27^ 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. i. 1897. 
THE TEA TRADE OF THE 
FAR EAST: 
SOMETHING FOR THE “COMMITTEE 
OF THIRTY •’ TO FONDER OVER : 
AN INCRKASE, RATHER THAN DECREASE, IN TOTAL 
TEA EXPORTS FROM CHINA, JAPAN, AND FORMOSA; 
LARGE TO'I'AL CONSUMPTION OF FAR EAST TEAS 
IN RUSSIA AND AMERICA. 
The friends of China tea who bemoan tlie 
fallinpi-off in exports to tlie United Kin<idoin 
and Australasia, take good care to avoid all 
reference to the deve lopinent of the trade in 
other directions. It is only when we get all 
the ligures brought together that we are able 
to see that in reality tlie China tea-growers have 
not sufl'ered even now, any diminution whatever in 
the demand for their inoduce. Tlie confusion arises 
from the British merchants and Press in China 
taking little or no cognizance of the trade 
in “ brick tea ” via Kiachta to Russia, which 
has enormously developed in the past 25 years, nor 
do they even give returns of the “ leaf teas 
sent via the Ilan River and I’ancliing,” which 
do not come under the eognizance of the 
Foreign Customs. Then, again, another element 
of confusion of late is that the Formosan ex- 
port of tea is now being connected with Japan, 
whereas it was formerly given with the figures for 
China tea. The only way, therefore, to get a fair 
TEA IMPORTS INTO RUSSIA. 
1871. 1896. 
China ; Congou and green lb. lb. 
Tea via Odessa . . 1,984,000 23,235,333* 
Do. „ Northern Ports . . 2 293..S33 21,893.733 
Do. Leaf Tea via Fanching 12,149,600 10,439,600 
Do. Brick Tea via Kiachta 11,772,000 76,949,200f 
port trade in China and 
Japan teas, is to put 
the whole together as we attempt 
to do in the 
following statement : — 
EXPORTS OF LEAF TEAS. 
From 
To 
1871. 
1896. 
China 
U. K. .. lb. 
138,915,733 
29,254,533 
Do. 
US. .. „ 
39,806,533 
30,146,000 
Do. 
Russia . . ,, 
4.277,333 
45,179,066 
Do. 
Australasia ,, 
12,269,200 
6,258,800 
Do. 
Sundry places 
via Hongkong ,, 
17,511,601 
40,575,068 
Total (Leaf Tea). . 
212,780,400 
151,413,467 
Do. 
via Fanching to 
Russia . . ,, 
12,149,600 
10,439,600* 
BRICK TEA. 
Do. 
Russia . . lb. 
11,172,000 
76,949,200f 
Total for China proper ,, 
236,102,000 
238,802,267 
Japan and Fonnosa to 
America . . ,, 
18,750,000 
62,064,000 
Total Far East Teas . . 
254,852,000 
300,876,267 
British-grown Teas 
15,351,600 
215,405,000 
lb. 270,203,600 
516,381,267 
Iier?*, UitJIl ttt a lo ccvu uc; tiia,u uiiv:; 
China tea-growers so far from exporting less 
tea in tlie 25 years, have .actually, delivered 
2,700,000 lb. more in 1896 than in 1871, and 
that Rus.sia has fully made up to them for the 
less demand from the rest of Europe, America 
and Australasia. Then we have the export 
trade in “ Jajian and Fcrmcsa teas” developing 
from 185 million lb. in 1871 to 62,064.254 lb. 
in 1 896. 
Let us now consider what the Russian and 
American markets still continue to take of the 
tea proiluce of the Far blast,— of China, F’or- 
mosa, and Japan. Here are the ligures for 
♦Varies greatly year by year: 1879 — 193,733 Ib. 
1895 = 1,799,600. 
t Including 2,717,733 lb. via Odessa. 
Total.. 27,598.933 132,567,866 
Here we have an enormous development of 
the Russian tea trade in the 25 years, 
and the fact should be realized that if we 
could only get the Russians to use Indian and 
Ceylon te.as, our incre.ased production would be re- 
quired for a good many years to come. So with 
America if we put all the ligures together 
thus, — 
1811. 1896. 
lb. lb. 
China (Leaf Teas) .. 39.806,533 ,30,146,000 
Japan and Formosa ,. 18,750,000 62,064,000 
58,556,533 92,210,000 
Here, again, tve have a huge margin to go 
on in the total of 92^ million lb. of Far 
blast Tea^, consumed in America. Taking Russia 
and the United States together, we face a total 
consumjition of 224,777,866 lb. of China, Formosa, 
and Japan teas, and how to su])plant this by 
Ceylon and Indian teas is the great problem 
of the day for the tea planters in both coun- 
tries,— for the Ceylon “Thirty Committee” and 
for the “ Tea Associations” in Calcutta and 
London. The campaign has already gone on for 
several years and something more than a foothold 
has now been gained in both countries. May we see 
the introduction of our pure wholesome teas into 
Russia and North America, henceforward increase 
not at an arithmetical, but at a geometrical rate of 
progress, and so find cur export to these countries 
doubling every year, until a victory is attained 
as complete as that already achieved in the United 
Kingdom and Australasia. 
COFFEE, NUTMEGS, RAMIE AND COCO- 
NUTS AT THE STRAITS. 
FROM REPORT BY THE ACTING DISTRICT MAGIS- 
TRATE, (A. W. JUST) MATANG, FOR JULY. 
On the 29th July I wtnt by launch to Kampong 
Dew, snd stayed the night at Y^am Seng estate. The 
next morning Mr. Waddell Boyd took me over Selin- 
sing estate. I suppose this is the first time Selinsing 
estate has been heard of, and certainly it has sprung 
into recognition very rapidly, and gives already most 
hopeful promise. It lies a little back from the Kam- 
pong Dew road, on both sides of the river, so that 
from the road nothing of it can be seen, but what it 
loses in lack of road frontage it gains in having a 
long river frontage, which will be most useful for 
the future of the estate the block that lies to the 
north of the river Sapetarig will be twice the size of 
the block to the south. 
The land on the north of the river, a block of 420 
acres, is the part of the estate at present being opened 
up, and is of the very best quality : 130 acres are 
already felled and cleared ready for planting. The 
nurseries consist of: — 70,000 coffee plants, put in in 
April, now four to six inches up cut of the ground ; 
40,000 coffee seeds, not yet above ground ; 8,000 nut- 
meg plants, planted at tbe same time as the coffee, 
in April, and now well up; 2,000 nutmeg seeds, 
not yet up (of the nutmeg plants Mr. Waddell Boyd 
is particularly proud) ; ramie — this is not in large 
quantities but the quality seems good ; 3,000 co- 
conuts. 
♦Including 631,7331b. gieen tea (Hysons) shipped 
to Batoum. 
t including 2,717,733 lb. via Odessa, 
