Feb.  I,  1897. J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
523 
Ceylon  to  be  of  a high  standard  of  efficiency,  and 
that  they  show  much  intelligence  in  all  they  under- 
take appertaining  to  the  Company. 
Mr.  Henry  Beveridge  having  placed  hi.s  resigna- 
tion in  the  hands  of  your  Directors,  they  have,  in 
pursuance  of  the  power  granted  to  them  under  the 
Articles  of  Association,  elected  Sir  Nathaniel  Alex- 
ander Staples,  Bart.,  in  his  place.  Sir  N.  A.  Staples, 
Bart,  by  rotation,  retires  from  the  Directorate,  but, 
being  eligible,  oilers  himself  for  re-election. 
MARKET  FOR  TEA  SHARES. 
Thubsday  Evening,  Dec.  10. 
Notwithstanding  a general  easier  feeling  in  the 
Stock  Markets,  Tea  sliare  prices  are,  on  the  whole, 
maintained,  although  here  and  there,  especially 
among  the  Preference  issues,  a little  weakness  is 
manifested.  Considerable  lines,  however,  of  the 
better  known  shares,  which  stand  at  relatively 
lower  prices  than  others,  continue  to  be  absorbed  by 
investors. 
INTEKIM  DIVIDENDS. 
Brahmapootra  announces  8 per  cent.,  as  last  year. 
The  following  are  the  companies  which,  thus  far, 
have  announced  interims  on  the  Ordinary  capital 
for  the  current  year’s  working  ; — 
Assam 
Balijan 
Brahma 
Chargola 
Chubwa 
Doonia 
5 
5 
8 
3i 
3i 
5 
per  cent. 
East  India 
and  Ceylon 
Jhaiizie 
Jokai 
Lebong 
per  cent. 
Other  announcements  are  expected  shortly. 
Mincing  Lane  again  rather  easier  for  common  and 
undesirable  Teas,  but  steady  to  firm  for  fine  classes. 
Quality  tending  to  improve,  and  consumption,  as  well 
as  export  demand,  good  and  increasing.  Recent  lower 
values  in  Calcutta  seem  also  to  be  stimulating  the  oS 
take  thence  for  the  Colonies,  Americ  i,  and  other  out 
ports,  as  well  as  for  Central  Asia  (via  Bombay). — 
H.  & C.  Mail. 
CEYLON  AND  CHINA  TEA. 
Judging  by  the  tone  of  some  remarks  in  the  latest 
Ceylon  papers,  though  affeciing  to  pooh-pooh  possible 
competition  from  China  tea  prepared  by  new  methods, 
the  island  seems  to  be  aware  that  China  is  waking 
up  in  the  matter  of  her  tea  trade.  It  is  said  the  tea- 
makers  of  China  are  not  to  be  intiuenced  or  made  to 
alter  the'ir  ancient  methods  of  manufacture,  simply 
because  a syndicate  of  British  merchants,  with 
characteristic  energy,  have  started  a factory  with 
improved  machinery  on  the  sea  co  ist.  But  this  is 
not  quite  correct.  No  factory'  on  the  sea  coast  that 
we  are  aware  of  has  yet  been  erected,  though 
inquiries  are  now  being  made  as  to  the  most 
suitable  machinery,  &c.  These  teas  have  been  pre- 
pared upcountry  tiy  the  Chinese,  though  the  mg- 
gestion  has  of  course  been  made  by  the  foreigner. 
The  diSerence  between  the  two  classes  of  tea  is  not 
probably  one  of  soil  or  climate,  but  one  of  preparation. 
The  teas  sold  last  week  were  prepared  with  the 
tannin  largely  retained,  so  that  they  liquor  like 
Ceylons  and  Indians.  To  lovers  of  real  China  tea  it 
would  seem  that  the  difficulty  they  now  experience 
will  bo  made  even  greater,  and  the  soft,  delicate 
flavour,  hitherto  its  excellence,  give  place  to  rough, 
dark  liquoring  leaf. — L.  & C.  Express,  Dec. 11. 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE. 
(From  tlie  H.  ct-  C.  Mail,  Dec.  II.) 
CHATTY  NOTES  ABOUT  TEA  AND 
CINNAMON,  COFFEE,  B.C. 
AFRICA,  &c. 
