THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
871 
June  i,  1897.] 
So  far  as  concerns  our  own  market  these  figures 
only  bear  out  what  was  already  matter  of  general 
knowledge.  They  cause  no  surprise  as  some  of  the 
other  figures  do.  China  was  supposed  to  be  finding 
compensation  in  America  for  her  losses  in  Europe,  but 
that  turns  out  to  be 
A FOND  DELUSION. 
This  season’s  shipments  to  the  United  States  and 
Canada  have  fallen  off  to  almost  as  large  an  extent  as 
those  to  Great  Britain.  They  aggregate  up  to  the 
middle  of  January  49,755,000  lb.,  or  fully  3,000,000  less 
than  the  corresponding  aggregate  of  last  year,  which 
was  53,128,000  lb.  China’s  final  resort  is  Russia,  but 
here  again  we  encounter  a sharp  shrinkage — at  least 
in  the  shipments  to  Odessa.  Their  total  for  the 
season  has  so  far  been  only  22,949,000  lb.  — fully 
4,000, OOOlbs.  less  than  last  year’s  total  of  27,240, OOOlbs. 
More  tea  may  have  gone  overland  to  Siberia,  but  that 
is  hardly  likely  in  view  of  the  growing  diversion  of 
Russian  trade  from  the  overland  to  the  sea  route. 
The  tone  of  recent  official  reports  on  the  tea  trade 
is  generally  speaking,  bad.  The  Imperial  Comrnis- 
sioner  of  Customs  at  Hankow  predicted  some  time 
ago  that  the  tea  trade  with  England  would  decrease 
year  by  year,  which  it  has  done.  He  also  expressed  his 
belief  the.t  if  India  and  Ceylon  tea  can  be  produced 
to  suit  the  Russian  taste,  the  Russian  trade  will 
likewise  go.  The  Foochow  Commissioner  says  of  his 
district  that  in  the  preceding  ten  years  the  tea  trade 
had  declined  50  per  cent.,  “chiefly  owing  to  depre- 
ciation in  quality.”  Foochow  had  become  a mere  bye- 
port,  and  its  foreign  colony  had  shrunk  to  a few 
hundreds ; the  actual  census  was  350.  The  amount 
of  business  done  by  them  tvas  no  longer  half  what  it  had 
been  and  the.  foreigners  employed  in  the  Arsenal  and 
other  public  institutions  had  been  almost  entirely 
supplanted  by  natives.  The  melancholy  conclusion 
he  came  to  was  that  present  indications  for  the  tea 
industry  “ are  more  than  discouraging. 
Amoy  is  another  of  the  dried  up  tea  porta  from  which 
a voice  of  lamentation  has  been  raised.  In  the  official 
review  of  its  Customs  the  w'riter  observes  that  “exports 
have  increased  or  maintained  a sound  average,  with 
the  exception  of  a serious  decline  in  tea.  Careless 
cultivation  and  dishonest  packing  had  already  killed 
the  Congou  trade  of  Amoy  in  1881 ; now  local  Oolongs 
are  haraly  worth  the  cost  of  shipment.”  Only  a de- 
mand for  low-priced  teas  kept  the  market  alive  at  all, 
and  that  was  being  threatened  by  Japan.  As  a tea 
port  the  principal  use  of  Amoy  was  the 
MAKKETING  OF  FOUMOSA  TEAS, 
which  are  transhipped  there.  This  Commissioner 
gives  a welcome  indication  of  how  the  case  is  regarded 
by  the  Chinese  themselves.  “Strangely  enough,”  he 
says,  “the  natives  appear  to  view  the  ruin  of  this 
important  trade  with  absolute  indifference,  and  vvith- 
out  moving  a finger  to  retrieve  their  position.” 
But  for  an  example  of  the  utter  ruin  and  decay 
which  may  overtake  a once  flourishing  port,  Wham- 
poa is  the  place  to  go  to.  In  the  days  of  the  old  tea 
olippers  Whampoa  was  the  rendezvous  for  the  annual 
tea  race  to  London.  Situated  in  a bend  of  the 
Pearl  river,  a few  miles  below  Canton,  it  was 
a very  convenient  place  for  ships  to  finish  load- 
in"  at,  and  equally  convenient  to  start 
from.  They  could  drop  down  the  river  in  a 
few  hours  and  get  clear  away  to  sea.  They  were 
great  days  those  of  the  Agamemnon  and  the  other 
tea  clippers  racing  home,  with  a T500  bonus  waiting 
for  the  captain  of  the  first  arrival.  I steamed  past 
Whampoa  lately  in  the  moonlight,  and  found  it  a 
picture  of  desolation.  Not  an  ocean-going  ship  lay 
in  its  beautiful  bay,  and  hardly  a sound  was  to  be 
heard  from  the  shore.  Poor  Whampoa  looked  like 
a city  of  the  dead. 
A good  many  explanations  have  been  offered  of  the 
phlegmatic  resignation  with  which  the  Chinamen 
bear  what  any  other  people  would  consider  a national 
disaster.  Most  of  them  are  conjectural,  but  one  or 
two  have  a plausible  appearance.  It  is  affirmed  that 
the  heavy  decline  shown  in  the  tea  exports  is  to 
some  extent  misleadinn.  Those  returns  are  made  by 
the  Imperial  Maritime  Customs,  and  cover  only  teas 
shipped  in  foreign  bottoms  for  foreign  account. 
