Oct,  I,  1896.J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
227 
8 to  11  cents  gold  per  lb,,  and  in  the  finer  grade 
yonr  teas,  though  attractive  (I  refer  to  the  better 
kinds  of  pekoe  and  broken  pekoe),  are  too  strong 
for  they,  as  yet,  uneducated  taste  of  the  American 
public,  and  China  can,  and  does,  send  teas  of  the 
second  and  third  crops,  costing  It!  to  1-1  cents, 
gold,  which  possess  a tippy  iippearauce,  and  that 
light  smooth  liquor  which  is  liked  here.  Al^o  what 
tuilitates  against  its  faster  increase,  is  the  small 
amount  of  your  teas  which  find  their  way  to  this 
market  on  consignment.  And  the  difficulty  of  work- 
ing a Ceylon  tea  business  on  standard  samples  is 
very  great,  for  it  has  been  found  that  orders 
sent  to  Colombo  to  duplicate  a previous  shipment 
have,  when  executed,  often  failed  to  give  satisfac- 
tion. The  hotels  here,  it  is  true,  offer  the  visitor 
a choice  of  India  and  Ceylon  tea  as  well  as  of 
teas  from  China  and  Japan,  but  for  the  reasons 
I have  given  I incline  to  think  that  the  increase 
in  the  consumption  of  the  region  tea  on  this 
coast  will  be  slow. 
1 journeyed  hence  to  New  York  via  the  “Sun- 
set” route  of  the  Soiithern  Pacific,  which  service 
certainly  deserves  praise.  The  train  consists  of 
sleeping  cars,  a ladies’  drawing  room  car  with  li- 
brary and  female  attendant  (a“darky”),  gentlemen’s 
smoking  car,  with  barbers  shop  and  bath  room 
The  scenery  as  far  as  New  Orleans  is  mostlj  de 
sert  of  a vex-y  tame  character,  but  from  that  place 
becomes  more  interesting  passing  through  Virginia, 
Georgia  Kentucky,  &c.,  and  landing  you  at  Jersery 
City  within  a ferry  ride  of  the  heart  of  New  York. 
In  New  York  and  Boston  I found  the  Ceylon 
staple  being  pushed  vigorously  and  with  some  suc- 
cess— one  of  the  most  couspicuosly  successful  firms 
in  the  enterprise  (through  their  agents)  being  a 
somewhat  recent  addition  to  your  mercantile  houses, 
whose  name  I will  leave  you  to  guess. 
P'rom  Boston  I entered  Canada  ; but  whilst  on 
the  subject  of  the  United  States  I would  here 
add  that,  returning  from  Canada  to  San  Francisco, 
via  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Omaha,  and  Denver,  I found 
in  each  place  that  Ceylon  tea  was  known,  but  not 
being  (except  in  Chicago)  vigorously  pushed.  In 
Chicago  it  is  being  well  advertised,  but  mostly  in 
“blends”  of  India  and  Ceylon. 
I would  here  record  the  fact  that  the  States  are 
a coffee-drinking  people,  that  in  nine  out  of  ten  cases 
an  American  prefers  coffee  to  tea,  and  that  in  the 
tenth  case  he  usually  prefers  Japan  tea,  or  Formosa 
oolong.  I am  also  of  opinion  that  it  vull  take  a 
very  large  expenditure  of  time  and  money  in  adver- 
tising Ceylon  tea  to  materially  increase  its  con- 
sumption, and  I am  sure  that  the  same  amount 
of  time  and  money  spent  in  Russia  would  result 
ten  times  more  favourably. 
In  Canada,  the  case  is  very  different.  In  the 
Western  Provinces  visited  by  me,  that  is  St.  John, 
New  Brunswick,  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and  the 
country  known  as  the  ^lal■itilne  Provinces,  it  is 
true  that  Ceylon  tea  is  but  making  slow  progress, 
because  the  China  teas  used  there  are  those  kinds 
which  possess  a strong  rough  flavour,  and  at  the 
price  obtainable,  that  is,  from  11  to  16  cents  gold 
per  pound,  are  fully  as  cheap  and  as  good  value 
as  Ceylon  Pekoe  Souchongs  and  the  lower  Pekoes. 
Very  little  tea  is  used  costing  over  18  cents  gold 
(say  9d.).  Some  progress,  however,  is  being  made 
by  ihe  introduction  from  London  blends  of  In- 
dian and  Ceylon  (with  doubtless  some  China),  which 
are  put  up  in  metal  chests,  and  in  tasty  paper 
packets,  as  well  as  in  prettily  got  up  canisters  holding 
half  pound  to  5 pounds.  It  is  tire  opinion  of  those 
in  the  trade  that  these  blend.s  wi  1 gradually  give 
way  to  “ straight  ” teas  from  Indirf  and  Ceylen. 
Leaving  this  part  of  Canada  we  come  to  Quebec 
and  Montreal,  and  in  these  districts  I found  more 
inquiry  for  Ceylons,  though  the  trade  has  not  yet 
begu  to  use  them  largely. 