The  Prospect  or  Too  Much  Tea. — Some  of  the 
Indian  and  Ceylon  papers  are  sounding  a note 
of  alarm  lest  the  cultivation  of  tea  should  be 
overdone,  and  are  expressing  the  view  that  China  and 
Japan  will  not  remain  content  with  the  back  seat 
^he^y  are  forged  to  tahe  as  tea  exporters.  It  is  always 
safe  to  preach  caution,  and  a warning  against  the 
exuberance  which  leads  to  unlimiled  cultivation  is 
useful.  The  Globe,  in  re-echoing  the  advice  thus 
given,  sounds  a note  of  warning  on  its  own  account 
which  is  in  some  respects  a little  too  shrill.  It  says  ; 
‘•Enormous  as  is  the  world’s  consumption  of  tea, 
and  largely  as  it  is  increasing,  it  seems  to  be  a question 
whether  supply  will  not  exceed  demand  before  very 
long.  It  is  now  very  clearly  demonstrated  that  the 
shrub  needs  only  certain  conditions  of  soil  and 
climate  to  thrive  and  produce  first-class  leaves.  It 
is  equally  proved  that  the  required  conditions  exist 
in  many  parts  of  the  world  which  have  never  gone 
in  for  tea  growing.  In  both  South  America  and 
South  Africa  initial  experiments  are  said  to  have 
been  crowned  with  bi-illiant  success,  while  Russia  is 
making  a determined  effort  to  supply  her  own  require- 
ments. At  the  same  time,  the  outturns  of  Assam  and 
Ceylon  steadily  increase,  in  spite  of  the  discourage- 
ment afforded  by  lower  prices.  The  Dutch  East 
Indies  are  also  beginning  to  compete  in  eai’nest,  and 
there  are  some  who  believe  that  the  industry  would 
flourish  in  Northern  Queensland.  It  may  be  taken 
for  granted,  too,  that  China  will,  before  long,  make 
strenuous  endeavours  to  regain  her  lost  hold  on  ex- 
ternal markets  ; when  the  empire  is  opened 
up  by  railways,  the  cost  of  transport  to  the 
coast  is  bound  to  be  largely  reduced.  All 
present  circumstances  thus  point  to  the  like- 
lihood of  a continuous  augmentation  of  production, 
and  unless  consumption  increases  proportionately, 
tea  drinkers  will  have  a better  time  than  tea 
growers.  Happily,  our  Indian  and  Cingalese  gar- 
dens have  achieved  such  high  reputation  that  they 
will  enter  into  this  competition  with  great  advan- 
tages in  their  favour.  But  they  should  spare  no 
exertion  to  cheapen  cost  without  loss  of  quality. 
We  do  not  think  that  Indian  and  Ceylon  tea 
planters  have  much  to  fear  from  the  threatened 
competition  in  South  America,  Queensland,  and 
Russia.  It  is  highly  probable  that  Chinese  and 
Japanese  tea  groweis  will  make  a strenuous  effort 
to  regain  lost  ground  and  that  they  will  try  new 
methods.  This  is  a greater  source  of  danger  than 
any  other.  Yet  it  is  well  to  be  wise  in  time. 
There  is  a widespread  notion  that  tea  planting  is 
very  profitable,  and  that  there  is  no  limit  to 
the  demand  for  tea.  It  is  very  necessary, 
therefore,  to  lay  to  heart  advice  as  to  the  perils  of 
over-production,  and  the  uses  of  economy  in  the  cost 
of  cultivation  and  manufacture. 
China  and  Tea  Machinery. — ^We  referred  last  week 
to  the  effort  which  is  being  made  in  a small  way 
at  present  to  manufacture  tea  in  China  in  imitation 
of  the  Indian  and  Ceylon  methods.  We  now  learn 
that  this  movement  is  favoured  by  capitalists  inter- 
ested in  the  China  tea  trade,  and  that  operations  on 
a larger  scale  will  be  undertaken  by  a syndicate. 
Machinery  has  been  imported  for  the  purpose,  and 
great  expectations  are  formed  as  to  the  advantages 
that  may  accrue  to  the  Chinese  tea  trade  in  conse- 
quence. We  have  mentioned  that  in  the  absence  of 
patent  laws  the  Chinese  may  endeavour  to  imitate 
the  British  tea  machinery  thus  imported,  although 
for  the  present  and  for  some  time  to  come  the 
chances  of  their  being  able  to  do  this  success — 
fully  will  be  very  small.  So  long  as  the 
experiment  is  controlled  by  British  capitalists 
inventors  of  tea  machinery  will  not  run  much  risk 
in  this  direction.  We  should  say  that  there  is  greater 
danger  to  inventors  of  tea  machinery  from  the  imi- 
tative skill  of  the  Japanese.  Should  the  Japanese 
tea-growers  use  machinery  in  their  manufacture 
efforts  will  soon  be  made  to  tuin  out  a complete 
native  outfit.  A ‘'tip”  for  machinery  engineers  is 
given  in  a San  Francisco  telegram  to  the  Neio  YorTc 
Herald.  M.  Oshina,  technical  director  of  the  pro- 
posed steel  works  in  Japan,  and  four  Japanese  en- 
gineers have  arrived  in  that  city  on  the  steamer 
“Rio  de  Janeiro’’  from  Yokohama.  They  are  on  a 
tour  of  inspection  of  the  great  steel  works  of  America 
and  Europe,  having  in  contemplation  an  order  to  buy 
a plant  costing  approximately  2,000,000dols.  They 
have  informed  the  Americans  that  they  will  buy  where 
