  markets  of  the  world. 
i'*I“®sitatingly  state  that  dealers  can  procure  a 
si,andard  grade  of  tea  in  Ceylon  and  India,  if  they 
will  take  the  trouble  to  find  the  parties.  The  varia- 
tion in  rainfall,  or  changes  in  the  soil,  have  very 
little  effect  on  the  products  in  any  garden.  What- 
ever variations  occur  arei  chiefly  due  to  changes  in 
the  process  of  curing  and  attempts  to  meet  instruc- 
tions from  London  factors. 
During  my  present  visit  to  New  York  I came 
across  a sample  of  tea  from  my  own  estate,  in  a 
one-pound  packet,  which  had  been  two  years  in 
this  country,  and  the  flavor  of  which  was  fully  as 
good  as  when  it  was  packed,  thus  demonstrating 
that  Ceylon  teas,  when  properly  fired,  will  keep, 
ihe  underfired  teas  of  Ceylon  are  like  the  under- 
fired teas  of  Japan  and  China,  and  will  not  keep 
tlieir  flavor  for  any  considerable  length  of  time. 
1 teel  satisfied  that  when  American  consumers 
become  adepts  in  the  use  of  straight  Ceylon  and 
India  teas,  they  will  use  no  other.  They  have  yet 
totearn  that  it  is  three  times  the  strength  of  China 
and  . Japan  leaf.  Our  greatest  trouble  has  been  to 
teach  consumers  to  use  much  less  in  making  an 
luriisiou  than  they  have  been  accustomed  to  of 
other  sorts.  When  they  become  convinced  of  the 
great  sa^^ving  to  be  made  by  using  machine-made 
teas,  I feel  certain  that  these  will  take  precedence 
over  China  and  Japan  sorts,  and  challenge  the 
supremacy  of  coffee  as  the  favorite  beverage.  It 
IS  at  present  a campaign  of  education,  and  it  is 
making  gratifying  progress,  and  is  destined  to  make 
rapid  and  wonderful  strides  in  popular  favor. 
At  the  present  time  Ceylon  is  enjoying  a period 
of  marked  prosperity,  chiefly  through  its  tea  in- 
dustry, which  has  made  its  way  into  all  parts  of 
the  world.  The  coconut  industry  is  a large  and 
profitable  interest.  A large  business  has  grown 
up  in  de.siccated  coconut.  The  present  export  of 
tea  from  Ceylon  is  103,000,000  pounds,  and  I look 
increase  to  140,(100  jiounds,  which  may  prove 
t e imit.  In  Inuia  there  is  a large  area  suitable 
for  tea  cultivation,  but  want  of  labour  will  restrict 
e very  rapid  extension  of  the  tea  industry  in 
that  country.  In  Ceylon  labourers  on  the  plan- 
tations receive  8 cents  per  day,  and  on  this 
getting  all  that  they  need  in  the  way 
01  food  and  clothing,  with  something  to  spare  for 
trinkets,  of  which  the  natives  are  very  fond,  par- 
ticularly the  young  women.  Those  working  on  the 
estates  live  principally  on  rice,  which  they  cook  with 
curry  and  herbs,  and  are  quite  content.” 
We  nrade  bold  to  refer  to  Ceylon’s  having  the 
silvei  standard,  and  asked  Mr.  Webster  as  to  its 
bearing  upon  its  position.  He  said  ; 
we  have  a silver  standard  and  Iwould’dis- 
hke  to  have  it  changed.  It  enables  Ceylon  to  com- 
pete for  the  markets  of  the  world.  The  rupee  has 
^ measured  by  gold  it  is  only 
about  half  its  former  value,  but  the  rupee  buys  just 
as  much  in  Ceylon  as  ever.  There  has  been  an  ad- 
vance in  labour,  but  this  is  due  to  an  increasing  de- 
mand.  Many  of  the  natives  are  averse  to  working 
on  the  estates,  preferring  life  in  the  towns.  If  rice 
has  advanced  the  rise  isduetoothercondit-ons  than  any 
change  in  the  value  of  the  rupee.  Were  the  value  of  the 
lupee  to  rise  to  Its  par,  we  could  not  raise  our  pro- 
ducts and  get  them  into  the  markets  of  the  world. 
I believe  the  silver  standard  is  best  for  Ceylon,  just 
TT.,>  ‘he  best  interest  of  the 
u.iited  otates,  or  a tariff  for  revenue  is  best  for  the 
United  Kingdom. 