It  was  in  the  districts  comprising  'i'rontoi  Hamil- 
ton, London  (Ontario^,  and  the  country  around 
Winnipeg  and  the  North  West  that  I found  the 
greatest  demand  for  and  life  in  your  staple.  I'ra- 
yelling  as  I was  in  the  interests  of  China  tea,  I 
was  in  an  exceptionally  good  position  to  judge  of  the 
hold  which  your  teas  had  taken  in  the  districts 
named,  and  1 may  say  that  I found  that  three- 
fourths  of  the  trade  had  been  appropriated  bv 
Ceylon  and  India.  ^ 
In  Tronto  I had  the  p’ea.urc  of  meeting  Mr 
Mackenzie  and  his  Indian  confrere,  both  seemingly’ 
well  content  with  the  progress  of  their  staples. 
I also  had  a long  chat  with  Mr  Lai  ken,  of 
Messrs.  C.  P.  Larkan  & Co.,  who  is  most  energeti- 
cally pushing  Ceylon  Tea,  and  is  making  it  a 
gi'tat  success  so  far  as  his  own  trade  is  concerned 
and  whose  “ hvo  ” advertisements  (specimens  of 
which,  as  shewn  in  the  local  papers,  were  mailed 
whilst  I was  present,  to  your  city)  are  having  a 
telling  effect  on  the  consumption  of  your  teas. 
Just  here  (as  the  Americans  put  it)  I would 
call  attention  to  two  points  on  which  I heard  a 
great  deal.  Firstly  it  is  a curious  thing  that  Indian 
teas,  notably  pekoes,  shew  a finer-made  and  more 
tippy  style  than  Ceylons  of  same  grade,  and  yet 
whether  from  inferiority  in  liquor  or  from  some 
other  cause,  they  are  not  saleable  at  as  hioh  a 
price  as  the  latter  by  quite  two  or  three  "cents 
gold  per  pound.  This  disparity  of  value  has  led 
I am  told,  to  a reprehensible  practice,  and  that 
is  that  in  many  cases  the  name  of  the  Indian  garden 
or  such  words  as  would  indicate  an  Indian  origin 
have  been  scratched  oft  or  erased  in  some  way 
and  a Ceylon  equivalent  substituted.  This  passes 
detection  amongst  the  retailers  of  the  tea,  as  they 
know  little  of  the  article  they  sell,  but  it  acts  to 
the  detriment  of  Ceylon  tea.  It  waa  suggested  to 
me  that  every  chest  of  tea  shipped  from  Ceylon 
should  have  put  upon  it  by  your  Government  a 
stamp  ill  paint  or  burnt  in,  sliewing  that  the  chest 
had  really  been  shipped  from  Ceylon.  This  could 
easily  be  done  at  the  time  of  shipment,  and  would  be 
of  great  use. 
The  second  point  I would  mention  is,  that  to 
cultivate  an  increased  trade  in  your  teas,  as  little 
du.it  as  possible  should  be  in  them.  I ha.ve  seen 
samples  of  Broken  Pekoes  which,  otherwise  good’ 
have  been  thrown  aside  on  account  of  the  bi-oken 
condition  of  the  leaf,  and  I have  often  been  asked 
w'hy  it  is  that  nearly  all  Indian  teas  are,  in 
make  and  twist  of  leaf,  superior  to  Ceylons.  The 
question  is  one  w'hich  I could  not  answer,  but  which 
IS  a pressing  one  and  well  worth  inquiring  into. 
To  conclude,  I would  again  state,  and  in  a most 
emphatic  manner,  that  whilst  I would  not  hint  at 
a large  curtailment  of  the  money  now  being  spent 
in  exploiting  the  United  States  and  Canada  I 
would  suggest  that  more  attention  be  given  ' to 
Hiissia.  J.he  United  States  are  a colfeo-Uriiikiug- 
people,  ana  no  matter  what  amount  of  money  be 
spent  on  pushing  it,  Ceylon  tea  will  be  but  slow 
in  gaming  ground.  That  it  is  coming  into  use  is 
certain  biit  slowly.  Canada,  on  the  other  hand 
IS  a tea-drmkmg  country,  but  I would  venture  the 
opinion  that  the  “booming ’’  of  Ceylon  tea  as  now 
carried  on  by  private  firms  ;,nd  companies,  is  of 
itself  almost  sufficient  to  cause  a rapid  increase  in 
its  use,  and  that  some  of  the  funds  now  beiiicr 
spent  in  assisting  its  increase  might  be  much  more 
advantageously  applied  to  Russia.  The  latter  coun- 
try IS  essentially  a tea-drinking  one,  and  would  I 
am  convinced,  repay  such  expenditure  sooner  and 
more  liberally  than  the  United  States. 
I found  111  my  travels  that  “hard-times”  were 
noticeably  present  both  in  Canada  and  the  United 
States,  but  especially  so  in  the  latter,  and  every 
American  is  impatiently  awaiting  the  end  of  the 
icign  of  the  present  occupant  of  the  Presideutal  Chair 
convinced  that  witli  the  advent  ot  a “Republican’’ 
President  (and  a higher  tariff)  prosperity  will  once 
more  shov/er  its  gilts  on  the  grandest,  biggest,  best 
and  most  luf/lilg-llaBored  country  in  the  world  (So 
say  they  all).  ' ' 
I trust  that  this  short  sketch  of  my  experiences 
on  this  Continent,  in  iv  Ceylon  tea  may  prove  of 
interest  and  use  to  your  readers.  I can  but  say 
that  from  my  intimate  knowledge  of  the  trade  they 
may  rely  upon  it  as  a faithful  picture.  F. 
Occidental  Hotel,  San  Francisco,  March  25th. 