Teas  passing  through  the  native  Customs  are  not 
included,  any  record  made  of  them  .being  taken  by 
the  native  authorities,  who  keep  it  to  themselves. 
Recenily  the  native  junks  have  competed  strongly 
with  tile  foreign  steamers  for  tea  freights, 
and  have  undoubtedly  been  securing  a larger  share 
of  them.  Part  oi  the  decrease  shown  at  inland  ports 
may  therefore  be  only  a transfer  from  one  channel 
of  export  to  another. 
Another  theory  with  more  substance  in  it  is  that 
it  took  a long  while  for  much  of  the  loss  to  reach 
the  tea  growers.  During  the  intermediate  stage  the 
greater  part  of  it  fell  on  the  merchants  and  the 
middlemen.  This  explanation  is  contenanced  by  the 
well-known  fact  that  for  years  past 
TEA  EXPOllTING  HAS  BEEN  A LOSING  BUSINESS. 
The  trade  reports  of  the  native  toa  markets  alt 
agree  on  that  point.  In  a review  of  the  last  Canton 
season  it  is  said  “The  result  was  again  disastrous 
to  shippers  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  teas  were 
laid  down  cheaper  than  ever  known  before.”  Teas 
shipped  from  Ningpo  during  the  same  season  were 
of  inferior  quality  and  adulterated  as  well,  the 
result  being  that  “ of  the  thirty  odd  native  hongs 
engaged  in  the  Piugsuey  tea  trade,  not  more  than 
four  or  five  made  any  profit  at  all.  The  rest  are 
reported  to  have  lost  sums  varying  from  5,000  to 
8,000  dollars.” 
In  view  of  the  many  interests  involved  in  this  tea 
question,!  have  taken  every  opportunity  here  of  making 
local  inquiries  regarding  it.  English  shippers  at 
Shanghai  and  Canton  have  favoured  me  with  their 
views,  which,  as  a rule,  are  decidedly  pessimist. 
One  whom  I met  at  Canton  had  been  in  the  trade 
over  *z0  years,  and  he  considered  it  irrecoverably 
gone.  The  competition  of  India,  Ceylon,  and  Japan 
was  growing  too  keen  for  the  Chinamen,  who  would 
not  wake  up  to  it  till  too  late.  Others  took  a more 
hopeful  view,  and  anticipated  a revival  not  only  so, 
but  they  thought  it  might  come  comparatively  soon. 
So  far  the  new  producers  have  had  everything  on 
their  side — virgin  ground,  ample  capital,  skilled 
management,  and  all  the  best  mechanical  appliances 
for  curing  the  tea.  The  Chinamen,  on  the  other 
hand,  had  been  handicapped  by  worn  out  ground, 
no  capital,  little  or  no  technical  skill,  and  no  mecha- 
nical assistance. 
It  is  by  no  means  out  of  the  question  for  the 
Chinese  tea  growers  to  retrieve  themselves,  and  turn 
the  tables  on  their  Indian  competitors.  A first  step 
in  that  direction  is  already  being  taken  in  some  of 
the  tea  districts  where  “ firing,”  that  is,  drying  the 
leaves  by  machinery,  is  being  introduced.  The  drying 
is  done  in  half  the  time  that  the  Chinese  method 
of  sun-drying  required,  and  at  half  the  cost  When 
plants  which  have  outgrown  themselves  and  become 
stale  are  renewed,  Chinese  tea  may  recover  much  of 
the  fine  flavour  it  has  lost.  More  careful  sorting  and 
packing,  less  adulteration,  and  a return  to  the 
straightforward  business  methods  of  early  days  will 
all  help  to  rehabilitate  its  damaged  credit.  The 
Chinese  tea  grower  is  not  played  out  yet  anj^  more 
than  the  Caucasian  is,  but  it  is  about  time  for  him 
to  turn  over  a new  tea  leaf. — J>undce  Advcrtiner. 
MR.  RHODES  AS  COFFEE  PLANTER, 
The  rumour  that  Mr,  Rliode.s  i.s  going  to  apply 
his  many-sided  mind  to  collce  growin"  on  a 
colossal  scale  in  the  Shire  Highlands  of  'Centr.al 
Africa,  is  causing  a good  deal  of  interest  amongst 
those  who  are  already  engaged  in  the  industry 
in  that  part  of  the  world.  It  would  ho  sin"nlaV 
if  Mr.  Rhodes  should  really  return,  in  thezenilh 
of  his  fortunes— so  far  as  money-making  is  con- 
cerned—to  an  occupation  which  h’e  attempted  with 
scant  success  at  the  outset  of  hi.s' colonial  career 
Long  years  ago  he  was  a cofl'ee  planter  in  Natal' 
hut  discarded  the  life  for  the  more  exciting  one 
of  diamond  hunting  at  Kimberley.  -DaUq  ChrZnd, 
April  10.  ’ 
